This is Y December 2020 Digital Edition

TELEVISION
Image: © Playground Television (UK) Ltd. / Matt Squire
Above: James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen Anderson (Rachel Shenton)
ARE YOU PREPARED FOR HOW
BIG THE SERIES IS GOING TO
BE INTERNATIONALLY WHEN IT
LAUNCHES IN THE USA IN 2021?
RS: Hopefully they’ll love All Creatures Great and
Small, just as much as we all do. Americans generally
like things that are quintessentially English. I think
they’ll enjoy watching a Dales drama about farm life in
stunning Yorkshire countryside and they’ll all certainly
want to visit this incredible county. How could they
not? Filming in such a beautiful setting was a treat
and when I watch it back I think ‘wow, it really is
breathtaking from every angle’. What we have now
is the advantage of telling these classic tales through
modern technology, with high-tech cameras and
drones to capture outstanding aerial footage and the
vast beauty of the Dales. Everyone will want to come
to ‘Darrowby’ (aka Grassington).
DID YOU MANAGE TO GET A
SERIES ’WRAP PARTY’ IN BEFORE
LOCKDOWN?
NR: We did, on the day before we shot the last
scene of the series, as it was the only time the filming
schedule would allow. We all went to a pub in Skipton.
Sam (Samuel West) who plays Siegfried organised
a quiz, he loves doing them and was an excellent
compere for the evening. It was lots of fun.
SO, THE LAST SCENE OF THE
SERIES … WHICH WAS ALSO THE
LAST SCENE YOU FILMED … WITH
THE CHARACTERS JAMES HERRIOT,
MRS HALL, SIEGFRIED AND
TRISTAN FARNON ALL LEAVING
THE DROVER’S ARMS (AKA THE
DEVONSHIRE IN GRASSINGTON) …
WAS EMOTIONAL TO WATCH … HOW
WAS IT TO FILM?
NR: It was a complete sledgehammer blow for James
to find out that Helen (who he is incredibly fond of) was
engaged to Hugh and that they are about to be married.
Believe me it was a very emotional scene for all of us … not
much acting required.
AND THAT SCENE LEADS ON TO THE
MUCH-ANTICIPATED ALL CREATURES
GREAT AND SMALL CHRISTMAS
SPECIAL …
RS: Emotions are certainly running high, not just for
James … but for Helen too as it’s Christmas Eve AND
the eve of her marriage to long-term partner Hugh.
As suggested in the series, Helen and Hugh have been
together for years, but it’s not really a huge romance,
they’ve just known each other since they were kids and
have grown up together. It seemed inevitable that one day
marriage would happen. It’s fair to say that Helen is feeling
very overwhelmed. Of course she has this pull towards
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