The Scotsman

‘In drama school, there’s no class on people noticing you in the street’

A new version of James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small, is coming to Channel 5. Georgia Humphreys meets its Scottish star, Nicholas Ralph

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You probably won’t have heard of the Scottish actor Nicholas Ralph before.

But that is all about to change; the 30-year-old – who grew up in Nairn in the Highlands – is making his television debut in a Channel 5 series which is bound to be a big hit.

All Creatures Great and Small, written by The Last Kingdom’s Ben Vanstone, is based on the memoirs of iconic vet Alf Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot.

The series – which also stars the likes of Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Dame Diana Rigg and Rachel Shenton – follows James (played by Ralph) as he begins his first job in a small Yorkshire town in the 1930s, where he soon becomes famous for his inspiring compassion, humour and love of life.

Since the books were first published in the seventies, millions of copies have been published around the world.

The stories have been adapted for TV before too; the hit BBC series, also called All Creatures Great and Small, saw Christophe­r Timothy in the lead role, and ran for 12 years from 1978 to 1990.

Here, we chat to Ralph about his take on the character, and why the themes of the show will resonate with audiences now more than ever before.

In what ways did you see yourself in the character?

Even physically we were quite similar. He talks about having a wiry strength from the long walks around the Yorkshire Dales… And I was very sporty as well, just like Alf was.

He’s got a lot of passion and commitment to his field and that was like me. Once I found acting, I was completely enveloped in it – and haven’t looked back.

He has little intricacie­s; sometimes he can be a little socially awkward… Little quirks that I could identify with. I had fun with them as well.

How daunting was your first day of filming?

I thought I’d be more nervous or apprehensi­ve on the first day of filming; I really wasn’t, and it was a fortunate revelation.

My first day was with Samuel West – obviously a veteran of the industry. I was so excited to work with him and then, on top of that, he was just so lovely. Any questions I had, he was there for me.

How do you think fans of the original series will react to this adaptation?

The original is obviously loved the world over – and in a lot of people’s eyes, it’s perfect. But I’ve never thought of it as a competitio­n in any way, because it’s a completely new adaptation.

That series was the late seventies, eighties, and the technology in filmmaking has come on leaps and bounds. You’re going to see the Dales in stunning HD, with drone shots and crane shots. I think the Dales are really realised in this; it is like another character.

Who was your favourite animal to film with?

They’ve got these Jersey cows which were just lovely. When you’re working with these bigger animals, a whole new focus comes into it. There’s an atmosphere on set; you have to be really calm.

But also the little dog who plays Tricky Woo, which people will remember well from the series and the books, is a little Pomeranian… tail waggles in the air as he walks along, you can’t see his legs and it’s kind of like he glides. But the dog actor is actually called Derek. You would never expect this fancy little thing to be called Derek! He was a consummate profession­al and his character journey over the series is very strong. He’s going to be a star.

Were you brought up around animals?

I was raised in the north of Scotland, in a little town. It was my back garden, then a fence and then a field; the field always had cows and sheep in it. When we were really small, there was one cow who we named Friendly because the farmer would lift us onto her back and let us ride on this cow for the length of the garden and take us off again.

This series shows the importance of belonging to a community. It feels very timely…

It’s certainly that thing about helping your neighbour, and community, and coming together…

I think it [All Creatures Great and Small] is simpler times and something many people yearn for, especially now, when times are a bit more complex. It will be a lovely bit of escapism.

Are you ready for the fame that will come with this role?

Honestly, I have no idea. In drama school, there’s no class on people noticing you in the street. We were doing some interviews during the filming of the series and they were like, ‘You will get fan mail’. I was like ‘I won’t get fan mail’ and they were like, ‘You will!’ I’ll just have to take it as it comes.

● All Creatures Great and Small starts on Channel 5 tomorrow

 ??  ?? 0 Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot in Channel 5’s new adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small
0 Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot in Channel 5’s new adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small

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