All Creatures Great and Small series 7 started on Channel 5 on Thursday 17 September 2026 at 9pm and ran for six weekly episodes, with the finale on 22 October. If you missed any, you can watch series 7 on 5, Channel 5’s streaming service. A Christmas special is still to come, and series 8 has been commissioned but has no date.
All Creatures Great and Small 2026: Series 7, Cast and How to Watch
Is it on TV this week?
Not new episodes, but there are repeats. Our listings data for the week from 2 November 2026 has 5Select showing the first series at 8pm on weekday evenings, and again on Sunday 8 November from 3pm. Nothing new appears on Channel 5 or 5STAR, and with the weekly run over, streaming is the way to catch up on series 7.
Earlier series do sometimes come back as repeats, so it is worth checking our Channel 5 TV guide and 5STAR TV guide when the listings update, or what’s on TV tonight for everything else.
Has series 7 finished, and when is the Christmas special?
The six weekly episodes have been shown. This series is set in 1946.
That is not quite the end of series 7, though. A Christmas special is part of the same order, and Channel 5 has not said when it will air. Past specials have gone out between 21 and 24 December, but that is a habit, not a confirmed date. We will add it to our Christmas TV guide once Channel 5 announces it.
Will there be a series 8?
Yes. On 20 November 2025 Channel 5 announced a double commission for series 7 and series 8, each with six hour-long episodes plus a Christmas special. In the US the show goes out on PBS Masterpiece. No date has been given for series 8. Any date you see quoted online is unconfirmed.
Who is in the cast?
The core team that has carried the show since 2020 is still in place:
- Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot
- Samuel West as Siegfried Farnon
- Callum Woodhouse as Tristan Farnon
- Rachel Shenton as Helen
- Anna Madeley as Mrs Hall
Diana Rigg played Mrs Pumphrey in series 1, and after her death Patricia Hodge took over from series 2. Woodhouse missed series 4, when Tristan had enlisted, and came back for series 5. Jeremy Swift joined as Mr Bosworth in series 5, and Gaia Wise and Jonathan Hyde arrived as the Beauvoirs in series 6.
For series 7, PBS says Caolan McCarthy plays Granville Bennett, a rival vet new to the area. Other new characters were mentioned in the announcement but not named.
Where is it filmed?
Darrowby is really Grassington, a market town in the Yorkshire Dales. The Devonshire pub plays The Drover’s Arms, and a private house is used for Skeldale House. Further out, the crew uses Barden Bridge on the Bolton Abbey Estate, Yockenthwaite for the Alderson family farm and Oakworth station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.
Mrs Pumphrey’s grand home is Broughton Hall near Skipton. Some sets are built in a studio, and Bradford and Keighley have stood in for Glasgow.
Where can I watch All Creatures Great and Small in the UK?
Series 7 was broadcast on Channel 5, which is channel 5 on most Freeview boxes (our Freeview channel guide has the full list). The episodes then went onto 5, the streaming service. Channel 5 and My5 were rebranded together as 5 in 2025, and the broadcaster’s own press office calls the service 5 Streaming.
You need a TV licence to watch live TV in the UK, and our TV licence guide explains what is covered. If you are still choosing a platform, our Freeview, Sky and Virgin comparison lays the options side by side.
How can I watch it in the US?
It is part of PBS Masterpiece. PBS has set series 7’s US premiere for 17 January 2027 at 9pm Eastern, so American viewers are a few months behind the UK.
What has happened so far?
No spoilers here. Series 1 in 2020 brought the young vet James Herriot to Darrowby to work for Siegfried Farnon. Later series take in the war, with Tristan enlisting and then returning in series 5. Series 6 added the Beauvoirs, and series 7 is set in 1946. Series 1 to 6 each had six episodes and a Christmas special, which makes 42 episodes. Series 7 adds six more for 48, with its Christmas special still to come, by Wikipedia’s count.
Is it based on the books and the old BBC series?
It is based on the memoirs of James Herriot, the pen name of the Yorkshire vet Alf Wight. The BBC adapted them first, from 1978 to 1990, in a run usually counted as 90 episodes, with Christopher Timothy as James, Robert Hardy as Siegfried and Peter Davison as Tristan. Channel 5’s version started in September 2020.
Frequently asked questions
When did All Creatures Great and Small series 7 start?
Series 7 began on Channel 5 on Thursday 17 September 2026 at 9pm. It ran for six weekly episodes, and the last of them aired on 22 October 2026.
When is the All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special 2026?
Channel 5 has said series 7 includes a Christmas special, but we have not found an official air date yet. Earlier specials went out between 21 and 24 December, so expect something similar, but treat it as not confirmed.
Will there be an All Creatures Great and Small series 8?
Yes. Channel 5 announced on 20 November 2025 that it had commissioned series 7 and 8 together. No broadcast date for series 8 has been announced.
Where can I watch All Creatures Great and Small in the UK?
Series 7 went out on Channel 5, and its episodes stream on 5, the broadcaster’s streaming service that replaced the My5 name. Our listings data shows repeats of series 1 on 5Select in the coming week.
Where can I watch All Creatures Great and Small in the US?
It airs on PBS through Masterpiece. PBS has set the US premiere of season 7 for 17 January 2027 at 9pm Eastern.
Where is All Creatures Great and Small filmed?
Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales stands in for the fictional town of Darrowby. Other locations include Broughton Hall near Skipton, Barden Bridge on the Bolton Abbey Estate and Oakworth station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.
Who plays James Herriot in the new All Creatures Great and Small?
Nicholas Ralph plays James Herriot. Samuel West plays Siegfried Farnon, Callum Woodhouse plays Tristan, Rachel Shenton plays Helen and Anna Madeley plays Mrs Hall.
How many series of the original BBC version were there?
The BBC version ran from 1978 to 1990 and is usually counted as seven series with 90 episodes. It starred Christopher Timothy as James Herriot and Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon.
More dramas and returning favourites are in our TV shows hub.
Last checked: 4 November 2026.
