All Creatures Great and Small

The All Creatures Great and Small franchise consists of a series of books, movies, and TV series based on books written by James Alfred Wight under the pen name James Herriot based on his experiences as a veterinary surgeon. The books have been adapted for film and television, including a 1975 film All Creatures Great and Small, followed by the 1976 It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet sequel, as well as a long-running BBC television programme of the same title, and a prequel series in 2011, Young James Herriot. By 2020, the series of books featuring James Herriot had sold some 60 million copies. In that year, the next television production was aired, All Creatures Great and Small. The programme, produced for Channel 5 in the UK and PBS in the United States, was renewed for a second set of episodes, and then a third and fourth season. Books The book series focuses on the adventures of veterinary surgeon James Herriot and is set in the Yorkshire Dales, in the fictional town of Darrowby, based on a combination of Thirsk, Richmond, Leyburn and Middleham. In the books, Herriot works with fellow veterinary surgeons Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, based on real-life counterparts, Donald Sinclair and his brother Brian Sinclair respectively. Wight used the name Helen Alderson for his real-life wife, Joan Danbury. Danbury, in real life was not a farmer’s daughter, but worked as a secretary. According to one source, "contrary to the stories, Alf Wight met her in a group outing to a local dance. Evidently, he felt she was worth pursuing from the first, though she had a number of boyfriends and admirers." In addition to the primary books listed below, a series of nine James Herriot Children’s Picture Books were published. Another 12 books, considered to be anthologies (with content taken from various of the primary books) was also published, some in the UK and others in the U.S.