All Creatures Great and Small Series 5: We met Nicholas Ralph and saw filming in Grassington and the Yorkshire Dales - and this is what we loved most

“They said ‘you can stay and watch, if you want to’, so I did and met some of the crew,” she says.

Four years on and Ros, from Stirton, near Skipton, has watched filming for Channel 5’s hit drama All Creatures Great and Small many times, all five series, photographing the cast, crew, supporting artists and animals as she goes, creating a wonderful and insightful record of its production.

Ros had her own photo taken with James Herriot actor Nicholas Ralph last year. “I’m not the sort who would go up and say ‘please can I have a selfie?’, she says.“I just turned around and there he was. He said ‘Hello’ in his soft Scottish brogue. I asked, ‘Do you mind if I take your photograph?’ and he said, ‘Better than that. Let’s get one taken together’. He chatted for a while and was so friendly.

“They are great with the public,” she adds. “As long as you are not intrusive, and you respect the fact that they are filming.”

See the All Creatures Great and Small behind-the-scenes photo gallery here

As a child, Ros watched the original BBC series, which ran from 1978-90, with her dad. “I thought, it will never be as good as the original. Now I actually like it better than the original.”

She is not alone. There are several Facebook fan groups dedicated to the Channel 5 reboot, made by Playground and based on the books by real-life Thirsk vet Alf Wight, using the pen name James Herriot. These groups have members across the globe. Ros is a moderator for one of the originals.

All Creatures sparks connection and community near and far. Claire Simpkin is the owner of Moorside Farm Holiday Cottage, moorsidefarm.co.uk, near Hebden. She says that the programme has attracted more visitors, especially from overseas, to Grassington, particularly during filming season.

She began chatting to Ros while watching filming, and now they meet for coffee (I joined them in Grassington for this interview).

Watching the series on TV brings back fond memories for Claire of her mum, who died unexpectedly in September 2020. One of the last programmes they watched together was the very first episode when James arrives in Darrowby. “He comes down from a lane that overlooks the village – that’s Kettlewell,” she says. “Next minute he walks round the corner by the coffee shop, and now he’s in Grassington, so we found that quite funny.

“In the times we are living in at the moment, with all the riots, you look at it and it’s really community-spirited, and really comforting to watch.”.

The Facebook groups can and do also reflect that sense of community, and posting on-set photos means that fans across the world are able to feel part of the production. “They wish they could be here,” says Claire. “They want to discuss it and feel part of it.”

Safety manager Missy West, who lives in East Tennessee, is a fan group administrator. “It’s a place for people to share what they love about the show and the area,” she says.

Missy read the James Herriot books as a child. “Helen is my favourite. She’s a strong, sensible woman who isn’t afraid to fight for those she loves.”

She visited the Yorkshire Dales in the spring of 2023, and went to The World of James Herriot in Thirsk. “I was taking a picture of the statue in the garden, and behind it you can see the third-story window. I kept imagining a hand with a dishcloth emerging and waving at him as he started his day, just like in his wonderful stories.”

Missy adds: “The mixture of laughter, life’s joys and sorrows are very real and familiar. Kindness and acceptance are always strengths, and very much needed in every community.”

Linda Renfrew, a retired European tax manager from Stokesley, learned that the Channel 5 series was starting long before filming had even started. “I'd seen a post on Facebook in spring 2019 advertising for extras, so I knew it was on its way,” she says.

“Having worked in the area where the original series was filmed and met some of the farmers who were featured, I was intrigued to see what Playground/C5 were going to do. I like that it's a fresh new take, and that it's also endorsed by Jim Wight and Rosie Page (Alf Wight’s children).”

Linda is an admin, expert, moderator and member for some of the Facebook fans groups. She says: “The private groups are great for sharing information, pictures from filming, facts about the actors, facts about Yorkshire, answering fans’ questions when they perhaps don't understand what's happened, Yorkshire traditions - or the dialogue, especially fans abroad if they don't use captioning.”

She has visited Grassington many times, and was there in June last year with her sister, Annette, over from Australia, but Linda does not visit during filming. “For me, there is a concern that if too many people turn up, the cast and crew can't get their job done,” she says.

Linda appreciates the insight the series gives into life and its hardships for those who lived in the UK in the 1930s and ‘40s. “Although we might face different challenges, in a lot of respects life is easier today. To watch the series is a place of retreat and calm.”

Betsy Rehm lives in Libertyville, Illinois. “I’m half Scottish - my maternal grandparents emigrated after WWI,” she says. “So when I saw the first PBS trailer in December 2020 and learned it was about a Scottish veterinarian, I was all in. Nicholas Ralph’s Scottish burr brings back fond memories. It started during COVID, so it was a wonderful respite from what was going on in the world.”

Betsy loves the attention to detail, especially the details that only a James Herriot reader would notice, such as word-for-word dialogue.

Betsy is also a member of some fan groups. She says: “Spoiler photos from filming are always exciting to see. The discussions can be lively, to say the least, especially on certain topics. I also feel like I’ve made a few friends in the groups and, to some degree, they’re a bit like the old days of having pen pals.

The Yorkshire Dales are on Betsy’s bucket list for 2025. “I’d love to see some filming and meet up with some Facebook friends, too,” she says.

How actor Samuel West delights fans with his commentary while filming in the Dales

Publishing consultant Melanie Tönnies, from Berlin, visited the Dales in April, 2023. “I first heard about the new adaptation at a Doctor Who convention in 2019 when Peter Davison mentioned it,” she says.

“I was hooked immediately because of the slow pace, the attention to detail. The scenes are all long, the editing isn't rushed like it is with so many other current shows. But most of all I love that the entire cast is so brilliant. The addition of Mrs Hall as a main character is perfect because we have a balance between strong male and strong female characters.”

Rich Gay and Sue Morton, from Maine, USA, saw filming when they visited Grassington this May on a two-week trip to the UK. Rich says: “What a treat it was to be a 10-minute drive from a film-ready village. We travelled over in the morning and stood under grey skies and light drizzle while Mrs Hall and others rehearsed a scene. We also managed to find tea and a bite to eat at the ‘Darrowby Ironmongers’.

“It was a lovely village, a lovely set, with many fantastic people around. It was a highlight of our trip and we're very glad to have been able to be there to witness it. We speak of it often since we've been home, and we're looking forward to seeing these scenes in the show, when it hopefully airs on PBS Masterpiece for us this winter. We're currently dreaming and planning what the next visit will entail.”