There is a new version out of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small, which aired last Sunday, having already run in the UK. A reader asked of the community:
Thoughts on the all new version of All Creatures Great and Small?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
.jpg)
We are thoroughly enjoying it. Diana Rigg is terrific in her final role.
ReplyDeleteYou might like Detectorists. Rigg and her real life daughter Rachel Sterling play mother and daughter in re-occuring episodes. The show is a lovely bit of comedy.
DeleteI do love this reboot of All Creatures. This Sigfried is fantastic.
David J Cooper
I second this recommendation!
DeleteA spot on review. We look forward to PBS on Sunday evening, starting with "Miss Scarlet and the Duke", followed by "All Creatures Great and Small". I agree that it comes at a time when "exhaling is important". This is a needed dose of loveliness, humanity and community.
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying it immensely. It's reminiscent of Masterpiece Theatre's classic, golden era.
ReplyDeleteJusy superb! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteMy family absolutely love it. We are big fans of the books and original series, even traveling to Alf Wight's home in Thirsk, Yorkshire for a tour. It is the light hearted and beautiful tonic we all need right now.
ReplyDeleteI like the new version but I'm partial to the old. We are watching both and comparing them. Win-win!
ReplyDeletetotally enjoying this wonderful new version of All Creatures Great and Small!
ReplyDeleteWanted to love it, but didn't. I liked the actor who played James, but the actors for Tristan and Siegfried missed the mark for me. Maybe it was the invented storylines more than the actors themselves, but the show didn't capture the wonderful spirit and humor of the books for me. It felt dramatized for TV in an inauthentic way and didn't show enough animals.
ReplyDelete"Didn't show enough animals." ???
DeleteHmmm, and all along I thought I was watching the great new PBS series, but I guess I must have been watching "The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)" instead.
"I liked the actor who played James, but the actors for Tristan and Siegfried missed the mark for me."
DeleteMy wife and I have had the same reaction. We also liked the new housekeeper. Given the usual alternatives, this program is totally fun and refreshing.
Mrs Hall did not have much of a role in the original . Interesting to see this storyline. I am ok with Siegfried- not as eccentric in the new one. Tristan was a dirtbag in the original and a dirtbag in the new.
DeleteWe don't have a TV, but I do recommend reading all of the books.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy it, unfortunately I do not have any experience with the original to compare.
ReplyDeleteAll 90 or so original episodes are available, in chronological order, on youtube. I've been enjoying them greatly. I also bought my parents the entire boxset of DVDs of the originals, but this was to watch on British televisions and I know that not all DVDs work in both the US and the UK. I hope you enjoy it if you watch it.
DeleteWe're really enjoying it. It's been years since wither my wife or I have seen the earlier 1978 version.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Heinz-Ulrich
Loving it! I've seen the original series and I really enjoy both versions.
ReplyDeleteI love the 1978 series, especially the late Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon, but I am enjoying the new series. If you can get it, a tv series called "The Yorkshire Vet"is based at the Skeldale practice where James Wight (Herriot was his pen name) practiced veterinary medicine and found inspiration for his writing. One of the senior vets at the practice, Peter Wright, joined the Skeldale practice in 1982 and worked with James Wight. Its fun to see the country where the practice still thrives today.
ReplyDeleteWight was called Alf, his middle name, by his family and friends.
DeleteSaw that last year. It's not bad.
ReplyDeleteThe latest version of "All Creatures Great and Small" on Masterpiece is a gift in these troubling times. So soothing, and well-made (as are a lot of English made items). I had not seen the 1970's version before this, but I've found it on BritBox and I'm supplementing my screen time with this older show. It's calming, a sedative, a tranquilizer, and a hope that things can return to 'normal'. In a word, both shows are a restorative. So brew a pot of tea, light the fire, and settle down to an hour of decompression, comfort, and some animals. PS DON'T watch the evening news after this show if a good night's sleep is what you're after.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't watch last night. I was madly in love with Diana Rigg as a teenager and just couldn't bear to see what time renders to us all.
ReplyDeleteTorn between this Helen and the original other.
ReplyDeleteLove it and am disappointed the first season is only 6 episodes. Hopefully we can find the original to watch in the next few months.
ReplyDeleteSome of the old ones are on YouTube:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_6yeR_Pa8Y
BritBox has all of the 1970's airing at present.
DeleteI whole-heartedly agree with Lisa: Masterpiece's "All Creatures Great and Small" has been a gift in these troubling times. The lovely countryside, charming village scenes, the interaction of the characters and, of course, the animals, has been absolutely wonderful. I first discovered Herriot's books in early middle school and vividly recall how the text captured the imagination, transporting it to a new and different world. The show is doing much the same to a new generation.
ReplyDeleteIt is, indeed, lovely, escapist television. I was proud of myself for recognizing Neville Longbottom and delighted to see him acting.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the original ACG&S in the 70s and 80s, I thoroughly enjoyed the new version. Even some of the dialogue is identical. Great quality as always from British television.
ReplyDeleteIt is on my list! Reading the books in my childhood inspired me to be a country vet, one semester of ag school cured that, lol.
ReplyDeleteWe've been enjoying it, but I'm disappointed that Siegfried's pack of dogs appears to be reduced to one.
ReplyDeleteHaven't managed to watch it yet but will hopefully borrow the DVD from the library at a later date. I loved the original series, my father was from that park of the world although I grew up in Hampstead, N. London. It has long been a Bohemian area full of actor types. Our neighbors in the flat downstairs (only seriously rich people lived in houses in that area), were both actors and I remember Carol Drinkwater and Christopher Timothy visiting her one summer evening for a cook-out. Apparently they had an off-screen relationship for a while at that time. I still miss Robert Hardy, he absolutely cracked me up!
ReplyDeleteJust watched the finale. Best of the episodes- always love the Christmas episodes. Glad it was renewed for another season.
ReplyDeleteFor many years I've been a fan of the books, and the original series. Robert Hardy was and is unforgettable. I am very much enjoying the new series, and surpringly enjoying Samuel West's Sigfried. I prefer the old Tristan to the new. Both are rogues, but the old one is a bit easier to like. As for James, I like the old and new. Very pleased the series will continue next season. Incidentally, Samuel West is the son of actor Timothy West, and actress Prunella Scales. MS Scales was Mrs. Faulty in Faulty Towers.
ReplyDelete