"Matters of Life and Death" 15 March 1980
James visits Lord Hulton's stately home. Hulton has taken a liking to a horse that has wandered onto his property from the nearby military barracks. At the Billings' farm, James finds young calves who are emaciated. He thinks they have ingested an irritant of some kind, but the vets cannot isolate the source. Mrs Hall selects one of Siegfried's finest wines — a 1928 Oublion — for the Herriots to enjoy on their evening alone. Siegfried begrudgingly agrees to the pairing, even though it means he's missing out on one of Mrs Hall's steak and kidney puddings. James fails to save a dog belonging to Paul Cotterell. He's devastated to hear that Cotterell committed suicide upon losing his canine companion.
Characters: Mrs Hall, Lord Hulton, Paul Cotterell, Ken Billings, Seth Pilling, Mrs Pilling, Trooper Raven, Stokill, Charlie.