Samuel West, a star in All Creatures Great and Small, ended up in tears when his on-screen brother left the show. As seen in the Christmas special episode of 2022, Siegfried Farnon had to face his on-screen brother Tristan’s (Callum Woodhouse) farewell as he left to join the war effort. Despite Siegfried’s attempts to change his mind, Tristan still chose to leave.
Sharing his feelings about this emotional moment, Samuel previously opened up about how much he appreciates his character Siegfried. He said: “He isn’t quite as old or as stuck in the mud as he thinks he is, and there are people around him, principally Mrs Hall and Tristan, who are constantly reinventing his idea of what people are. And watching somebody who thought they were slightly frozen and blocked thaw in moments of warmth, is, I think, a real pleasure.”
Samuel carried on by underlining that Siegfried’s difficult relationship with his father was the reason for his protective nature towards Tristan. He stated: “Siegfried and Tristan’s father was not a giving man, and I’m absolutely certain that neither of Siegfried’s parents ever told him they loved him, although he may have felt it.”
Furthermore, when Tristan’s actor, Callum, was leaving the Channel 5 series, Samuel couldn’t withhold his tears. He honestly admitted to Masterpiece: “I cry at everything. I’m hopeless. Whenever they say, ‘When did you last cry and why? ‘ I’m like, ’20 minutes ago.'”
“To say something about the way Cal played that scene is that two people trying not to cry is always much more moving.”
In the scene in question, Tristan gave a heartfelt speech in memory of his brother Siegfried, saying: “Christmas is a time for family, those that are here and especially those who are not.
“All of us are missing someone. Most we’ll see another time, others we won’t.
“I want to remember them and give thanks to those who filled a hole they left behind, especially my brother, who made a promise to our dying father that he would take care of me, make sure I was properly educated, and that I would make someone of myself.
“And he never gave up on me, no matter how much I wished he would. And I certainly gave him enough reason to. Lesser men would have thrown in the towel, but he didn’t. And I want to thank him for that. I love you, Siegfried. So, I guess the only thing left to say is Merry bl**** Christmas.”
Tristan wasn’t in the latest series as he was fighting in World War II, but he will be back at Skeldale House in an upcoming episode later this year.
All Creatures Great and Small is expected to return later this year.