‘All Creatures Great and Small’ Finale Brings a Surprise Death & Love Confession — What’s Next?

[Warning: The below contains spoilers for the All Creatures Great and Small Season 6 finale, “Comfort and Joy.”]

Merry Christmas! Pass the murkey.

The first Yuletide since the end of World War II brought togetherness, sacrifice, laughter, and love to the sixth-season finale of Masterpiece’s All Creatures Great and Small on PBS Sunday, February 22. Once again, the show, based on the books of James Herriot, demonstrated how lots of small stories can add up to one great series.

The episode did have an unexpected death: the passing of that mischievous goat Hilda, whose favorite pastime seemed to be annoying Siegfried (Samuel West). The pain on the face of her devoted owner, Mrs. Stokes (Susan Hilton), was palpable as she gradually realized there was nothing the veteran veterinarian could do to save her beloved animal.

As for the humans, Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) and Charlotte (Gaia Wise) continued to grow closer despite the fact that — or maybe because — neither was particularly looking forward to Christmas. “Thank goodness it’s the one time of the year where it’s socially acceptable to start drinking at breakfast,” Tristan remarked as he tried to cut down a tree for the Drovers Arms pub. He was still ruminating about the service members who didn’t come home and the loved ones mourning their loss, especially barkeep Maggie (Mollie Winnard), who was left a widow with a young son when her husband lost his life in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.

Charlotte revealed that she hadn’t enjoyed Christmas since her mother died a few years earlier, but pointed out that to the Druids, the evergreen tree represented “a reminder that even the longest, hardest winter will end, and spring will come.” She and Tristan sealed their burgeoning romance with a kiss and complementary “I love yous.”

Helen Williams/Courtesy of Playground Entertainment and MASTERPIECE

Thank goodness one couple was strengthening their bond. The return of Dorothy (Maimie McCoy), Siegfried’s past love interest, quashed any hopes that his relationship with Mrs. Hall (Anna Madeley) might move beyond that of a trusted employer and a devoted employee in 1945.

In fact, Skeldale House’s mother hen seemed to be encouraging the match, perhaps thinking that if Siegfried was going to find love, it should be with someone she considers a friend. Still, it was impossible to miss the irony when Mrs. Hall asked him, “What if you spend your whole life looking for something that don’t exist and miss what’s right under your nose?”

But there were more pressing matters. Turkey shortages meant a traditional Christmas bird was hard to come by, so rather than try out a recipe for murkey — a mock turkey consisting of stuffing wrapped in bacon with parsnips for legs — Mrs. Hall plotted to win one in a pub darts contest at the Drovers.

The plotline was inspired by the growing popularity of female darts teams in the 1940s. “We liked the idea for Mrs. Hall,” says executive producer Melissa Gallant. “She’s a character full of surprises.” By the time filming rolled around, Madeley, through practice, was able to notch many a tough shot.

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As Mrs. Hall was hitting the winning bull’s-eye, Siegfried was kissing Dorothy underneath the mistletoe, and the housekeeper looked mighty uncomfortable when she saw them together. But it wasn’t the sequence’s biggest surprise. That came when the Skeldale House gang saw that the turkey they won was still very much alive! Little Jimmy (Thomas Riches) promptly named him Rudolph, so it was murkey for Christmas dinner.

The bird wasn’t at the rehearsal, which meant the cast didn’t see it until shooting. “It helps having genuine reactions to things,” Woodhouse says. “The first time I laid eyes on that turkey is in the show.”

As the Christmas tree was lit, Tristan summed up the sentiment of the first peacetime holiday since 1938. “I’m sure you’ll all join me in raising your glasses to those we lost,” he said. “Let’s hope their sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Let’s hope that it means the world doesn’t go down this dark road again. And let’s hope the year ahead brings us all the things we truly need: good tidings, comfort, and joy.”

Look for more of that in Seasons 7 and 8. Although Woodhouse expects All Creatures to end after that, he’d continue to play Tristan if he had the chance, calling him “a character I’ve grown very fond of.”

All Creatures Great and Small, Seasons 1–6, PBS app (with Passport) and PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel