Helen Skelton: ‘It’s so wonderful that there is such a massive appetite for All Creatures Great and Small’ - TV presenter to meet Alf Wight’s son on Channel 5 series

In Helen Skelton and Dan Walker’s latest Channel 5 series Yorkshire Great and Small With Dan and Helen, the pair are on a mission to find hidden gems as well as learn new things about the region.

In episode five, which will air on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at 8pm, the two TV presenters and good friends will split up and explore the Yorkshire Dales, taking on a route coined ‘The Herriot Way’.

The trail was created by none other than the original All Creatures Great and Small creator himself, Alf Wight, in the 1950s to help celebrate the landscape he was fond of.

Dan and Helen begin their adventure in the village of Keld, famous for the number of waterfalls.

Part of the way through the episode, Dan and Helen split up. Dan visits Herriot Country where he helps a sheep farmer who has worked on the land for 50 years.

Helen meets the son of Alf Wight, Jim, to discover stories about the man behind the books.

“I got to walk with him and his dog,” she told The Yorkshire Post.

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“It’s just so mind-bogglingly wonderful that there’s such a massive appetite for All Creatures and even he thinks that. I asked him why it’s such an enduring appeal.

“Jim summed it up brilliantly; he said that when [his dad] first started writing his books, it was at a time when people were working really hard, people were working in cities and they just wanted a slice and a taste of greenery and good views and all of that.

“He said that this is probably as relevant now as it was when his dad first wrote them. He sold a kind of, not Disneyland for adults, but a bit of escapism, a bit of joy and stories for adults that put a smile on people’s faces.”

Both Dan and Helen are massive fans of the series.

“It’s our family thing,” Dan said.

“It’s presented by two people who love the place, it’s packed full of Yorkshire people and it’s filmed by a Yorkshire production company; it’s very authentically Yorkshire.”

Helen said that it is the one of the only family friendly shows on TV.

“I think it cuts back into childhood, it’s that nostalgia thing,” she said.

“There’s not that many programmes that you can watch together [as a family] but All Creatures Great and Small is that personified.

“Dan’s got teenagers, I’ve got a seven year old and a nine year old. We wanted to warm people up for that [show]. I hope we’ve done that.”