Cast
The leading role was taken by actor Christopher Timothy, after Simon Ward (who had played the part in the 1975 film), John Alderton (who had replaced Ward in the sequel, It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet) and Richard Beckinsale all turned it down. Siegfried Farnon was played by Robert Hardy. Tristan was played by Peter Davison. Helen was played by Carol Drinkwater in the first three series and two specials, then by Lynda Bellingham in the final four series. Mary Hignett played housekeeper Mrs Hall in the first three series, and Margaretta Scott appeared as the recurring aristocratic dog-owner Mrs Pumphrey.
With the amount of screen time to fill, the series quickly became much more of an ensemble show, developing all the characters considerably. In particular, the role of Tristan was significantly increased. This was partly because Christopher Timothy was injured in a car accident part-way through the first series and was, as a result, largely restricted to studio scenes, which required that all the scenes involving location filming be rewritten and given to Davison.
- James Herriot — Christopher Timothy
- Siegfried Farnon — Robert Hardy
- Tristan Farnon — Peter Davison
- Helen Herriot — Carol Drinkwater (series 1-3 and specials) and Lynda Bellingham (series 4-7)
- Mrs Edna Hall — Mary Hignett (series 1-3)
- Calum Buchanan — John McGlynn (series 4-6)
- Mrs Greenlaw — Judy Wilson (second special; series 4, episodes 1-5)
- Mrs Pumphrey — Margaretta Scott (recurring) (and her dog "Tricky Woo")
- Mrs Alton — Jean Heywood (series 7)
- Hodgekin — Teddy Turner (recurring)
- Jimmy Herriot — Harry Brayne (1983 special) and Oliver Wilson (1985 special - series 5) and Paul Lyon (series 7)
- Rosie Herriot — Rebecca Smith (1985 special - series 5) and Alison Lewis (series 7)
- Deirdre McEwan — Andrea Gibb (series 4-6)
- Ezra Biggins — John Sharp (recurring)
- Jeff Mallock — Fred Feast and Frank Birch (recurring)
- Granville Bennett — James Grout (recurring)
- Mr Hartley — Peter Martin (recurring)
- Grimsdale — Bryan Pringle
Read more about this topic: All Creatures Great And Small (TV Series)
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