Fans of All Creatures Great and Small would remember the sign on the barroom door at The Drover’s Arms, which reads “Aminals Welcome. People Tolerated.” Even in the 1930s, people had a basic understanding of the healing power of an animal companion. Now, Americans don’t really need to be convinced on that, but as season 2 begins James Herriot has had a tough time persuading his employer Siegfried Farnon to expand their veterinary practice of Yorkshire Dales to care for small animals too.
All Creatures Great and Small Makes A Comeback On
Primetime TV
Interestingly, by the second season of All Creatures Great and Small, the general audience is pretty used to the gentle humor West’s Siegfried personifies. As the lead vet in the business coupled with being the head of the household that includes Herriot, his brother Tristan, and the no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs. Aubrey Hall, Siegfried is quite a harmless contrarian.
In All Creatures Great and Small, Siegfried usually bellows his commands and acts with quite an absolute certainty before insisting that he means the opposite just a few moments later. He also puts up a show of being unconquerable and rough in one moment before being a big softie the next moment. He also asks everyone, including the dog, to take on more responsibilities around the quaint little hamlet, but also provides them with ample freedom which would allow them to understand and express themselves.
All Creatures Great and Small is produced by Colin Callender, and the latest version also includes a BBC Classic based on the books of Alf Wight, that became a staple for public television in the 1980s. The stories of Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym Herriot does extol the virtues and wonders of living in the countryside- which lacks the glamor and pomp of other series like Downton Abbey.
