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All Creatures Great and Small<\/strong><\/h4>\nThe name of Alf Wight<\/strong> may not be familiar, but the well-loved book All Creatures Great and Small<\/em><\/strong>, which follows the life of a newly qualified vet on his burgeoning career in rural Yorkshire<\/b>\u00a0certainly is. James Herriot<\/strong>, the named author of the book is in fact Alf Wight’s nom-de-plume. He was a Sunderland chap, born in 1916 and qualified himself as a vet in 1939 after studying at the Glasgow Veterinary School.<\/p>\n![\"ACGAS-1022\"](\"https:\/\/the-news.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/ACGAS-1022-200x300.jpg\")
He spent six months working in Sunderland<\/strong> before giving up the city life and getting a job assisting the vet Donald Sinclair and moving to the Yorkshire Dales<\/strong>. It wasn’t until he was 50 and had been a practicing vet for quite some time that he decided start writing. Short stories at first, then a book series which became hugely successful based on fictionalised but truth-based tales of his life as a vet. His first two books If Only They Could Talk<\/em> and It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet<\/em> were re-packaged as All Creatures Great and Small in 1972.<\/p>\nIt was made into a film in 1975, which spawned a TV series running from 1978-1990. Both very enjoyable, but I was intrigued as to how it would all transfer to the stage. Writer Simon Stallworthy has done an excellent job of adapting the book into a jolly, amusing and highly characterful play which decently captures the people from the book.<\/p>\n
Judicious and effective set design means both the interior and exterior scenes are right next to each other, sometimes played out at once. Oliver Mellor<\/strong>, best known as Dr. Matt<\/strong> in Coronation Street<\/strong>, does a marvellous job playing the young and eager James Herriot<\/strong> who joins Siegfied Farnon’s<\/strong> rural vet practice. Farnon is played by Mark Curry<\/strong>, a familiar face from stage and screen. Curry<\/strong> brings a great energy to his mercurial but dedicated character as he shows Herriot the ropes, sometimes literally.<\/p>\nSusan Penhaligon<\/strong><\/h4>\nWe only see one live animal on stage – understandably – live cow births being out of the question – and this is Mrs. Pumphrey’s<\/strong> adored and pampered small dog, Tricki-woo who proved a great hit with the audience. The marvellous Susan Penhaligon<\/strong> bought Mrs. Pumphrey to life in lavish exuberance, whilst also playing a second smaller part of the vet practice’s bossy and dictatorial books accountant.<\/p>\n![\"ACGAS-1002\"](\"https:\/\/the-news.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/ACGAS-1002-570x392.jpg\")
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It was made into a film in 1975, which spawned a TV series running from 1978-1990. Both very enjoyable, but I was intrigued as to how it would all transfer to the stage. Writer Simon Stallworthy has done an excellent job of adapting the book into a jolly, amusing and highly characterful play which decently captures the people from the book.<\/p>\n Judicious and effective set design means both the interior and exterior scenes are right next to each other, sometimes played out at once. Oliver Mellor<\/strong>, best known as Dr. Matt<\/strong> in Coronation Street<\/strong>, does a marvellous job playing the young and eager James Herriot<\/strong> who joins Siegfied Farnon’s<\/strong> rural vet practice. Farnon is played by Mark Curry<\/strong>, a familiar face from stage and screen. Curry<\/strong> brings a great energy to his mercurial but dedicated character as he shows Herriot the ropes, sometimes literally.<\/p>\n We only see one live animal on stage – understandably – live cow births being out of the question – and this is Mrs. Pumphrey’s<\/strong> adored and pampered small dog, Tricki-woo who proved a great hit with the audience. The marvellous Susan Penhaligon<\/strong> bought Mrs. Pumphrey to life in lavish exuberance, whilst also playing a second smaller part of the vet practice’s bossy and dictatorial books accountant.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nHe spent six months working in Sunderland<\/strong> before giving up the city life and getting a job assisting the vet Donald Sinclair and moving to the Yorkshire Dales<\/strong>. It wasn’t until he was 50 and had been a practicing vet for quite some time that he decided start writing. Short stories at first, then a book series which became hugely successful based on fictionalised but truth-based tales of his life as a vet. His first two books If Only They Could Talk<\/em> and It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet<\/em> were re-packaged as All Creatures Great and Small in 1972.<\/p>\nSusan Penhaligon<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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