In All Creatures Great and Small season 6, Mrs Hall and Siegfried's relationship remains as complex as ever

Four years on from the Christmas special, we learn that the housekeeper departed Darrowby for Sunderland to care for her son Edward, who almost died after the ship he was serving on had been sunk by enemy fire.

Then, with the arrival of her granddaughter, it was never in any question that she wouldn't stay put and before long, several years had passed, with her Skeldale family all agreeing that she should be with her flesh and blood.

But despite being an unsurprising development, her absence had clearly taken its toll on Siegfried in particular, under whom Skeldale had fallen into such disarray, it was no longer fit for the local pigs, let alone people.

When we meet him in season 6, the bleary-eyed vet greets the day on his sofa, dressed in yesterday's garb, and late for an appointment, with an almost empty bottle of whisky next to him. Our eyes are then drawn to a woman lying next to him, buried beneath a coat, while her shetland pony roams around, presumably looking for apples, and the like.

No, however much he attempts to convince others and himself, Siegfried hasn't been coping at all in Mrs Hall's absence, consuming a diet that mostly consists of hard liquor and tinned sardines, as rats (domesticated ones, but still) scuttle about his abode with abandon.

And eventually, James and Tristan decide that they have had enough.

Unable to take anymore of the pandemonium, they travel to the north east to bring Mrs Hall back before Siegfried officially misplaces his own head. And thankfully, she agrees, although she's only prepared to stay for a few days, mind, while Edward is away.

But the three of them are playing a dangerous game. Siegfried is not only unaware that Mrs Hall is coming to stay, when she does arrive, he is under the illusion that she's visiting of her own volition, and not because James and Tristan have laid bare just how untenable the situation at Skeldale has become. And if he were to find out the real reason for her visit, he would be completely mortified, which does happen, naturally, but we'll get to that.

No, at first, he's in the dark. As far as he's concerned, Mrs Hall is simply there to pay a visit and despite the really rather awkward nature of their initial encounter – have they even met before? – he is clearly pleased to have her back.

"It's good to see you again," he says, and while it's not much – is it ever with him, unless he reaches his emotional breaking point? – the look they share holds real tenderness.

Clearly, there is so much that Siegfried is not saying. However hard he tries to conceal his feelings, it's patently evident that he has a lot sitting on his chest, which eventually comes flooding to the surface.

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That evening, a game of Scrabble between the pair ends abruptly when Siegfried, unable to keep his emotions in check, lashes out, cruelly telling Mrs Hall that they had always managed perfectly well at Skeldale, and that her presence had "robbed" them of their "autonomy", above all us.

When Mrs Hall then counters that with James and Tristan’s concerns about him, he storms out, while she, in turn, makes the painful decision to cut her visit short.

That confrontation leaves the air between them heavy with unspoken words, with Siegfried then taking it further during a conversation with James in which he finally begins to speak honestly – and not about the household, but about himself.

"She left us," he says bitterly. "What was I supposed to do, pretend to be happy? Pretend to be fine?"

James then warns him about pushing people away, but Siegfried refuses to hear it – until he returns home to find Mrs Hall's apron. Realising his mistake, he finally springs into action, racing to the station to stop her before it’s too late.

Fortunately, Siegfried makes it – just – before delivering an impassioned speech in the hope that she’ll stay.

“We tried to find a replacement,” he says. “It could never work. No one could ever work, because they’re not you.

“I understand you might have to live your life. If that’s not here with us, well, that’s up to you. But you should know that we would like it to be.”

Whew! Is someone cutting onions?

The pair embrace on the platform, and if you were an onlooker unaware of their relationship, you’d be forgiven for mistaking them for lovers, clinging to one another as news of the war’s end drifts over the tannoy.

Yet, despite repeated calls from All Creatures fans, that’s not territory the show has ventured into.

"Everyone is just desperate for Siegfried and Mrs Hall to be together," Callum Woodhouse told The Mirror. “I don’t know how I feel about it – she already feels a bit like my mum. And I think as well I’m thinking about Sam and Anna, so I’m like, ‘no!’”

There are also practicalities to consider. Mrs Hall is part of the Skeldale family, yes, but Siegfried is still her employer. Were they to pursue romance, she would surely have to hang up her apron in a professional sense. Yet, who can imagine Mrs Hall ignoring dirty dishes? It’s not in her nature, and before long she’d slip back into the role of housekeeper – which would sit oddly if they were a couple.

And secondly, why must everything hinge on a will-they-won’t-they? To pair them off risks undermining the idea that platonic relationships can be just as rich, meaningful and enduring as romantic ones.

Still, some viewers remain convinced there’s something there, and that the show should explore it. And you can see why: Siegfried and Mrs Hall often resemble an old married couple, in sync in ways they barely notice themselves – as one particularly elegant fan compilation demonstrates.

We all remember the Christmas when Siegfried was left speechless after seeing Mrs Hall dressed up for the first time, and there have been countless other moments that could be read as flirtation.

Yes, Siegfried and Mrs Hall's dynamic extends far beyond employer and employee. There is no doubting that. But as the latest episode once again demonstrates, defining what they truly are to one another – what simmers beneath the back and forth, and lingering looks – remains as complex as ever.

All Creatures Great and Small season 6 airs on Thursdays on 5. You can order James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small from Amazon.

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