MASTERPIECE announces the double renewal for seasons 5 and 6 of the hit series All Creatures Great and Small. Based on best-selling author James Herriot’s beloved and iconic collection of stories, the critically acclaimed adaptation from BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning production company Playground (Howards End, Wolf Hall, The Hardacres) will return for two seasons consisting of six episodes each plus Christmas Specials.
Returning to the ensemble during Season 5 will be Callum Woodhouse as Tristan Farnon. MASTERPIECE co-produces with Channel 5 in association with global partner All3Media International.
The Season 4 broadcast of All Creatures Great and Small recently finished on MASTERPIECE on February 18, 2024.
Returning for the fifth season is Nicholas Ralph as vet James Herriot, and Samuel West as his mercurial mentor Siegfried Farnon. Anna Madeley returns as the matriarch of Skeldale House Mrs. Hall, along with Rachel Shenton as the charismatic Helen Herriot. James Anthony-Rose also reappears as Richard Carmody. Also returning is Patricia Hodge as the wonderfully sophisticated Mrs Pumphrey, and her adored pampered Pekingese Tricki. Callum Woodhouse reprises his role as Tristan Farnon, Siegfried’s mischievous brother who has been serving in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, when he makes an unexpected return later in the season.
The series will continue to bring the stories of James Herriot to life as we return to Darrowby to join our unconventional much-loved Skeldale Family and the colourful ensemble of farmers, animals and townsfolk living in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1940s. Filming will take place on location in Yorkshire for both seasons 5 and 6. Also returning for series five are writers Debbie O’Malley (Payback, The Guilty) who will write episodes 1 and 6 and Maxine Alderton (All Creatures Great and Small, Doctor Who) who will write episodes 2 and 4. They are joined by writers Matt Evans (Phoenix Rise, A Town Called Malice) who will write episode 3 and Robin French (Cuckoo, The Great) will write episode 5. Brian Percival (All Creatures Great and Small, Dark Angel) returns as Lead Director and Executive Producer of Episodes 1 and 2, Stewart Svaasand (Tin Star, Outlander) returns to direct episodes 3 & 4, and Andy Hay (All Creatures Great and Small, The Last Kingdom) will direct Episodes 5, 6 and the Christmas Special. Yvonne Francas (The Syndicate, Our Girl) also returns as Producer.
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About MASTERPIECE:
Winner of 83 Primetime Emmys® and 18 Peabody Awards, MASTERPIECE has been essential Sunday night viewing for millions of fans for over 50 years. 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 Wolf Hall, and beloved classics such as Upstairs Downstairs, Prime Suspect, The Forsyte Saga and Poldark. For more information, please visit pbs.org/masterpiece and follow us on social media @masterpiecepbs.
About WUCF TV
WUCF TV is the sole-service PBS member station for the nearly 4 million Central Floridians across nine counties. WUCF is Central Florida’s storyteller, encouraging curiosity and learning through compelling content and community engagement. WUCF produces award-winning local content like “Florida Road Trip,” which explores Florida through history, people and culture. WUCF also serves Florida’s youngest citizens, offering hours of PBS Kids content on-air, online and in the classroom, leading the state in usage for PBS LearningMedia. Throughout its ten-year history, WUCF has engaged with over 1.5 million people across Central Florida at in- person events, and over 30 million people online through virtual events and streaming content. The station is community-supported public broadcasting from the University of Central Florida. Learn more at http://wucf.org/.
About Channel 5
Channel 5 is a multi-award-winning 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, its digital brands 5STAR, 5USA, 5SELECT, 5ACTION and on-demand platform My5 offer a diverse range of critically acclaimed, original programmes featuring well-known faces and fresh new talent – from issue-led documentaries, popular factual series and accessible history shows to premium drama and agenda-setting news & current affairs. Channel 5 is the only PSB to air children’s content daily through its much-loved programming strand Milkshake! – home to some of the world’s favourite pre-school characters. The free to air broadcaster’s agenda-driving commissions and distinctive British programming lead 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 UK. Channel 5’s portfolio significantly increased its share of the UK viewing audience in 2023 (+5%) - the only UK public service broadcaster to do so, marking five consecutive years of growth. Recent industry acclaim include: winning 2022’s Best Factual Show at the viewer voted TV Choice Awards for Springtime on the Farm and 2023’s inaugural True Crime Awards for Who Killed Billie Jo? White Nanny Black Child became the first ever documentary to win the Jury Prize at the 2023 Africa International Film Awards whilst All Creatures Great and Small took home the Stress Buster Award at the Radio Times’ Screen Test Awards.
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 130 hours of primetime television drama garnering 16 Emmy nominations, 26 BAFTA nominations, and 12 Golden Globe nominations, winning a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for Best MiniseriTelevision credits include BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Wolf Hall adapted from the Booker Prize winning novels by Hilary Mantel and starring Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis and Claire Foy for BBC and Masterpiece, The Dresser starring Anthony Hopkins and Ian McKellen for BBC and Starz, The Missing for BBC and Starz, The White Queen, The White Princess and The Spanish Princess for Starz, Kenneth Lonergan’s adaptation of Howards End starring Hayley Atwell and Matthew Macfadyen for BBC and Starz, Little Women starring Maya Hawke and Angela Lansbury for BBC and Masterpiece, Richard Eyre’s adaptation of King Lear starring Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson and Florence Pugh for BBC and Amazon, Chimerica based on the Olivier Award winning stage play for Channel 4, Dangerous Liaisons starring Alice Englert and Lesley Manville for Starz, All Creatures Great and Small based on the iconic novels by James Herriot for Channel 5 and Masterpiece, and Peter Kosminsky’s The Undeclared War starring Simon Pegg for Channel 4 and Peacock. Upcoming series include Small Town, Big Story created by Chris O’Dowd and starring Christina Hendricks and Paddy Considine for Sky, The Hardacres adapted from CL Skelton’s bestselling novels for Channel 5, and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light starring Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis for BBC and Masterpiece.
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 high-quality, ground-breaking and pioneering shows to a global audience, consistently topping the Broadcast and Televisual annual Indies Surveys and receiving the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of its growth – twice. Its catalogue contains over 30,000 hours of content across all genres. As well as Britain’s top-selling drama series MIDSOMER MURDERS, All3Media International’s quality scripted content includes FLEABAG, ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, IT'S A SIN, TRIGGER POINT, THE TOURIST, MYSTERY ROAD, VAN DER VALK and THE ENGLISH. Its non-scripted content slate includes premium factual documentaries such as WHO IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL? and FEVER PITCH: THE RISE OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE as well as various factual entertainment titles including ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU, GREAT BRITISH MENU and FOUR IN A BED. The company also represents brands featuring some of television's most beloved names including Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh, Gordon Ramsay, Mary Beard and Grayson Perry. All3Media International’s celebrated formats include THE TRAITORS, GOGGLEBOX, UNDERCOVER BOSS, THIS IS YOUR LIFE, LINGO, THE DOG HOUSE and RACE ACROSS THE WORLD, and it also represents an extensive list of successful scripted formats including LIAR, BLOOD, CHEAT and QUEER AS FOLK.
