It's Christmas Eve and the day before Helen's much-anticipated wedding to Hugh, and everyone is gathering to celebrate at the Skeldale Christmas party. However, James is called away to help with a dog in labour, so Helen asks to go with him to get away from all the wedding talk, only for a descending fog to trap the pair in the Dales overnight. The vet promises he will get her back in time for her wedding in the morning, all the while wondering if he will be able to suppress his true feelings for her. Festive special of the drama, starring Nicholas Ralph and Rachel Shenton.

James' workload doubles when Siegfried takes ill during a harsh winter. Among his many patients is Dick Rudd's prized cow, which has an abscess in its throat and is on the brink of chokling to death. Dick is devastated, having risked everything on the animal, leaving James determined to save the animal by any means. Mrs Hall discovers it is James' birthday, and Tristan tries his best to cheer him up by arranging a double date.

James is appointed as attending vet at the Darrowby Show - but Siegfried and Tristan warn him that the job is a poisoned chalice and expect him to quit after the first day. Mrs Hall has more faith in him, however, and makes a wager with the Farnon brothers. James finds himself surrounded by pushy farmers offering bribes to help them cheat their way to victory and faces a dilemma when the Aldersons desperately need his help in securing the sale of their prize bull.

Mrs Pumphrey is convinced her beloved Pekingese is dying. James discovers that she has not been keeping her pampered pet on the strict diet he prescribed, and is forced to take the dog in while it recovers from illness brought about by over indulgence. Tristan prepares to return to university, but needs Siegfried's help to pay for his accommodation. However, his older brother is not prepared to part with a penny until he has proved he is serious about being a vet. James treats the Aldersons' prize bull, and Helen rewards his efforts with some unusual home baking.

Siegfried applies to become attending vet at Darrowby racecourse - but the position comes with conditions, and he is torn between his ambition and his loyalty to the practice. Tristan collects the debts owed to the surgery, but ends up losing all the money and resorts to placing a risky bet to cover up his mistake. When the favourite to win on the race day is diagnosed with a inoperable condition, James has his first painful experience of having to put an animal down - only to end up being threatened with legal action by the owner.

Siegfried's younger brother Tristan joins the practice after graduating from Edinburgh veterinary college. James finds himself begrudgingly taking the new arrival with him on his rounds, which leads to a disastrous clash of over how to treat a cow suffering from milk fever. On their return to the practice, they find that Mrs Hall has guessed that Tristan is not being entirely honest about his sudden arrival. Elsewhere, James makes a good impression on a wealthy widow and her beloved Pekingese.

Fresh out of veterinary college in 1937, James Herriot struggles to find work in his Depression-struck home town of Glasgow. Seeking new opportunities, he pursues a position in the remote village of Darrowby working for eccentric local vet Siegfried Farnon, who is less than impressed by his early efforts. However, a difficult calving gives James a chance to prove his worth.