All Creatures Great and Small star Samuel West on Series 7 and the cameo he tried to secure for his famous late father

You never know who will pop up at Skeldale House on All Creatures Great and Small. From the legendary late Dame Diana Rigg to Nigel Havers and Harry Potter‘s Matthew Lewis, the fictional Yorkshire village of Darrowby has seen some famous visitors across the reboot’s six-year run on Channel 5.

Now returning for a seventh season on 17 September – and already renewed for an eighth – the main ensemble cast have some ideas of who they would like to stop by the set next.

“You do meet quite a lot of actresses who say, ‘When am I going to be in it?'” Samuel West, who stars as Siegried Farnon, tells HELLO! when we got to chat with him and his co-stars Rachel Shenton (Helen Alderson), Nicholas Ralph (James Herriot) and Callum Woodhouse (Tristan Farnon).

Dream guest stars  

“I did suggest my dad for a part once,” Samuel revealed. Samuel hails from an acting dynasty as the son of late stage and TV veteran Timothy West (Brass, EastEnders) and Fawlty Towers legend Prunella Scales, who were married for 61 years. Timothy passed away in November 2024 at the age of 90, and Prunella died the year after at 93.

While his co-star Callum said a guest appearance from Timothy would have “been great”, Samuel quipped: “I’m not sure it would unless we were actually related.”

As for leading veterinarian Nicholas Ralph, 85-year-old Christopher Timothy – the original James from the BBC’s version of All Creatures Great and Small in the 70s – would be the dream. “I was going to say that,” Rachel, who plays Nicholas’ TV wife Helen, agreed.

“That would be lovely,” Samuel added.

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‘Very collaborative’ series

The forthcoming season reunites viewers with their favourite vets in the Yorkshire Dales as the world adjusts to a new norm in the post-war era.

Having James Herriot’s eight books as the source material for the show has been a “pretty good blueprint” to avoid any surprises, Rachel tells us. While the All Creatures story world was already put to page in the 70s, Rachel says the team behind the show is “very collaborative and are always open to any ideas that we may have.”

“I usually have a chat with Rosie [Page], who’s James and Helen’s real daughter, between seasons every year, and I sort of pick her brains for any little stories, whatever she can give me, and then I feed that back and see if we can get them in,” she shares. “Usually a few make it, so they obviously do listen to us.”

© Helen Williams

“They are fairly collaborative, which is always really nice. But of course it’s just as much of a surprise to us when we read them really as it is to the viewers when they watch,” she adds.

Samuel, who has “never played anything like seven years before”, says there have been “very few surprises” for him on the show. But long-time viewers will be tickled to know they have the actor to thank for one wholesome on-screen addition.

“I did manage to introduce the idea of rats, which I’m proud of. That was me.” Samuel, who is a real-life fan of the rodents, wins a rat named Gerald in the show’s third season.

What to expect from season 7

All Creatures Great and Small fans have much to be excited for this year. The series returns for a highly-anticipated seventh instalment this autumn with six brand new episodes, and will be back at the end of the year for a Christmas special.

Along with the returning ensemble cast, Caolan McCarthy (Belfast, Cyrano De Bergerac: the RSC) is joining the season as rival vet Granville Bennett.

© Helen Williams

“With the war finally over, Skeldale House is full once again and livelier than ever as our beloved characters reunite under one roof and look ahead to a hopeful new chapter,” the season seven synopsis teases.

“James is excited about new developments in veterinary medicine, but a new vet in the area threatens the status quo. The world at large may be changing, but inside our slice of Yorkshire, the Dales will always offer the same perfect escapism. Packed with warmth, humour and community spirit, the series brings more heartwarming tales of people and animals alike.”

All Creatures Great and Small Series 7 starts on Thursday 17 September at 9pm.