‘Here we go’ says All Creatures Great and Small director as filming for Series 7 begins in the Yorkshire Dales
Filming for All Creatures Great and Small series seven has started in the Yorkshire Dales, confirmed by director Brian Percival who this morning has posted on his Instagram a photograph of the familiar clapperboard - marked Slate 1 Take 1.
Beneath the image of the slate, which was propped up against 1940s-style props including books and a cash tin, the acclaimed director wrote: “Here we go…. S7 #ACGAS.”
The popular PBS/Channel 5 adaptation is based on the bestselling books of James Herriot, real-life Thirsk vet Alf Wight, who died on this day, February 23, in 1995, aged 78.
Last week, All Creatures stars Nicholas Ralph, who plays James Herriot in the popular Channel 5 drama series, and Rachel Shenton, who plays his wife Helen Herriot, sparked speculation that cast and crew were gathering to start production when they were spotted at Summerbridge Methodist Church, not far from the studios where the interiors are filmed.
The studios contain the inside sets for Skeldale House, while the exterior of the building is a house on the village square at Grassington, with a portico of stone-effect columns cleverly added to create the iconic entrance to the famous vets’ surgery and home.
Likewise, The Devonshire at Grassington is used as the exterior of The Drovers - favourite watering hole of James, Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) and Siegfried (Samuel West) - while the interior is filmed using a special set at the studios.
In the US, season six has just finished airing on Masterpiece on PBS, with fans there already asking when they will get to see season seven - and some fans especially wanting to find out what the reemergence of Siegfried’s erstwhile love interest Dorothy will mean regarding the status of his relationship with his housekeeper Mrs Hall, played by Anna Madeley.
Back over here in the Yorkshire Dales, filming for All Creatures Great and Small usually takes place from February until June, with scenes for episode seven - the Christmas Special - often shot on the hottest days of the year, as cast are swaddled in layers of knitwear and outerwear.
The posting of the first All Creatures Great and Small new series slate on social media is a tradition that was started by Samuel West on his X account, but in recent series the honour has fallen to Brian Percival, who has been lead director for the Channel 5/PBS adaptation since the making of the first series, which premiered in the UK on September 1, 2020.
The director, who has also worked on Downton Abbey, North and South and The Book Thief, last month told Manchester-based charity Elizabeth Gaskell House that he considered working on All Creatures as a home, with cast and crew as his family.
He added: “When I decided to take on All Creatures Great and Small in 2019, the world was in such a bad place with constant bad news, so I wanted to offer people an escape—even if it was just for an hour or two.”
Last month, All Creatures Great and Small won Best Drama Series at the TV Choice awards, voted for by TV viewers.