All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special delivers disappointing Tristan update
Callum Woodhouse's character exited the show in last year's festive episode.
Season 4 of All Creatures Great and Small marked the show's first outing without Tristan Farnon, after he was called up to serve in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in last year's Christmas special.
It was a disappointing development for fans of the show, with many expressing their hope that he'll return sooner rather than later.
But sadly, actor Callum Woodhouse didn't feature in this year's festive episode (Thursday 21st December) – and it was also hinted that we probably won't see him for quite some time, given that Siegfried, who was clearly missing Tristan, has offered new vet student Richard Carmody his brother's old room.
"He shan't be using it for a while," he said.
The newcomer had grown on the patriarch of Skeldale House, but in typical Siegfried fashion he refused to admit anything of the sort.
"Because it's convenient," he added. "You can answer the night calls. But keep your hands off my whisky, especially the good stuff."
Read more:
- All Creatures Great and Small star on crossover with The Yorkshire Vet
- All Creatures is about "kindness", not "high drama", says writer
It's unsurprising that Tristan isn't due back anytime soon, given that the Second World War hasn't yet reached the halfway point, but Woodhouse did share a photo on Instagram of his last day of filming, which was captioned, "Over and out for now," which indicates that we've not seen the last of him.
But it looks unlikely that he'll appear in the currently unconfirmed fifth season.
Speaking previously about the impact of Tristan's absence on the characters, Nicholas Ralph, who plays James, said: "We miss Tristan a lot.
"And James in particular, he's his best friend. He's his brother in the surrogate family, so he's hugely proud of him for becoming his own man, spreading his wings and getting out from underneath Siegfried's watchful eye."
And naturally, the cast also missed working alongside Woodhouse.
"The character James misses Tris, but also we missed Cal on set and hanging out," Ralph added. "He's a wonderful, wonderful actor."
Rachel Shenton, who stars as Helen, said: "He's still in the WhatsApp group sending pictures of the dogs [laughs]."
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
All Creatures Great and Small is available to watch on My5. If you're looking for something else to watch, visit our TV Guide or take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage.
You can order James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small from Amazon.
Want to visit Death in Paradise locations in Guadeloupe at a discount? Radio Times is offering savings of up to 7% for registered users booking their next holiday with travel website Expedia. Claim your exclusive Radio Times Expedia holiday discount now.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.