7.2/1063 votesLoading...#1 - Cheques and Balances
Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 10/29/1988
Siegfried is determined to make the errant farmers pay their bills.
Director: Tony Virgo
Writer: Johnny Byrne
7.4/1079 votesLoading...#2 - One of Nature's Little Miracles
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 1/17/1988
Calum Buchanan joins the practice along with his tame badger, Marylin. Pregnant ewes, the plumbing at Sceldale and Helen's lost engagement ring herald the new arrival.
Director: Peter Moffatt
Writer: Johnny Byrne
- 7.4/1066 votesLoading...
#3 - Food for Thought
Season 7 Episode 7 - Aired 10/13/1990
Buffoon Stewie Brannen, an old friend of Siegfried's, has invited the distinguished Professor Norton to a black tie dinner, and prevails upon Siegfried to host it at Skeldale -- and lend him a dinner suit. But disaster looms when Siegfried and Stewie are called out for a calving, in full evening dress, and James has to hold the fort with an irascible Mrs. Alton.
Director: Richard Martin
Writer: Roger Davenport
7.5/1069 votesLoading...#4 - Barks and Bites
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 1/24/1988
Tristan has been appointed a fertility counselor for the Ministry of Agriculture. He and James are sent to Grimbsby to examine an export consignment Russian vets. The Russian woman vet lives up to Tristan's belief that all Russian women are built like discus-throwers.
Director: Peter Moffatt
Writer: Alfred Shaughnessy
7.5/1069 votesLoading...#5 - City Slicker
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 3/13/1988
Andrew Bruce, an old school friend of James' comes to stay for a long weekend. Andrew, a city bank manager, is rhapsodic about the idyllic countryside and Yorkshire Dales courtesy, and he cannot understand why James should want to change such an ideal lifestyle -- until he finds himself in a rural nightmare.
Director: Roderick Graham
Writer: Terry Hodgkinson
- 7.5/1057 votesLoading...
#6 - Choose a Bright Morning
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 9/17/1988
James receives a cry for help from the isolated Bramley family who last came to town in 1929.
Director: Robert Tronson
Writer: Anthony Steven
- 7.5/1056 votesLoading...
#7 - The Playing Field
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 9/24/1988
A typical Yorkshire farmer is transformed into a cowboy; with Siegfried in London, Tristan is left with the worst patients.
Director: Robert Tronson
Writer: Terry Hodgkinson
- 7.5/1058 votesLoading...
#8 - Spring Fever
Season 7 Episode 5 - Aired 9/29/1990
The mysterious Mrs. Donovan poses problems for all three partners. Siegfried rashly dismisses her as "a warm-hearted woman who loves animals" -- until she starts interfering with his patients. From sheep to piglets, a howling dog to a hibernating tortoise, there seems to be no limit to her homespun remedies. Tristan has big trouble on his hands when cadging college pal St. John turns up looking for a bed -- and a small loan. Can Tristan keep St. John's presence a secret from Siegfried and the fearsome Mrs. Alton? Lovely Rosemary Brocklehurst attracts the romantic attention of Tristan when she brings in Esmerelda, a tortoise, which won't come out of its shell. Perhaps Mrs. Donovan has the answer...
Director: Michael Brayshaw
Writer: Joan Salter
7.6/1085 votesLoading...#9 - The Name of the Game
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 11/18/1978
James becomes suspicious when the Farnon brothers -- usually keen cricketers -- "volunteer" him in their stead for the annual cricket match between Darrowby and Rainby.
Director: Robert Tronson
Writer: Brian Finch
7.6/1083 votesLoading...#10 - Ways and Means
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 12/2/1978
James concludes that the drawbacks of a vet's life -- long hours, fierce dogs and a cunning sow named Prudence -- pale in comparison to the rigors of making a speech to the Darrowby Youth Club.
Director: Christopher Barry
Writer: Brian Finch
7.6/1086 votesLoading...#11 - A Dog's Life
Season 2 Episode 13 - Aired 12/16/1978
Despite Siegfried's insistence that he relax and "cultivate the inner man," James can't shrug off the irritations that often make his professions a dog's life. Siegfried's inner man is cramming for the annual quiz that pits the men of Darrowby against the fearsome Women's Institute.
Director: Kenneth Ives
Writer: Johnny Byrne
7.6/1075 votesLoading...#12 - Be Prepared
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 2/9/1980
The possibility of war is on everyone's mind with Helen preparing for the privations ahead and Tristan tasked to tape the windows in the event of bombing. Siegfried decides that they should conserve food and heating by eating their meals together, but Mrs. Hall takes his instructions to economize a bit too seriously. James treats Hamish, a sick dog who requires an operation and Tristan, who is tasked with overseeing his recovery, loses him. The vets forgo a posh evening out to treat a stray dog who has had an accident. Tristan is aghast at Siegfried's attempt to pair him with Deirdre Headingley, one of his crony's less-than-attractive daughters.
Director: Christopher Barry
Writer: N/A
7.6/1073 votesLoading...#13 - A Dying Breed
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 2/16/1980
The vets visit a modern dairy farm and are left to wonder who benefits from the cold efficiency. Miss Westerman returns with her dog Hamish and Tristan tries to avoid her, given that he misplaced her dog the last time she him in the vets' care. She is concerned at the rumors that all dogs will need to be destroyed if war is declared but Tristan sets her mind to rest. The vets agree to spay a cat for a minimum fee, but find they may have gotten more that they bargained for. Siegfried treat Herbie Hinchcliffe's aging horse Dolly and becomes emotionally involved in the case when he has to put
Director: Richard Bramall
Writer: N/A
7.6/1070 votesLoading...#14 - The Bull with the Bowler Hat
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 1/31/1988
James has a crisis of professional confidence while treating a cow with a new drug. Tristan tries to convince a local farmer of the virtues of artificial insemination but Siegfreid only succeeds in enraging the farmer's bull.
Director: Peter Moffatt
Writer: Johnny Byrne
7.6/1067 votesLoading...#15 - The Pig Man Cometh
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 2/7/1988
James has his eye on a little semi-detached property coming up for sale, with the notion it would make a pleasant surprise for Helen. Unknown to him, however, Helen has grander ideas. There is trouble from a local farmer, which ironically leads Calum to celebrate his departure from the Herriot household.
Director: Peter Moffatt
Writer: Terry Hodgkinson
7.6/1069 votesLoading...#16 - Hail Caesar!
Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 2/14/1988
The church fete looms for the Darrowby vets, along with the dreaded Scottish country dancing display. Can Tristan brush up his steps in time to woo the fair Deirdre? Or will his colleague Calum's back-to-nature approach sweep her off her feet?
Director: Peter Moffatt
Writer: Alfred Shaughnessy
7.6/1067 votesLoading...#17 - Only One Woof
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 2/21/1988
James and Seigfreid deal with a sheepdog trainer, whose dog is suffering from epilepsy. At Skeldale, two wild cats wander in the garden and Helen takes out food for them. She is hopeful of keeping them but James warns her that they will never come in from the wild.
Director: Roderick Graham
Writer: Johnny Byrne
7.6/1070 votesLoading...#18 - The Healing Touch
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 3/6/1988
Trying to save the life of a badly injured, much-loved cat, James and Tristan seek the help of Granville Bennett, who runs a small animal hospital. The fruits of Bennett's practice are clearly much richer than the hard graft of the Dales, and James is intrigued to find that Bennett is looking for a partner.
Director: Roderick Graham
Writer: Johnny Byrne
7.6/1061 votesLoading...#19 - For Richer, For Poorer
Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 3/20/1988
Harvest Sunday proves to be a trying time for the practice. Seigfreid seizes the opportunity to teach Callum cleanliness by example, forcing him to watch "the perfect operation" on a sick cow. Unfortunately, the operation doesn't go according to plan. When Callum is chased by a bull, James goes to his aid.
Director: Roderick Graham
Writer: Johnny Byrne
- 7.6/1064 votesLoading...
#20 - Against the Odds
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 9/3/1988
James Herriot finds himself skiing through snowy dales to save a litter of dying piglets. Helen is confined to bed having a slipped a disc and Tristan is hoping that Siegfried will give him a job as he has resigned from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Director: Robert Tronson
Writer: Johnny Byrne
- 7.6/1059 votesLoading...
#21 - Female of the Species
Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 11/5/1988
Siegfried gives a friend's offspring some experience in the surgery. Calum initially resents this, but bucks up when he sees the young student.
Director: Tony Virgo
Writer: Brian Finch
- 7.6/1055 votesLoading...
#22 - A Friend for Life
Season 7 Episode 4 - Aired 9/22/1990
Tragedy strikes Bill Shadwell when his herd of dairy shorthorns contracts Johne's disease. As Shadwell approaches retirement, his son is keen to move into more profitable Friesian dairy cattle -- a move which means both James and Siegfried are caught up in the family's battle of wills. Mr. Grimsdale's bull poses problems of a different kind when Siegfried is convinced it has swallowed a dangerous metal object. But tightfisted Grimsdale is not convinced that an operation is needed. Tristan's new metal detector could prove to be the solution to a tricky dilemma.
Director: Steve Goldie
Writer: Michael Russell
- 7.6/1060 votesLoading...
#23 - A Cat in Hull's Chance
Season 7 Episode 8 - Aired 10/20/1990
There's unusual friction in the Herriot household when 12- year-old daughter Rosie announces that she wants to become a vet -- against her father's wishes. James goes out of his way to show her the arduous, dirty and dangerous side of his work, while Helen thinks he ought to encourage her. But treating her best friend's pony, which has tetanus, may prove too much even for the determined Rosie. Siegried, meanwhile, manages to lose Mrs. Pettinger's kitten Prudence, which escapes from the surgery and hitches a ride to Hull, causing consternation in Darrowby and mirth for Tristan.
Director: Steve Goldie
Writer: Michael Russell
7.7/10193 votesLoading...#24 - Horse Sense
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1/8/1978
Life for a newly qualified vet like James Herriot is not at all easy. He travels all the way to Darrowby, Yorkshire to secure a job, but by the time his prospective employer, Siegfried Farnon, turns up for the interview, James has fallen asleep!
Director: Terence Dudley
Writer: Brian Clark
- 7.7/1059 votesLoading...
#25 - The Salt of the Earth (aka The Good Companions)
Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 10/22/1988
Siegfried is saddened by the death of a young bull terrier - one of an inseparable pair of dogs.
Director: Jeremy Summers
Writer: Brian Finch
The Worst Episodes of All Creatures Great and Small
Every episode of All Creatures Great and Small ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of All Creatures Great and Small!
All Creatures Great and Small is a British television series, based on the books of the British veterinary surgeon Alf Wight, who wrote under the...
Genres:ComedyDrama
Network:BBC One
Worst Episodes Summary
"Cheques and Balances" is the worst rated episode of "All Creatures Great and Small". It scored 7.2/10 based on 63 votes. Directed by Tony Virgo and written by Johnny Byrne, it aired on 10/29/1988. This episode scored 0.2 points lower than the second lowest rated, "One of Nature's Little Miracles".