All Creatures Great and Small (2020 TV series)

All Creatures Great and Small is a 2020 television series based upon the books about a Yorkshire vet, written by Alf Wight under the pen name of James Herriot. The series is a remake of a series from the 1970s, also called All Creatures Great and Small. Season two is set to begin filming in the Yorkshire Dales in early 2021.[1][2]

All Creatures Great and Small
Based onIf Only They Could Talk
by James Herriot
Written byBen Vanstone
Directed byBrian Percival
Starring
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producers
ProducerRichard Burrell
Production companyPlayground Entertainment
DistributorAll3Media
Release
Original networkChannel 5
PBS
Original release1 September 2020 (2020-09-01) –
present

The first series, which consists of six episodes and a special Christmas episode, was filmed in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first book in the James Herriot series.[3] The series premiered in the UK on Channel 5 on 1 September 2020 and in the US on PBS as part of Masterpiece on 10 January 2021.

Premise

The show revolves around a trio of veterinary surgeons working in the Yorkshire Dales. Siegfried Farnon (described as an "eccentric") hires James Herriot into his veterinary practice at Skeldale House. Besides Siegfried and James, there is Siegfried's younger brother, Tristan, and Mrs Hall, their housekeeper.[4]

Cast

Production

The series, which was shot in the Yorkshire Dales, is produced by Playground Entertainment for Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, and PBS in the United States.[9] The BBC series which was broadcast between 1978 and 1990, was filmed largely in the northern part of the Dales (Wensleydale and Swaledale), whereas the new series has been filmed further south in the national park (around Nidderdale).[10][11] Grassington in Wharfedale has been used as the setting for the fictional town of Darrowby (Askrigg was used in the BBC series).[12]

A six-episode series and a Christmas special were filmed in 2019 and also in early 2020.[13] All Creatures Great and Small has been renewed for a second series.[14]

Significant changes were made from the source material (both the previous television series and the memoir), such as Siegfried Farnon being a heartbroken widower and a dramatically increased role for Mrs. Hall, who has been reimagined as a young, live-in housekeeper.

Episodes

Series 1 (2020)
No.
overall		No. in
series		Title [15]Directed byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [16]
11"You've Got to Dream"Brian PercivalBen Vanstone1 September 2020 (2020-09-01)5.49[lower-alpha 1]
Newly qualified veterinarian James Herriot travels from his home in Glasgow to the Yorkshire village of Darrowby for a job interview at Siegfried Farnon's practice. Siegfried takes James to his first job treating an abscess in a gelding's hoof. James meets Helen Alderson while treating an injured calf and she urges him to stand up to Siegfried, who will respect him. The locals get James drunk and he mixes up a pair of cats while trying to feed them, resulting in Siegfried almost castrating the wrong one. James manages to prove himself after saving the lives of a cow and her calf, leading Siegfried to offer him a permanent job as his assistant.
22"Another Farnon?"Brian PercivalBen Vanstone8 September 2020 (2020-09-08)5.03[lower-alpha 2]
James collects Siegfried's younger brother Tristan from the station and they accidentally crash Siegfried's car. Tristan announces that he has graduated from Edinburgh veterinary college and joins the practice. James takes him on his rounds, where he has trouble dealing with a cow suffering with milk fever. He fares better with Mrs Pumphrey and her Pekingese dog Tricki Woo, which leads her to invite him to a party, where he meets Helen's partner Hugh Hulton. Mrs Hall later works out that Tristan has not been honest about his graduation.
33"Andante"Metin HüseyinLisa Holdsworth15 September 2020 (2020-09-15)5.22[lower-alpha 3]
Siegfried's application for horse racecourse vet is jeopardised after Hugh, the owner of the surefire race winner and the pride of the village Andante, disputes James' rationale for putting it down. Tristan revels in his new job collecting debts from clients, until he ends up frittering it all away in the pub – and uses his insider knowledge to his advantage in betting on the second favourite to win it back. Mrs. Hall tries to help Helen encourage her younger sister to realise that there is more to life than farming.
44"A Tricki Case"Andy HayFreddy Syborn22 September 2020 (2020-09-22)4.81[lower-alpha 4]
Alongside developing his flourishing relationship with Helen, James is enlisted in helping Mrs. Pumphrey's dog Tricki back to a healthy weight; Tristan, however, takes up the responsibility, determined to earn his keep so Siegfried will fund his forthcoming return to studies – not helped by the dog's sneaky indulging in the expensive foodstuffs given to tide him over while away from home. Mrs. Hall is troubled by the continuous lack of correspondence from her son, while the Farnons pass the buck onto each other in examining a rather ferocious canine.
55"All's Fair"Metin HüseyinDebbie O'Malley29 September 2020 (2020-09-29)4.87[lower-alpha 5]
On the day of the Darrowby Fair, James agrees to stand as attending vet, judging the livestock and pet competitions, unaware that it is a taxing and unrewarding assignment. Siegfried, Tristan, and Mrs. Hall all place wagers on when James will resign in exasperation. James experiences pressure from nearly every competitor, and from Helen, anxious for a favourable assessment of her prize bull, in hopes of securing a profitable sale. Siegfried meets an attractive and unattached friend of Mrs. Hall, Dorothy, and despite their mutual attraction, Siegfried still mourns for his recently deceased wife.
66"A Cure for All Ills"Andy HayJulian Jones and Ben Vanstone6 October 2020 (2020-10-06)5.17[lower-alpha 6]
James feels guilt over a cow a farmer purchased based on his recommendation, which is now morbidly ill with an abscess, and which he feels powerless to cure. Tristan becomes a zealous advocate for a risky procedure, which Siegfried, as head of the practice, strictly forbids. Tristan manages an overwhelmed surgery as best he can, whilst Siegfried is taken with flu. At James' surprise birthday party, Maggie, the barmaid breaks off her tenuous relationship with Tristan, citing his lack of seriousness. Encouraged by Helen, James flees his birthday party to perform surgery on the morbidly ill cow, assisted by Tristan, which Siegfried reluctantly agrees to after initially attempting to stop it. Later, at the Drover's Arms, Siegfried promotes James to Senior Vet.
  1. An additional 1.20m for the Sunday repeat contributed to a total of 6.69m.
  2. An additional 1.07m for the Sunday repeat contributed to a total of 6.10m.
  3. An additional 0.82m (excluding device viewership) for the Sunday repeat in 7-day viewership[17] contributed to a total of at least 6.03m.
  4. An additional 1.36m for the Sunday repeat contributed to a total of 6.17m.
  5. An additional 0.91m (excluding device viewership) for the Sunday repeat in 7-day viewership[17] contributed to a total of at least 5.78m.
  6. An additional 1.23m for the Sunday repeat contributed to a total of 6.40m.

Christmas special (2020)
No.
overall		No. in
series		Title [15]Directed byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [18]
7-"The Night Before Christmas"Andy HayBen Vanstone22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)4.88[lower-alpha 1]

Exhausted by the never-ending wedding talk, Helen escapes from her seasonally-themed wedding party with James, who's been called to the Chapmans' to help their pregnant dog give birth; the two bond over the frailty of one of the puppies, before fog traps them on the hilltop overnight and they struggle to contain their affection for each other... giving Helen food for thought as to whether marrying Hugh is what she really wants.

Siegfried enjoys the more liquid form of merriment and tries to get lessons in confidence from Tristan to steel himself for a rendezvous with Dorothy. Mrs. Hall lets herself get carried away with unfulfilled excitement over her unreliable son's potential return for Christmas. Tristan tries to help Maggie's shy little brother with an ill donkey - and gets an early Christmas present under the mistletoe from his former girlfriend in return.
  1. An additional 1.25m watched the narrative repeat on Boxing Day (Saturday 26th December), contributing to a total of 6.13m. Both ratings are 7-day consolidated (viewership across 7 days of and from first broadcast); these cannot be directly compared to the series 1 ratings, which are 28-day consolidated.

Reception

The first episode was watched by 3.3 million viewers overnight and earned an audience share of 20.4%, making All Creatures Great and Small Channel 5's highest rated show since February 2016.[14] By using BARB's consolidated ratings for programmes watched live and on catch-up services (within 28 days), then All Creatures Great and Small becomes their most popular show ever with the episode on 1 September 2020 now getting 5.4 million viewers (up from 5.01m over a 7-day period) with a further 1.2 million watching the repeat on the Sunday night.[19]

The show has received critical acclaim. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned it a score of 83 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[20] The Daily Telegraph's Michael Hogan gave the show four out of five stars, and commented "Revisiting the world of All Creatures Great and Small felt like meeting old friends. Any viewers missing the classic triumvirate of Robert Hardy, Christopher Timothy and Peter Davison were surely converted by this well-crafted opener, confidently directed by Downton Abbey alumnus Brian Percival."[21] Hogan went on to call the show "family-friendly comfort-viewing. A soothing balm in febrile times."[21]

References
  1. Hallemann, Caroline (18 January 2021). "'All Creatures Great and Small' Is Getting a Season 2". Town & Country. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. charlottelarson (30 November 2020). ""Big and Small of All Creatures": Channel 5, PBS Updates Season 2 Series". New York News Times. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  3. Farooqi, Jamila (24 January 2020). "REVEALED: First look at new TV series of All Creatures Great and Small". Gazette & Herald. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  4. Blow, John (25 September 2019). "All Creatures Great and Small adaption cast announced as Yorkshire show shoots this autumn". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  5. "When is the All Creatures Great and Small remake released? Cast, plot and latest news". Radio Times. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  6. "'All Creatures Great and Small' Cast Announced". Screen Yorkshire. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  7. Jack, Jim (28 August 2020). "All Creatures Great and Small role for Matthew Lewis". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  8. Willis, Joe (10 August 2020). "Dame Diana Rigg and Nigel Havers lined up to star in new All Creatures Great and Small adaptation". Richmondshire Today. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  9. Sweney, Mark (27 June 2019). "Channel 5 to revive TV drama All Creatures Great and Small". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  10. Maguire, Brogan (21 January 2020). "This is why you might see film crews around the Harrogate district this week". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  11. Willis, Joe (24 January 2020). "First images of new All Creatures Great and Small series released". Richmondshire Today. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  12. Blow, John (18 October 2019). "First look as Yorkshire Dales market town is transformed for All Creatures Great and Small reboot". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  13. Chapman, Hannah, ed. (31 January 2020). "First shots from new All Creatures Great and Small". Darlington & Stockton Times (05–2020). p. 22. ISSN 2516-5348.
  14. White, Peter (2 September 2020). "'All Creatures Great And Small' Becomes Highest-Rated Show For Viacom's UK Net C5 In Nearly Five Years". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  15. "All Creatures Great and Small – Episode guide". Radio Times. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  16. "Weekly top programmes on four screens". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  17. "Select viewing figures (sourced from Thinkbox)". Imgur. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  18. "Weekly top programmes on four screens". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  19. https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/28-day-ratings-31-aug-06-sept-2020
  20. "All Creatures Great and Small (2021) - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  21. Hogan, Michael (1 September 2020). "All Creatures Great and Small, review: James Herriot has returned to soothe us in these chaotic times". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
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