Could I have the...?
Thank you.
We'll keep her in overnight.
Her owner can pick her up tomorrow.
I'll get cleaned up.
Finished up already?
Being able to visualise the break before I operated certainly made life easier.
Looks like a clean fracture.
She's a young healthy cat.
Should heal well.
Every practice in the country should have an X-ray machine.
Well, unfortunately, it doesn't come cheap.
We shall be sorry to see you go, we've got
used to having you around these last two weeks.
Haven't we? Aye, it's been lovely.
Glad to help out.
A good vet is hard to find.
I hope your boss appreciates how lucky he is.
In his own special way.
Deep down.
If you ever get the yearning for home,
the lad you're covering for is joining up.
In six months' time, there's a job if you want it.
That's a very kind offer, Bill, but...
Veterinary practice isn't all about farm animals.
Pets is where the future lies.
I don't need your answer right away.
Take time to think on it, eh?
Taxi!
First edition, please. Thank you. All right, pal.
Crisis in Europe!
Czechoslovakia problem! Chamberlain's hopes!
Read all about it! Crisis in Europe!
Read all about it!
Thanks, Craig. Thanks, James.
Read all about it! Czechoslovakia problem!
Chamberlain's hopes for the future!
Pint, Jim? I can't stop.
Ma'll string me up if I'm not home for my tea.
You always were a mammy's boy.
Put a pint in the till for me.
Oh, you're hanging around long enough to drink it, then?
You're not going anywhere, are you, Stevie? Not likely.
Hold on!
Dumbarton Road, please.
James?
Haggis and tatties.
Now, you can't get grub like that down where you've been, can you?
I don't know, Mrs Hall cooks a...
No, nothing like the taste of home.
And here's a pot of tea to go with it.
Thanks, Mum. And maybe we won't have to wait
until next Easter for you to show your face again.
Hopefully not.
That practice of Bill's is always busy.
It's a lovely wee business he's set up for himself there.
It's not too far away, and you don't have to go traipsing
out in the cold at goodness knows what time in the morning.
Bill's been talking.
I'm so happy for you, love!
How's Dad doing?
Soldiering on,
but at his age he struggles to get picked out the line.
I'm doing the odd bit of needlework.
Don't worry, we get by.
Haggis, neeps and tatties, eh? Somebody wants to keep her boy home!
Well, he needs a decent meal in him for the journey.
It'll be six months before he has another.
You're taking the job, then? Course he is.
I thought you'd made a bit of a life for yourself down there.
Aye.
But home is where the heart is, is it not, James?
Aye, Mum.
It is.
Hi. Good lad!
Good lad.
How's things goin' with you, then?
Good grief! Two weeks away and I can barely understand you.
The place rubs off on you.
Well, if you want any of the farmers to understand a word you're
saying, you'll have to rub it off again.
Is that chocolate?
What? No, no.
No, I don't think so. That reminds me.
A present from Mrs Hall - Easter egg.
I'm afraid Jess got at it while her back was turned.
Where are we going?
Oh, Benson's got a load of ewes lambing.
So he's letting you off the leash a bit more?
Happily still tethered to the dispensary in the main.
Siegfried's meeting us there.
Good afternoon, Mr Farnon.
Isn't it?
I see my gallant crew have arrived.
Clearing the decks for their captain. Where's your tie, man?
Oh, I... I left it in the car.
A well-tied tie is the mark...
..Of a well-made man.
Good to see you again, Siegfried.
Yes. You too.
I had the fortitude to deal with the case load in your absence.
Lesser men would've failed. I'm sure that's true.
What have you got?
Big lamb. Stuck right in the birthing canal.
My great mitts are no use at bringing her round.
It's a good job we've got those little lady hands of yours, Mr Herriot.
The head's stuck fast. I can barely get a finger inside.
Now, have you got a hold of the leg yet? Trying to.
Come on, old man. There's no need to make such a meal of it. We're not getting paid by the hour.
I'm just trying to bring it around now. She should come out after that.
I can always take the reins if it would help, James. I'm happy, Siegfried. Thank you very much.
Oh, hello, who's this little chap?
Herbert. Poor little youth's mother won't have him at any price.
She took spite to him at birth.
Though she thinks the world of her other lamb.
Sounds very reminiscent of my upbringing.
You were given the love you deserved.
He's been fending for himself,
he goes from one to another, chancing his arm.
Hey, Herbert!
Mind yourself, you might get a kick.
They don't always let him have it. It's a crying shame.
But you've got to let nature run its course.
Here we go.
It's coming.
Oh! There she is.
What a grand 'un.
Hello, little one! Hello!
That's good, a healthy wee lamb.
Got there in the end.
Is that one of yours?
No. It belongs to Alderson.
That'll be the second time he's been over.
Oh, it's only you.
Only, Mrs Hall? Only? How far I've fallen in your estimation.
What's this?
It's a bag.
Yes. I see what it is.
Then why'd you ask?
I meant... I got it for Triss.
I see.
We can't have him filling his pockets with scissors and goodness knows what.
The holes they make, I'll be darning night and day.
You shouldn't have done this, Mrs Hall.
I didn't. You didn't?
You did. Did I?
I took the money out of the pint pot. I knew you'd want to get him
something special in recognition of all his hard work.
I thought you might give it to him on his birthday.
That's not till the summer!
Well, the best preparation for tomorrow is getting it done today.
Well, your heart is in the right place,
but I really would've preferred it if you'd asked me first.
Why, I couldn't have done that. Why not?
You might've said no.
Yes, well, I'm sorry to put my foot down like this, Mrs Hall,
but you can't give it to him.
You aware of what this mysterious contraption in the hall is for?
It slips off!
Because you don't put it on properly.
You hounded that boy for the last five years to pass his exams.
Now that he has, the least you can do is reward him for it.
You said you were proud of him.
I am. It's not, I just...
I'm not sure about qualification letters after his name. It's very ostentatious. Very showy.
Well, you've got it next to your name by the front door.
I earned that qualification!
And Tristan didn't?
You know, there was something I was about to do.
Oh, you're back!
It's good to see you, Mrs H.
Sit yourself down.
I've made you dinner.
How was Glasgow? Your mother must've been so pleased to see you.
I want to hear all about it.
There's really not much to tell.
I don't believe a word of it!
Oh!
It's good to have you home.
I've got a little list!
James, only a few for you today.
Tristan, if you wouldn't mind.
Dispensary. Mixing the medicines.
Feeding the animals.
Got it.
We could be putting Tristan to better use.
Maybe it's time he had a list of his own.
To conquer the ziggurat of life, one must climb the first step.
Quite right, big brother.
Crawl before you can walk.
We'd be freed up to do the farm work more quickly,
and it'd allow us to take on more small animals.
We are principally a farm practice.
More and more people are keeping pets now.
Yes, why people keep animals as pets is beyond me.
A dog should have a function - let it be used for farm work,
for shooting, for guiding, not just hanging about the place.
Where's Jess?
What about Mrs Tompkins' budgerigar, for instance?
It only needs its beak clipped.
Surely Tristan could take that one on by himself.
Yes, I suppose there's only so much harm he can do.
What? Aren't you sick of not being given any responsibility?
On the contrary.
I'm at my happiest when he doesn't allow me to do anything.
It means I get to finish my crossword.
That were Mr Benson.
He's had a dog attack his sheep.
Sounded pretty upset about it.
James.
It were that bloody dog from next door again.
The Alderson's?
I caught him, tied him up in our shed.
I've half a mind to shoot the damn thing myself.
Let's hope it won't come to that.
Good God!
This one's still alive.
This one too.
Siegfried? There's nothing here.
Not a single bite mark.
No blood.
I can't find anything wrong with them.
This one's rasping a little.
See how her head's lolling, like she's drunk.
What's that you're saying?
They're still alive, Rob.
Oh, thank God for that! Well, let's not be too hasty.
There's still something seriously wrong with them.
Maybe it's something they've eaten?
I shouldn't think so.
Can't calcium deficiency be brought on by sudden exertion or stress?
The sort that might occur after being chased by a dog.
They need a calcium injection.
I've got one. I have more in the car.
Good morning!
Hello! Who is it?
It's the vet, Mrs Tompkins.
Come in.
Peter's in here, love.
Poor little fellow can barely eat with
beak as it is, and I'm worried about him.
He's my only companion, you see.
Mind the table. Oh.
Don't you worry, we'll soon see him right.
Mr Farnon, you do sound different today. Have you a cold?
No, it's Tristan.
Siegfried's brother.
Oh, I see!
Well, I don't, actually.
Barely.
Not for ten years now.
Thankfully, I've got this one.
His singing keeps you company.
It's a funny thing.
But Peter has never said owt.
I think he's lazy.
But I likes having him near me. I hear you fluttering!
Don't I?
Yes, well, I can see his beak has got long.
Nothing I won't be able to sort out.
We'll have him done in a jiffy.
Right, come on, Peter, good lad.
There he is. Come on, then.
Come on, then, you!
There he is. Good boy. Good boy.
Oh, God!
Something the matter, dear?
He's a little love, isn't he?
Yes!
Um, I just need to...
Mrs Tompkins, I think it would be best if I did this in more of a clinical setting.
I'll take him back to the surgery, where I've got more... tools.
Oh, if you're sure it's not too much trouble.
Oh, yes, yes, yes!
Don't you worry - he's in perfectly capable hands!
It were hell of a thing.
I thought I'd lost lot of 'em.
My heart were right up here where my throat should be.
Thankfully, the dog just gave them a bit of a chase.
Still doesn't excuse it.
You were lucky not to lose any.
Mr Farnon?
I think she's in labour.
We'll need water and soap, please, Rob.
I've got some by the pens.
It's happening very quickly.
Hold on a sec.
Easy, girl!
Easy!
Was it brought on by the dog?
It could well have been. It's coming.
Hold onto her.
I've got it.
There!
Right.
Let's see if we can't get this chap going.
Sorry, Rob.
Nothing we could do.
They have so many born each year,
you'd be forgiven for thinking it wouldn't hit them hard.
Hmm, but it does.
One of us should drop by the Alderson's.
They need to know this happened.
There's no guarantee the dog did this.
We both know that level of distress can cause an ewe to miscarry.
Their dog was loose in Rob's field.
If something isn't done, it could well happen again.
Hard as it is, one of us needs to tell them.
I'll pass by on my way through.
Triss? Uh-huh?
What're you up to? Mrs H, you do have a suspicious mind.
It's not what it looks like.
Is it a dead budgie? Yes.
Then it's exactly what it looks like.
I didn't kill it.
Well, I suppose I did, but it was an accident.
Entirely natural causes.
All I did was try to pick it up.
So not entirely natural.
It must've been on its last legs and the shock just finished him off.
I didn't have the heart to tell Mrs Tompkin.
This bird's all she has.
Well, I don't see any way out of it,
unless you somehow learned the powers of resurrection.
Mrs Hall, you're a genius.
I am? You are.
Whatever you're thinking about doing... Oi!
What about this one?
Ah, yes.
Don't worry, I'll give him a proper burial later.
Good...!
Scruff?
Scruff!
Oh, good boy.
He was over at Benson's again. In with Rob's sheep.
I'm afraid he lost one of his lambs.
Jenny, what did I say that'd happen to that dog of yours
if he got out again? He didn't attack any of them.
There were no bite marks, but one of the ewes miscarried.
We can't be sure it was anything to do with Scruff,
but he was chasing them around before.
Dad? What're you going to do to him?
What're you going to do to my dog?
We've no choice love, he's got to be put down. No!
You're not hurting him.
You're not hurting my dog.
Scruff!
Jenny!
Jenny, get yourself back here!
Dad, Dad, don't bother.
You'll never catch her. Girl's like a bloody whippet.
What happened? That hound of hers got in with Benson's sheep.
He's lost a lamb. He's not a dangerous dog.
Young and over-excited, but he doesn't have a bad bone in him.
Oh, aye.
What would you know about it? Dad...
I do have some experience with animals, Mr Alderson...
Yeah, well, your animal does something like that,
hurts another man's stock, you should take responsibility for it.
It's not right to kill a perfectly healthy animal.
That's the way things are done round here, son.
Mind you, I wouldn't expect your type to understand that.
He's upset.
I can tell.
You know the dog can be trained.
It was just a mistake.
Well, like Dad says, there's a way things are done.
I could go after her if you like.
We could take my car.
It's not the first time she's run away.
She always comes back. Eventually. All right.
Well, you know what's best for her. Yes.
Bye, James.
Jenny!
Jump in. I'll give you a lift.
You all right? Yeah.
It's delicious, love.
Just as mother cooked it.
I burnt the onions and forgot the leeks.
As I said.
You have to remember, you only got to eat your mother's meals
when she'd spent years perfecting 'em...
I wish there were more for you. Hey.
Never apologise to me for that.
Hungry?
How far did you go?
Jenny, love, where's the dog?
There you are... Good lad.
It's not even the same colour.
That's not going to matter to Mrs Tompkin.
I don't know what's more disappointing -
the fact that you're contemplating such a thing
or that I'm not even surprised.
What's the problem? One budgie's not so different from another?
Herriot!
I know what you're going to say... I wonder if you really do.
We both know this is not an aggressive dog.
He can be trained not to chase sheep.
And the Aldersons have given you permission to do this?
Jenny has. Jenny?!
Oh, really, James. Have you not done enough damage interfering
in that poor family's business?
What does that mean?
I want you to take this dog back to the Aldersons first thing
this morning. And if I don't?
I think your time away has led you to forget
exactly who it is you work for.
I'm not entirely sure that's possible, Siegfried.
Take this dog back to where it belongs.
Now.
Jim, hold on.
Thought you could do with the company.
If you're lying to protect the feelings of someone,
is it really such a bad thing?
Yes.
How? If Mrs Tompkin knew Peter was dead, she'd be devastated.
Alone. Now, she'll have company. But it's not her bird.
You're not being honest.
We don't all have to be honest all of the time.
Even you avoid the truth when it suits. When?
I assume we're taking this one back to the Alderson's, as agreed.
This isn't going to end well, Jim. Jenny loves that dog.
It's not fair on either of them.
Well, I hope that's the real reason and not some misguided attempt
to win your way back into Helen's heart because if it is,
I'll tell you now... It's not.
Hello, boy.
Thanks again for this, James.
Hello, Triss. Hello.
How's your sister? Haven't seen much of her since the wedding.
She's been going for lots of walks.
I think she feels guilty.
You know Hugh's in France?
I did. I do.
He writes to her.
I snuck a look once.
I don't think you should be doing that, Jenny.
He still loves her, keeps banging on about how much it hurt
when she called it off, can he have another chance.
But don't worry. She doesn't write him back or anything.
Worry? Why would I worry?
You know, I was listening by the door when she did it.
You really shouldn't have done that. Absolutely.
And we absolutely do not want to hear what was said.
Do we, Jim? Absolutely not.
Oh, what's the harm...?
Helen said, it's not that she didn't love him, because she did,
but not in that way, and he didn't understand
and I don't blame him cos I didn't understand neither.
I thought he were going to cry, but she wouldn't budge.
And said it was better for both of them.
Then Hugh got really cross and asked her
if she were only calling it off because she liked someone else.
And, um...
Did you happen to hear what she said?
Thought you said I shouldn't be telling you all this.
No, you're right.
You shouldn't.
Well, I've no such moral compunction.
Come on, Jenny, spill the beans.
Dad dragged me away before I could hear owt,
gave us a clip round the ear for my troubles too.
Mrs Hall?
Doesn't matter? Found it.
Whenever you want to waste my time feel free to holler...
Matches.
Oh...
You weren't supposed to see that.
Did you know about this?
Mrs Hall?
Mrs Hall!
Well, far be it from me to reveal the underhand goings-on
in this establishment.
Mrs Hall. Why on earth is there a dead budgie...?
No.
I should have known better than to trust him.
And why might that be?
If you have a point, Mrs Hall,
I'd rather you got on and stabbed me with it.
I had a very strange phone call this morning.
Given our clientele, I can't imagine that's a unique occurrence.
It were the Dean of Edinburgh Veterinary College.
Ah. They wanted to know if Tristan would be returning
for the autumn term. I told 'em they must've made a mistake
because Tristan passed his exams last Christmas.
Now where was that, um, thing I was after...
Siegfried Donald Farnon!
I've no doubt there's a very simple logical explanation for all of this.
You told him he passed his exams when he blooming well didn't.
One really mustn't leap to outlandish conclu...
All right, I did it. You lied to him.
It was for his own good.
What were the blasted university calling for anyway?
Well, they didn't.
What? I knew you were up to something,
I knew you wouldn't tell me the truth.
Mrs Hall, I'm shocked - a woman of your integrity... Don't even start!
What is it the seventh commandment tells us?
"Thou shall not commit adultery."
Well, the other one then. What on earth were you thinking?
That it might be nice if I wasn't constantly hounding him about
passing his damned exams.
I thought we might be able to salvage something
that approximates to a relationship.
Oh, for goodness' sake...
You're both as bad as each other.
What's that supposed to mean?!
Mrs Hall?
All right, there, Jim. Rob. Morning, Mr Benson.
Scruff's my dog.
I want to say I'm sorry you lost your lamb.
It's big of you to come say so yourself.
How's the mother?
Not too clever.
She won't get up, won't feed or drink...
That can happen after a stillbirth.
What she really needs is a lamb to look after.
How about that little orphan you had? Hubert?
Herbert? Well, it's worth a go, I suppose.
What the bloody hell's that thing doing up here?
I know this dog is the last thing you want to see right now.
But he didn't attack your flock, you saw that yourself.
I still lost one of my lambs all the same.
Because he's not been trained how to behave around sheep.
He just got over-excited.
I don't see that's a reason enough to put him down.
What if he comes back and it happens again?
We'll train him so he doesn't.
With your permission, I'd certainly like to try.
Jenny?
Jenny!
They're hoggs, so that means...
They're too young to have babies, so they don't have any lambs in them.
It won't do any harm if they get a little startled.
Now you need to hold on to him tight, keep him close to your side.
The moment he growls or barks, you pull him back.
Tell him to stop. Sit.
Pull him back, stop, sit. Be firm.
If he obeys your command, give him a treat.
Tristan? Mm-hm?
Sorry, Jenny. I was feeling a bit peckish.
Come on, Scruff. That's it.
Come on.
That's it. Be good, Scruff.
Do you really think this is going to work?
I hope so.
And if it doesn't?
Scruff, stop. Stop it, Scruff.
Scruff, no. Stop.
Scruff!
Stop! It's all right, Jenny.
Look, I've got him. Come on.
Let's take him out for a minute. Give him a moment to calm down.
Why won't he stop barking?
Don't worry, we'll try again.
You need to stop, Scruff, please.
Why won't he stop, James?
He can still see the sheep. Here, walk him away.
Keep talking to him. All right?
Come on, Scruff, that's it, come on. Come on.
Come on, Scruff, come on.
What do you think?
I really don't know.
I've got it.
Mrs Tompkin, lovely to see you.
Let me help you inside.
Now, you set yourself down there. Oh, don't worry.
I can find my way.
I'll fetch Mr Farnon.
Oh, here he is now.
Mrs Tompkin, what an absolute pleasure.
I know young Mr Farnon said he'd bring my Peter back
this afternoon, but I couldn't wait.
My boy don't come back to see his old mam as much as I'd like.
It's hard, isn't it? When children grow up and leave home.
It might sound silly to you, but hearing his fluttering around
and pecking at his cage, it warms my heart knowing he's there.
That doesn't sound silly at all.
What was that?
Is that...?
Well, that's not my Peter.
Mrs Hall? I believe Tristan spoke to you about this matter.
Well...
Yes.
Mrs Tompkin.
It is Peter, and he's all ready for you to take him home.
Oh, my goodness.
Thank you!
But he never used to be able to cheep.
Um... Well...
The thing is...
Peter needed his beak trimmed
and now that he has, it's allowed him to find his voice again.
Oh, how wonderful!
He's like a different bird.
Aw, thank you both so much.
And say a big thank you to that brother of yours.
Let me help you out.
Oh, I can manage.
Once I've walked it once, it's no bother doing so again.
I'll bring Peter home to you, Mrs Tompkin. Thank you.
And as far as his exams go.
Tristan can never find out the truth.
Understood.
You can't keep him hidden in that dispensary cupboard either.
He needs to get out and start doing some proper work.
I'm sure I can fill any gaps in his knowledge.
And when his birthday comes,
he's getting that bag.
Let's see if you can't keep each other company.
Afternoon, Rob.
I thought I'd drop a few things around.
Least we could do, considering.
Oh, there's really no need. There is, and we're sorry.
Here have you seen our Jenny, she took off this morning.
We've not seen hide nor hair of her since.
Aye, she's in top field with vetin'ary.
Leave them be, Scruff.
Triss? Afternoon, Helen... Don't afternoon me.
None of this is my doing...
He's only doing what he thinks is right.
That's all he ever does.
Even if it's not easy.
I'm sure that's something you can relate to.
It's good to see you again, Helen.
You too.
Keep encouraging him.
Leave them be, Scruff. Leave.
That's it. Give him a treat.
All right.
Now you can try letting go off the lead.
Be good, Scruff, please, be good.
He's doing it, James!
He's really doing it.
Good lad, Scruff.
There you go. He's not even looking at 'em...
Helen, we've just been train... Jenny, get back up to the 'ouse.
But...! Now please, Jenny.
Sorry, I maybe should've spoken to you... Maybe?
There's no maybe about it.
I know I'm not from around here, and I might not understand the way
things are done, but I know the difference between right and wrong.
Killing a perfectly good animal can never be right.
It's not your dog or your reputation.
It was a mistake.
Animals mess up sometimes.
Just like people do.
There's no reason for you to keep punishing yourself for anything.
What am I supposed to do? Carry on as if nothing's happened?
What's the alternative?
The dog didn't do anything wrong. He deserves a second chance.
I think you both deserve a second chance.
I should get Jenny back.
I've missed you.
I missed you too.
There you go, little one.
We've worked hard with Scruff.
He's not going to scare any more sheep.
He's good now, Mr Benson,
and I'm going to make sure he never goes off again anyways.
All the same, if you say he needs...
You know.
Nay, you carry on, lass.
I reckon some good came out of it after all.
Hello, James. Good evening.
Here we go.
Mm-hm, I'll get you one back next time.
It was only a couple of weeks I was away,
but you forget how beautiful this place is.
There you are!
I called in on Richard Alderson this afternoon...
Before you start, Rob Benson agreed to it.
I don't care if it was sanctioned by the bloody Pope.
I distinctly remember telling you...
We don't always have to live by the old rules on how to do things.
We can make some of our own.
You made me a senior vet
because you thought I could add something to the practice.
I think you should start trusting me to do that.
Quite right.
It's about time you started ploughing your own furrow.
Tell the truth, you missed him, didn't you?
As for you... Oh, God, here it comes.
Mrs Tompkin popped in earlier.
She was very happy to be reunited with Peter.
Was she?
Well, good. Excellent. I mean, why shouldn't she be?
So, thanks to James's good idea,
we can look forward to you doing a lot more work around the place.
Under my expert tutelage, obviously. Oh, obviously.
Uh... Oh!
Come on, we mustn't keep Mrs Hall waiting.
I think she wants to make sure you never dream of going away again.
Ah!
Just a light meal tonight.
There's no need to drown the damn thing.
It's dead already.
I like to mop it up with my Yorkshire pudding.
Mop it up? This is the dinner table, not some backstreet kitchen.
There's plenty more in the pan. Mm-hm!
All right? It looks tremendous.
Remember, it's not the mountain we conquer... But ourselves.
Welcome back, James. Welcome back.