Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Dale and hearty
All Creatures makes stunning return to scenic streets of a Yorkshire market town
The reboot of All Creatures Great and Small is ready to transport viewers from coronavirus misery to the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s.
Put-upon vet James Herriot and the escapades of the residents of Darrowby (and their animals) hold a special place in the nation’s hearts thanks to the show’s original 90-episode run in the 1970s and 80s.
And now they’re back with a new cast and a new village as the show returns to our screens next month.
Last autumn, the popular tourist town of Grassington, North Yorks, was transformed into fictional Darrowby. The original used nearby Askrigg. Filming wrapped in January before the pandemic hit, so the series is already edited and ready to air in the autumn.
Producer Richard Burrell, who finished work on the new series earlier this month, says: “I think it’ll be a real treat for people. A nice bit of escapism.”
Burrell fell in love with Grassington as soon as he saw it, saying: “The moment I got out of the car, I went, ‘Well, that’s it. We’ve found it.’”
He reveals that the shops stayed open during shooting, with only the signs outside changed to 1930s-style.
Scenes in the pub where Herriot and his cohorts drink away their troubles – The Drovers Arms – were filmed in two different boozers 20 miles apart.
The exterior is Grassington’s hotel, The Devonshire.
Its modern interior didn’t lend itself to going back in time 80 years, so the inside scenes were shot in The Green Dragon Inn at Hardraw near Hawes.
Skeldale House, where the vets lived and worked, was created from a house in Grassington that is now flats.
The interior sets were built into an old mill 10 miles away.
Several surviving stars of the original have already given the new run their blessing, including Christopher Timothy, who played James Herriot.
Richard Burrell says: “I had a great and fantastic phone call with Christopher.
“They were very generous in what they said and in the advice they gave.
“I would hope that they would come and visit our set for season two.”
The first cast included big names such as Robert Hardy as senior vet Siegfried Farnon, Peter Davison as his younger brother Tristan and Carol Drinkwater then Lynda Bellingham as Herriot’s wife Helen.
TV executive Richard knows the drama and its stars, will be compared to the originals but he is confident viewers will fall in love with the new version.
“This is not a remake. It’s just a new adaptation of the books, which happens with all the best stories – look how many times the Agatha Christie’s get made.
“What was fascinating was how warmly everyone went, ‘oh, gosh, it’s about time that came back, I’d love to see that’.”
Famous faces will be in the new show too, with The Crown’s Samuel West playing Siegfried Farnon, The Durrells’ Callum Woodhouse as little brother Tristan and Hollyoaks’ Rachel Shenton as Herriot’s love interest Helen Alderson. Patrick
This is not a remake, just a new adaptation of the book RICHARD BURRELL ALL CREATURES PRODUCER
Melrose’s Anna Madeley plays Mrs Hall the housekeeper.
But will leading man Nicholas Ralph be as dashing as rookie vet Herriot as predecessor Christopher Timothy?
Richard is quietly confident in the Scottish actor, saying: “Nick was a gift for us, he was a fantastic find.
“I have to say, I think he’s brilliant in the role. He’s a charming, good-looking man who is good with animals too – which was kind of essential.
“Nick hadn’t acted in front of cameras before but... he took to it like a duck to water.”
High-definition cameras and drones help showcase the Dales landscape, something the original was loved for.
Richard added: “Point in any direction, you cannot shoot anything that’s not stunning. It is breath-taking.
“In post-production, you paint out pylons and things like that, but there’s nothing too much to do.”
More problematic was working with animals including Clive the show bull.
“He was a star,” Richard says. “But if Clive wanted to move left, Clive was moving left. He was genuinely enormous.”
And some animal scenes had to involve a bit of TV fakery.
Richard explains: “One thing we know about James Herriot is that he’s forever putting his hand up the backside of a cow to take its temperature. So we built a fake backside for those close shots. To spare some poor cow the indignity.” Now it just remains to be seen whether Channel 5 will give the series its traditional Sunday night slot or try something new Whenever it airs, Richard says he and Downton Abbey director Brian Percival made sure the drama would be as good as anything the BBC or ITV would make.
He said: “There is absolutely no qualitative difference. If Channel 5 are going to start investing in and making high-end drama, what fun to be there.”
■ All Creatures Great and Small is coming to Channel 5 this autumn.