All Creatures Great and Small: Costume designer Ros Little on creating the authentic wartime looks for Nicholas Ralph, Rachel Shenton, Callum Woodhouse, Samuel West - and Mrs Hall’s iconic uniform worn by Anna Madeley
The moment that Mrs Hall steps into the parlour at Skeldale House - wearing her smart blackout warden’s uniform for the first time on screen - is one that marks a significant turning point for the Darrowby housekeeper, played by the wonderful Anna Madeley. It signals a new confidence, a renewed sense of purpose, a woman determined to do her bit.
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Hide AdThat uniform also looked darned good on her; witness the confused yet admiring gaze of her employer, Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West), further fuelling fan speculation as to whether or not their relationship might develop into something beyond amiable friendship (mostly) and being godparents to little Jimmy Herriot.
Anna described the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) uniform as stunning, paying tribute to Ros Little, costume designer of All Creatures Great and Small, the hugely popular Channel 5 adaptation of James Herriot’s Yorkshire vet stories, now on its fifth series.
“The person who has changed the most throughout the time is Mrs Hall, because she, in the first series, was stuck in the grey cardigan and skirt pretty well all the time,” says Ros. “Gradually, she’s become a bit more glamorous.”
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Hide AdMrs Hall’s navy blue serge ARP uniform was a reproduction of the regulation women’s’ Civil Defence uniform, made at London-based costumiers Cosprop. Anna came in several times for fittings, to make sure it looked perfect.
“There was a skirt and tunic option, and there were also trousers,” Ros says. “When it came to the reveal of the uniform, Anna felt better in the trousers.
“The hat was made as well, slightly differently to the hats in the photographs in that their brims wouldn't work for us - they would be too big, shading the face.”
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Hide AdRos has been costume designer for All Creatures right from the start (the first series aired in 2020). Born in Fife, she trained at Edinburgh College of Art, and has worked across the world on productions including The Last Kingdom, Poldark, Horrible Histories, The Thick of It and Inspector George Gently.
All Creatures series five is awash with uniforms - and detail is everything. Authenticity is the aim where practical and possible.
For James’s RAF flying gear, she called on the expertise of military advisor Taff Gillingham, whose company Khaki Devil advises all aspects of military uniform, props, protocol and historical accuracy, and hires out military uniforms and props for film, television and theatre. Ros introduced him in series three, for Siegfried’s WWI flashback scenes.
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Hide Ad“Taff is absolutely critical for us, because it's not just about the uniform - there's everything about the ranking, the medals that you might have had, what's plausible, what's not, the etiquette. He’s vital to the whole thing being correct,” she says.
Some principal cast uniforms were hired from costume suppliers Angels, including Nicholas Ralph’s RAF officer uniform. Crowd scene uniforms were also hired for series five, liaising with the All Creatures production team second assistant director to ensure supporting artists will fit the clothes, some of which are originals. “The RAF ones are small and the naval uniforms are minute,” says Ros.
Land Army girls’ uniforms were also made especially for the series. “There's another uniform with britches, but you mostly see them in overalls. They might customise it a bit with a blouse of their own.”
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Hide AdWhen it comes to the main characters’ “everyday” outfits, Ros and her team build on existing wardrobes in much the same way that people in the 1930s and ‘40s would have done in real life.
“They can't have lots of new things because nobody would have,” she says. “As much as possible is made for the characters. Quite a lot of Helen's clothes have been made for her. This year we only made one new dress for Rachel, which she wore for the Christening. That dress was based on a shirt dress that we've seen before, which was navy blue, and a fabric that we both agreed we liked.
“Most things for the principals are made at Cosprop, because I know the workmanship is absolutely top notch. We'll continue fitting until it’s absolutely perfect.”
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Hide AdAt the start of a new series, each of the principals meets Ros at Cosprop for a fitting that will probably last half a day. “We go through everything we've had in the past. I’ll have inklings about the things that are happening,” Ros says.
“We take photographs of lots of combinations. I hope to have planned every outfit, so that my team already has lined up every outfit ready to go.”
For other cast members and supporting artists, Ros finds fabrics, vintage patterns, or vintage garments to be copied, and now there is a stock of garments, particularly for women and children.
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Hide Ad“You can buy certain standard things from suppliers for men,” she says.
The arrival of baby Jimmy means lots of baby clothes have been needed, including a sage-green knitted pram suit worn in the christening photos. “It’s all hand-knitted. There were several knitters working on these baby clothes.
“That's the kind of classic matinee jacket that could have been worn anytime from the ‘20s to the ‘70s. I wanted certain colours. He didn't want to be in blue all the time, and sage turned out really well.”
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Hide AdSeries five sees the return not just of Tristan (Callum Woodhouse), but also of his signature knitted slipover vests. “They’re very, very popular, these Fair Isles,” Ros says. “There's a nice maroon one that's been knitted for him.”
When Carmody (James Anthony-Rose) joined last season, Ros created a distinctive signature look for him, too. “They wanted them to be very like Siegfried in lots of ways,” Ros says. “Luckily, I found a very good three-piece tweedy suit at Cosprop.”
See Sam West play the All creatures theme tune on the piano in Yorkshire
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Hide AdSiegfried’s beautiful brown tweed suit was made for him earlier, also at Cosprop. “It's war and they've got plenty of clothes for a man of the time, even if it wasn’t war,” she says. “James has gradually had a few more jumpers. They're all cabled, muted, coloured slipovers. He's got grey cords and brown cords, and that's really him. That's his look.”
Meanwhile, Helen’s teenage sister Jenny (Imogen Clawson) is developing her own sense of style as she grows older, and is seen wearing a striking green striped jacket for the christening. “We really liked that,” says Ros. “It felt like she'd gone to the equivalent of Topshop or something.”
Ros had a suit made last year for Mrs Pumphrey, played by Patricia Hodge. “It's her sort of everyday, going around Darrowby, being useful and involved with charity events and all sorts of things,” Ros says. “There’s a two-piece suit jacket and skirt, which is a grey Prince of Wales check.
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Hide Ad“She's had some lovely dresses and things made, but she was more in Pumphrey Manor in the past. Now she's been bustling around doing good works.”
The ongoing challenge for Ros is to keep subtly enriching the All Creatures Great and Small wardrobe, creating looks that help define the characters and show their development, reflecting the challenges of the period, working with the actors, directors and all the production team. “I think we've enriched it a lot over time,” she says. “Everybody really cares about it.”
All Creatures Great and Small continues on Channel 5 on Thursdays at 9pm.
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