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The World of All Creatures Great & Small: Welcome to Skeldale House
Welcome to the wonderful world of Skeldale House: the veterinary surgery and bustling waiting room for the locals of Darrowby village and their animals. In this exclusive behind-the-scenes book, go through the doors of the famous 1930s practice and discover the real-life inspirations for the TV remake of All Creatures Great & Small.
Offering exclusive insight into the making of the show, and paying homage to its impressive heritage, including Herriot’s bestselling memoirs and the long-running series, but also to the incredible backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales, this book is the ultimate celebration of a cast of characters – human and animal – who have been bringing us joy for over fifty years.
Along with exclusive interviews with the actors Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Nicholas Ralph, Callum Woodhouse and Rachel Shenton, you will get to know everyone from the vet advisor, the animal trainers and the animals themselves, to the director Brian Percival, the make-up artists and the production team. Learn about their adventures on- and off-screen as they went about evoking the authentic experience of the house, the practice and its unforgettable setting.
This is the world of James Herriot and the Yorkshire Dales as you’ve never seen it before.
Offering exclusive insight into the making of the show, and paying homage to its impressive heritage, including Herriot’s bestselling memoirs and the long-running series, but also to the incredible backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales, this book is the ultimate celebration of a cast of characters – human and animal – who have been bringing us joy for over fifty years.
Along with exclusive interviews with the actors Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Nicholas Ralph, Callum Woodhouse and Rachel Shenton, you will get to know everyone from the vet advisor, the animal trainers and the animals themselves, to the director Brian Percival, the make-up artists and the production team. Learn about their adventures on- and off-screen as they went about evoking the authentic experience of the house, the practice and its unforgettable setting.
This is the world of James Herriot and the Yorkshire Dales as you’ve never seen it before.
- GenresNonfictionFamilyAnimals
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2021
45 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 2, 2022
A serendipitous find on my local library's new acquisition shelves, The World of All Creatures Great and Small peeks into the production world of the TV show. Full of fun tidbits about the production, and enlightening stories about the reams of research that occur behind the scenes, this book is sure to please any fan of the new adaptation.
Jim Wight and Rosie Page, the children of Alf Wight who wrote the All Creatures books under the pseudonym James Herriot,* were heavily involved in pre-production research for the actors and crew. Jim Wight gave copies of the Herriot books to the actors, highlighting passages about their characters, adding personal notes, and sharing recollections. Zoë Wight, granddaughter of Alf, works in TV, so she provided a bridge for the family between the demands of modern filmmaking and cherished family stories.
Much of the content of The World of All Creatures naturally concerns animals. It was really fun to learn about 1st Choice Animals, the company that provides animals for shows like this, films, and advertisements. It's a family business, and most of the smaller animals live with the Clark family, which made those portions fun to read. Clark has a lot of famous work under her belt, including handling the Queen's corgis at the London Olympics. The on-set vet, Andy Barrett, who occasionally doubles in more detailed vet scenes, was recommended by Jim Wight. Barrett lived in Skeldale House and worked with Alf Wight and Donald Sinclair (the real-life counterpart of Siegfried Farnon).
Unlike other TV show books I've read, The World of All Creatures is mostly text with some photo pages inserted. It's a very light, quick read, great for gleaning fun bits of information to share with other Herriot fans. Steen did a lot of interviews for the book, and some chapters are mostly in the voices of the actors and crew. We hear from the prosthetics artist, the make-up artist, the costume designer, the composer, the director, everyone. Stories of the challenges of filming outdoors in Yorkshire abound, though there are blessings mixed in. Grassington, the village that is transformed into Darrowby, is evidently very pleased to be the location for filming. Some residents reportedly requested the 1930s set styling to stay up after the crew left. The end of the book contains a list of locations, and the grocer is, in real life, a bookshop called The Stripey Badger!
Nicholas Ralph, who portrays James Herriot, had a fascinating story of casting and research for his role. The production team wanted a Scotsman and managed to land the genuine article, a Glaswegian just like Alf Wight. Ralph somehow managed to grow up without a cultural awareness of the Herriot books, though his mother and aunt were fans and owned all the stories, and his uncle visited Wight and got his books signed. Ralph not only conversed with Jim Wight and Rosie Page, but researched on-location and even dug into the archives of Alf Wight's veterinary school, learning that Wight was in the top three of his class, despite frequent absences due to illness.
Sir Colin Callender was the one who cast the vision for a new production of All Creatures. He was behind HBO's John Adams, which he saw as a crucial story between Adams and Thomas Jefferson in a time of political divide in the USA.** Just as Callender wished, John Adams was a hit that brought folks together across the political spectrum to talk about US history. In the late 2010s, he felt a similar desire to bring people together in the UK. He says, "We needed a drama that audiences could watch together that would embrace and celebrate the values, the views that we shared, rather than the things we didn't. I don't think I would have started the same way with All Creatures had I not had the experience of John Adams." (46) It wasn't easy convincing everyone involved that the world needed a remake of a beloved show, but I can testify that the show does bring people together--I have a cross-country network of friends and family that I dish with after a new episode. Though he doesn't mention this, Callender should also be encouraged that he's contributing a light, wholesome, heartening show to the world in a day where everything is ~dark~. He does mention having an upstanding main character instead of the trendy morally ambiguous protagonist.
Overall, I'd recommend it to fans of the show, but it's not a must-read. I'm not one to read cast interviews and watch behind-the-scenes videos, so having a book was a better option for me as a fan. Yet, there wasn't quite enough to make this an essential companion. The show has been renewed for series 3 and 4, so perhaps we will get one of those lush pictorial books someday.
*Alf Wight chose the name from a Birmingham City Footballer. Using his real name to publish would have been considered advertising, a no-no for vets.
**Insert disclaimer here about two-party systems fomenting divide no matter what.
Jim Wight and Rosie Page, the children of Alf Wight who wrote the All Creatures books under the pseudonym James Herriot,* were heavily involved in pre-production research for the actors and crew. Jim Wight gave copies of the Herriot books to the actors, highlighting passages about their characters, adding personal notes, and sharing recollections. Zoë Wight, granddaughter of Alf, works in TV, so she provided a bridge for the family between the demands of modern filmmaking and cherished family stories.
Much of the content of The World of All Creatures naturally concerns animals. It was really fun to learn about 1st Choice Animals, the company that provides animals for shows like this, films, and advertisements. It's a family business, and most of the smaller animals live with the Clark family, which made those portions fun to read. Clark has a lot of famous work under her belt, including handling the Queen's corgis at the London Olympics. The on-set vet, Andy Barrett, who occasionally doubles in more detailed vet scenes, was recommended by Jim Wight. Barrett lived in Skeldale House and worked with Alf Wight and Donald Sinclair (the real-life counterpart of Siegfried Farnon).
Unlike other TV show books I've read, The World of All Creatures is mostly text with some photo pages inserted. It's a very light, quick read, great for gleaning fun bits of information to share with other Herriot fans. Steen did a lot of interviews for the book, and some chapters are mostly in the voices of the actors and crew. We hear from the prosthetics artist, the make-up artist, the costume designer, the composer, the director, everyone. Stories of the challenges of filming outdoors in Yorkshire abound, though there are blessings mixed in. Grassington, the village that is transformed into Darrowby, is evidently very pleased to be the location for filming. Some residents reportedly requested the 1930s set styling to stay up after the crew left. The end of the book contains a list of locations, and the grocer is, in real life, a bookshop called The Stripey Badger!
Nicholas Ralph, who portrays James Herriot, had a fascinating story of casting and research for his role. The production team wanted a Scotsman and managed to land the genuine article, a Glaswegian just like Alf Wight. Ralph somehow managed to grow up without a cultural awareness of the Herriot books, though his mother and aunt were fans and owned all the stories, and his uncle visited Wight and got his books signed. Ralph not only conversed with Jim Wight and Rosie Page, but researched on-location and even dug into the archives of Alf Wight's veterinary school, learning that Wight was in the top three of his class, despite frequent absences due to illness.
Sir Colin Callender was the one who cast the vision for a new production of All Creatures. He was behind HBO's John Adams, which he saw as a crucial story between Adams and Thomas Jefferson in a time of political divide in the USA.** Just as Callender wished, John Adams was a hit that brought folks together across the political spectrum to talk about US history. In the late 2010s, he felt a similar desire to bring people together in the UK. He says, "We needed a drama that audiences could watch together that would embrace and celebrate the values, the views that we shared, rather than the things we didn't. I don't think I would have started the same way with All Creatures had I not had the experience of John Adams." (46) It wasn't easy convincing everyone involved that the world needed a remake of a beloved show, but I can testify that the show does bring people together--I have a cross-country network of friends and family that I dish with after a new episode. Though he doesn't mention this, Callender should also be encouraged that he's contributing a light, wholesome, heartening show to the world in a day where everything is ~dark~. He does mention having an upstanding main character instead of the trendy morally ambiguous protagonist.
Overall, I'd recommend it to fans of the show, but it's not a must-read. I'm not one to read cast interviews and watch behind-the-scenes videos, so having a book was a better option for me as a fan. Yet, there wasn't quite enough to make this an essential companion. The show has been renewed for series 3 and 4, so perhaps we will get one of those lush pictorial books someday.
*Alf Wight chose the name from a Birmingham City Footballer. Using his real name to publish would have been considered advertising, a no-no for vets.
**Insert disclaimer here about two-party systems fomenting divide no matter what.
January 30, 2023
From the location scouts, to the caterers, to the costume department, there are so many different people that bring a tv show together. It was interesting to learn about all of this, especially how they train the animals (my favourite being Tricki Woo).
A must read for any fan of All Creatures Great and Small.
A must read for any fan of All Creatures Great and Small.
July 23, 2025
All Creatures Great and Small is one of my favorite TV shows and I absolutely love the stories as well so when I spotted this book about the making of the TV show I knew I had to read it. Honestly, it was just nice to hear from the cast and crew all about working on it. The animals as expected get quite a bit of the spotlight which is perfect. The book features season 1 with a bit of season 2, so it even discussed production during COVID. I wasn't expecting Matthew Lewis to have an interview section in this, but he got to talk about his character Hugh as well so that was cool. I can't wait for the next season. I hope it will be coming soon!
February 14, 2022
Enjoyed reading about how the series was made. A good insight into what goes into producing a series for television.
January 13, 2022
I mean this is a lovely little book as would be expected with this dream of a show. But I thought that the tone was inconsistent and the book flits a little too easily from subject to subject whilst being a touch repetitive. The actors' chapter was my favourite as it was really great insight into how they prep for their respective roles.
October 16, 2023
What a fascinating read! If you like All Creatures Great and Small this is the book to read.
I absolutely love the show, love The Yorkshire Vet, I love the area this was filmed as it has a family connection close to my heart so this book was absolutely perfect for me. This is like a behind the scenes into the making of the series and the story of how it came about to bring it into this century and remake this popular program.
If you've ever watched the show and wonder how they make things look so realistic, then this book is the answer. There were chapters from each main actor in the show, their opinions of how they enjoy their time on the show, some inside stories and that was such a good idea!
This book is just brilliant, very easy read and really interesting! So interesting to find out about the animals, and their welfare rules, and how they train the animals etc. Absolutely great read.
I absolutely love the show, love The Yorkshire Vet, I love the area this was filmed as it has a family connection close to my heart so this book was absolutely perfect for me. This is like a behind the scenes into the making of the series and the story of how it came about to bring it into this century and remake this popular program.
If you've ever watched the show and wonder how they make things look so realistic, then this book is the answer. There were chapters from each main actor in the show, their opinions of how they enjoy their time on the show, some inside stories and that was such a good idea!
This book is just brilliant, very easy read and really interesting! So interesting to find out about the animals, and their welfare rules, and how they train the animals etc. Absolutely great read.
July 7, 2022
I really loved reading this book, almost as much as watching the TV series of All Creatures Great and Small. I loved the way it gave you such an interesting insight into the programme from all the perspectives of the people who make this programme so special. From the people who find the best locations, select the actors, the animals, even the clothes they wear (the actors not the animals!) and how the animals are used to portray the animals from the well known books featuring James Herriot. If you are a fan of this series and the previous series, you too will find this book fascinating and informative.
May 13, 2025
As a huge James Herriot fan and of the newest TV series adapted from his books and life, this book was an interesting read revealing all of the work and creativity that went into the development of this great production. It is always fun to see "behind the scenes" when it comes to shows I really like, and this book gave me much insight into the actors, designers, producers, and directors who brought the show all together. They did such an amazing job. Plus, included are a couple of Mrs Hall's recipes, and who wouldn't want that? Five stars, for sure!
June 26, 2022
Really interesting read about the making of the newest version of All Creatures Great & Small. I love the series (as I did the previous one) and always enjoy reading book companions to a TV show that I like. This one basically tells you how the show came into being including chapters on the cast, crew and of course, the animals! The foreword is from Jim Wight whose father, Alf Wight, is the real James Herriot. I really enjoyed the book. Am always amazed at how much research etc, goes into the making of a programme for our pleasure.
February 26, 2025
I needed something light and fun to get me through a super busy 2 weeks, and this did the trick. It’s rather poorly edited, and has the general air of being “thrown together”, but that’s not unusual with books of this sort. It still had lots of fun tidbits and info about the making of the show. It also had two nuggets of pure gold: the recipe they used for Mrs. Hall’s shortbread, and a location list. One day I am going to visit!!!
October 30, 2022
I've read a few of the James Herriot books and am looking forward to watching the remake of the TV series All Creatures Great & Small so I was struck by this book when I saw it in the library where I work. It's a great read. I particularly enjoyed the parts written by the people who play the various characters in the TV series. I've purchased the first two series of the show on DVD (no streaming available in New Zealand sadly) so can't wait to watch those.
March 24, 2024
Herriot reassures us of the importance of bonds - between people, between people and animals, between people and land. Family, community, unity and friendship: the brushstrokes that form James Herriot's vivid picture of life in Yorkshire in the thirties.
I love this show so much, I'm glad to have it in my life.
September 26, 2022
A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at all the work that goes into creating this heartwarming TV show. I was happy to learn that the cast all very much like each other and get along outside of filming.
April 11, 2023
A total introduction to what goes on behind the making of a Movie.
Not just any movie but a James Herriot movie.
"All Creatures Great and Small". Who did not watch this on TV. Have not had the opportunity to read books but will be now.
Not just any movie but a James Herriot movie.
"All Creatures Great and Small". Who did not watch this on TV. Have not had the opportunity to read books but will be now.
September 3, 2024
I picked this up when I recently visit The World of James Herriott. It's an interesting book but it does jump around all over the place, and I think it would have been better served to be more of a picture book.
January 28, 2025
I loved all the begins the scenes info and stories! Definitely should be ready by any ACGAS fan. A few places it was hard to know who was speaking the quotations but otherwise an excellent compilation of all the amazing people who create this magical show.
March 29, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
This book is so interesting. I loved learning about everything that goes on behind the scenes to make a tv show and all the people involved and what they do! I especially loved reading what the actors have to say about their characters!
This book is so interesting. I loved learning about everything that goes on behind the scenes to make a tv show and all the people involved and what they do! I especially loved reading what the actors have to say about their characters!
February 20, 2022
Not really into non-fiction but this was surprisingly good. I'll view the next series in a new light! The animals are obviously the stars 😂
April 23, 2022
An absolute joy!
May 1, 2022
3.5 A great companion for fans of the PBS series.
July 15, 2022
An absoutley brilliant read
July 23, 2022
cute companion with chapters written by those directly involved in making the series and even some recipes (the shortbread recipe "from Mrs. Hall" is delicious)
December 27, 2022
A bit repetitive at times but a good read for fans of the show. Was lovely to read about what happens behind the scenes and get a few facts about this fabulous show.
January 16, 2023
For fans of this second series based on James Herriott's books, this is a great companion. It deals with the history of the series from origin to casting to filming.
Read
February 15, 2023A pleasant behind the scenes read for any fan of the series.
March 22, 2023
An enlightening read into the back stage preparations needed to make the programmes
January 31, 2024
Amazing to see the other side of the production that you see on screen. So informative about each aspect. I loved it!
May 1, 2024
Fans of the show will enjoy this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the history of the books/previous version of the show and how the current series is made.
December 19, 2024
I absolutely loved this book! So interesting to read about all the behind the scenes!
February 5, 2022
A very enjoyable book
I was sorry when I finished this book because it was well written and informative. I like the way that every avenue of research was explored in search of authenticity and the warmth with which the narrative was described. It also does a great job of showing the monumental amount of work which goes into producing a programme from scratch if it is to be realistic. I enjoyed reading about the actors and the way they went about their business.
I was sorry when I finished this book because it was well written and informative. I like the way that every avenue of research was explored in search of authenticity and the warmth with which the narrative was described. It also does a great job of showing the monumental amount of work which goes into producing a programme from scratch if it is to be realistic. I enjoyed reading about the actors and the way they went about their business.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews