Positive, Fun, Family TV: All Creatures Great and Small
For those looking for fun, wholesome family entertainment this winter, I encourage you to check out the terrific British TV series “All Creatures Great and Small.” The show is based on books written by veterinarian Alf Wight (pen name of James Herriot) and recounts his real-life experiences as a vet in a small town in the Yorkshire Dales of England in the late 1930s.
I first heard about the show while reading an Epoch Times article last spring. I thought it would move too slowly, especially for my young kids. But the show immediately hooked us. The wide shots of the rolling green hills set to beautiful classical music take you into their world. And the captivating characters keep you there.
The main character James Herriot is the type of guy we all like and admire – the type of guy we want our sons to be and our daughters to marry. He works hard and goes out of his way to do the right things. He is humble but courageous to stand up when necessary. For any of us who have left home after high school/college and strived to make it somewhere new, it is easy to identify with him.
Fate leads James from his family in Scotland to assist the unpredictable veterinarian Siegried Farnon in the rural Yorkshire Dales. Siegfried is entertaining to watch but often insufferable to be around. James is the newest vet attempting to meet Siegfried’s unrealistically high expectations as an assistant. Siegfried’s fun-loving younger brother Tristan returns from veterinary college to join them. They all live in Siegfried’s Skeldale House with their housekeeper, Mrs. Hall. Rounding out the main characters is Helen, whose family farm is a customer of the Farnon veterinary practice. She quickly attracts James’s attention upon his arrival in their little town of Darrowby.
The interaction among the four personalities in the house is fascinating and fun to watch. The relationship between the two brothers is the funniest as Siegfried plays a frustrated father figure to the talented but irresponsible Tristan. Mrs. Hall is great at nudging all of them in the right direction, especially putting Siegfried in his place.
I enjoy the business aspects, like when they run out to customers’ farms in the middle of the night to take care of an ailing animal. There is much for aspiring managers to learn from Siegfried’s struggles to trust James and Tristan and delegate responsibility to them. And, as someone who has worked at a family business for 25+ years, I recognize that same beauty and messiness on the show.
One of my favorite scenes is when the vets face a dire situation with a customer’s cow. Earlier in the day, Siegfried chewed out Tristan when he caught him doodling instead of studying for an exam. However, Tristan’s drawing of Greta Garbo was quite good. Tristan then has an idea of using his artistic ability to trace a diagram of the sick cow and better illustrate a high-risk idea to James. James smiles and shakes his head, saying, “I’ve never read or heard of anyone doing that before.” Tristan cocks his head toward James and laughs, “The one advantage of knowing nothing is that anything seems possible.”
Above all, the small town of Darrowby reminds me of growing up in a rural midwestern town where your reputation is everything. I remember a lesson my dad taught me while selling cattle when I was 11 or 12. A man came to look at our cattle and agreed to buy them. About an hour later, another farmer stopped and offered Dad more money. Dad shook his head in disbelief and laughed. Dad told him no, that he was sorry, but he had already given his word to someone else.
Dad and I leaned against the fence in our coveralls, gazing at the cattle yard while waiting for the man to drive away. I looked up at Dad and asked him why he couldn’t take the new deal. Dad told me how important it was to keep your word. He said he might have been able to get out of that deal. But that decision would have damaged our reputation within the area. How would we be able to show our faces around town after going back on our word? You can’t put a price on that.
Special bonus – both of the existing two seasons of the show have great Christmas episodes as well.
You can watch “All Creatures Great and Small,” both seasons 1 and 2, on PBS television and PBS Masterpiece’s website with a subscription. The shows are also available on DVD and streaming services such as iTunes and Amazon Prime.
Season 3 will premiere on PBS on Sunday, January 8, 2023, 9/8 Central.
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Image credit: Shutterstock