# All Creatures Great & Small **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [January 12, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335 "2021-01-12T15:27:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/21 "2021-01-14T03:14:47Z")
Just watched it. Not impressed. This Sigfried was quite the dick. Much preferred the old version - and the books. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/22 "2021-01-14T05:41:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > > > How many minutes passed before he was halfway up his arm inside a cow? > > About 45… Slacker. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/23 "2021-01-14T09:16:46Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I’m not familiar with any of the cast, but they all seem very capable so far. Samuel West, who plays Siegfried, is the son of Timothy West and Prunella Scales. Callum Woodhouse, who plays Tristram, is from _The Durrells_, a show with a very similar tone (I think it’s the same production company, even the titles are the same style). I don’t know the rest of the cast, aside from recurring guests like Diana Rigg and Matt Lewis (Neville Longbottom from _Harry Potter_). ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/24 "2021-01-14T14:41:07Z")
I know Samuel West from Mr. Selfridge, another show that I really enjoyed. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/25 "2021-01-26T08:32:53Z")
Same here. I also noticed that all the lighting seems dimmer and yellower, indoors and out, day and night. ---
**Author:** ![Eclipse\_Chaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Eclipse\_Chaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eclipse_Chaser)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/26 "2021-01-26T09:59:16Z")
I’ve been watching it for the exterior shots in the fictional town of Darrowby, this time round it is shot in the gorgeous Yorkshire village of Grassington in Wharfedale, which I know well. Me and my partner go every year for their December Dickensian Festival (it didn’t happen last year because of covid but we went anyway for the scenery!) ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/27 "2021-01-26T14:17:22Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > I also noticed that all the lighting seems dimmer and yellower > [@Eclipse\_Chaser](#): > > shot in the gorgeous Yorkshire village of Grassington in Wharfedale I got the distinct impression that in the road-and-field shots they cranked the saturation up to make it look brighter and greener. Then they cut to the car pulling into the farmyard and all the grass suddenly looks much duller. Is that right, or is the grass really that blindingly green? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/28 "2021-01-26T14:42:02Z")
> [@Eclipse\_Chaser](#): > > I’ve been watching it for the exterior shots in the fictional town of Darrowby, … Yeah - it is beautiful, but as we watched it last night, my wife commented, “They sure show a lot of shots of them just driving around.” 😃 Not really in love w/ this version, but during this week’s ep (Horse killer), I found myself more favorably disposed to it than before. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/29 "2021-01-26T14:46:44Z")
I was wondering if anyone was going to call out Tristan for winning the bet on the horse race based on insider information. It seemed unethical to me. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/30 "2021-01-26T14:48:36Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Yeah - it is beautiful, but as we watched it last night, my wife commented, “They sure show a lot of shots of them just driving around.” 😃 I noticed that, too, and I suspected it’s a way to show off the beautiful countryside. Though, I also noticed that those shots always feature a pristine asphalt road. In that time period (the 1930s, I assume), would those country roads have been paved? My suspicion is that they would have still been gravel roads, but I’m no expert on 1930s English roadways. When we were watching this most recent episode on Sunday night, during a scene featuring Hugh (the horse owner, and Helen’s other suitor), my wife said, “I know who that is!” The actor is Matthew Lewis, who looks very little like Neville Longbottom these days. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/31 "2021-01-26T15:37:17Z")
Potentially even worse than that–James and Tristan are known to be friends, and James killed the horse that was the heavy favorite. Makes it look like James killed Andante solely so that Tristan could profit from it. Not true, of course, but you know how gossip works in a small town. Plus, it’s not like the death of Andante was a secret–the whole village was talking about it!–so wouldn’t the odds have changed once it was known that the favorite wouldn’t be running? In general, this version seems to be ramping up the drama as compared to the original series and the books. For example, in the original, James had to put down a valuable horse, there was some doubt about his diagnosis, and Siegfried did a post-mortem and confirmed that James had been correct. All the stuff about Siegfried wanting a job at the racetrack, and the horse’s owner being James’s rival for Helen, seems to have been invented for this version. That’s fair, I suppose–the stories in Herriot’s books are only loosely based on real events–but it’s a little jarring if you know the source material. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/32 "2021-01-26T15:39:34Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Makes it look like James killed Andante solely so that Tristan could profit from it. I didn’t get the barmaid/bookie’s comments as to saving payouts. Assuming the dead horse was scratched, wouldn’t the wagers be refunded? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/33 "2021-01-26T15:48:07Z")
I doubt the bet will come up in future episodes, but it could be really bad for Tristan. ---
**Author:** ![Eclipse\_Chaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Eclipse\_Chaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eclipse_Chaser)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/34 "2021-01-26T17:53:06Z")
Yes, in the spring it really is. Yorkshire is stunningly beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/35 "2021-02-22T13:51:40Z")
Disappointed that it was a shorten season! Wee bit WOKE . ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/36 "2021-02-22T14:58:13Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Though, I also noticed that those shots always feature a pristine asphalt road. In that time period (the 1930s, I assume), would those country roads have been paved? My suspicion is that they would have still been gravel roads, but I’m no expert on 1930s English roadways. Digging up the existing roads and replacing them with gravel would probably be outside the budget. Though the two things I thought were anachronisms (zippers and Vibram soles) were actually in use in the 30s, so maybe they got the roads right too. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/37 "2021-02-22T15:00:45Z")
Am I the only one who is reminded of The Durrells in Corfu when watching this (and not just because one actor was in both)? Both shows are relatively light with mostly humorous stories and even the title sequence reminded me of the one from The Durrells. I tried checking if the showrunner was the same but it didn’t appear so. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/38 "2021-02-22T15:10:11Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Digging up the existing roads and replacing them with gravel would probably be outside the budget. Indeed, and I wouldn’t have expected them to do that, especially as they’re clearly shooting on public roads. I was mostly curious about when those sorts of roads in rural England would have actually gotten paved. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/39 "2021-02-22T18:11:40Z")
FWIW, a lot of dirt roads in the US were paved in the 1920s and '30s using convict labor (I’m thinking here of backwaters like West Virginia). It was pretty much necessary after motoring took off in the post-WWI years. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335/40 "2021-02-22T19:52:25Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I was mostly curious about when those sorts of roads in rural England would have actually gotten paved. I took a peek in ACGaS and found a few indications: > [@](#): > > The two young men lived on a farm far up in the North Moors and, three miles out of the town, we left the main road and our headlights picked out a strip of track twisting along the dark hillside. […] > > My car bumped and rattled over the last rough mile of an earth road […] So it sounds as though the main roads were paved but there was still a lot of unpaved drive and track to cover in order to get to the farm buildings. (Which is still the case on a lot of farms in many places, of course.) Though bear in mind that the author is re-setting in the 1930s-'50s his own experiences which actually happened in the '40s-'60s. James Wight, alias Herriot, didn’t actually join a Yorkshire veterinary practice till the early 1940s. However, [this description of UK roads and roadworks remarks that](https://www.igg.org.uk/gansg/00-app1/roads.htm) “From about 1905 tarred macadam, smooth and dark grey, appeared in towns, spreading to country roads in the 1930s.” So although the roads of the period were probably narrower and twistier than modern ones, the road surface might have been similar. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-creatures-great-small/930335.md?page=3)