The
lowdown: 'All Creatures Great and Small' is one of the BBC's
most popular drama series of all time, and chronicles
the professional and private
lives of the partners in a veterinary practice in the fictional Yorkshire
town of Darrowby in the
mid-1930s. Based on the
novels of James Herriot, the show ran for seven seasons and 90 episodes.
It initially ran from
January 1978 until April
1980, before being brought back for two Christmas specials in 1983 and
1985 and a further four
seasons between January
1988 and December 1990. It starred Christopher Timothy as James Herriott,
Robert Hardy
as Siegfried Farnon and
Peter Davison as Tristan Farnon, the younger brother of Siegfried. The
series was known for its
realistic portrayal of veterinary
work in the 1930s, and the humorous and oddball characters who inhabited
the beautiful
and picturesque Yorkshire
Dales.
The
episode: 'Matters of Life and Death' was the 12 episode of the
third season, and was first broadcast on 15 March
1980. It featured a guest
appearance by Nicholas Courtney as Paul Cotterell, a friend of James Herriot.
Paul is devoted
to his pet dog, Theo, and
goes to see James when the dog falls ill. James tells Paul that the dog
has Hodgkin's Disease
and is going to die. Paul
agrees to have him put down. James later learns that Paul has committed
suicide because he
cannot cope with the loss
of his beloved dog. It is wonderful to see Nicholas in a completely different
role to Brigadier
Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart,
and his portrayal of the tragic Paul Cotterell is very moving and understated.
The
verdict: 'All Creatures Great and Small' ended over 15 years
ago, but it is still a pleasant and heartwarming show
to watch, particularly if
you are looking for an alternative to the crime and reality shows that
seem to dominate the TV
schedules today. The animals
are of course the real stars of the show - no animatronics here, just real
farm animals -
as well as the beautiful
scenery of the Yorkshire Dales. The series was known for the humorous and
oddball characters
who inhabited the Dales.
This show is highly recommended if you enjoy stories of country life in
a simpler time. And you
get to see actors putting
their hands up the rear ends of cows quite often!
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