CHANNEL 5’S SMASH HIT ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL RETURNS THIS AUTUMN  

NEW AND RETURNING CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR SERIES 4

London, Tuesday 27th June 2023: Channel 5, BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning production company Playground (Howards End, Wolf Hall) and MASTERPIECE on PBS today announce the casting of the much-loved drama All Creatures Great and Small as it gears up for its fourth series produced in association with All3Media International as the global partner.

Based on the cherished collection of stories by best-selling author James Herriot, the critically acclaimed adaptation returns to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales for a fourth season of timeless and heart-warming stories, picking up in 1940 as Churchill takes office and Europe is under serious threat. The six new episodes (6 x 60”), plus a Christmas Special, will air on Channel 5 in the autumn. In the US, MASTERPIECE on PBS will air season four early in 2024.     

Series four sees Nicholas Ralph (Prey for the Devil, The Most Reluctant Convert) reprise his role as young country vet James Herriot, now happily married to Helen Herriot, played by Rachel Shenton (White Gold, For Her Sins). Samuel West (Slow Horses, Small Axe) returns as James’ capricious and erratic mentor Siegfried Farnon while Anna Madeley (Time, Patrick Melrose) continues as Mrs Hall, matriarch of Skeldale House. Patricia Hodge (Miranda, A Very English Scandal) also reprises her role as the wonderfully eccentric Mrs Pumphrey, alongside her adored pampered Pekingese Tricki.   

With Tristan away serving in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Siegfried and James bring in some extra hands to help around the practice. Neve McIntosh (Shetland) joins the cast as highly efficient bookkeeper Miss Harbottle, alongside James Anthony-Rose (Slow Horses, Pennyworth) as studious undergraduate vet student Richard Carmody who arrives at Skeldale as part of his placement under the guidance of James.   

A colourful ensemble of farmers, animals and townsfolk living in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1940s will also star, including Tony Pitts, Imogen Clawson, Paul Copley, Cleo Sylvestre MBE, James Bolam MBE, Will Thorp and Sam Retford. 

Returning for a fourth series is Executive Producer Ben Vanstone (A Gentleman in Moscow, The Last Kingdom) who will write the Christmas special. Writer Jamie Crichton (Three Pines, Grantchester) also returns, this time as lead writer and Executive Producer. Joining them for series four are writers Maxine Alderton (Emmerdale Farm, Doctor Who) and Helen Raynor (A Discovery of Witches, Call the Midwife).   

Andy Hay (The Last Kingdom, Jamestown) is Lead Director and will direct episodes 1 and 2. Stewart Svaasand (Tin Star, Death in Paradise) will direct episodes 3, 4 and 6, while BAFTA winner Jordan Hogg (Ralph and Katie, Screw) will direct episode 5 and the Christmas Special.   

Series three aired in 2023, making a triumphant return averaging a huge 3.8 million viewers, and an impressive 18% share, making Channel 5 the most popular terrestrial channel during that slot while All Creatures Great and Small was on air.   

Sir Colin Callender CBE, Executive Producer and CEO of Playground said: “We are thrilled to be back in the glorious Yorkshire Dales for a fourth season of family, community and, of course, animal hijinks. Our wonderful cast and crew are all delighted to be returning to adapt more of James Herriot’s joyful and life-affirming stories.”   

Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Drama, Channel 5 and Paramount+ said: “All Creatures Great and Small is one of the highlights of our year and we are eager to return to the glorious Yorkshire Dales this autumn. We can’t wait to welcome some new additions to our stellar cast for series 4.”   

Susanne Simpson, Executive Producer for MASTERPIECE added: “I can’t wait for our MASTERPIECE audience to see this new season of All Creatures Great and Small. It continues to be full of the warmth and humor that has made it one of our most successful series ever.” MASTERPIECE is presented on PBS by GBH Boston.   

Louise Pedersen, CEO of All3Media International, commented: “Over three seasons All Creatures Great and Small has offered heartwarming, escapist viewing that has connected with audiences and become a firm fan favorite all around the world, and as Playground's wonderful series enters its fourth seson I am delighted to continue to build the brand globally.”   

All Creatures Great and Smalls a Playground production for Channel 5 and MASTERPIECE in association with All3Media International. Series four was commissioned by Deputy Director of Programmes, Paramount, Seb Cardwell, alongside Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Drama, Channel 5 and Paramount+; Executive Producers are: Colin Callender, Melissa Gallant, Jamie Crichton and Ben Vanstone for Playground, Susanne Simpson and Rebecca Eaton for MASTERPIECE, and Louise Pedersen and David Swetman for All3Media International.  

All Creatures Great and Small is a timeless classic that continues to be much loved by generations. Never out of print, the books have sold 60 million copies internationally becoming a global cultural phenomenon with devoted fans around the world. With a sharp focus on community and its importance in our lives, Herriot’s world and spirit is a very much needed antidote to the challenges of modernity and reminds us all that belonging to a community makes us part of something greater than ourselves.     

Series four is currently filming on location in Yorkshire.

For more information please contact:

Lisa Vanoli - lisavanolipublicity@gmail.com 

Hannah Allan - hannah.allan@paramount.com

NOTES TO EDITORS   

About Channel 5

Channel 5 is a public service broadcaster and the UK’s third largest commercial TV station. Launched in March 1997, Channel 5 has been part of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS) since its acquisition in September 2014. 

Channel 5 and its digital brands – 5STAR, 5USA, 5SELECT, 5ACTION and the on-demand service My5 – offer a diverse range of issue-led documentaries & popular factual celebrating the British countryside and drawing talent to the channel, accessible history, premium drama and critically-acclaimed children’s, news and current affairs programming. Through its agenda-driving commissions, Channel 5 leads on societal issues from inequality to homelessness and mental health, aiming to tell the story of modern Britain by reflecting the lives of people across the nation.  

In 2018, Channel 5 won its first BAFTA for Cruising with Jane McDonald. The following year, Raped: My Story won best Single Documentary at RTS. In 2020, it won crowned Channel of the Year at the Broadcast Awards and by the RTS. In addition that year, it secured its first ever Grierson award win in the ‘Best Single Documentary – Domestic’ category with Suicidal: In Our Own Words. In 2021, it won best factual entertainment at the Broadcast Awards for Springtime on the Farm. It also won best drama at Voice of the Listener & Viewer for All Creatures Great and Small the same year. 

About Paramount Global   

Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic studios, networks and streaming services, its portfolio of consumer brands includes CBS, Showtime Networks, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+, Pluto TV and Simon & Schuster, among others. The company delivers the largest share of the U.S. television audience and boasts one of the industry’s most important and extensive libraries of TV and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, Paramount Global provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution and advertising solutions. 

About Playground 

Playground is a New York and London-based television, film and theatre production company founded in 2012 by award-winning producer Colin Callender. Playground has produced over 100 hours of primetime television drama garnering 16 Emmy nominations, 26 BAFTA nominations, and 12 Golden Globe nominations, including winning a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for Best Miniseries.   

Recent productions include Wolf Hall, the BAFTA, Golden Globe and Peabody Award winning miniseries starring Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis and Claire Foy for the BBC and Masterpiece on PBS, The Dresser, the RTS winning television adaptation of Ronald Harwood’s acclaimed play starring Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins and directed by Richard Eyre for the BBC and Starz, The White Princess, a limited series for Starz drawn from the bestselling book by Philippa Gregory, Howards End, Academy Award-winner Kenneth Lonergan’s adaptation of E.M. Forster’s classic novel starring Hayley Atwell, Matthew Macfadyen and Tracey Ullman directed by Hettie Macdonald for the BBC and Starz, Little Women, adapted by Heidi Thomas and starring Emily Watson, Michael Gambon and Angela Lansbury for the BBC and Masterpiece on PBS, King Lear starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson and directed by Richard Eyre for the BBC and Amazon, Chimerica, adapted by Lucy Kirkwood from her Olivier Award-winning play and starring Alessandro Nivola, Cherry Jones and Sophie Okonedo for Channel 4, The Spanish Princess, a continuation of The White Princess and The White Queen starring Charlotte Hope, Laura Carmichael and Harriet Walter for Starz, All Creatures Great and Small based on the iconic bestselling novels by James Herriot for Channel 5 and Masterpiece on PBS, and Peter Kosminsky’s The Undeclared War starring Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance, Adrian Lester and Hannah Khalique-Brown for Channel 4 and Peacock. Upcoming series include Dangerous Liaisons for Starz.  

Playground’s theatre productions on Broadway include: Nora Ephron’s Tony-nominated Lucky Guy directed by George C. Wolfe starring Tom Hanks in his Broadway debut, Harvey Fierstein’s Tony-nominated Casa Valentina directed by Joe Mantello, the Tony Award-winning revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Jez Butterworth’s The River directed by Ian Rickson and starring Hugh Jackman, and Kenneth Branagh and Rob Ashford’s critically acclaimed groundbreaking production of Macbeth at The Park Avenue Armory in New York, and the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen. Recent theatre productions in the West End include: John Tiffany's The Glass Menagerie, Casey Nicholaw’s Dreamgirls, and Ian Rickson’s Rosmersholm.   

Playground, in partnership with Sonia Friedman Productions, is currently producing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End where it won a record-breaking 9 Olivier Awards, on Broadway where it won 6 Tony Awards including Best Play, and in Melbourne, San Francisco and Hamburg where it has opened to further critical acclaim.   

About MASTERPIECE   

Winner of 83 Primetime Emmys® and 18 Peabody Awards, MASTERPIECE has been essential Sunday night viewing for millions of fans since 1971. Susanne Simpson is the executive producer. Series funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking Cruises, Raymond James, The MASTERPIECE Trust, and public television viewers. Produced for PBS by GBH Boston, MASTERPIECE is known for hits such as All Creatures Great and Small, Sherlock, Downton Abbey and Victoria, and beloved classics such as Upstairs Downstairs, Prime Suspect, The Forsyte Saga and Poldark.   

About All3Media International   

About All3Media International All3Media International distributes popular, award-winning TV programmes to over 1,000 broadcasters and media platforms around the world. The company has been celebrated for producing, marketing and distributing quality, ground-breaking and pioneering shows to a global audience – consistently topping the Broadcast and Televisual annual Indies Surveys and we have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of our growth – twice. Our catalogue contains over 20,000 hours of content across all genres.   

As well as Britain’s top-selling drama series MIDSOMER MURDERS, As well as Britain’s top-selling drama series MIDSOMER MURDERS, our quality scripted content includes FLEABAG, ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, IT'S A SIN, TRIGGER POINT, THE TOURIST, MYSTERY ROAD and VAN DER VALK, as well as the upcoming drama THE ENGLISH, starring Emily Blunt. Our Non-Scripted content slate includes premium factual documentaries such as WHO IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL? and FEVER PITCH: RISE OF THE PREMIERE LEAGUE as well as various factual entertainment titles including ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU, GREAT BRITISH MENU and FOUR IN A BED, and also representing some of television's most beloved brands from Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh, Gordon Ramsay, Mary Beard and Grayson Perry. Our celebrated formats include THE TRAITORS, GOGGLEBOX, UNDERCOVER BOSS, THIS IS YOUR LIFE, LINGO, THE DOG HOUSE and RACE ACROSS THE WORLD and we also represent an extensive list of successful scripted formats including LIAR, BLOOD, CHEAT and QUEER AS FOLK.