All Creatures Great And Small (2021) - General Discussion

[Doublemint]

On 1/25/2021 at 11:33 AM, peacheslatour said:

Did that happen in the books? Because I don't remember it.

No - I'm rereading right now and Tristan collected money due on market day and entered it into a roster but lost his list and couldn't enter the names and payments into the ledger.   This resulted in all the payees being billed again the following month.

[Doublemint]

I'm a little put off by the "lead poisoning" - it seems so 2000's.   Did people know that there was lead in paint? It certainly wasn't recognized as a problem or a hazard at that time.     This scene is not in the books either.

[Ilovepie]

Just coming here to say I love the casting of all of these people! I have read all of the books and we own the original series on dvd. I just love these stories! I am glad they cast younger and sexier for Siegfried because I always felt that Robert Hardy was too old and not cool enough to be playing Siegfried. I always thought he seemed younger, more worldly and kind of sexy in the books. This version of him definitely fits more how I pictured him for sure!

And my wonderful Leslie is back as Tristan! I admit I became 10 times more excited for this when I saw Callum Woodhouse had been cast.

I cannot even fathom the agony of having to put down that horse. I don't know if I could do it, and if I did have to do it, I would need grief counseling afterward. But this is why I am an accountant and not a vet......

I really hope at some time in the future we see Cedric the farting Boxer. Probably my favorite story out of all of them. I have never in my life laughed as hard at any piece of literature like I did when reading that story for the first time.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

I cannot even fathom the agony of having to put down that horse. I don't know if I could do it, and if I did have to do it, I would need grief counseling afterward. But this is why I am an accountant and not a vet......

I've always loved animals and used to volunteer at an animal shelter when I was in high school. I wanted to take them all home (except for the six boa constrictors the manager kept in a big glass tank). Later after reading these books, I became a vet tech. I couldn't hack it. I would go home crying so often my DH was seriously trying to get me to either quit or get counseling. One of the vets was sexually harassing me so I quit.

[Sharpie66]

2 hours ago, Doublemint said:

I'm a little put off by the "lead poisoning" - it seems so 2000's.   Did people know that there was lead in paint? It certainly wasn't recognized as a problem or a hazard at that time.     This scene is not in the books either.

Sherwin-Williams had a report on the dangers of lead in paint in 1904, so it was definitely known in the industry.

In the book The Poisoner’s Handbook (highly recommended!), there’s a chapter on the origins of leaded gasoline and the controversy since it was introduced to reduce engine knock. In the early 1920s, the creator of leaded gasoline did a demonstration for the press over how very safe it was, even dipping his hands in the gas. He ended up on extended medical leave from the gas company to recover from the exposure, but they still managed to get its use okayed for decades. The New York City ME fought for preventing its approval, but politics overruled him.

So, the medical profession was aware of various sources of lead in the environment but couldn’t fight the various lobbies who supported its use in all sorts of products.

[j5cochran]

3 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

Just coming here to say I love the casting of all of these people! I have read all of the books and we own the original series on dvd. I just love these stories! I am glad they cast younger and sexier for Siegfried because I always felt that Robert Hardy was too old and not cool enough to be playing Siegfried. I always thought he seemed younger, more worldly and kind of sexy in the books. This version of him definitely fits more how I pictured him for sure!

Samuel West was born in 1966, so he was about 54 during the filming of this first season. Robert Hardy was born in 1925, so he was about 53 during the filming of his first season in 1978! I think it's that Robert Hardy simply plays as a more mature adult that West. I agree that West is definitely sexy!

[SandyToes]

4 hours ago, Doublemint said:

I'm a little put off by the "lead poisoning" - it seems so 2000's.   Did people know that there was lead in paint? It certainly wasn't recognized as a problem or a hazard at that time.     This scene is not in the books either.

Yeah, it is in there, but it may have been a different animal.  The blindness and bumping into things was what tipped Herriott off. Don't recall Tristan being part of the solution though.

I'm interested to see when we meet the "knacker man."  The stories of his "healthiest kids in the district" despite living amongst anthrax and worse.... Not sure I'm anxious to see his work place, though. (shudder!)

[Ilovepie]

34 minutes ago, j5cochran said:

Samuel West was born in 1966, so he was about 54 during the filming of this first season. Robert Hardy was born in 1925, so he was about 53 during the filming of his first season in 1978! I think it's that Robert Hardy simply plays as a more mature adult that West. I agree that West is definitely sexy!

Ha! Proves me wrong then! I guess this actor just reads younger to me than Robert Hardy? For some reason, when I was reading the books I always imagined Siegfried looking kind of like Ryan Gosling when he was in Crazy Stupid Love. Very good looking, glamorous, and definitely not in his fifties! I was imagining him as more in his late thirties if I had to put a number on it. I never researched what the real age difference was between James and Siegfried, so this is probably me just romanticizing Siegfried......

[peacheslatour]

Just now, Ilovepie said:

Ha! Proves me wrong then! I guess this actor just reads younger to me than Robert Hardy? For some reason, when I was reading the books I always imagined Siegfried looking kind of like Ryan Gosling when he was in Crazy Stupid Love. Very good looking, glamorous, and definitely not in his fifties! I was imagining him as more in his late thirties if I had to put a number on it. I never researched what the real age difference was between James and Siegfried, so this is probably me just romanticizing Siegfried......

I always pictured him as kind of a more serious John Cleese.

Quote

I'm interested to see when we meet the "knacker man."  The stories of his "healthiest kids in the district" despite living amongst anthrax and worse.... Not sure I'm anxious to see his work place, though. (shudder!)

Or the large family that would consume huge bowls of rice pudding before every meal to fill out the rather scanty provisions.

[dargosmydaddy]

32 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

I never researched what the real age difference was between James and Siegfried, so this is probably me just romanticizing Siegfried......

According to the bastion of information, Wikipedia, real-life "Siegfried" was only five years older than James, and four years older than "Tristan." 

Names in quotes since the character names aren't the names of their real-life counterparts.

James: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herriot

"Siegfried": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Sinclair_(veterinary_surgeon)

"Tristan": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Sinclair_(veterinary_surgeon)

[jaimesommers]

I’ve never seen the original series, but I’m really enjoying this one. And I loved this episode. But, oh, I was absolutely horrified at the thought of having to use that “humane killer.” I’ve read some of the books but just never pictured what one actually looked like or how it was used. 

[SandyToes]

2 hours ago, jaimesommers said:

I’ve never seen the original series, but I’m really enjoying this one. And I loved this episode. But, oh, I was absolutely horrified at the thought of having to use that “humane killer.” I’ve read some of the books but just never pictured what one actually looked like or how it was used. 

Me, too.  I had always pictured some giant gun cocked on his shoulder.  Having it be so small, and up so close to those big, sad eyes made the horror of it even greater. More Tricki! 

[Driad]

Article about humane killers.

[Haleth]

After the euthanizing scene my husband said something like, "You know, we're watching this sweet, sometimes funny show about nice people... and forget that it's about sick animals."  So sad.

I love the casting.  The main characters all have great chemistry.

[NoReally]

On 1/24/2021 at 10:13 PM, Driad said:

What is Siegfried's car, the green one with the suicide doors?

It's a 1935 Rover Tourer. 

Very classy car in its day.

[sugarbaker design]

8 minutes ago, NoReally said:

It's a 1935 Rover Tourer. 

Right!  Siegfried told James to take the Rover to pick up Tristan.

[MrAtoz]

15 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

According to the bastion of information, Wikipedia, real-life "Siegfried" was only five years older than James, and four years older than "Tristan." 

Names in quotes since the character names aren't the names of their real-life counterparts.

James: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herriot

"Siegfried": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Sinclair_(veterinary_surgeon)

"Tristan": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Sinclair_(veterinary_surgeon)

You know, for years I wondered what Siegfried and Tristan's real names were.  I knew that those were pseudonyms, but surely their actual names were in some way Wagnerian, or operatic, or at least unusual enough that they stood out from most guys you'd meet in real life.  Just like in the books, right?

I was so disappointed the day I learned that the actual men had the perfectly ordinary names Donald and Brian.  That's not Wagnerian at all!

[AZChristian]

12 minutes ago, MrAtoz said:

You know, for years I wondered what Siegfried and Tristan's real names were.  I knew that those were pseudonyms, but surely their actual names were in some way Wagnerian, or operatic, or at least unusual enough that they stood out from most guys you'd meet in real life.  Just like in the books, right?

I was so disappointed the day I learned that the actual men had the perfectly ordinary names Donald and Brian.  That's not Wagnerian at all!

I googled them to see what they really look like. 

The following contains some sad information.

Spoiler

Saddened to read that Donald ("Siegfried") took his own life a few months after the death of his wife. 😞

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by AZChristian
Changed part of my comment to a spoiler.

[Sandiscot]

On 1/26/2021 at 11:06 AM, Doublemint said:

I'm a little put off by the "lead poisoning" - it seems so 2000's.   Did people know that there was lead in paint? It certainly wasn't recognized as a problem or a hazard at that time.     This scene is not in the books either.

Lead poisoning is in chapter 26, but involving several young calves. 

[Blergh]

4 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I googled them to see what they really look like. 

The following contains some sad information.

  Reveal spoiler

Saddened to read that Donald ("Siegfried") took his own life a few months after the death of his wife. 😞

 

Donald was more of a Scottish and Brian more of an Irish name rather than these being common Yorkshire given names but I guess Mr. Wight wanted to make them even more exotic via the Wagnerian names.

It should also be noted that  despite Tristan being portrayed as a flaky goof, Brian Sinclair seemed to have liked the books' and series' portrayal whereas Donald was somewhat hurt by Mr. Wight's interpretations. 

Of course, it needs to be said that Donald Sinclair had ALSO outlived his younger brother as well as his longtime colleague Mr. Wight by the end of his life. 

[libgirl2]

On 1/26/2021 at 5:14 PM, j5cochran said:

Samuel West was born in 1966, so he was about 54 during the filming of this first season. Robert Hardy was born in 1925, so he was about 53 during the filming of his first season in 1978! I think it's that Robert Hardy simply plays as a more mature adult that West. I agree that West is definitely sexy!

He is  younger than me by a year. They are all starting to be younger than me. 

7 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

You know, for years I wondered what Siegfried and Tristan's real names were.  I knew that those were pseudonyms, but surely their actual names were in some way Wagnerian, or operatic, or at least unusual enough that they stood out from most guys you'd meet in real life.  Just like in the books, right?

I was so disappointed the day I learned that the actual men had the perfectly ordinary names Donald and Brian.  That's not Wagnerian at all!

Kind of neat to see the real people. 

[libgirl2]

23 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

According to the bastion of information, Wikipedia, real-life "Siegfried" was only five years older than James, and four years older than "Tristan." 

Names in quotes since the character names aren't the names of their real-life counterparts.

James: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herriot

"Siegfried": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Sinclair_(veterinary_surgeon)

"Tristan": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Sinclair_(veterinary_surgeon)

Thanks for the links. 

[AZChristian]

50 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

He is  younger than me by a year. They are all starting to be younger than me. 

Wait until they start being younger than your kids.  As in this case.  LOL.

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Wait until they start being younger than your kids.  As in this case.  LOL.

I haven't quite gotten there yet! I always preferred a "mature man" but I'm sure it will catch up to me. 

[limecoke]

Thanks for the correction on Timothy West  wow, his son is a dead ringer for pops.

Ok, show, why make the late Mr. Pumphrey’s profession different? He was a beer baron, per the books, and I always thought that was kind of cool. Instead they make him some sort of textile king.

And now Mrs Hall has a son. Well, ok.

[JudyObscure]

Timothy West is Sam's father?! It's such a small world with the British actors.  I've always called Sam "Leonard Bast" because I first saw him in that role in the 1992 Howards End. Also in that movie, playing Aunt Juley, was Prunella Scales who today I see is Timothy West's wife and Samuel's mother!

[Fireball]

In the middle of episode 2 and I can't stand Tristan. He needs to go asap! 

[DonnaMae]

1 hour ago, Fireball said:

In the middle of episode 2 and I can't stand Tristan. He needs to go asap! 

That isn't going to happen, so you're stuck with him.

[Fireball]

1 minute ago, DonnaMae said:

That isn't going to happen, so you're stuck with him.

I figured as much. Maybe he gets better?!?!?  I found him obnoxious in episode 2. 

[possibilities]

I don't like him either, but he gets more tolerable, at least somewhat. He has some moments of decency and he also gets his comeuppance now and then, so it's not just all fratboy all the time.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

I don't like him either, but he gets more tolerable, at least somewhat. He has some moments of decency and he also gets his comeuppance now and then, so it's not just all fratboy all the time.

This is what I'm seeing too.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

The way Tristan helps James with the calf in episode 3 increases his likeability tenfold.  And I did enjoy his conversation with James in the car concerning Helen and Hugh.

I do find Helen a tease tho, unless she and Hugh are just casually dating.  What would Hugh think of her continual flirting with James, she seems to be leading him on.

[HoodlumSheep]

Tricki woo was great this episode. Lololol. 

Helen and Hugh: I know she said nothing's going on..but does hugh know that? I feel like james is struggling to get a good read on their relationship, and i can totally see why.

Everytime that guy with the german shepherd showed up i kept thinking, 'if only james wasn't busy," bc he seems to get along with dogs the best out of the three guys. I know it was to add more humor, but siegfried not giving the german shepherd a full check up...you're a vet, dude. Not a good look. And then he chastises tristan for not giving the dog a full check up as well. Tch.

Mrs. Hall is the glue holding the household/vet clinic together. 

 

Edited February 1, 2021 by HoodlumSheep

[statsgirl]

From the books, I remember Tristan as a lightweight, comedic character.  But watching the show now, with Seigfreid saying that Tristan was so smart he could have gone to Oxford or Cambridge if only he would buckle down,, and Tristan trying but constantly screwing up, it's like textbook ADHD characterization.  "He's not not enjoying the fact that it wasn't him who made the mistake."  I'll have to re-read the books to see if it's Herriot description or the show's writers but my thoughts now are "Poor Tristan."

Quote

I'm rereading right now and Tristan collected money due on market day and entered it into a roster but lost his list and couldn't enter the names and payments into the ledger.  

Or as my daughter said while she was watching Tristan with the german shepherd "Oh my god, Tristan's good at practical work and terrible at studying. He's got ADHD!"

[possibilities]

After he changed the tire, James shook hands with Hugh, and I was surprised Hugh took his filthy hand. I was also surprised he thanked him for helping Andante. I guess we're meant to think he's not actually a bad guy, and was just freaking out last week.

 

[libgirl2]

On 1/30/2021 at 6:18 AM, JudyObscure said:

Timothy West is Sam's father?! It's such a small world with the British actors.  I've always called Sam "Leonard Bast" because I first saw him in that role in the 1992 Howards End. Also in that movie, playing Aunt Juley, was Prunella Scales who today I see is Timothy West's wife and Samuel's mother!

I didn't know any of this! 

[TVForever]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

After he changed the tire, James shook hands with Hugh, and I was surprised Hugh took his filthy hand. I was also surprised he thanked him for helping Andante. I guess we're meant to think he's not actually a bad guy, and was just freaking out last week.

 

Of course Hugh was freaking out, and rightly so. I thought at the time that, while the horse clearly needed to be put down, surely James could have waited for the owner to be located and notified. Hugh probably would have been okay at the time if the situation was explained before the deed; instead, he comes in to find that his beautiful prize horse has been killed. 

Hugh's probably not a BAD guy, but he'll likely be painted that way to make it all right for Helen to take up with James. 

[Blergh]

Poor Mrs.Hall re having her package to her son returned! I have to wonder if he willingly abandoned his last known address or did he get thrown out to. ..wherever and is unable to reach his mother? Despite her attempt at rationalizing things, I can't help but think that Mrs. Hall could be worried he could have had something truly bad have happened to him but no way at this time to know what it could be!

[AZChristian]

28 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I didn't know any of this! 

I often have to watch shows twice because I'm always looking up the actors on IMDB while the show is on the first time.

[ECM1231]

So, checking out IMDB I see there are a total of 6 episodes, so only 2 remain. 😟 Is this the second go round of airing b/c IMDB shows that it aired September-October 2020.

32 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

I often have to watch shows twice because I'm always looking up the actors on IMDB while the show is on the first time.

I do that, too. What did we ever do without cellphones/tablets, etc?

[MrAtoz]

46 minutes ago, TVForever said:

Of course Hugh was freaking out, and rightly so. I thought at the time that, while the horse clearly needed to be put down, surely James could have waited for the owner to be located and notified. Hugh probably would have been okay at the time if the situation was explained before the deed; instead, he comes in to find that his beautiful prize horse has been killed. 

Hugh's probably not a BAD guy, but he'll likely be painted that way to make it all right for Helen to take up with James. 

I can't help comparing this episode to the way it was presented in the original version.  There, James put the horse down then and there because it was in agony, and had been for hours by that time.  He felt that waiting any longer wouldn't have changed anything, but would only have been needlessly cruel.  It's an interesting contrast to me because Original James's attitude wasn't regret so much as righteous anger that the trainer had waited so long before calling in a vet.  I do like that Hugh seems to have come to understand that James did the right thing.

This kind of leads into my general take on this version, versus the original adaptation.  Which is that the new version is sort of ramping up the drama of the various situations.  For example, in the original, as in the books, James had to put down a valuable horse.  The trainer questioned James's diagnosis, so Siegfried did a post-mortem and confirmed that James had been right.  And that was it.  All the stuff about Siegfried wanting a job at the racetrack, the village calling James "horse-killer," and the horse's owner being James's rival for Helen, is new to this adaptation.

It's fair for them to do that, of course--Herriot's books are only loosely based on real events, so I suppose they have freedom to adapt them as they see fit--but I think it's interesting to note the kind of changes they are making.

As to Tristan, he's always been a combination of funny in the way he punctures Siegfried's stuffiness, and a sense that his irresponsibility might have occasionally made him a pain in the ass to actually work with.  I will note that according to wikipedia, Brian Sinclair (the "real" Tristan) eventually went to work for the Ministry of Agriculture, and became head of the Veterinary Investigation Centre.  So whatever problems he had as a young man, he did become successful in the profession.

[peacheslatour]

Poor Tricky Woo.

[dargosmydaddy]

48 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

So, checking out IMDB I see there are a total of 6 episodes, so only 2 remain. 😟 Is this the second go round of airing b/c IMDB shows that it aired September-October 2020.

That's when it aired in the UK. This is the first airing here. I believe there was also a Christmas special (which aired on Christmas in the UK, after season one), so hopefully PBS tacks that on the end, too.

10 hours ago, possibilities said:

After he changed the tire, James shook hands with Hugh, and I was surprised Hugh took his filthy hand. I was also surprised he thanked him for helping Andante. I guess we're meant to think he's not actually a bad guy, and was just freaking out last week.

I kind of thought he was on his best behavior only because Helen was there and had told him to be nice, but maybe I'm not giving Hugh enough credit. He seemed like a nice enough guy before Andante's death, so...

[ECM1231]

Thanks, @dargosmydaddy for the info.👍

[Rose Quartz]

35 minutes ago, MrAtoz said:

I can't help comparing this episode to the way it was presented in the original version.  There, James put the horse down then and there because it was in agony, and had been for hours by that time.  He felt that waiting any longer wouldn't have changed anything, but would only have been needlessly cruel.  It's an interesting contrast to me because Original James's attitude wasn't regret so much as righteous anger that the trainer had waited so long before calling in a vet.  I do like that Hugh seems to have come to understand that James did the right thing.

This kind of leads into my general take on this version, versus the original adaptation.  Which is that the new version is sort of ramping up the drama of the various situations.  For example, in the original, as in the books, James had to put down a valuable horse.  The trainer questioned James's diagnosis, so Siegfried did a post-mortem and confirmed that James had been right.  And that was it.  All the stuff about Siegfried wanting a job at the racetrack, the village calling James "horse-killer," and the horse's owner being James's rival for Helen, is new to this adaptation.

This is why I'm not liking the current version as much as I'd hoped to.  I love the books and have read them multiple times over the years, and have come to realize that what I like best about them is their slice-of-life aspect.  There's the little day-to-day victories and defeats, but there really isn't a lot of drama until the end of the second book when Siegfried and James join the RAF. 

This show seems determined to ramp up the drama on so many of the stories.  Siegfried becoming the racetrack vet is a great example.  In the books he loses that job because he meets a buddy from his school days, goes off drinking with him all afternoon, and then shows up drunk when it's time for him to drive the bigwigs home and somehow ends up trying to clean the car's windshield with a dead chicken.  The whole thing is played for laughs, and actually shows a great side of Siegfried's character since he cares more about catching up with an old friend than he does about getting a high paying job. 

I do wish the show would do more comedic scenes like that instead of so much drama all the time.   I think we could all use a few good laughs these days.

[magdalene]

1 hour ago, ECM1231 said:

So, checking out IMDB I see there are a total of 6 episodes, so only 2 remain. 😟 Is this the second go round of airing b/c IMDB shows that it aired September-October 2020.

I do that, too. What did we ever do without cellphones/tablets, etc?

I think there are 7 episodes in the first season, the Christmas special is #7.

Another really enjoyable episode for me.  Poor Tricky being killed with love by his mommy.  For me the new version is just as good as the original show, just different in tone. Which isn't surprising given we are living in such different times.  This Siegfried and Tristan both come across as younger to me than their earlier versions.  I actually prefer the new Mrs. Hall, she is an interesting character in her own right and I love her.

The guy who plays Hugh is a very good actor, you should watch him in The Queens Gambit, he is terrific there.

[cardigirl]

5 minutes ago, magdalene said:

The guy who plays Hugh is a very good actor, you should watch him in The Queens Gambit, he is terrific there.

Two different actors, though both are from the Harry Potter universe.  Hugh is played by Matthew Lewis, who was Neville Longbottom and Harry Beltik in The Queen's Gambit is played by Harry Melling who was Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films. 

 

[magdalene]

16 minutes ago, cardigirl said:

Two different actors, though both are from the Harry Potter universe.  Hugh is played by Matthew Lewis, who was Neville Longbottom and Harry Beltik in The Queen's Gambit is played by Harry Melling who was Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films. 

 

Oh, thank you, I got them mixed up.

[tljgator]

36 minutes ago, cardigirl said:

Hugh is played by Matthew Lewis, who was Neville Longbottom

Thanks to the FugGirls, he'll always be "Hot Neville" to me, lol. (It was several years ago now, that we first learned dorky little buck-toothed Neville had grown up into Hot!Neville -- fyi, unless you're working from home, probably NSFW.)

As for the episode, I'm always glad to treasure a few last moments with Dame Diana, especially when she's bringing the underhanded snark (what did she call their drawing room -- "compact"?). And I'm glad Siegfried came clean about his part in the Tricky Woo debacle. The landscape continues to be gorgeous. I'd probably be happy if they just drove from farm to farm for most of the show. *sigh*

[Daff]

All caught up now and enjoyed the discussion of all the characters. I’m also rewatching the original series. I do admit I like the modern version of Mrs. Hall better. I don’t dislike the original, she was just a bit two dimensional (WI, stern, we weren’t meant to know anything more). 
 

About Hugh and the torsion.... I can understand his heartbreak at losing the animal he “grew up with”. At some point, he had to realize that part of the fault fell to himself and his hired help. Sure, colic can be treated by the owner, but if it’s not initially effective, especially in a frisky young stallion, the horse can get the bowel twisted, cutting off the vascular supply, resulting in the necrotic tissue. If they had called the vet as soon as the treatment failed to ease the symptoms, the vet could have untwisted it. Doc Pol does this-stick the soapy arm up, feel which way it’s twisted, lay the horse down and roll it the other way! (I believe mild sedation was used).