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