User reviews

The life and times of Yorkshire Dales veterinary practise in the years leading up to WWII. Based on the million selling James Herriot autobiographies.

James Herriot (real name Alfred White) came to Yorkshire as a young vet looking for his first job and despite being of Scottish origins made the place his own. They have even turned his old surgery (in Thirsk) in to a museum and it well worth a visit. Look it up on the internet if you are visiting the area.

There are very few books well enough written that within a few pages you are dragged inside and falling in love with the characters. I was around when they still were being written and when a new one came out you could be sure I'd be first in line at the bookshop. I'd even set the alarm clock an hour early so I could find more time for them.

(I doubt I'll ever be as excited as that over a book again!)

The fact that the main man carried on long after becoming a millionaire author showed that he was a man of dedication and integrity. Today there is a shortage of farm vets in that part of the world. The life is no easier now than it was then.

The series got together a dream cast and the male leads are fabulous and very true to the pages of the book - while the women try and make the best of their tea making, love-interest and showing-people-in roles.

Many of the pets on the show were treated for free in exchange for them being used on the show. It doesn't get any more "method" than having your hand up the backside of a cow for real! In one episode a foreign female vet seems poised to get involved in the practise -- but she only seems to upset the happy home and soon leaves. Also to be noted is that pages of the book involved bad people and youngsters who turned to crime. Even a suicide. You won't find them here. Nevertheless some of the farmers are less than pleasant people -- with the vets prepared to take them on as clients despite their character and (in real life) propensity for not paying their bills.

The central problem with this series is that sometimes you feel you are born in the wrong age. Oh for the time when country cottages were within the budget of a working man and everyone had time to stop and chat over tea.

Yes, it is a bit misty eyed and cute (although not all the animals are), but there are plenty of morals and lessons-in-life too.

A tale of 2 shows. The way I look at this show is to divide it into 2 segments: Series 1-3 and Series 4-7.

Series 1-3 was truly a special show bordering on perfection. The characters and plots were fresh while series 4-7 was truly average at best. The remaining characters and repeated plots became stale.

The show after series 3 could not compete with itself. Yes, Hideous Helen (as my wife and I call Lynda Bellingham) from series 4 on was a part of the problem. However, the main problem was that series 1-3 was so close to being perfect but series 4 on was just an average show. They were repeating previous show plots with very little changes for example and the charm was gone. And Tristan missing from the bulk of the later episodes was another big problem.

We are big fans of ACG&S but what we have here are basically 2 different shows: Series 1-3 is a TEN and Series 4-7 is a FIVE or SIX tops. Thus, the show taken as a whole is around a SEVEN AND A HALF or EIGHT at best. Still a quality show but it dragged on way too long.

Series 1-3 will live forever in my memory as being one of the special shows to hit the little screen.

This series has been standby Netflicks viewing for me when I cannot seem to find anything without violence and crass humor. Having walked through the Dales as long ago as the early sixties I recognize much of the scenery and the characters.

I am like many others who seem to prefer the early series with Carol Drinkwater and Mary Hignett. Replacing Carol must have been a hard process. The later series did one very good thing which was to improve the theme music. The earlier version had a percussion section that must been pasted in later and sounded like a complete tea set and box of cutlery being thrown down a set of stairs.

And speaking of comic relief...the humor provided by Peter Davison as Tristan at times had me wincing. I could not quite believe that such an out an out conniving self absorbed pratt as Tristan could have been accepted either in the practice or in a small Yorkshire town. Davison acts the role perfectly, but I would have watched the series had it not included his scenes. Occasionally I could not quite swallow James's naiveté.

The real stars of this show were the hundreds of local character actors who played walk on parts over the years, not to mention a never ending supply of compliant small animals willing to sit quietly while being examined, poked and fumbled and a never ending supply of cows ready to calve at the directors command.

As for Robert Hardy...whenever I watch Martin Clunes in the excellent Doc Martin I am tempted to say "you were not the first to portray an iconoclastic medical role in a rural setting with colorful locals to play off".

Hardy was superb but seemed tired in later episodes, however without his anchoring role the series would have been too cozy and tedious.

In summary, one of the best TV series ever made. Up there with M.A.S.H., Midsomer Murders, Poirot and Barney Miller

This television series is something special. It makes me laugh, brings a tear to my eye and puts a lump in my throat, often all in the same episode. It shows people, the main leads of James, Seigfried, and Tristan, (Helen too), as special, and who are lovable in their strength and eccentricities. This show is so special that I almost don't want to own it, whether on video or dvd. Why? Because possessing them might make them less special. I want to discover them again, be excited that they are on the PBS stations that I get, and feel blessed to visit with my old friends again.

Whenever I feel that I don't fit in this modern world, and that 'All Creatures Great and Small' was made for me alone, I know that I must have friends worldwide that I've never met, because we all love this show!

Such a fine series comes along only once or twice in a viewer's lifetime. The actors are second to none. Robert Hardy plays Siegfried Farnon in a wonderfully realistic manner. Here's a man who ranges from a soft natured rural country vetrinarian who cares passionately for every animal he treats, to a raving tyrant who rules his younger brother Tristan with an iron fist. His performances show acting ability that we seldom see in North American productions.

Christopher Timothy routinely delivers up fine performances as James Harriot, the younger partner in the vetrinary practice. Most of the episodes deal with his experiences and he manages to take somewhat mundane situations and make them exciting for the viewers. Over the life of the series we witness his evolution from an inexperienced young vetrinarian to a competent and practiced professional. Along the way we see him become a partner in the practice and woo and win Helen who eventually becomes his wife and the mother of his children.

Comic relief is always forthcoming from Tristan, played to perfection by Peter Davison. It's often hard to accept that he is Siegfreid's brother as the two men are absolute opposites; Siegfried being a serious, studious gentlemen with all the hallmarks of a finely bred British gentleman while Tristan is a boozing, carousing womanizer. The chemistry amongst these three actors makes the series one of the finest ever televised. The production itself is without equal. Scenes are shot on location with the actors participating directly in the action. It's not unusual to see Siegfried or James shoving their hands inside of a living beast to perform some medical process, or wallowing through a muddy barnyard.

A fine and highly realistic series on mid century vetrinarians; certainly the best I've ever seen.

The combination of superb writing, acting and film-making that produced the "All Creatures" series would have been sufficient to attract me. However, retreat to an episode with James and co. became my emotional and intellectual sanctuary due to the veterinary content. As a veterinarian, I am drawn to the veterinary dilemmas - the penniless child with a treasured creature, integrity in the face of silly pet owners, the 'attitude' of horse owners, and, most tellingly, the diagnostic puzzle that humbles us all. I left veterinary practice for the veterinary policy (and, often, politics) a number of years ago but the lessons from that period of my life remain vivid. Apart from the veterinary side, I enjoy the historical detail and gentle moral in each episode. Recently I invited some of my public sector veterinary colleagues to join me in watching the episode on Foot and Mouth disease, a concern that haunts private and public sector veterinians to this day. The story was skillfully rendered with accurate veterinary facts woven into the back drop of the expired ultimatum of September 3, 1949 that committed England and France to a war against Germany. I had been exposed to the history lesson of the invasion of Poland by Hitler and the consequences by earlier episodes in the series so that final pre-WWII episode was particularly poignant. Story telling at its finest!

I have waited a very long time, but at last I am the owner of Season 1 of "All Creatures Great and Small", the well-told tale of a young rural veterinarian freshly indoctrinated into the pre-war pastoral setting of the lush and rugged Yorkshire Dales, England. A PBS hallmark series that originated on the BBC over a generation ago, the show aptly kicks off the saga immediately prior to the advent of medical advances for livestock and the technological revolution that changed a way of life that had endured for thousands of years. Assistant Veterinary Surgeon James Herriott witnesses the crushing tragedies and soaring miracles that profoundly affect the simple Yorkshire folk as they seek but to carve out an existence for themselves and their families. Like the book, each episode contains several tales of the animals that Herriott comes into contact with. All Creatures Great and Small is my favorite book and to see these rich characters and settings brought to life does no injustice to that book. Every step across the sweeping fells by Herriott is a step I take as well. The collective experience makes me yearn to go back to a place to which I have never been.

I haven't read the books, but I just love this series, and consider it one of my favourite shows. It is relaxing, funny, endearing and warm, all of which I love about shows like Last of the Summer Wine, Mapp and Lucia and Darling Buds of May.

The series is beautifully filmed for instance, with picturesque scenery and lovely photography and period detail. The music is pleasant and memorable too, the writing is outstanding making me laugh and cry and the stories are compelling with seldom a dull moment.

The characters are written with charm and have an immense likability about them, and the acting from Christopher Timothy, Peter Davison and especially Robert Hardy and all the other members of this talented cast is wonderful consistently.

All in all, a truly great and timeless show. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I adore this series. It is unlike most TV series in that it depicts a beautiful place and time, warts and all, not as a bucolic fantasy but as a place where people work hard, struggle to survive, sometimes suffer loss, but also enjoy the great beauty, shared experiences, friendship and love that surrounds them.

It breaks my heart that most younger folks today would not even recognize these qualities and would be hard pressed to sit through a few episodes. Maybe I'm wrong - I hope so.

But I am forever thankful that our PBS station continues to run this series and I'll watch it as long as I live. Now that Netflix dumped it (WHY??) I may buy the series. I hope the great actors and actresses that performed this series know the oceans of joy that is their legacy!

This is so well done in so many ways, but Timothy is inappropriate as Herriott. He lacks the real character's robustness. Tristan is even more miscast -- there is none of the good looks or charm that would validate a ladies' man. Hardy is excellent as Siegfried. Despite the miscasting, it's an excellent series and is watchable by any age group.

I have re-watched this series front to back so many times I cant remember. Very well cast with great acting performances.

I was led to buy the first two DVDs from the glowing comments I read on this site and from having really enjoyed James Herriot's books which I've read and reread over the years. Well, books do not age or hardly but films (and TV films most especially) do. So I really do not recommend buying those DVDs unless one is nostalgic of static camera work, slow pace, bad special effects and mediocre acting from all but Robert Hardy, the actor portraying Siegfried (but I never pictured him that way from reading the book - I think he's described as tall, dark and elegant, and I imagined him much, much younger...). In fact neither I nor my children have been able to finish watching the 2nd DVD. I've seldom watched something so slow-paced. I suppose in any case that much of Herriot's humour comes from exaggeration and choice of words, and that's probably next to impossible to render on screen...

Set in the ruggedly beautiful Yorkshire Dales during the years leading up to WW2, All Creatures Great & Small follows the adventures of a veterinary practice supporting the local farming community in 1930s Northern England. This wonderful adaptation of the books by James Herriot has timeless appeal for the whole family. I've watched the series in its entirety three or four times since it was made and it still remains fresh and very enjoyable. In addition to an abundance of charm and humor, the quality that makes this TV series so exceptional is believability. After watching a few episodes, the viewer becomes convinced that James Herriot, Sigfried Farnon, and his brother Tristan Farnon are really qualified vets...just watch one or two of the many scenes involving surgery or calfing and you will see my point. Real proceedures, which the actors actually perform, are conducted under the expert guidance of qualified vets on the set, including the author James Herriot himself. The many and varied supporting actors are also convincing as real people involved in real situations. The leading cast led by Christopher Timothy as James Herriot, Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon, Peter Davidson as his brother Tristan, and Carol Drinkwater as James' wife Helen, are all fabulous. The powerful presence of Robert Hardy as Siegfried is particularly compelling, and its easy to see why he's considered by many to be the finest actor in Britain. When compared to other programs of its genre and indeed other TV series in general, this adaptation of the classic All Creatures Great & Small is simply outstanding. Eleven out of ten.

Just a delightful series when it first came out on PBS way back then. Exceptional in acting, writing, direction, and the actors were perfect for the parts they played. Plus, the English Midlands. Then, the series just kinda disappeared.

But the series just started again (May 2022) from the get-go on the U. K. "DRAMA" network. It's on right after "Lovejoy," another great U. K. series from yesteryear. The TV has become useful again!

The series is so true to the books and it's perfectly cast. I've loved it since it premiered in the 70s. Both funny and tragic by turns, it's a must see for animal lovers. My kids grew up watching it and their love for animals grew with every episode.

THIS IS A GREAT TV SERIES. I LOVE IT.

I THINK THIS IS MAYBE THE BEST TV SHOW OF ALL TIME. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKE THE MOST IS ROBERT HARDY HE SO GREAT AND CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY AND PETER DAVISON THEY ARE REALLY GREAT TOO. THIS IS A MUST WATCH. THIS IS A SHOW THAT CAN NEVER BE REPLACED BUT I KNOW THAT THEY ARE REPLACING IT WITH A PBS ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL BUT IT'S NOTHING NEAR THIS THEY ARE TRYING TO REPLACE A MASTERPIECE ITS LIKE REDOING CASABLANCA. OR ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE. OR GONE WITH THE WIND.

One of the most terrific things about this great (even dramatic) long-lived British television series is that it had nothing to do with animals. Aside the confluence of wonderful animal husbandry with succinct British life-styles before-and-after the war, the human content is almost immeasurable. What we've all enjoyed so much about this incredible production is the inter-arrangement, personal and day-to-day trials within a close-knit family-owned business. It continues because of 'values' we've often treasured - and still long for. It's watched because it's incredibly engaging. And it's treasured not only for its immaculate and natural filming/editing/scoring/dialog - but for the characters who made it 'real' in our lives. Don't believe me? Watch the current 're-creation' of it in 'Duck Dynasty.' ...and how BIG is that?

This is a well written, well acted ensemble series based on the James Herriot stories about life as a country vet in Great Britain. The series begins pre ww2 and seasin 4 begins the post WW2 years. My favorite seasons are 1, 2 and 3. These include Carol Drinkwater as Helen and she is marvelous in the role. And has a very good chemistry with Christopher Timothy. Seasons 4-7 are just not as magical in my view. But overall it is a wonderful production.

If you want to really appreciate these stories in the way the author Alf Wight intended, this is the version to watch, not the boring new adaptation.

The first few seasons are just so enjoyable. Unfortunately, it went downhill in the later seasons with the exit of Tristan and the replacement of Helen, but there are plenty of great episodes in these earlier seasons.

The actors in this are uniformly great, between Robert Hardy and Peter Davison having the more flashy parts, and Christopher Timothy in the lovable and effectively played main character.

The life of the Yorkshire Dales and the farmers are excellently rendered and, while we are often moved by the stories that don't always have happy endings, the treatment is never overly sentimental.

I have to start by saying I love this series. I grew up with it as a child, I watch it now, and I'm just charmed to pieces, my American girlfriend loves it too. The only black eye so far is Johnny Byrne.

The episodes were written by a few different people... so for example, in Series 1, episodes 1,2,4 were written by various others, 3 and 5 by Byrne. We had to fast forward through parts of 5 it was so bad. These nicely drawn characters with their witty byplay collapse into 2 dimensional cutouts when he writes, the plot points are preached at you directly, rather than played out... We got to the beautiful music at the end of 5, which is the part at which you normally feel uplifted, and we both just felt violated instead.

"Why do you do this endearing thing?" says James to some minor character whom we see only once.

"Because {SOB STORY ABOUT YOUTH}"

"Oh I see. Well, bye then."

or

"Good morning James. You look tired" (rather than James just LOOKING tired, or "Late night there James?", or something involving actual drama)

"Yes I am tired. Because {PLOT POINT}. I really think it's because {EXPLANATION OF PLOT POINT}."

Arghhh! Now given that this guy wrote about a third of the episodes, we're undecided about whether to just skip the rest he wrote or to plow through. I love the show so much I'd be loathe to miss them (especially Robert Hardy, who's the only one who carries off any of Byrne's lines really at all), but I don't know if my heart can take the beating he lays on it.

Bec I love animals. If you don't like animals, you will dislike it. without having read the books, I thought the characters were mis-cast.

I have to think that those who didn't like it, stopped watching, and didn't bother to review.

the Show is very dated - stiff, melodramatic in a narrow, simplistic way. Like the Brady Bunch, with none of the charm & wit of The Andy Griffith show. 1980- may seem old for people 20s- 30s- but for those of us who lived it- it really isn't. early on 1st season, Siegfried bought some pigs, bec cost of pork was going u. but, they were too much trouble (country vet should have known). Sending the pigs to the slaughterhouse without a twinge. Tristan remarks, pigs are OK but bacon is what's important. OMG- these are animal loving vets. was this in the books?

Often they are very heartless about butchering animals. that would be true of farmers. but it left a really unpleasant taste.

Tristan, as remarked, doesn't have the looks, or the charm of a ladies' man. James, lacks the energetic, magnetic quality. Siegfried at times seems kind, competent, other times dithering. According to some who read the books, he is tall good-looking & elegant

I had it on while I was doing other things, and I think it got a little better - Bec of the actors, the way the characters were written, the stiff, flat acting & dialogue; I didn't find it charming or funny.

The original series of 41 episodes was a beautifully accurate version of the Herriott books. Superb acting is expected in a British production, and this is no exception, as the actors do an amazing job of capturing the essence of the even the minor characters. The vets, Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy and Peter Davison are especially true, as is Carol Drinkwater (most superior to her replacement as Helen). The series also captures the essence of the Yorkshire Dales: the lovely green hillsides, wide vistas and individualistic spirit. Visiting that area is like stepping into the Herriott stories, as we discovered in 1982 and many subsequent visits. And having a pint with the cast between shooting on location showed us how authentic the series is. Many people don't realize that these are not `warm, fuzzy' animal stories. Each episode has a moral point to make and makes it subtly, through action not speeches. The series is also inspirational, for it is, implicitly, the story of the birth of scientific veterinary medicine.

Series 1-3 of "All Creatures Great & Small" is a classic with outstanding performances and great writing. Based on the books by Alf Wight writing under the pseudonym of James Herriot, it is set in the mid-1930s. Having watched this on PBS in the late 1970's and multiple times since then, it has become a show dear to my heart. I have also read everything Herriot has written many times and have read the biography his son, James, authored about his father. I viewed one episode of the 2020 remake of "All Creatures" and decided it did not live up to the 1978 original.

One review written recently on this site has attacked the character of Tristan as played by Peter Davison by writing "Tristan is a bit irresponsible in the remake, in the original he never learned nor grew. He was ALWAYS an immature jerk." This is far from the case. The review also takes issue with Mrs Hall as played by Mary Hignett writing "one example is Mrs. Hall. In the original, she didn't have a lot of personality and you didn't learn that much about her...she was just there cooking." Just remember Mrs Hall's triumph when her preserves won in the second series "Judgement Day" episode.

Book adaptations can hardly get better than this. Since Herriot's books are, according to his son, over 90 % true, sticking to them is particularly important. Here we have characters and scenes that were considered authentic by people who were originally there. Siegfried is my particular favourite. According to contemporaries Robert Hardy got him just right, how exciting is that!

Compared to the 2020 series, here the realism of Herriot's books is embraced. The actors - or maybe rather, the screenwriters - are not afraid to get down and dirty. The priceless supporting characters are featured splendidly.

Just one thing about Siegfried, he was actually only about 30 when James started to work for him. He was a ladies' man, and to show this Hardy has a couple of awkward scenes with young women in the early episodes. Doesn't really work. There are also some scenes between Callum and his girlfriend which I find problematic. That is not original Herriot material, towards the end of the series they ran out of it.

These are very passing moments though. Visually the show is dated, particularly the first seasons, but you get used to it. It's worth it, I assure you. Above all I recommend the books.