All Creatures Great and Small Complete Collection [DVD] [2013]

I hadn't watched these since they were on TV originally and things have a bad habit of dating terribly, but this hasn't really. I found it as charming as ever, and I was a big fan of James Herriot's books when they were new. This falls into the class of heartwarming Sunday-night viewing occupied by Call the Midwife and Doc Martin these days, and if you like that sort of thing you're bound to like this.There's an obvious divide though that I hadn't noticed at the time I first watched this series. The pre-war stuff is clearly superior to the post war stuff. Before the war, there's a real sense of a story building, the war coming, new treatments on the horizon, James getting married and having children, becoming a partner... the build-up to the war and what it means for all involved is really well done.But after the war, when the stories become more generic and veer away from Herriot's books, there's more of a soap opera feel to things. Stories are rehashed (one or two shamelessly redone) and become more ridiculous and trivial. It does lose its edge. Siegfried gets a new Rover, that seems out of time to me, and we also get the new character Cameron Buchanan. Although John McGlynn plays him charmingly, his stories often seem done more for laughs than for drama, which slightly trivialises the whole thing, and his unrealistically hotheaded on-off affair with Dierdre is a bit hard to believe. Also after the war, Helen, James's wife, is (unfortunately) played by a different actress (Lynda Bellingham instead of Carol Drinkwater), and that doesn't quite work as well. And it's a great shame that we lose the wonderful Mrs Hall.By the very end of the series it rather morphs into some bland amalgam of Heartbeat, Call the Midwife and Only Last of the Summer Wine.The foundation remains though: Christopher Timothy's James, and Robert Hardy's Siegfried. Peter Davison remains as Tristan, but his appearances become more and more sporadic until he makes a welcome return in Series 7.I think I would say I love this series despite Christopher Timothy. I don't find him particularly likeable, that's the problem. I think he plays the character rather inconsistently, bumbling about like Stan Laurel one minute, arrogant and supercilious the next. It's quite a schizophrenic performance, and often an awkward one. He has something, for sure, but too often makes me uncomfortable. But Robert Hardy makes up for any lack in Timothy's performance – in spades. Hardy is utterly brilliant, gives a dazzling performance that is a wonder to watch, a masterclass in how to act. I'd forgotten how good he was in this. Davison's Tristan is irresistible too.There are 89 episodes (including the specials) so enough here to keep you going for ages. this is something I will watch several times over the years I'm sure. Something to treasure.

A wonderful series from the days when the BBC actually made their own dramas and produced ones that the whole family can enjoy. The latter is so rare on TV these days it's no wonder the OK but nowhere near as good Channel 5 version has proven so popular.The cast is uniformly excellent and the stories amusing, touching, uplifting and sad. Some of the skills Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy and Peter Davison had to learn and perform to convince as vets, such as shoving their arms up to the elbow in places ordinary folk wouldn't ever want to, are not allowed on the recent remake but make this BBC adaptation so much more believable.It's so refreshing to watch a drama with convincing period details and no swearing. They're very few and far between these days.

This original version of All Creatures Great and Small, based on the James Herriot books, is by far the best version and preferable to the recent remake. It was made with the assistance of Alf Wight, the real James Herriot, and very faithful to the books and character portrayals in them. It has a gentle sense of humour, always affectionate in its portrayal of the Dalesman and fellow vets. It is carried most of all by Robert Hardy's ebullient and wonderful portrayal of the beneign but mercurial Seiogfried Farnan, senior partner in the practice. Helen changes from Carol Drinkwater to Lynda Bellingham in a fairly seamless way halfway through the series. And Peter Davison's portray of Tristan Farnan is delightful. This complete collection has subtitles for those who need them and is a very gentle and thoroughly enjoyable watch.

Brilliant series, a hidden jem, well acted and very enjoyable

This boxed set of 'All creatures Great and Small' was a present for my mother on the occasion of her 90th Birthday.I wanted something that we both remembered that would last for more than a few minutes and also be watchable by everyone; not something that can be said of most modern productions which are either silly or violent or gruesome or contain foul language.There are about 89 episodes if I remember correctly and we are about halfway through them as I write this.Most episodes are very good although a couple were (inexplicably) quite 'silly' as if being played for laughs; fortunately this is not the case with the vast majority.Whilst James Herriot did not exist, nor did the Farnans or Darraby, and the stories are set a few years earlier than the writers experiences (upon which these are based), it doesn't diminish the enjoyable and nostalgic feel of the series at all.One slightly annoying feature is the stream of credits at the start of each disc and the constant badgering about not copying etc. ; anyone who buys the discs legitimately like myself, wouldn't copy them and anyone who was criminally inclined wouldn't care about the warnings, so they are just annoying.Other than that, this set is very good and well worth the money.

Bought this as a pressent. Its well liked.