All Creatures Great and Small's Samuel West makes heartbreaking admission ahead of Christmas special

All Creatures Great and Small star Samuel West has made a heartbreaking admission about his upcoming Christmas plans following the death of his father, Timothy West.

Speaking to Radio Times magazine ahead of the Channel 5 drama's upcoming festive special, the actor revealed that he "doesn't know" what Christmas is "going to feel like" without his dad, who sadly passed away in November at the age of 90.

"This is my first Christmas since Dad [Timothy West] passed," said the 58-year-old. "He's the first close person to me I've ever lost. I don't know what it's going to feel like, except that there's this big sucking minus in the middle of your tummy."

The actor continued: "But my parents, until quite recently, have been quite independent, so a lot of the time they'd be off on a cruise to India, back in February. So, they're not going to be there again, but in a very different way."

The actor announced his father's death in a joint statement with his brother Joseph and half-sister Juliet. "After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening. He was 90 years old," they said.

"Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly."

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Samuel, who plays Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small, reprises his role in the upcoming Christmas special, which will see Mrs Hall's world "rocked by a worrying news bulletin" about her son Edward, who is serving with the Navy.

A synopsis for the episode continues: "A young boy arrives at the surgery with an abandoned fox cub and Mrs Hall can’t help feeling a connection with the animal.

"Meanwhile, Tristan is given an important Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC) mission involving pigeons. Tristan is underwhelmed by the task and Siegfried sends him to Enoch Sykes, a cantankerous pigeon fancier. Tristan's attempt to win over Enoch's trust doesn’t go to plan. Helen and James prepare for Jimmy's birthday tea at Heston Grange, but Helen has to deal with some family disagreements.

"When the fox needs veterinary help, Siegfried faces a difficult decision as to how best to care for the animal, whilst also looking after Mrs Hall."

On how Siegfried supports Mrs Hall through her emotional turmoil, Samuel said: "I think it's being there and being the hand she needs to hold. But everybody deals with possible grief in their own way, and Siegfried has to try and be a shoulder to cry on if it's needed, and a hand to hold if one would help."

He continued: "Mrs Hall has her own ways of dealing with it, most of which don't require another person, because she's very strong that way – possibly to her detriment at times. But there’s no easy answer on how to deal with that."