All Creatures Great and Small's Anna Madeley responds to surprising Siegfried moment – and teases relationship potential

Questions about the nature of Siegfried and Mrs Hall's relationship in All Creatures Great and Small have been swirling for some time, as fan speculation about the pair becoming an item continues to grow.

And this year's Christmas special has done little to dispel the belief among some viewers that there's something romantic brewing between them.

With turkeys in short supply due to the war – and the threat of a 'murkey' hanging over the Skeldale House Christmas dinner – Mrs Hall was determined to win The Drovers' darts competition to claim the top prize: a turkey... which meant darts practice was a top priority.

But Siegfried became distracted when none other than Dorothy (Maimie McCoy) arrived back in Darrowby out of the blue.

She appeared in the first season of the show, all the way back in 2020, and even shared a kiss with Siegfried as they grew close. But she then left for Malta, where she has remained ever since – that is until she decided to come back to Yorkshire following the end of the war.

At the time, Siegfried insisted to his brother that he and Dorothy were good friends and nothing more, and that appeared to be that.

But she has now returned — and Mrs Hall is "thrilled" to welcome her back.

Discussing Mrs Hall's initial response to her return, Anna Madeley told RadioTimes.com: "One of your oldest friends has been stuck in an area of the world that's had a really tough time – they've only been able to read about the bombing, and they haven't been able to speak to each other on the phone easily.

"So I think having one of your dearest friends rock up at the back door would just be an incredible moment.

"And if it's something that will bring some joy... I feel like Mrs Hall is very excited at the prospect that Dorothy's arrival will be exciting for everyone. She leans into the excitement and the fun and the good and the happy feelings that can come from it. I think she is just in that place at the moment, of looking for all those."

But the same couldn't be said for Siegfried...

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Despite Dorothy making it clear that she wanted to reconnect, he spent much of the episode burying himself in his work rather than facing her and having an honest conversation – which is classic Siegfried behaviour.

But eventually, after some encouragement from Mrs Hall and some wise words from Mrs Stokes, he invited Dorothy to The Drovers that evening – where Skeldale clinched the turkey after Mrs Hall delivered the winning shot, because of course she did.

But while the rest of the team were toasting their glorious victory together, Siegfried was once again distracted by Dorothy.

After finding themselves standing beneath some mistletoe, they picked up from where they left off the first time and enjoyed a very tender kiss – which was witnessed by Mrs Hall, of all people, whose curious expression could certainly be read as disappointment.

As Siegfried then looked towards where all of the commotion was coming from, he caught her eye as she quickly turned away, desperate to avoid any awkwardness.

But was she just downbeat that Siegfried wasn't celebrating the win with the rest of them, or surprised at what she'd witnessed given his reticence to even speak to Dorothy earlier that day?

Or – and this is what many viewers will be thinking – was there something much more significant running through her mind?

When asked by RadioTimes.com what Mrs Hall was feeling in that moment, Madeley confirmed her character was "quite surprised" by the development, but she couldn't elaborate on what emotions her character was experiencing following the kiss.

"Who's to say – I don't think I can," she added. "I don't know how to answer that with any... we don't know how it's going to play out, we’ve no idea where this goes.

"But I think it's one of those where she's in her little land of winning the darts match, and turns around to celebrate with Mr Farnon and, oh, he's over there.

"So I don't know. I think it's more the surprise. You can't always take things in straightaway, and you don’t always know what they mean. They are in a moment of time that's exciting, and it's Christmas, and people are leaning into their relationships and their loved ones too."

Does Madeley think Mrs Hall would be happy if Siegfried and Dorothy were to enter into a relationship?

"She knows that they get on," she responded. "It’s like the thing with Tristan and Charlotte. She's what he needs, definitely right now. I think that that thing of noticing that there's a potential for happiness, there's some good feeling here, grab onto those things because they've just been through really rough times. So it's important to do that."

And what about a relationship between Siegfried and Mrs Hall? If they were to cross that line, does Madeley think they would work as a romantic pairing?

"I think it's a big journey to go on," she said. "You've got big differences in background, and also Mrs Hall does work for Mr Farnon, so it would be a huge adjustment."

"And in that society, it would be quite a big deal. It was a big deal for Mrs Hall to get divorced. Both of them have had relationships before — marriages, serious relationships — and they're in a different place in their lives now. So I think they would think about relationships in a slightly different way than when they were 18 or 19."

She added: "They are a delightfully complicated scenario. There’s clearly a huge affection, but what journey that affection should take is a big question."

All Creatures Great and Small seasons 1-6 are available to watch on 5. You can order James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small from Amazon.

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