All Creatures Great and Small: Overview, Synopsis and Cast

All Creatures Great and Small is a British television series made by the BBC and based on the books of the British veterinary surgeon Alf Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot. Set in the Yorkshire Dales and beginning in the mid-1930s, it stars Christopher Timothy as Herriot, Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon (based on Donald Sinclair), the proprietor of the Skeldale House surgery, and Peter Davison as Siegfried’s “little brother”, Tristan (based on Brian Sinclair). Herriot’s wife, Helen (based on Joan), is played by a different actress in each of the series’ runs: Carol Drinkwater originally, then Lynda Bellingham for the revival.

The series was produced throughout its run by Bill Sellars. In early 1977, the BBC tasked him with the creation of a television series from Herriot’s first two novels, If Only They Could Talk (1970) and It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet (1972), using the title of the 1975 film adaptation. It is part of a series of movies and television series based on Herriot’s novels. The Herriot novels were written in an episodic style, with each chapter generally containing a short story within the ongoing narrative of Herriot’s life. This format greatly facilitated their adaptation for a television series.

James Herriot – Christopher Timothy (series 1–7, 90 episodes), Siegfried Farnon – Robert Hardy (series 1–7, 90 episodes), Tristan Farnon – Peter Davison (series 1–7, 65 episodes), Helen Herriot (née Alderson) – Carol Drinkwater (series 1–3) and Lynda Bellingham (series 4–7) (86 episodes)

The series had two runs: the original (1978 to 1980, based directly on Herriot’s books) was for three series; the second (1988 to 1990, filmed with original scripts but generally regarded as a continuation of the 1978 series) for four. A total of ninety episodes were broadcast. The supporting cast, both recurring and one-offs, numbers over 600, most of whom appear as farmers or clients of the surgery.