oscar-35 Spoiler/plot- All Creatures Great and Small, 1978. The film explores the life and career of a veterinary in the rural English countryside. His patients, friends, co-workers, and the people of his village through the tough years between 1930 to 1950.*Special Stars- Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, Peter Davidson, Carol Drinkwater. *Theme- Nature is a wonder to be appreciated.*Trivia/location/goofs- Based on a best selling book. Shot in the farmland Yorkshire 'Dales', north/west central counties of England. 'James Harriot's' wife role was re-casted with a different actress after the TV show came back after two years(two successive year's Christmas Specials) and post-WW2 in the story line with two Harriot children added to the cast. Peter 'Tristan' Davidson went on to play the lead role in the longest running TV science fiction show, 'Doctor Who'. The household dogs of Robert 'Seigfried' Hardy were his real household pets used in the show's filming.*Emotion- A completely charming, satisfying, entertaining, enjoyable, and heartwarming TV show on an unusual subject, a small rural veterinary medicine practice. It enjoyably follows a veterinary's hard life and it explores their larger issues of human nature and people's relationship to their farm livestock and pets in a rural setting. Beautifully shot, written, acting, cast and paced, this series delightfully shows viewers a little about the English village people and maybe a little about ourselves.

dlgart I'll make it unanimous (so far). When All Creatures first aired in the States, I had already enjoyed the books immensely and doubted that a television production could do author James Herriot's work justice.(A pen name, I believe his real name is Alfred White.) I was delighted to be wrong in that assumption, brilliantly adapted and endearingly performed. It quickly became and remains to this day one of my favorite programs. I particularly recommend the earlier seasons for a number of reasons, not the least of which is Carol Drinkwater as Helen Herriot. I only wish that like Holly the computer on Red Dwarf, who had Lister wipe his memory banks of the collected works of Agatha Christie so that he would have something interesting to read. That I could experience All Creatures Great and Small again, for the first time.

toolkien My first introduction to James Herriot was my father's laughing fits while reading the books. Then, the series appeared on PBS and I enjoyed what I saw, which in turn motivated me to read the books. The books are wonderful, almost in the realm of Fantasy (perhaps, the books are my second favorite set of books next to Lord of the Rings) if it weren't so grounded in reality. Sure Herriot smooths some of the rough edges off of his real life, but it still seems real. And this series captures the same feel that the books had, which no small achievement in my opinion. Most of the characters, major and minor, ring true to the depictions in the books and I have little trouble using the images when I re-read the books. Both the books and the series explore triumphs and failures that make life what it is. It makes common sense statements about life without being heavy handed about it. You almost feel you've lived the important, meaningful episodes of someone else's life as if they were your own. What more could be asked from auto-biographical (or semi-auto-biographical) material?

adam-oshaughnessy 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.