All Creatures comforts
Scots star reveals he’s desperate to watch updated version of show with his family and friends back home in Nairn after lockdown prevented a return
the original James Herriot, Christopher Timothy, 80, had got in touch with the show to offer his support. Like Nick, he was an unknown when he landed the part of the vet and starred in the series for 90 episodes along with Robert Hardy, Peter Davidson and Carol Drinkwater. Nick said: “He sent an email saying, ‘ Well done’, and that he’d really enjoyed the show. “He was also on a Radio 2 show before our producer and said he was told by friends he shouldn’t say anything he’d regret about the new show but he said he didn’t have to because he really enjoyed ours.” Like Christopher, Nicholas has caused housewives’s hearts to flutter – although he’s had no saucy letters or pictures sent, just photos of family pets. He said: “People are sending photos of the whole family watching the show including their pets. It really is a show for all the family.” Readers of an older vintage will remember the original show was possibly best known for Christopher regularly sticking his hand up cows’ bums. The new cast, including Nicholas, went on a vet bootcamp before filming the first series, which arrives on DVD on Monday. And while they got “up close and personal with sheep, horses and cows”, a law change meant they couldn’t “do anything an animal doesn’t require and you’re not trained to do”. So the backsides Nicholas probes are prosthetic. He insisted: “I wanted to do as much as possible.” It meant he had to do a stunt which required James being kicked in the face by a horse.
When Nicholas first saw what the director wanted him to do, he worried he’d get smashed in the face for real.
He said: “The horse trainer got me to video the scene with him doing it. He was diving out of the way as this horse reared up and kicked out. I was slowly edging myself out of the barn thinking, ‘Get me out of here’.
“The next day, they took the horse rearing bit out because they thought it looked too much like a western.
“But the horse still had to kick out. So I watched a few rehearsals and saw that the horse kicked out at a similar distance every time so I said, ‘Put me in and I’ll do it’. Thankfully, I got the timing right and that was what was used. I was chuffed with that.”
A former footballer, Nick was happy to get stuck into the physical aspects of the role. He played for Ross County from primary school until he was 17, then Nairn County Under-19s.
But he always wanted to be an actor and starring in All Creatures has led to his first Hollywood film, horror thriller The Devil’s Light which is due out next year, depending on Covid.
He’s hoping next year will also see a second series of All Creatures.
Sadly, Dame Diana Rigg, who played the eccentric Mrs Pumphrey, died in September. Nicholas doesn’t know if she’ll be re-cast or the character’s storylines from the books just won’t be used.
He said: “It was a tremendous shock when she passed. It’s a tricky situation but is something for production to decide.”
All Creatures Great and Small will be released on DVD and available to stream on Acorn TV from this Monday.
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