fiction.wikisort.org - Movie

All Creatures Great and Small is a television series, set in 1937,[1] based upon a series of books about a Yorkshire veterinarian written by Alf Wight under the pen name of James Herriot. The series was produced by Playground Entertainment for Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, and PBS in the United States.[2]

All Creatures Great and Small
Based on	If Only They Could Talk by James Herriot
Written by	Ben Vanstone
Directed by	Brian Percival
Starring	Samuel West Anna Madeley Nicholas Ralph Callum Woodhouse Rachel Shenton
Composer	Alexandra Harwood
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	20
Production
Executive producers	Colin Callender Melissa Gallant Hugo Heppell Rebecca Eaton
Producer	Richard Burrell
Production company	Playground Entertainment
Distributor	All3Media
Release
Original network	Channel 5
Picture format	2:1 1080p
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	1 September 2020 (2020-09-01) – present

The series is a new adaptation of Wight's books, following the previous BBC series of 90 episodes that ran from 1978 to 1990 and a number of other films and television series based on Herriot's novels.[3] It is filmed in the Yorkshire Dales, and received some funding from Screen Yorkshire.[4] 

The first series, which consists of six episodes and a special Christmas episode, was filmed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first book in the James Herriot series.[5] The series premiered in the UK on Channel 5 on 1 September 2020 and in the US on PBS as part of Masterpiece on 10 January 2021.

Following a second series in late 2021, the show was renewed for two further series, each composed of six episodes and a Christmas special, in January 2022.[6] Filming on the third series began in March 2022 and will air in the UK in September 2022 and in the US in January 2023.[7]

Premise

The show revolves around a trio of veterinary surgeons working in the Yorkshire Dales beginning in 1937. Siegfried Farnon (described as an "eccentric") hires James Herriot into his veterinary practice at Skeldale House. Besides Siegfried and James, there is Siegfried's younger brother, Tristan, and Mrs. Hall, their housekeeper.[8]

Cast

• Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot, a veterinary surgeon[9]
• Samuel West as Siegfried Farnon, a veterinary surgeon and owner of Skeldale House[9]
• Anna Madeley as Mrs Audrey Hall, housekeeper of Skeldale House[9]
• Callum Woodhouse as Tristan Farnon, Siegfried's younger brother[9]
• Rachel Shenton as Helen Alderson, a farmer's daughter and James' love interest[10]

Recurring

• Diana Rigg (series 1) and Patricia Hodge (series 2 and 3) as Mrs Pumphrey, the wealthy owner of the indulged Pekingese Tricki Woo[9]
• Matthew Lewis as Hugh Hulton, a wealthy landowner who competes with James for Helen's affections[11]
• Maimie McCoy as Dorothy, Mrs Hall's friend and Siegfried's love interest (series 1)
• Mollie Winnard as Maggie, barmaid at the Drovers Arms and Tristan's love interest
• Tony Pitts as Richard Alderson, Helen's father
• Imogen Clawson as Jenny Alderson, Helen's sister
• Dorothy Atkinson as Diana Brompton, a flirtatious divorcée who has a casual romance with Sigfried (series 2)
• Will Thorp as Gerald Hammond (series 2-3)
• Gabriel Quigley as Hannah Herriott, James's mother
• Drew Cain as James Herriot Sr., James's father

Production

Cast and characters

Actor Nicholas Ralph did a great deal of research on James Herriot ("Alf" Wight) who died in 1995. He also met the vet's son and daughter, Jim and Rosie. "They spoke a lot about Donald and Brian, the real Siegfried and Tristan. They said to me that I had the hardest job because Alf is a kind of observer to these bigger, larger-than-life personalities", he recalled.[12] Naturally, the actor required training in veterinary procedures for authenticity in the show.[13] "Straight off the bat with our on-set vet adviser Andy Barrett, we were up close and personal with horses, sheep, kind of going through the procedures and things that we would be doing. Learning how to approach the animal and everything like that. Using the stethoscope on the cow's heart, then lungs, then stomach" the actor recalled.[14]

Although James Herriot/Alf Wight had a "soft, lilting Scottish accent" according to Christopher Timothy who played Herriot in the original TV adaptation,[15] the actor was instructed to keep his speech neutral for universality when the BBC series was being filmed. That did not apply to Nicholas Ralph when filming this adaptation; the actor used his genuine Scottish accent.[16]

The New York Times indicated that Donald Sinclair actually had more rough edges than the Siegfried character in the books (and in the TV productions). "Sinclair's real-life behaviour was much more eccentric (he once discharged a shotgun during a dinner party to let his guests know it was time to leave)".[17]

Significant changes were made from the source material (both the previous television series and the memoir), such as Siegfried Farnon being a heartbroken widower and a dramatically increased role for Mrs Hall, who has been reimagined as a young, live-in housekeeper and a "slightly warmer figure" than in the novels. The role of Helen was also greatly expanded.[18]

Filming locations

The first series was filmed largely in the Yorkshire Dales (often around Nidderdale); the village of Grassington in Upper Wharfedale was used for the fictional village of Darrowby.[19][20][21] The BBC series, which was broadcast between 1978 and 1990, had been filmed in the northern part of the Dales, (Wensleydale and Swaledale), with the village Askrigg used for the fictional Darrowby.

When discussing the new series, actor Rachel Shenton was enthusiastic about the locations. "We ... shot in and around the Dales", she said. "The Dales are miles and miles of beautiful, undulating countryside and it really is breathtaking."[22] Neither the BBC series or the new series was filmed in Thirsk (where the actual vet, Alf Wight, practised) since it had become too large for the small-town feel that the producers wanted. "The nice thing was that there weren't any modern houses in the town centre ... so we didn't have to change anything completely. What we did change were all the shop signs and the usual things like aerials, satellite dishes, alarm boxes and all of those things."[23]

In Grassington, the Devonshire Inn was rebranded as the Drovers Arms, while the pub interiors were shot at The Green Dragon Inn at Hardraw.[24] The village bakery, Walker's, was used for the Darrowby Cycles property; a private residence was used for the exterior of Skeldale House.[25][23] The Stripey Badger book store became the greengrocers G F Endleby, the shoe store Helen Midgley was used for Handleys Booksellers and the Rustic Rabbit gift store became Higgins Bakers.[26]

The home of Mrs Pumphrey, the owner of Tricki-Woo, was filmed at Broughton Hall in Broughton, Craven; the character was based on Marjorie Warner, a client of Alf Wight,[27] who lived at Thorpe House near Thirsk.[28] Many of the scenes for the series were filmed in a studio. Parts of the first episode (with the waterfall and pool) were filmed at Janet's Foss near Malham. Other locations included the Barden Bridge at the Bolton Abbey Estate and the Ripon Racecourse. The church featured in the Christmas special is St Wilfrid's at Burnsall, near Grassington, the crossroads are "on the roads above Pateley Bridge" in Nidderdale and the farm is in Airton.[29][30]

The steam train in the first series was filmed on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway line; Keighley Station stands in for a Glasgow station in the first episode, and Oakworth railway station appears in both the first and second episodes.[31]

The six episodes and the Christmas special were filmed from 2019 into early 2020.[32] Much of the outdoor work was completed "during winter and autumn, and it was freezing, with long, cold, dark days and rainy days", according to Ralph.[33]

In March 2021, filming had started for the second series, and included some new locations.[34]

Working with animals

For his role as a veterinary surgeon, Ralph required training in veterinary procedures. For some scenes, however, the production used animal prosthetics: "the back end of the cow, fully functional and everything".[35] One episode portrayed the birth of a calf; that was filmed separately and "was then spliced in seamlessly with footage of the main actors". Ralph admits that "for 90 percent of those scenes with the animals, the animals actually weren't there. It was just cleverly chosen and prosthetics and extremely well-trained, happy animals when we did see them".[36]

Some of Ralph's work involved interaction with live animals, such as a bull in one episode and a horse rearing and kicking in another.[36] "Straight off the bat with our on-set vet adviser Andy Barrett, we were up close and personal with horses, sheep, kind of going through the procedures and things that we would be doing", Ralph said. "Learning how to approach the animal and everything like that. Using the stethoscope on the cow's heart, then lungs, then stomach..."[14] "I have huge respect for ... Andy Barrett and the animal handlers who worked on the show", Ralph told an interviewer.[37]

Second series

Pre-production work had begun on the second set of episodes by early 2021. The production company made appeals for historic artefacts and props, as they prepared to film the next chapters of James Herriot's life. Due to lockdown restrictions, they were struggling to find everything from homeware to farming implements made before 1938. They plan to buy as many artefacts and props as they can because they expect to film multiple series of All Creatures Great and Small.[38]

Executive producer Colin Callender said in early 2021 that filming had been postponed due to restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are using this time to commission Ben Vanstone [the writer] and the writing team to work on season two ... we're able to use this lockdown period to work on the development and script development". In February 2021, Vanstone said that most scripts had been written; he expected filming to start in late March (if the restrictions allowed). The writer hinted that the relationship between James and Helen would be developed; "we want to explore why they're together and why they work with one another". In the relationship between Tristan and Siegfried, the latter will be "desperate to move forward in his relationship with his brother". Siegfried's relationship with Dorothy would continue, but "there are still plenty of opportunities for him to mess things up", Vanstone commented.[39][40]

In early 2021, Ralph told PBS that he expected to see all of the principal actors when filming started, saying "The cast will be back of course ... and I've heard a lot of the crew are coming back as well". West added that director Brian Percival would also be returning.[41]

Actor Diana Rigg died after the first series had been completed. Callender said that the producers were uncertain as to "what we will do with the character of Mrs Pumphrey"[42] (The Mrs Pumphrey character was based on a client of Wight's, Marjorie Warner, who owned a Pekingese named Bambi).[43] In April 2021, an announcement stated that Patricia Hodge had been cast in the role.[44] Other new cast members include Dorothy Atkinson as Diana Brompton, a possible love interest for Siegfried,[45] and James Fleet as Colonel Hubert Merrick, a farmer who appeared in the Herriot book.[46]

Filming was underway by March 2021 for the second series of six episodes and a Christmas special.[47] Scheduled locations included the Bradford area (initially in Little Germany, Bradford, standing in for Glasgow), Kettlewell and Grassington (for the fictional village of Darrowby)[47] as well as the Yorkshire Dales.[48][49][50]

In January 2022, the show was renewed for a further two series. Filming on Series Three began in March, 2022 with parts being filmed in Hartlington and Burnsall

Episodes

Series	Episodes		Originally aired		Average viewership (in millions)
			First aired	Last aired
1	6		1 September 2020 (2020-09-01)	6 October 2020 (2020-10-06)	5.10
Special			22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)		4.99
2	6		16 September 2021 (2021-09-16)	21 October 2021 (2021-10-21)	4.62
Special			24 December 2021 (2021-12-24)		4.75
3	6		15 September 2022 (2022-09-15)	20 October 2022 (2022-10-20)	TBA

Series 1 (2020)

No. overall	No. in series	Title [51]	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions) [52]
1	1	"You've Got to Dream"	Brian Percival	Ben Vanstone	1 September 2020 (2020-09-01)	5.49[lower-alpha 1]
Newly qualified veterinarian James Herriot travels from his home in Glasgow to the Yorkshire village of Darrowby for a job interview at Siegfried Farnon's practice. Siegfried takes James to his first job treating an abscess in a gelding's hoof. James meets Helen Alderson while treating an injured calf and she urges him to stand up to Siegfried, who will respect him. The locals get James drunk and he mixes up a pair of cats while trying to feed them, resulting in Siegfried almost castrating the wrong one. James manages to prove himself after saving the lives of a cow and her calf, leading Siegfried to offer him a permanent job as his assistant. Siegfried and Mrs Hall play a homemade version of a Scrabble-like crossword game, using a chess board.
2	2	"Another Farnon?"	Brian Percival	Ben Vanstone	8 September 2020 (2020-09-08)	5.03[lower-alpha 2]
James collects Siegfried's younger brother Tristan from the station and they accidentally crash Siegfried's car. Tristan announces he has graduated from Edinburgh veterinary college and joins the practice. James takes him on his rounds where he has trouble dealing with a cow suffering with milk fever. He fares better with Mrs Pumphrey and her Pekingese dog Tricki Woo, which leads her to invite him to a party, where he meets Helen's partner Hugh Hulton. While James and Siegfried are at Mrs Pumphrey's dance party, Mrs Hall plays a pencil-dice game of cricket with Tristan, and works out that Tristan has not been honest about his graduation. Technically, he did pass his last exam, but it was not actually his final exam, and he failed earlier exams.
3	3	"Andante"	Metin Hüseyin	Lisa Holdsworth	15 September 2020 (2020-09-15)	5.22[lower-alpha 3]
Siegfried's application for horse racecourse vet is jeopardised after Hugh—the owner of the surefire race winner and the pride of the village Andante—disputes James's rationale for putting it down. Tristan revels in his new job collecting debts from clients, until he ends up frittering it all away in the pub—and uses his insider knowledge to his advantage in betting on the second favourite to win it back. Mrs Hall tries to help Helen encourage her younger sister to realise that there is more to life than farming.
4	4	"A Tricki Case"	Andy Hay	Freddy Syborn	22 September 2020 (2020-09-22)	4.81[lower-alpha 4]
Alongside developing his flourishing relationship with Helen, James is enlisted in helping Mrs Pumphrey's dog Tricki back to a healthy weight. Tristan, however, takes up the responsibility, determined to earn his keep so Siegfried will fund his forthcoming return to studies. In so doing, he is not helped by the dog's sneaky indulging in the expensive foodstuffs given to tide him over while away from home. Mrs Hall is troubled by the continuous lack of correspondence from her son, while the Farnons pass the buck onto each other in examining a rather ferocious dog.
5	5	"All's Fair"	Metin Hüseyin	Debbie O'Malley	29 September 2020 (2020-09-29)	4.87[lower-alpha 5]
On the day of the Darrowby Fair, James agrees to stand as attending vet, judging the livestock and pet competitions, unaware that it is a taxing and unrewarding assignment. Siegfried, Tristan, and Mrs Hall all place bets on when James will resign in exasperation. James experiences pressure from nearly every competitor, and from Helen, anxious for a favourable assessment of her prize bull, in hope of securing a profitable sale. Siegfried meets an attractive and unattached friend of Mrs Hall, Dorothy, and despite their mutual attraction, Siegfried still mourns for his recently deceased wife.
6	6	"A Cure for All Ills"	Andy Hay	Julian Jones and Ben Vanstone	6 October 2020 (2020-10-06)	5.17[lower-alpha 6]
James feels guilt over the cow a farmer purchased based on his recommendation, which is now morbidly ill with an abscess, and which he feels powerless to cure. Tristan becomes a zealous advocate for a risky procedure for the cow, which Siegfried, as head of the practice, strictly forbids. Tristan manages an overwhelmed surgery as best he can, while Siegfried is taken with flu. At James's surprise birthday party, Maggie, the barmaid, breaks off her tenuous relationship with Tristan, citing his lack of seriousness. Encouraged by Helen, James flees his birthday party to perform surgery on the morbidly ill cow, assisted by Tristan, which Siegfried reluctantly agrees to after initially attempting to stop it. The operation is a success. Later, at the Drover's Arms, Siegfried promotes James to Senior Vet.

Christmas special (2020)

No. overall	No. in series	Title [51]	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions) [54]
7	7	"The Night Before Christmas"	Andy Hay	Ben Vanstone	22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	4.99[lower-alpha 1]
At Siegfried's Christmas Eve party for the villagers, Helen grows weary of people talking to her about her pending marriage, so she joins James on an emergency call to the Chapmans, whose dog is having a difficult labour. The two bond over the frailty of one of the puppies before fog traps them on the hilltop overnight; they struggle to contain their affection for each other, and Helen ponders whether marrying Hugh is what she really wants. Siegfried seeks lessons in courtship from Tristan in an effort to spend some meaningful time with Dorothy. Mrs Hall gets carried away with excitement over her unreliable son's promised Christmas visit. Tristan helps Maggie's shy little brother with an ill donkey, and in return gets an early Christmas present under the mistletoe from his former girlfriend. The next morning, Helen calls off her wedding to Hugh.[55]

Series 2 (2021)

No. overall	No. in series	Title [56]	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions) [52]
8	1	"Where the Heart Is"	Brian Percival	Ben Vanstone	16 September 2021 (2021-09-16)	4.33[lower-alpha 1]
A brief return home to Glasgow sees James offered a permanent role at a local veterinary practice, and has to choose between his mother's wishes for him to be closer to home and the place in Yorkshire he has come to love. Such evaluation, however, is later sullied after a clash with rural values when he resists the Aldersons' wishes to put down their dog that has been terrorising local sheep. Siegfried struggles to keep concealing how Tristan didn't do as well in his studies as he's led everyone to believe, especially when Tristan accidentally kills his first patient.
9	2	"Semper Progrediens"	Brian Percival	Ben Vanstone	23 September 2021 (2021-09-23)	4.24[lower-alpha 2]
The time of the Daffodil Ball has arrived, and each member of the practice is caught between their duties to their patients and their potential dates. Now in reception of a tantalising formal offer from a Glasgow practice, James realises the only thing keeping him in Yorkshire is a possible future relationship with Helen, but goes too far in trying to respect her hesitancy at the dance. Tristan makes Siegfried realise he's getting too diffident, even past it, and is determined to prove himself in front of his date Diana Brompton and a demanding client. Mrs Hall becomes enamoured by a new client.
10	3	"We Can But Hope"	Sasha Ransome	Chloë Mi Lin Ewart	30 September 2021 (2021-09-30)	4.95[lower-alpha 3]
The fate of a struggling young widow causes difficulties for James and Helen's burgeoning romance. Meanwhile, Siegfried has another scheme to whip Tristan into shape. A visit from Tricki Woo creates mayhem in Skeldale House.
11	4	"Many Happy Returns"	Sasha Ransome	Debbie O'Malley	7 October 2021 (2021-10-07)	4.73[lower-alpha 4]
Tristan isn't best pleased with Siegfried's present to him on his birthday - he's going to be relied upon more in the practice.
12	5	"The Last Man In"	Andy Hay	Debbie O'Malley	14 October 2021 (2021-10-14)	4.69[lower-alpha 5]
The town converges on Mrs Pumphrey's estate for the annual cricket match, and the stakes are set higher than anticipated when James discovers his team will be playing against Helen's former fiancé, Hugh.
13	6	"Home Truths"	Andy Hay	Ben Vanstone	21 October 2021 (2021-10-21)	4.80[lower-alpha 5]
James proposes to Helen, who accepts. He later asks permission from Helen's father, who gives James his wife's engagement ring to give to Helen. James's parents visit from Scotland, expecting him to be leaving for a job there. James apologises for not telling them sooner, but he wants to stay where he is, and announces that Helen is his fiancee. Tristan helps out a heartbroken woman, who lost her dog after it was hit by a car.

Christmas special (2021)

No. overall	No. in series	Title [51]	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions) [59]
14	-	"The Perfect Christmas"	Andy Hay	Ben Vanstone	24 December 2021 (2021-12-24)	4.75[lower-alpha 1]
Siegfried throws his annual Christmas Eve party for the villagers. At the same time, Tricki Woo, Mrs Pumphrey's Pekingese has fallen seriously ill, with James, Tristan and Siegfried all trying to save him. James suggests giving the same shot to Tricki Woo that earlier saved Mr Kitson's ewe, which ultimately also works for Tricki Woo. Everyone changes their plans for Christmas lunch to make sure that Mrs Pumphrey is not spending her day alone. Tristan passes his exam, so he can now be a fully-fledged vet.

Series 3 (2022)

No. overall	No. in series	Title [61]	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions)
15	1	"Second Time Lucky"	Brian Percival	Ben Vanstone	15 September 2022 (2022-09-15)	3.93
16	2	"Honeymoon's Over"	Andy Hay	Chloe Mi Lin Ewart	22 September 2022 (2022-09-22)	3.76
17	3	"Surviving Siegfried"	Brian Percival	Ben Vanstone	29 September 2022 (2022-09-29)	3.70
18	4	"What a Balls Up!"	Andy Hay	Chloe Mi Lin Ewart	6 October 2022 (2022-10-06)	3.80
19	5	"Edward"	Andy Hay	Karin Khan	13 October 2022 (2022-10-13)	3.86
20	6	"For Whom the Bell Tolls"	Stewart Svaasand	Jamie Crichton	20 October 2022 (2022-10-20)	3.71

Reception

The first episode was watched by 3.3 million viewers overnight and earned an audience share of 20.4%, making All Creatures Great and Small Channel 5's highest rated show since February 2016.[62] By using BARB's consolidated ratings for programmes watched live and on catch-up services (within 28 days), All Creatures Great and Small became their most popular show ever (until 2021) with the premiere episode having grown to 5.4 million viewers (up from 5.01m over a seven-day period) with a further 1.2 million watching the repeat on the Sunday night.[63] In the United States - where the show is broadcast on PBS - the first series averaged more than 10 million viewers over the course of its run.[64]

Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the show a score of 83 out of 100 based on six critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[65] The Daily Telegraph's Michael Hogan gave the show four out of five, and commented "Revisiting the world of All Creatures Great and Small felt like meeting old friends. Any viewers missing the classic triumvirate of Robert Hardy, Christopher Timothy and Peter Davison were surely converted by this well-crafted opener, confidently directed by Downton Abbey alumnus Brian Percival".[66] Hogan went on to call the show "family-friendly comfort-viewing. A soothing balm in febrile times".[66]

As of March 2021, aggregator Rotten Tomatoes indicated that 96% of reviews had been positive.[67] Variety was one of the publications that praised the first series. Its chief TV critic Caroline Framke wrote that All Creatures Great and Small "finds key ways to distinguish itself from depictions past, especially as it makes the most of a handsome budget and embraces a welcome, earnest warmth in its storytelling" and added that the update made "a beloved property worthwhile". [68] NBC News praised the series as "pastoral perfection," saying the show was "never meant to be pandemic escapism... but it's hard to think of a better moment for something as simple and charming... sometimes all television (and the world) needs is someone with a gentle heart big enough to care for all creatures, great and small"; according to the network's cultural critic, Ani Bundel.[69]

The Los Angeles Times's Mary McNamara was not quite as enthusiastic, disputing the apparent consensus of the show as being a necessary sanctuary in the pandemic zeitgeist, and calling the show "a disappointment" because it deviated too much, and jarringly so, from the source material. Nonetheless, the critic concluded "I was clearly happier with what I considered a very flawed adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small than many other television shows of my acquaintance ... I found all the joy, solace and gentle but effective drama that had been previously promised".[70]

Norman Vanamee of Town & Country called the second series, "the perfect getaway."[71]

References

External links

• Official website
• All Creatures Great and Small at IMDb 
• All Creatures Great and Small at epguides.com
• All Creatures Great and Small at TheTVDB

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