Adventures of Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton that viewers will never see

As new life begins on the livestock farms of the North Riding, it is the perfect time of year to watch a country vet on his rounds. But the camera has for the moment stopped turning on Julian Norton’s busy life.

The Yorkshire Post columnist, author and Channel Five’s popular “Yorkshire Vet” has for the last five years enjoyed a nationwide audience as he hops between his practice in Boroughbridge and the surrounding farmsteads.

With the TV crew confined to base he is currently flying solo, but still struggling to maintain the recommended pattern of social spacing.

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“I lambed a sheep at two in the morning and another at half past eight,” he said, on a brief break between calls.

Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton at work during the lockdown.Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton at work during the lockdown.
Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton at work during the lockdown.

“There’s no way I can do that and be more than two meters from the person holding on to the sheep.

“I’ve also just been to see an alpaca with a sore eye. That’s something else that’s hard to treat while social distancing.”

He had tried filming the process himself with his phone, to see if the footage could be used later. The producers told him it couldn’t.

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“They said it was a bit more complicated than that,” he said.

Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton at work during the lockdown.Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton at work during the lockdown.
Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton at work during the lockdown.

“We should be filming series 11 right now. It’s ironic because there are so many stories we could have told over the last few weeks. New lives being brought into the world are exactly want viewers want to be experiencing.”

It is by no means the only frustration for Mr Norton and his colleagues at the moment.

“Vets are key workers up to a point. We need to be available for emergencies, animal welfare and anything that affects the food chain,” he said.

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“But there’s a difference of opinion within the profession on what else we should be doing, and the guidance evolves all the time.

Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton at work during the lockdown.Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton at work during the lockdown.
Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton at work during the lockdown.

“Something that wasn’t an emergency can become more critical as time goes by. Overdue vaccines that were routine are now starting to become more significant. The last thing we want is distemper or hepatitis.”

Another drama of a few hours earlier that viewers will not see concerned an emergency call to a dog struggling to deliver her puppies. “It’s stranger than anyone would have thought,” he said. “The pet shops are still open so you can go and buy a dog, but vaccinations for puppies were initially regarded as non-essential. Now they’re considered acceptable so that the dogs can go out and socialise with less risk of infection.”

Many vets feared for their own safety as well of that of the animals, he added.

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“Some colleagues are desperately worried that they will catch the coronavirus and die, or spread it to others. Others take a more pragmatic approach,” he said.

“At the end of the day we are health workers and we have the same mentality that the job needs to get done and illness fixed.”

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

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Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson, Editor

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