Creature grandi e piccole

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.

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 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.

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!

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.