All Creatures Great and Small (franchise) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Creatures Great and Small |
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|---|---|
| Creator | James Herriot (book series) Bill Sellars (original TV series) Young James Herriot: Johnny Byrne and Kate Croft |
| Original work | If Only They Could Talk (book) |
| Print publications | |
| Books | List of books |
| Films and television | |
| Films | All Creatures Great and Small (1975) It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1976) |
| Audio | |
| Soundtracks | All Creatures Great and Small: The Original Music from the TV Series and Other Favourite Themes (1978) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Theme park attractions | The World of James Herriot |
The All Creatures Great and Small series tells the heartwarming stories of a country vet. It all started with books written by James Alfred Wight, who used the pen name James Herriot. These books are based on his real-life adventures as a vet in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales in England.
The popular books have been turned into movies and TV shows. This includes two films from the 1970s and a very long-running BBC TV show that started in 1978. There was also a show in 2011 called Young James Herriot, which looked at his life as a student vet.
By 2020, the books had sold about 60 million copies worldwide! That same year, a new TV series, All Creatures Great and Small (2020 TV series), began. It's shown on Channel 5 in the UK and PBS in America, and it's been very popular.
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Contents
Books by James Herriot
The All Creatures Great and Small books follow the adventures of a vet named James Herriot. His stories are set in the lovely Yorkshire Dales, in a made-up town called Darrowby. This town is inspired by real places like Thirsk, Richmond, Leyburn, and Middleham.
In the books, Herriot works with two other vets, Siegfried and Tristan Farnon. These characters are based on real people: Donald Sinclair and his brother Brian Sinclair. Herriot also gave his wife, Joan Danbury, the name Helen Alderson in his stories.
Besides the main books, there are also nine James Herriot Children’s Picture Books. Plus, 12 other books were published that collected stories from the main books.
UK Book Series
Here are the main books as they were first published in the UK:
- If Only They Could Talk (1970)
- It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1972)
- Let Sleeping Vets Lie (1973)
- Vet in Harness (1974)
- Vets Might Fly (1976)
- Vet in a Spin (1977)
- The Lord God Made Them All (1981)
- Every Living Thing (1992)
US Book Series
In America, the books were often put together into bigger collections because they were thought to be too short on their own. The famous title All Creatures Great and Small (which was used for the first US book, movies, and TV shows) comes from the hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful". James Herriot's daughter actually suggested the title!
Here are the main books as they were published in the US:
- All Creatures Great and Small (1972) (This book combines If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet)
- All Things Bright and Beautiful (1974) (This combines Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness)
- All Things Wise and Wonderful (1977) (This combines Vets Might Fly and Vet in a Spin)
- The Lord God Made Them All (1980)
- Every Living Thing (1981)
- James Herriot's Dog Stories (1986)
Media Overview
This table shows the different films and TV series based on the All Creatures Great and Small books.
| Films | Television series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Creatures Great and Small | It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet | All Creatures Great and Small | Young James Herriot | All Creatures Great and Small | |
| Year of Release | 1975 | 1976 | 1978–1990 | 2011 | 2020 |
| Based on | If Only They Could Talk (1970) It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1972) |
Let Sleeping Vets Lie (1973) Vet in Harness (1974) |
If Only They Could Talk (1970) It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1972) |
The Herriot archive and the archives of the Glasgow Veterinary College. | If Only They Could Talk (1970) It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1972) |
| Director | Claude Whatham | Eric Till | Various | Michael Keillor | Various |
| Writer | Hugh Whitemore | Alan Plater | Various | Ann McManus Eileen Gallagher |
Various |
| Cast and Characters | |||||
| James Herriot | Simon Ward | John Alderton | Christopher Timothy | Iain De Caestecker | Nicholas Ralph |
| Siegfried Farnon | Anthony Hopkins | Colin Blakely | Robert Hardy | Samuel West | |
| Tristan Farnon | Brian Stirner | Peter Davison | Callum Woodhouse | ||
| Helen Alderson | Lisa Harrow | Carol Drinkwater (S1-3) Lynda Bellingham (S4-7) |
Rachel Shenton | ||
| Mrs. Hall | Christine Buckley | Mary Hignett | Anna Madeley | ||
| Mrs Pumphrey | Daphne Oxenford | Margaretta Scott | Diana Rigg | ||
| Jeff Mallock | John Rees | Frank Birch (S1-3) Fred Feast (S4-7) |
|||
| Hinchcliffe | Bill Maynard | ||||
| Calum Buchanan | John McGlynn | ||||
| Whirly Tyson | Amy Manson | ||||
| Rob McAloon | Ben Lloyd-Hughes | ||||
Films About James Herriot
The First Film: All Creatures Great and Small (1975)
The first movie, also called All Creatures Great and Small, came out in 1975. It was based on James Herriot's first two books, If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet. Claude Whatham directed it, and Hugh Whitemore wrote the script. In this film, Simon Ward played James Herriot, and Anthony Hopkins played Siegfried Farnon.
The Second Film: It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1976)
A year later, in 1976, the second film, It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet, was released. This movie was based on the next two books: Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness. Eric Till directed it, and Alan Plater wrote the story. This time, John Alderton played James Herriot, and Colin Blakely was Siegfried Farnon.
Television Series
The Classic All Creatures Great and Small (1978–1990)
The BBC created a very popular TV series called All Creatures Great and Small, which first aired in 1978. It started by adapting the first two books. Since the books are written like a collection of short stories, it was easy to turn them into TV episodes.
Christopher Timothy played James Herriot, and Robert Hardy played Siegfried Farnon. The show had two main runs. The first ran from 1978 to 1980 and was directly based on Herriot's books. The second run, from 1988 to 1990, used new stories. A total of 90 episodes were made!
Young James Herriot (2011)
In 2011, the BBC made a three-part TV series called Young James Herriot. This show focused on James Herriot's life when he was a student vet. It used notes and diaries from his time at the Glasgow Veterinary College.
The series was directed by Michael Keillor and written by Ann McManus and Eileen Gallagher. Iain De Caestecker played the young James Herriot. Amy Manson and Ben Lloyd-Hughes played his fellow student friends, Whirly Tyson and Rob McAloon.
The New All Creatures Great and Small (2020–)
In 2019, Channel 5 announced they would make a brand new All Creatures Great and Small series. It started airing in 2020. The show is filmed in the Yorkshire Dales, but they chose Grassington as the main filming location instead of Askrigg. This was because Grassington looked more like the 1930s setting they wanted. The real town of Thirsk, where James Herriot practiced, was too big for the small-town feel of the show.
The new series made some changes from the original books and TV show. For example, Siegfried Farnon is a widower (meaning his wife has passed away), and Mrs. Hall, the housekeeper, has a much bigger and warmer role. Helen's character was also given more to do.
The first season had six episodes and a special Christmas episode. It aired on Channel 5 in 2020 and then on PBS in the United States in early 2021. The show was so popular that it was renewed for a second season, with all the main actors returning.
The World of James Herriot Museum
The World of James Herriot is a special museum in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England. It's set up in the actual building where Alf Wight (James Herriot) worked as a vet!
The museum first opened in 1999. It was later sold to private owners in 2011 and updated in 2017. Today, James Herriot's daughter, Rosie Page, and his son, John Wight (who is also a retired vet), are part of the museum's board.
