millennium-4 This series has been standby Netflicks viewing for me when I cannot seem to find anything without violence and crass humor. Having walked through the Dales as long ago as the early sixties I recognize much of the scenery and the characters.I am like many others who seem to prefer the early series with Carol Drinkwater and Mary Hignett. Replacing Carol must have been a hard process. The later series did one very good thing which was to improve the theme music. The earlier version had a percussion section that must been pasted in later and sounded like a complete tea set and box of cutlery being thrown down a set of stairs. And speaking of comic relief...the humor provided by Peter Davison as Tristan at times had me wincing. I could not quite believe that such an out an out conniving self absorbed pratt as Tristan could have been accepted either in the practice or in a small Yorkshire town. Davison acts the role perfectly, but I would have watched the series had it not included his scenes. Occasionally I could not quite swallow James's naiveté. The real stars of this show were the hundreds of local character actors who played walk on parts over the years, not to mention a never ending supply of compliant small animals willing to sit quietly while being examined, poked and fumbled and a never ending supply of cows ready to calve at the directors command.As for Robert Hardy...whenever I watch Martin Clunes in the excellent Doc Martin I am tempted to say "you were not the first to portray an iconoclastic medical role in a rural setting with colorful locals to play off".Hardy was superb but seemed tired in later episodes, however without his anchoring role the series would have been too cozy and tedious.In summary, one of the best TV series ever made. Up there with M.A.S.H., Midsomer Murders, Poirot and Barney Miller

kinsmed I have waited a very long time, but at last I am the owner of Season 1 of "All Creatures Great and Small", the well-told tale of a young rural veterinarian freshly indoctrinated into the pre-war pastoral setting of the lush and rugged Yorkshire Dales, England. A PBS hallmark series that originated on the BBC over a generation ago, the show aptly kicks off the saga immediately prior to the advent of medical advances for livestock and the technological revolution that changed a way of life that had endured for thousands of years. Assistant Veterinary Surgeon James Herriott witnesses the crushing tragedies and soaring miracles that profoundly affect the simple Yorkshire folk as they seek but to carve out an existence for themselves and their families. Like the book, each episode contains several tales of the animals that Herriott comes into contact with. All Creatures Great and Small is my favorite book and to see these rich characters and settings brought to life does no injustice to that book. Every step across the sweeping fells by Herriott is a step I take as well. The collective experience makes me yearn to go back to a place to which I have never been.

toolkien My first introduction to James Herriot was my father's laughing fits while reading the books. Then, the series appeared on PBS and I enjoyed what I saw, which in turn motivated me to read the books. The books are wonderful, almost in the realm of Fantasy (perhaps, the books are my second favorite set of books next to Lord of the Rings) if it weren't so grounded in reality. Sure Herriot smooths some of the rough edges off of his real life, but it still seems real. And this series captures the same feel that the books had, which no small achievement in my opinion. Most of the characters, major and minor, ring true to the depictions in the books and I have little trouble using the images when I re-read the books. Both the books and the series explore triumphs and failures that make life what it is. It makes common sense statements about life without being heavy handed about it. You almost feel you've lived the important, meaningful episodes of someone else's life as if they were your own. What more could be asked from auto-biographical (or semi-auto-biographical) material?

mattymatt30 This television series is something special. It makes me laugh, brings a tear to my eye and puts a lump in my throat, often all in the same episode. It shows people, the main leads of James, Seigfried, and Tristan, (Helen too), as special, and who are lovable in their strength and eccentricities. This show is so special that I almost don't want to own it, whether on video or dvd. Why? Because possessing them might make them less special. I want to discover them again, be excited that they are on the PBS stations that I get, and feel blessed to visit with my old friends again.Whenever I feel that I don't fit in this modern world, and that 'All Creatures Great and Small' was made for me alone, I know that I must have friends worldwide that I've never met, because we all love this show!