James Herriot Trivia II

As with the British TV show “Last of the Summer Wine,” Yorkshire’s notoriously changeable weather saddled the production of “All Creatures Great and Small” with numerous problems.  Michael Hayes filmed one scene under a cloudy sky, only to have the sun blaze down when it came time to shoot the next.  So he ordered crew members to gather around, and hold their umbrellas over the camera, the actors, and the horses while filming.

In the commentary track for the episode “Pig in the Middle,” available on the third season DVD set, we learn that director Michael Hayes was used to conditions on a working farm, as he owned his own (horse) stud farm, and thus took the weather in his stride.  Carol Drinkwater, who played Helen Herriot in the show, also grew up on a farm, and so she was used to bundling up and sipping a little brandy to keep warm during cold, blustery days spent filming on Yorkshire fields, fells, and moors. 

Robert Hardy poses for me outside the real Skeldale House,
"The World of James Herriot" in Thirsk.

Robert Hardy, who played Siegfried Farnon, grew up on a farm in Ireland, and nature was such a part of his life that he didn’t shrink from sewing actual stitches into real living animals, as the actors did during the first few years of the program.  When asked about the first time he had seen a sheep deliver a baby lamb, he racked his brain, but simply couldn’t remember the first time he had seen this happen.  To him, such events were woven into the tapestry of his life. 

Watching his younger self riding horses brought Hardy a little sadness, as riding had given him great joy throughout his life.  But with the relentless march of years, he had finally decided to give up, due to the stresses on the body and the legal liabilities of the acting profession. 

The real Siegfried Farnon:
Donald Sinclair

He also missed Donald Sinclair, the man whom Alf Wight (writing as James Herriot) immortalized as Siegfried Farnon.  After the premature death of his first wife, Donald remarried eight years later.  Hardy met the veterinarian while working on the program and maintained a friendship with him until Sinclair’s death.  Every time Hardy thought of Donald, he remembered the vet’s second wife Audrey, and how devoted the couple had been to each other.  Apparently, they had never wanted to be apart, and couldn’t cross a room without holding hands.

Carl Drinkwater also spares a moment for me,
and my camera.

Carol Drinkwater left the program after a few years to take on larger roles. In order to record her commentary, she had flown in from her farm in France, where she grew olives, wrote books, and still acted when the right part came along.  She remembered all the dogs that tore around the studio sets of Skeldale House.  Two had been owned by John Nathan Turner, who served as Production Unit Manager for the first three seasons of "All Creatures Great and Small."  Like Drinkwater, Turner would also leave the series, in his case to become the producer of another great British TV show, “Doctor Who.”  There he employed notable directors like Michael Hayes.  But sadly, not the venerable actors Carol Drinkwater, or Robert Hardy.

Dragon Dave   

James Herriot Trivia

Included in the DVD release for the third season of “All Creatures Great and Small” is a commentary track for the episode “Pig in the Middle.”  The title of the episode is drawn not from an actual pig, but from a situation James finds himself in, where Siegfried and Tristan Farnon ask him to arbitrate over the matter of which brother will get to take a particular night off.  Both have good reasons why they should not have to remain home that evening in case a veterinarian’s skills are needed, and both are James’ close friends.  As he doesn’t wish to favor one over the other, James decides that neither should benefit, and both should cancel their plans and remain at home that evening.  Needless to say, neither Siegfried or Tristan is satisfied with his ruling.

Providing commentary was Michael Hayes, the director of the episode, Carol Drinkwater, who played James’ wife Helen, and Robert Hardy, who portrayed James’ senior partner Siegfried Farnon.  I found their commentary informative and delightful, and thought I would share some snippets with you.

When producer Bill Sellars approached Robert Hardy about the part, he sent him the first two books Alf Wight had written under the name James Herriot.  These were American editions, as the Herriot books first gained popularity there.  Hardy read the first, All Creatures Great and Small, which was a compilation of two shorter books originally published in England.  While Hardy found the stories “enchanting,” he called Sellars and said, “I don’t know how you’ll make a TV show out of this. You’ll bore the cities and enrage the country.”

Farms in Darbyshire

Nor was Hardy particularly wowed by Sellars’ initial decision to film the series in Darbyshire, another portion of England from James Herriot’s beloved Yorkshire.  While Darbyshire was closer to London, would have simplified production, and saved costs, Hardy saw the landscape as completely different, and the idea disrespectful to the author and his stories.  He told Sellars that either the TV series would be shot in Yorkshire, or he would have nothing to do with it. 

Darbyshire Cow: "C'mon Hardy, be reasonable!"

Yorkshire cows outside Askrigg: "Stick by your convictions, Robert!"

The locals had mixed feelings about the production.  Many people enjoyed it, and one town even demanded that their rector change the time of the Sunday morning services so they could get home in time to watch the program.  Carol Drinkwater remembered that the couple who owned the house in Askrigg that doubled for Skeldale House later sold it for far above its market value.  And, as people began to visit remote locals such as Askrigg which the production used for James Herriot’s fictional Darrowby, many of the houses located at the center of such villages were converted into shops, restaurants, and vacation cottages.  During the fourth through seventh seasons, which were filmed several years after the third, Robert Hardy fainted on a particularly hot summer day.  The doctor who attended him said that, while he didn’t particularly mind being called out, he wasn’t happy about doing so for them, as they had made his beloved region into a tourist attraction.

Skeldale House in Askrigg: A tourist attraction?
Never!

The weather changed dramatically during our visit to Yorkshire, from cold, rainy days to hot and sunny weather.  Thankfully, I never fainted.

Dragon Dave

Queen Elizabeth II: Mother to a Nation Part 1

Starting as we did, the United States never had a royal family. This has made it difficult for me to understand the role that the British royal family exerts on the average citizen in England.  Whenever the subject arises on TV news, English broadcasters and celebrities assure us that the only people who revere the royal family are foreigners.  In particular, they point the finger at Americans, claiming that because we broke away from England centuries ago, we suffer from a case of Royal Envy.

In the episode "The Course of True Love" of  the TV show “All Creatures Great and Small,” the veterinarians learn that King George VI has just died.  Siegfried Farnon looked particularly gutted, as if part of the basic framework of his life had just been ripped from beneath his feet.  But by the end of the story, Queen Elizabeth II has ascended to the throne, and the vets look forward to a glorious new Elizabethan era.  

A Coronation Day Edition
of "The Daily Mirror" newspaper
at The World of James Herriot

Of course, I know part of the role that the Queen and her family play in modern England.  They are always highly sought after by organizations and businesses, and a royal visit is always cause for celebration.  Each member of the royal family makes a hefty schedule of visits each year, and each unleashes an army of police who make sure an area is completely secure well in advance of the day of the visit. 

Each year, the Queen also bestows honors upon prominent citizens.  One year, she honored Alf Wight, who wrote his All Creatures Great and Small novels as James Herriot, with an OBE (Order of the British Empire). 

A shop window display in Thirsk
where Alf Wight, the real James Herriot,
lived and worked.

As she wears the crown, it makes sense that the Queen is the most celebrated.  Everywhere we went last year in England, we saw banners announcing the upcoming Diamond Jubilee, celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s sixty years on the throne.  Curios filled shop windows, and streamers and union jacks decorated the streets.  Handymen were kept especially busy, repainting and repairing the fronts of houses and buildings as the celebrations neared.

Toward the end of our vacation, a hotel manager assured me that those who spoke disparagingly about the royal family in the TV news programs reflected the views of the majority.  From what I could tell, he must have been right.  In the United States, our government consists of a president, along with a bunch of elected and appointed people.  Each spends a few years in office, and then fades from view.  But a royal is there to stay.  He (or she) serves the entire country, for as long as he lives.  And the Queen is most important, as she wears the crown, and represents England’s sovereignty. 

"Um, excuse me, your majesty..."

Much as I’d like to, I don’t think I’ll ever understand what the Queen represents to the common British citizen.  But I can respect the fact that she’s there, year in and year out, through good times and bad.  Regardless of economic hardships, political scandals, war, or other difficulties.  People look to her, and in her they see everything they desire their country to be.  Given the vets reaction in "All Creatures Great and Small," perhaps most British citizens even see her as the mother of their nation.  I can respect that.  I suppose, in a way, I can even envy that.

Dragon Dave 

Related Internet Links

The World of James Herriot

On Not Slaughtering A Cow

As mentioned in yesterday's post, recent travel has left me with depleted mental focus and resolve.  While I got some productive work in on my dragon novel this morning, I had to drag myself back to the keyboard this afternoon, and my mind offered up more objections than ideas.  So again, I returned to Yorkshire.  This entry may seem slight to some, but it's what I could write today.  I hope you'll enjoy it.

No cattle in sight.

According to Herriot County, a booklet in the Discovery Guides Heritage Series, the Yorkshire Dales town of Hawes served as Darrowby Cattle Mart in the TV series “All Creatures Great and Small.”  We had planned to visit Hawes, for an entirely different reason, on our first drive through the Dales.  But the road system through the Dales can be confusing to those weaned on the larger and more descriptive traffic signs in the United States, and before we realized it, we had missed the turn.  So it was that we found ourselves visiting Hawes on our return visit to the Yorkshire Dales.

It was a good day to visit, as the town was holding its weekly market day.  Unlike our aborted visit to Leyburn, Hawes offered numerous places to park, many of them for free.  We found a nice place along the road, just outside of town, where I snapped the photograph in yesterday’s post.  Then we walked in and merged with the crowd.

It was easy to see that we weren’t locals.  While many wore T-shirts and shorts, we wore slacks and heavy jackets.  Nor were we tempted by the little white ice cream stand, again unlike many of the locals.  But we soon found ourselves touring the stalls, and seeking out bargains at the temporary stands.  While my wife found several purses she liked, none won her over completely.  I considered a leather wallet, which would better fit British paper currency than my smaller one made for US bills, but decided against it, based upon how little I would use it. 

A close up, so you can better see the white ice cream stand.

Two books called to me.  The first, Tree and Leaf by J.R.R. Tolkien, contained an essay called “On Fairy-Stories” which I’ve long wanted to read.  The second All I Ever Wrote, was a collection of skits by Ronnie Barker.  In the end, concerns about packing space and weight won out.  I could always borrow Tree and Leaf from the library back home.  As for the latter, the only TV series I ever saw the famous British comedian in was “Open All Hours,” which was written by Roy Clarke.  I had no doubt I would enjoy reading his sketches, but as with the Tolkien book, that bedeviling question arose: Did I really need it? 

(I hate you, wretched question!  When will you stop plaguing me?  I ask that, and then I look around at my office, with my double-stuffed bookcases, and boxes and files piled on the floor, and I am forced to concede to the question’s wisdom.  Still, like Paul, just because I suffer from a thorn in my flesh, does not mean I must enjoy the experience!)

We saw no cattle for sale that day, which was for the best, as the management where we were staying would likely have objected had we slaughtered an animal on their front lawn.  Nor could we eat so much meat before we left England.  Besides, I just didn’t feel in a slaughtering-mood.  So we purchased a carton of strawberries instead.  They might still leave red stains on the fingers, but eating them involved less work, and was far kinder to the cows. 

I have a feeling, if I lived on a farm in the Yorkshire Dales, that I might not eat a lot of meat.

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries

Hijacked By Cows in the Yorkshire Dales: Part 1

Related Internet Links

On Fairy-Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ronnie Barker

The Story of Herbert the Lamb

In Chapter Three of All Things Bright and Beautiful, James Herriot is delivering a lamb with an especially large head when a runt scampers past him and takes a drink from his patient’s udder.  “Oh, that’s Herbert,” the farmer, Rob Benson explained.  “Little youth’s mother won’t have ‘im at any price.  I was going to put him with the pet lambs but I saw he was fendin’ for himself.  He pops from one ewe to t’other and gets a quick drink whenever he gets a chance.  I’ve never seen owt like it.” 

Herriot keeps an eye on Herbert as he works on Rob Benson’s difficult cases.  Some mothers warn the runt off by shaking their heads.  When Herbert sneaks up on a particularly big ewe to steal a nip from her udder, she butts him with her head, sending the “little animal flying high in the air in a whirl of flailing legs.”  He landed on his back, and immediately sneaks under another mother at the feeding trough for a quick drink. 

 

“Lambing time is the most hectic period of the vets’ and farmers’ year,” James Herriot (Alf Wight) writes in James Herriot’s Yorkshire.  “Some of the farmers, like Rob Benson, do not go to bed for six weeks.”  Farmers have wrestled with all kinds of complications associated with pregnancy, and this culminates with the births, some so difficult that veterinarians like James Herriot must be called out.  Likewise, this time is draining for the vets, as “spring is the time when other livestock are at their lowest ebb, cows and beef cattle having been confined indoors through the long winter.”

On a later visit to Rob Benson’s farm, Herriot finds a ewe with a belly full of dead lambs.  “The lambs were putrid and distended with gas, and I had to use a scalpel to deliver the little bodies with the least discomfort to the mother.”  By the time he was through, the ewe was clearly ailing.  Without a lamb to revive her interest in life, he and Rob Benson feared that she would die.  “Just at that moment a familiar figure wandered into view.  It was Herbert, the unwanted lamb, easily recognizable as he prowled from sheep to sheep in search of nourishment.”  Herriot suggests a disguise for Herbert, and Benson skins one of the dead lambs and ties its skin over the persistent runt. 

A week later, Herriot again returned to Rob Benson’s farm, where the farmer pointed out, “There’s that awd ewe with Herbert.”  The mother has taken to Herbert, who now, far from being a runt, looks rather obese, as he’s getting all the ewe’s milk.  “I reckon he saved the ewe’s life,” Rob Benson says.  “She’d have pegged out all right, but she never looked back once he came along.”

It’s amazing to look at these seemingly helpless creatures, and think of them as possessing such determination.  But often those among us who seem most frail, broken, and helpless are the ones who push past their fear and insecurities to accomplish great things.  Many times, those of us who seemingly possess greater strength and abilities give up instead of persevering toward our goals.  The story of Herbert underlines that when we give up, not only do we lose, but so do those whom our efforts would benefit most.

In summing up Herbert, James Herriot wrote, “There was no doubt about it—that lamb had guts.”  So I press on, fixing my eyes on my desired destination, in the hope that as much can be said of me.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

Read “Lambing Scenes” in James Herriot’s Yorkshire

Read Herriot’s story of Herbert in All Things Bright and Beautiful

A short reflection on James Herriot by a Missouri farmer during lambing season

St. Oswald’s in Askrigg

The present structure dates back to 1446,
forty-six years before Columbus discovered America.

On this year’s vacation in England, we hadn’t planned a return visit to Askrigg.  We simply realized, during our week based outside Lancaster, that we had to return.  It wasn’t just the village of Askrigg that called us back, but the Yorkshire Dales as well.  So on the return visit, we enjoyed a relaxing drive through the gently rolling farmland, taking in a few stops along the way.  We arrived in Askrigg around noon, and after a picnic lunch, began our afternoon exploration by visiting its church.

We drove our chair into the church,
and secured it to a heater.
Then we left to explore Askrigg further.

What surprised me most, given the size of the village, was the church’s sheer size.  Size- and age-wise, St. Oswald’s in Askrigg compares favorably with St. Mary’s in Thirsk.  While St. Mary’s boasts a more elegant interior, Thirsk grew in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  The money that accompanied growth and expansion funded St. Mary’s lavish interior.  That same money funded the additions to the smaller St. Oswald’s in adjacent Sowerby, as well as the building of its parochial hall.   By comparison, the farms around Askrigg, and the village itself, still harken back to an earlier era, which was one reason the production crew for “All Creatures Great and Small” decided to film there.  Lacking similar community growth and modernization, additions to the village church have been more modest.

According to the church website,
Nikolaus Pevsner,
an architectural historian,
proclaimed the nave ceiling
the finest in North Riding.

I enjoyed walking though the sanctuary.  With every step, I sensed a comfortable, down-home feeling. The worshippers clearly loved their church, just the way it was.  Posters displayed pencil sketches of how the church looked, inside and out, a hundred years ago.  Plaques on the wall weren’t the expensive affairs of more prosperous towns and cities, but they held their own allure.  I especially liked the tiles behind the altar that displayed The Lord’s Prayer, The Ten Commandments, and the Nicene Creed.  Of course, I also perused their collection of used paperback, and donated money for the two science fiction novels I left with.

Words to live by.

The affection and passion Askrigg holds for its church are evident on its website.  Despite all the changes time has wrought on England, St. Oswald’s seems to remain at the heart of the community.  Their pages celebrate numerous aspects of village life, including trumpeting new businesses, advertising opportunities to learn a different language, informing residents of other religious options, and celebrating notable locals, from an artist whose work has been exhibited in the National Gallery, to their beloved postman.  Thus, St. Oswald’s in Askrigg exemplifies a nation in which Church and State are one.  I cannot help but think that, if we someday return to Askrigg for an extended stay, we would attend St. Oswald’s regularly, and contribute to the vibrant life of this Yorkshire village.  

A pencil sketch of the interior circa 1890.  

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries

St. Oswald’s in Sowerby

James Herriot’s Controversial Church

Where Church and State are One: Part 1

Related Internet Links

St. Oswald’s in Askrigg