Forgotten James Herriot mini-series to watch next after All Creatures Great and Small
All Creatures Great and Small fans awaiting the new Channel 5 season can enjoy another tale from the best-selling novel.
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Former Corrie star Iain De Caestecker played the vet in Young James Herriot (Image: BBC/Shed Productions )
A prequel to All Creatures Great and Small explores the early life of James Herriot prior to his arrival at Siegfried Farnon’s veterinary practice, Skeldale House.
The BBC mini-series Young James Herriot aired in 2011 and chronicles the vet’s formative years as a student at Glasgow Veterinary College before he moved to the idyllic Yorkshire village of Darrowby.
The first episode of the three-part drama was an instant success, watched by six million viewers, as the period drama draws on the earlier writings of veterinary surgeon James Herriot.
The plot follows James’ start as a vet, including a costly accommodation scam that left him in financial difficulties, but he is responsible for treating ailing farm livestock, including horses and sheep, and tending to an entire kennel of dogs.
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Young James Herriot was a three-part mini-series that aired on BBC One (Image: BBC)
The student quickly discovered that veterinary medicine is more challenging than initially anticipated, though this has not diminished his dedication to the profession.
Playing the lead role of James in the drama is movie and television actor Iain De Caestecker, who also played Adam Barlow on Coronation Street from 2001 to 2003.
Unfortunately, following the initial series, the BBC opted not to commission additional seasons of Young James Herriot, though fans would have liked more episodes.
“It would have been nice if Young James Herriot had been continued,” commented one fan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A second shared: “I’m ready for a rewatch of Young James Herriot, where #BenLloydHughes plays Rob McAloon, a composite character of his friends. It’ll get me pumped for the newest season of #AllCreaturesPBS. It would be really cool to see Rob make an appearance! @masterpiecepbs #HughesDayTuesday.”
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All Creatures Great and Small has been commissioned for a further two seasons (Image: CHANNEL 5)
A third added: “It was a real shame that Young James Herriot did not get another season,” as another echoed the sentiment: “Oh, how I wish there had been more seasons of Young James Herriot!”
“Watching a bit of the Young James Herriot show. A bit weird they tried a show where Herriot is in vet school but it got cancelled and then decide to remake All Creatures Great and Small. I guess people just want to see him take care of the animals and not study in school,” pointed out another.
The latest season of All Creatures Great and Small is set to return to Channel 5 in the near future, as filming kicked off back in February. Now in its seventh series, the plot is expected to follow the Skeldale House team and their family life in post-war Yorkshire in the 1940s.
The reimagined All Creatures Great and Small debuted on Channel 5 in 2020, succeeding the original programme which ran on BBC One from 1978 through to its conclusion in 1990.
Young James Herriot is available to stream on Prime Video, and All Creatures Great and Small is streaming on Channel 5
SOURCE: WALESONLINE