[January 29, 2024] What was it like filming Season 4 for the close-knit cast of All Creatures Great and Small? Series stars Nicholas Ralph (James Herriot), Samuel West (Siegfried Farnon), and Rachel Shenton (Helen Herriot) recently joined Executive Producer Melissa Gallant to share behind the scenes stories in a special virtual event moderated by Variety and New York Magazine’s TV critic, Kathryn VanArendonk. It was a warm and freewheeling discussion that no fan of the series should miss, covering everything from memorable animal scenes to interactions with Yorkshire locals.
Everyone on the panel had a lot to say about their “all creatures” experiences during filming. Viewers will of course recall this season’s escapades with a pair of rascally goats inside Skeldale House and a game of “ferret roulette” in the pub, among others. “The ferret was actually very, very lively,” said Shenton.
“Yeah, he was! The little ferret was a cute little guy, but he was nippy. … And he also had a ‘particular’ smell,” admitted Ralph.
“There’s a tortoise as well,” added West. To be honest, he was one of the fastest tortoises I’ve ever seen! He wouldn’t stay still for his close ups. You’d put him down and think, at least he’ll be there when you turn around. And he wasn’t!”
And of course, there were questions about the joys of filming in the Yorkshire Dales. Ralph confessed that one of his favorite spots is the village of Arncliffe. “It’s where my parents [in the show] normally arrive on the bus, and where I drop them off when they leave that area. There must be 20 houses or something, it’s this little place, and it’s like time is stopped in the 1930s—it’s just great.
“There’s a group of [local] ladies that go out for a gin and tonic about four o’clock. They always shout, Nick, Nick, are you coming over for a gin and tonic? And I’m like, I’ve got a few hours left to do, maybe later. And so, I haven’t managed to get that gin and tonic, but at one point I will! They’re lovely. They come out and we have a little chinwag with them in between scenes.”
But for all the fun onscreen and off, one absence this season was palpable. Moderator VanArendonk asked Executive Producer Melissa Gallant to talk about how the writers worked around not having Tristan’s character appear in Season 4. Gallant noted that the current season begins in spring 1940 when many locals were absent, called to serve in the war. “In our world, that’s personified in Tristan,” she explained. “As in the books, he’s gone to serve in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. …The challenge for an audience’s saying, Oh, we’re really gonna miss him, is the same challenge our characters have. And there would be a temptation to fill that gap quickly to bring in a new character in Episode 1, but we were really drawn to what [Tristan’s being away] means in the [Skeldale House] family … and that just felt truthful.”
Want to hear more truths about filming, learn what was the hardest scene to shoot, or find out which cast member is most likely to break character? Watch the entire Q&A panel below!
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