The World of All Creatures Great & Small: Welcome to Skeldale House

by All Creatures Great and Small, Jim Wight (Contributor)

A detailed behind-the-scenes look at PBS Masterpiece's All Creatures Great and Small , based on James Herriot’s beloved classic book series

Welcome to the wonderful world of Skeldale the veterinary hospital 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 countryside, 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 Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Rachel Shenton, Callum Woodhouse and Anna Madeley, 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 stylists 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.

Perfect
• Fans of the show as well as other British period pieces such as Downton Abbey
• Animal and nature lovers
• Anyone who loves a behind-the-scenes look at popular series

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

Published May 23, 2023

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this book 5 stars but tbh, I would probably give it 4.5 if I could.

The Positives: Had some really cool behind the scenes info that I loved reading about as an avid fan of the series. I enjoyed learning a little bit about how they work with the animals and film the veterinarian scenes. It was a super quick, easy read (and I say that as a slow reader!). So if you’re a fan of the series, it’s a no-brainer to go ahead, grab or borrow a copy, and flip through it!

The Negatives: I felt like it buried the lede some. The bits most interesting to me were in the back part of the book. I’d have loved to learn even more about how they do the special effects, work with the animals, work with prosthetics, etc. The book talked about having full access to cast and crew so I was hoping for something a bit more in depth than what I got.

[Brian Tooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of James Herriot and the show All Creatures Great and Small, I absolutely loved this book. It was such a fun read that pulled the curtain to show behind the scenes from the production. My favorite section was the part where each of the main cast members shared how they got the part and their experiences on the show.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT I truly love hearing about all of the behind the scenes info and the casting process and the animal handlers and the music etc etc. Each of the main actors had a chapter talking about their casting process and experiences which was lovely. What a soothing, fantastic read.

[Paula Hartharn-Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a nice book. Worth a read if you enjoy the new TV series.

[Margaret Neale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed most of the episodes in the current series and had seen a couple of behind the scenes programs and interviews. Through the book, it was interesting to learn more of the details behind the productions, about the sets, characters and the actors. The work that goes into making everything 'real' is quite amazing.
Written in an interview style, it is as if the particular cast or crew member is sitting down and casually chatting with you. I also appreciated the insights in the foreword by Jim Wight - the son of Alf Wight (aka James Herriot).
It would have been fun to have the series DVDs to be able to find some of the references to specific scenes or animals. The list of locations was a helpful add for anyone wanting to visit the sites in Yorkshire. (I wish).

Note: I read about 1/3 of the book and set it aside for some other library books on shorter loans. Finished the last 2/3 in one reading.

[Elien · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the show and enjoy getting behind-the-scenes info on it, but the way it's presented sometimes felt a bit incoherent: one style of writing would've helped and made it feel more high-level. Also needed a bit more editing so the actors' contributions had some more variety.

[maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun read about one of my favorite shows. I enjoyed all the behind-the-scenes insight (especially hearing from people whose professions I know little about, like prosthetic mold-makers and animal trainers).

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book, such an amazing read, really enjoyed it

[Claire Cherrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming book which makes a lovely accompaniment to a delightful show

[Helen Birkbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting for fans of the series and people who want to know how TV shows are made. It jumps around a lot between subjects and writers so is a bit disjointed.

[Kim S Parsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE the tv series and all the books. Wish they had written this behind the scenes book later in the series so they’d have more stuff to cover. That was my complaint- that it was too short.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

We love this show, and it was fun to see the behind-the-scenes.

2025 A book with a bright cover

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I’m ready to annoy everyone in my life (Scarlett) about the new series!!! Love this show, adored this BTS 💕

[Karen Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting look behind the scenes