All Creatures Great and Small returned for its sixth season last month, and one of the major themes of the current series is transition. Fans got to see this play out on Thursday night's episode, Jenny Wren, which saw Helen and Jenny Alderson, played by Rachel Shenton and Imogen Clawson respectively, bid farewell to the Yorkshire Dales as they headed down to London so Jenny could pursue her nursing course. Although Helen and Richard Carmody (James Anthony-Rose) were initially excited for Jenny, they worried about how she would adapt to the major changes in her life.
However, Helen's elation didn't last, as she confided in husband, James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) that she didn't believe her sister was ready for the changes. "She's not ready, not one bit of it," she said with a worried look across her face. Their father was similarly worried, especially when he discovered that Jenny's registration date was just three weeks away.
Helen was eventually won around following a second conversation with her husband and watching how Jenny was able to handle some horses. The pair are then encouraged by their father to head to London together in order to help Jenny settle in. This means that both Rachel and Imogen will be absent for the rest of the series, although fans can rest easy knowing that Rachel will return, as the break is down to her taking maternity leave.
Speaking about his on-screen wife's absence from the set, Nicholas Ralph said: "There was definitely a little Rachel-shaped hole on set during this series. We all really missed her – but of course, she had far more important things going on than we did. And it was the same for James, really. Helen is his other half, his missing piece. She supports him, guides him, pushes him when he needs it. She's a real rock for James, just as he is for her. So that separation was felt both onscreen and off. James really feels it, and we, as a company of actors, felt it too. We missed her hugely."
Rachel's baby joy
Back in April, Rachel and her husband, Chris Overton, who she married in 2018, welcomed their first child, a son. Taking to Instagram to confirm the news, the actress, who has appeared on the Channel 5 show since 2020, said: "Welcome to the world Orson Wilde Shenton Overton… Our hearts are yours. The biggest thank you to the brilliant midwives and doctors at Royal Stoke maternity Unit. Orson came along earlier than expected…so we needed to stay in hospital for a while and we couldn’t have wished for better care and support."
Rachel and Chris first met back in 2010 during their time on Hollyoaks. At the time, Rachel played Mitzeee Minniver, while Chris played Liam MacAlister. The two characters were briefly love interests, but off-screen the pair's relationship blossomed, and they're remained together ever since. The couple worked together on the Oscar-winning short film, The Silent Child, which follows a social worker teaching a deaf girl British sign language.