Herriot vet drama takes to city streets for filming
ALL CREATURES Great and Small resumed filming for its second series as the city of Bradford is transformed into 1930s Glasgow.
A blue Routemaster bus and a vintage car, to be used in the series set in the late 1930s onwards, were spotted in Little Germany yesterday.
While star Nicholas Ralph was suited and booted to play the charismatic James Herriot as his character returns to his hometown in Scotland after jumping off a bus plucked straight from the pre-War era.
The six-part series will be filmed on location in the Yorkshire Dales this year.
The first series of the remake – based on Thirsk vet Alf Wight’s James Herriot books – was screened last autumn and proved a hit with the public, achieving peak viewing figures of five million.
Filming for All Creatures Great and Small’s second series was hit by delays due to the Covid pandemic, but production finally began earlier this year.
The first series focused on young vet James, who moves to Yorkshire to land a job as a veterinary assistant to Siegfried Farnon, played by Samuel West.
The original BBC series, based on a series of books by Wight, who wrote under the pen name of Herriot, aired from 1978 to 1990, with Christopher Timothy as the Dales vet and Robert Hardy as his boss.
A YOUNG showjumper from South Yorkshire has topped the leaderboard in three classes at the prestigious Winter Equestrian Festival, in Florida.
Along with two Karlswood Junior Jumper classes, 14-yearold Alena Hughes will be returning from the USA to her home in Doncaster with the Elliman Juniors Grand Prix classic title.
The Winter Equestrian Festival, which takes place in Palm Beach, attracts competitors from all over the globe.
With Covid-19 restrictions in place, the festival, which runs from January to April, has this year been taking place behind closed doors.
Alena’s mother, Victoria, said there are very strict protocols in place for everyone’s safety, but added the young rider had “taken it all in her stride”.
She also highlighted how well Alena had done managing to balance her schoolwork with competing, particularly without the help of a groom.
Alena, has been competing since the age of seven, under the help and guidance of showjumping stalwart Michael Whitaker.
She said: “It has been such a privilege to be able to gain the experience over here.
“The American tracks are built differently to European courses and they have to be ridden more forward.”
Alena added: “In a jump-off you also have to be extremely fast.”
She thanked the Sheffieldborn, US-based showjumping coach Helena Stormanns and her family for their support.
“I have been very lucky to have the Stormanns family behind me and I can’t thank them enough,” she said.
Although only 14, Alena has a wealth of experience behind her from early competition at The Royal International Show and the Horse of the Year Show at the age of eight.
Representing her country across Europe, she made an early transition from ponies to horses when she was 11.