It has been really nice the way people have responded to the show
As All Creatures Great and Small returns, we get the lowdown on the drama to come from stars Nicholas Ralph and Callum Woodhouse
A will-they-won’t-they storyline, plenty of cute animals, and the stunning Yorkshire Dales as the backdrop; it’s no surprise All Creatures Great and Small has been a hit.
Channel 5’s remake of the timeless classic – it was first made into a TV show by the BBC back in the 70s, starring Christopher Timothy in the lead role – is again based on the memoirs of iconic vet Alf Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot.
The second series of this new adaptation is set three months later, and sees James (played by Scotsman Nicholas Ralph) heading on a trip home to Glasgow, to help out his old mentor at his forward-thinking practice. But his heart isn’t fully in it because back in the Dales is Helen Alderson (played by Rachel Shenton) who he has complicated feelings for.
Nicholas explains there’s been no real interaction between James and Helen, who has been keeping a low profile since deciding to leave Hugh Hulton at the altar. But James is still hopeful he’s in with a chance... However if you are here for the cute animals rather than the romance, you are in for a treat this series. Nicholas promises “there are a lot more animals this time – a lot more procedures”.
The new series kicks off with one of his favourite storylines, involving a “gorgeous” and “lively” little cocker spaniel called Scruff, played by Bobbi.
“It’s Jenny’s - Helen’s little sister – dog, and she has quite a keen interest in the animals, and maybe even veterinary things as years go on.
“She’s having a little bit of trouble with her dog, so
James tries to teach her whilst teaching Scruff as well how to behave around farm animals. He’s up against it a little bit – and of course, he hasn’t really seen Helen, and then all of a sudden he’s taking an interest in this dog and helping out Jenny...”
There was of course huge anticipation surrounding this new retelling of All Creatures Great and Small.
Durham-born Callum Woodhouse, who plays young vet Tristan Farnon, recalls of series one: “We were filming on farms out in the middle of nowhere, and we got a lot of people coming over and being like, ‘What is it you’re filming?’ It was like, ‘We’re doing the remake of All Creatures’, and the response every time was, ‘Don’t mess it up!’”
“It’s been really nice how people have responded to it,” continues the 27-year-old actor, who’s also known for
ITV drama The Durrells.
“I remember walking down the street in London, and I was passed by this dad and his two boys, maybe 12 and eight, and they just went, ‘Tristan!’ It was just so sweet.”
In September last year, the brilliant Dame Diana Rigg, who played Mrs Pumphrey in the first series, sadly passed away at the age of 82. Taking on the role of the wealthy and eccentric lady for series two is Miranda star Patricia Hodge, 74.
“She was so good from day one,” says Nicholas. “She just made it completely her own character, which I think you have to do. And her relationship with Derek [who plays her dog, Tricki Woo] is just great – she was almost like a puppeteer. I saw her working with Derek, and I was struggling to keep it together in the scenes, it was so much fun.”
Meanwhile, we can expect to see the main characters changing and going on quite the journey this year.
Tristan, for example, does a lot of growing up throughout the new episodes, even if he starts off acting quite lazy still.
“He still doesn’t want to do any work,” quips Callum. “He just wants to be skiving off and eating Mrs Hall’s breakfast. He starts to take on a bit more responsibility across the course of this series.”
As for James, what Nicholas really liked about the scripts for this second series is that “he grows into himself”.
“He’s a lot more confident, personally and professionally.”
All Creatures Great and Small, Channel 5, Thursday, September 16, at 9pm