All Creatures Great and Small actor teases that "things aren't all OK" with Tristan in season 6

"There was a whole episode between Tristan and Siegfried last series where Siegfried was almost annoyed at Tristan for not experiencing the sort of war that he thought he was going to... because he'd been out drinking too much and maybe hadn't experienced or seen some of the very harrowing and horrendous things that one can see in the war.

"And that has definitely been rectified this time around."

Noting that the narrative picks up four years on from when we last spent time in Darrowby, Woodhouse explained that Tristan has "been back on the front lines, and he's certainly seen more than his fair share of tragedy and atrocities", which he doesn't want to acknowledge.

"He spends the series trying to push a lot of things down and try and make everyone think that he's absolutely fine," he added. "He's the usual Tristan that we all know and expect, but we’re sort of drip fed... that things aren't all OK."

Read more:

• All Creatures Great and Small star reveals James's recovery has been a "process"
• All Creatures Great and Small star reveals Helen’s journey in season 6 - and how she captures the spirit of real-life figure

Those comments about Tristan's unprocessed trauma echo those Woodhouse made back in 2024, when Tristan returned to Skeldale House following his first stint away as part of the war effort.

"He's seen some things that will probably stay with him," he said at the time. "There will have been some very tough moments.

"He will have obviously made friends over there with people who he might not have necessarily seen again, and he might have been in some pretty scary situations, some of which he alluded to, but then ends up turning into a jokey anecdote.

"But I definitely think there's stuff he's probably not fully talked about, not fully expressed yet, which he was masking a lot of this series with drink and with jokes, which is obviously always Tristan’s way, but I'm sure more of that will get unpacked over time."

Season 6 picks up with the beloved Skeldale gang in 1945, at the tail end of the conflict.

"We arrive back in Darrowby to veterinary advancements, expanded families, and new faces as they all look ahead to a brighter and more peaceful future," reads the official synopsis.

And as ever, you can also expect plenty more "heartwarming human and animal tales".

All Creatures Great and Small returns to 5 on Thursday 25th September at 9pm. Seasons 1-5 are available to watch on My5. You can order James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small from Amazon.

Add All Creatures Great and Small to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.