User Reviews

James is called upon to make a very serious decision. He goes to treat a very valuable race horse and, in the process, realizes the horse is in agony. He euthanizes him (completely out of necessity) and is suddenly known far and wide as the horse killer. It turns out he was right in what he did, but it sends waves to people everywhere. Siegfried give Tristan the job of collecting the debts from the farmers. It seems idiotic that money earned is put in a jar on a shelf. How could one run a business with this method. Anyway, Tristan manages to land on his feet after a stupid set of actions. Finally, Siegfried must make a serious moral decision which will prove costly.

A risky venture to bring back such a BBC classic, But they've done a brilliant job - fantastic casting & this episode was the typical feel good with ups and lows! Looking forward to the continued Farnham/Herriot story!

In an episode equally compelling in book and the first series, the main focus of this episode is a valuable racehorse whose trainer has ignored a health problem, writing it off to colic. The owner happens to be Hugh, a rival for the affections of Helen.

At the same time, Seigfried is being considered as the man to handle veterinary duties at the local racecourse.

James discovers the horse, Andante, has a torsion (twisted bowel). It has cut off blood flow to the point the bowel has become necrotic and the horse cannot survive the condition. James puts the horse down, which of course is unpopular with both the trainer and the owner, and gives Siegfried a good bit of worry about liability if James was wrong.

Nicholas Ralph's acting as he displays his grief and regret for having to put down a beautiful animal will leave you feeling everything he's portraying. Brilliant acting.

A fine episode. Back in top form. Japes and antics from young Mr. Farnon, a tough decision for James which leaves Siegfried in a difficult position.

A feel good episode after highs and lows.

IMDb has Diana Rigg listed as being in this episode but is only mentioned at the end recognising her recent passing.

This episode was really touching for me. It showed the backstop of Siegfried Farnon and also his character as a man. I won't offer spoilers, but it was well played and my personal favorite. Expecting it to recreate the earlier versions of All Creatures is a mistake. There are fewer animals, but the acting is excellent and more than makes up for fewer actual scenes of a man's arm up a cow's bum.