All Creatures Great and Small stars Rachel Shenton and Nicholas Ralph on 'wonderful' return of Callum Woodhouse

After a brief hiatus, Callum Woodhouse is back in the Yorkshire Dales. Reprising his role as fan-favourite, Tristan Farnon, the actor has returned to Skeldale House for season five of All Creatures Great and Small .

Enjoying a reunion with his on-screen family; Rachel Shenton and Nicholas Ralph have opened up about Callum’s homecoming, revealing what it was like to welcome him back to set.

“I've said it a million times, but I think the show missed Tristan, and we really missed Callum,” Nicholas, aka James Herriot, explained to HELLO! .

“It was just like a real – I felt anyway – not just a real boost to the show, but to everybody on set. James and Tristan have a wonderful relationship as well, so we had some fun scenes to do later in the series.”

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Rachel, aka Helen, noted: “I think just like anything, he came back and it was like he'd never been away. He was back for like, a day or two and everybody said hello. And then it was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot you weren't there for a minute.’ It was really nice.”

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As fans will remember, Tristan last appeared in season three, with the character leaving Darrowby to serve in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. While his absence was undoubtedly felt in season four, it made sense given his storyline, and it also allowed Callum to work on other projects.

Among them, the 30-year-old used his time away to shoot One Of Us , an allegorical film where members of a family mysteriously begin dying one by one at a funeral. Appearing alongside Heartstopper actor Kit Connor, Callum also joins Game of Thrones stars Charlotte Hope and Ian Beattie, and Rushed actress Siobhan Fallon-Hogan in the feature.

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Filming for the movie began in Belfast in March 2023, which is the same month filming began on All Creatures season four. Revealing his return to the show in August, Callum shared a first-look photo from season five. “Guess who’s back…” he teased in the caption.

So what’s in store for the next instalment? Channel 5’s official synopsis reads: ”It is Spring 1941 and we return to Darrowby to find young baby Jimmy keeping our favourite Skeldale House family on their toes.

© Channel 5/Jay Brooks

“Helen is getting the hang of motherhood with James away at RAF Abingdon, Mrs Hall and Siegfried are enjoying having a little one around and Carmody is now part of the furniture.

“With World War II now fully underway, Siegfried is taking up the slack at the surgery, Mrs Hall and Helen are considering their contribution within the community, and Carmody is eager to step up. Siegfried is keen to have everyone back, but Tristan’s surprise return won't be quite as straightforward as he hoped.”

All Creatures Great and Small will launch on Thursday 19th September at 9pm on Channel 5 and My5.