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

I haven't read the books, but I just love this series, and consider it one of my favourite shows. It is relaxing, funny, endearing and warm, all of which I love about shows like Last of the Summer Wine, Mapp and Lucia and Darling Buds of May.The series is beautifully filmed for instance, with picturesque scenery and lovely photography and period detail. The music is pleasant and memorable too, the writing is outstanding making me laugh and cry and the stories are compelling with seldom a dull moment.The characters are written with charm and have an immense likability about them, and the acting from Christopher Timothy, Peter Davison and especially Robert Hardy and all the other members of this talented cast is wonderful consistently.All in all, a truly great and timeless show. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The combination of superb writing, acting and film-making that produced the "All Creatures" series would have been sufficient to attract me. However, retreat to an episode with James and co. became my emotional and intellectual sanctuary due to the veterinary content. As a veterinarian, I am drawn to the veterinary dilemmas - the penniless child with a treasured creature, integrity in the face of silly pet owners, the 'attitude' of horse owners, and, most tellingly, the diagnostic puzzle that humbles us all. I left veterinary practice for the veterinary policy (and, often, politics) a number of years ago but the lessons from that period of my life remain vivid. Apart from the veterinary side, I enjoy the historical detail and gentle moral in each episode. Recently I invited some of my public sector veterinary colleagues to join me in watching the episode on Foot and Mouth disease, a concern that haunts private and public sector veterinians to this day. The story was skillfully rendered with accurate veterinary facts woven into the back drop of the expired ultimatum of September 3, 1949 that committed England and France to a war against Germany. I had been exposed to the history lesson of the invasion of Poland by Hitler and the consequences by earlier episodes in the series so that final pre-WWII episode was particularly poignant. Story telling at its finest!

Set in the ruggedly beautiful Yorkshire Dales during the years leading up to WW2, All Creatures Great & Small follows the adventures of a veterinary practice supporting the local farming community in 1930s Northern England. This wonderful adaptation of the books by James Herriot has timeless appeal for the whole family. I've watched the series in its entirety three or four times since it was made and it still remains fresh and very enjoyable. In addition to an abundance of charm and humor, the quality that makes this TV series so exceptional is believability. After watching a few episodes, the viewer becomes convinced that James Herriot, Sigfried Farnon, and his brother Tristan Farnon are really qualified vets...just watch one or two of the many scenes involving surgery or calfing and you will see my point. Real proceedures, which the actors actually perform, are conducted under the expert guidance of qualified vets on the set, including the author James Herriot himself. The many and varied supporting actors are also convincing as real people involved in real situations. The leading cast led by Christopher Timothy as James Herriot, Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon, Peter Davidson as his brother Tristan, and Carol Drinkwater as James' wife Helen, are all fabulous. The powerful presence of Robert Hardy as Siegfried is particularly compelling, and its easy to see why he's considered by many to be the finest actor in Britain. When compared to other programs of its genre and indeed other TV series in general, this adaptation of the classic All Creatures Great & Small is simply outstanding. Eleven out of ten.