All Creatures Great and Small to return to the Yorkshire Dales for second series after Channel 5 record ratings

It was announced this morning that the programme - based on Alf Wight's fictionalised adventures as a young country vet - would return to the Yorkshire Dales for filming next year for six new episodes and a Christmas special.

The author's children have also backed the series, which was originally on the BBC in the 1970s, saying it was "absolutely true to the ‘Herriot ethos’".

Channel 5 said that the series gained a consolidated viewership of 4.7m viewers, with an additional million tuning in for the Sunday repeat, making it the channel’s highest rating launch for a drama commission ever and getting audiences around Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Sebastian Cardwell, Channel 5 deputy director of programmes, said: “In challenging times, this new adaptation gained a special place in the heart of the British public.

"With values of community spirit, solidarity and heart-felt compassion, these stories are important ones for us to tell, now more than ever. I’m delighted that we will be seeing more of James and his Darrowby family when they return to our screens soon.”

Viewers can expect more heartwarming and humourous adventures of James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) as he joins his unconventional mentor, Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West), matriarch of Skeldale House Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley), Siegfried’s errant brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse), and independent local farmer’s daughter Helen Alderson (Rachel Shenton), alongside a an ensemble of farmers, animals and townsfolk living in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s.

James Alfred Wight OBE FRCVS was a veterinary surgeon who graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College at the age of 23.

He headed to a veterinary practice in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, in 1940, where he fell in love with the Dales and the woman he would marry, Joan Danbury.

Wight later wrote stories based on his own adventures, under the pen name James Herriot.

Jim Wight and Rosie Page, his children, said: “We thought series one of the new All Creatures Great and Small was excellent.

"It was an immensely enjoyable adaptation of Dad’s books, very professionally acted and produced, and absolutely true to the ‘Herriot ethos’.

“We have had wonderful feedback from many and various people, from all walks of life, telling us how they had derived great comfort from watching the new series in these stressful Covid times. We are very hopeful that series two will be equally uplifting and entertaining, and we are greatly looking forward to seeing it."

The production by the company Playground (Howards End, Wolf Hall) will receive funding and support from Leeds-based Screen Yorkshire.

The Masterpiece platform on the PBS channel in the USA will co-produce the show and all3Media International will be the global partner.

Executive producer Caroline Cooper Charles, head of creative at Screen Yorkshire, said: “In an uncertain world, the warmth and charm of All Creatures Great and Small and its delicious cast of characters is comfort food for the soul. Screen Yorkshire is delighted to have invested in both series and can’t wait to welcome the production team back to Yorkshire for more fantastic and uplifting stories from Darrowby.”

Meanwhile, the first series - reportedly rejected by the BBC - will hit screens in America early next year.

“We can’t wait to premiere the first season of All Creatures Great and Small in January – the perfect time for our audience to enjoy the humor and warmth of the series,” said Masterpiece executive producer Susanne Simpson.

"“Knowing there’s a second season will make watching and engaging with these characters even better.”

Colin Callender, executive producer and CEO of Playground, added: “Working with Channel 5, all3Media International, Masterpiece and Screen Yorkshire on the first series has been an absolute joy.

“All Creatures Great and Small has struck such a chord with audiences worldwide who were hungry for an entertaining, family-friendly show that provided some respite from the complicated and messy times we live in.

"We’re very excited to return home to our family at Skeldale House and to transport viewers back to Darrowby for more veterinary antics in the Yorkshire Dales."

Never out of print, the Herriot books have sold 60 million copies internationally, becoming a global cultural phenomenon with devoted fans around the world.

Executive producer Louise Pedersen, CEO of all3Media International, said: “The international reception to this series has been tremendously positive – and we are very proud that so many territories in Asia, Europe and the Americas have fallen for the charms of this wonderful drama.”