50 years of TV vet James Herriot
On the 50th anniversary of James Herriot’s first novel, If Only They Could Talk, we look back at the ongoing legacy of his much-adored stories
When a shy vet first sat down to write about the uncooperative cows, gruff farmers with bewildering accents and funny village life around his North Yorkshire practice, little did he realise that half a century later, millions of fans would still be talking about his tales. James Herriot’s If Only They Could Talk, the first of his many semi-autobiographical novels was published 50 years ago this year, but since then, his stories have continued to be told. His books have never gone out of print, selling 60 million copies internationally and there’s been countless dramatic adaptations of his stories, from the much-loved 19781990 drama to a new version of the show already in the making.
It’s a pretty remarkable legacy for an ordinary vet who just happened to have a passion for telling stories.
James, who in his daily life went by the name of Alf Wight, started life in Glasgow where he did his veterinary studies before arriving in Thirsk,
North Yorkshire in 1940 for an interview with vet Donald Sinclair who would later inspire his character of Siegfried Farnon. Getting started in the job, James soon fell in love with the unique charm of Yorkshire and its locals – on two legs and four. James was a devoted vet, heading out to emergencies in all weathers and at any time of day. All creatures great and small really were his first love but he always had a passion to write. He began jotting down what happened in his days, often writing the stories in his head as he drove to and from house visits. It took him around seven years to write his first book, If Only They Could Talk, and countless publishing houses rejected it. Then one day the wife of a publisher read it and told her husband: “If you don’t publish this, you booby, I’ll kill you.”
It was a great hit and soon seven more books followed, as well as a collection for children. A mixture of real-life and fiction, readers loved the way he made the animals and people he met into charming little characters from Mrs Pumphrey’s pampered pooch Tricki Woo to the tightfisted farmers he met on his rounds. A heart-warming, affectionate look at a more simple way of life, his books gave readers the escapism they needed. And so it was no great surprise that in 1974 the first movie adaptation of his books came to the big screen, starring Simon Ward, followed by a sequel, It Shouldn’t Happen to A Vet, with John Alderton in 1976. But it was 1978 that catapulted James’ stories to new heights as the BBC adapted them into a TV series, All Creatures Great and Small, that would become a muchloved staple of British life. Christopher Timothy slipped comfortably into the wellies of James Herriot, playing the novice vet who finds himself elbow deep in some pretty unfortunate-smelling situations on a daily basis. In fact, it became a running joke among the cast that Christopher often had to do his share of the vet work for real, however grim.
Robert Hardy was a brilliant Siegfried Farnon, the eccentric and irascible senior vet alongside Peter Davison as his fun-loving younger brother Tristan. Tristan was meant to be an occasional character but when Christopher Timothy was involved in a car accident, his role was bumped up to fill some scenes that Christopher would have done as James.
All Creatures Great and Small seemed to come to an end in 1980 with James and Tristan heading off to the Second World War and all James’ original stories used up. Two Christmas specials followed in 1983 and 1985 but public pressure eventually succeeded in bringing about a whole new series in 1988 as the show’s producer obtained
Readers loved the way he made animals and people he met into charming characters
James’ permission to create new stories in the same vein as his originals.
This time a new vet, Calum Buchanan, played by John McGlynn, had joined the practice and the character of James’ wife Helen Herriot was played by Lynda Bellingham. Having All Creatures Great and Small back on the screen was like seeing an old friend and we continued to revel in its warm-hearted humour. So we were of course bitterly sad when it did come to a final halt with a high-rating Christmas special in 1990.
A remake of the TV series is now in the pipeline, set to introduce James Herriot’s iconic characters and funny tales of country life to a new generation. Helmed by Downton Abbey director Brian Percival, the show will star newcomer Nicholas Ralph as James, alongside cameos from Dame Diana Rigg and Nigel Havers.
While James sadly died in 1995, we think he’d be proud that his stories are still living on.