List of All Creatures Great and Small (1978–1990 TV series) characters

This is a list of characters—and the actor(s) who played them—featured in the BBC television series All Creatures Great and Small. Over 600 characters were used over ninety episodes, with several actors playing multiple characters during the course of the series.[1]

James Herriot and Siegfried Farnon are the only two characters to appear in all ninety episodes. Tristan Farnon appears in sixty-five episodes.

Contents
 A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z 
Recurring characters
References

Characters

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  • Umpire ("The Name of the Game") — Ken Hastwell
  • Umpire ("Big Fish, Little Fish") — George Tunstall[2]
  • Unwin, Gordon — Geoff Oldham

Recurring characters

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Several farmers make recurring appearances throughout the series. Mr Biggins (John Sharp) is a notorious payment-dodger who regularly attempts to procure free service out of the practice, as well as decrying the cost of the vets' visits. In one episode he calls Herriot out to question a bill charge from 18 months earlier. On another occasion, in exchange for Herriot's assistance with a puncture on his car, Biggins agrees to settle his account. Little does Herriot know that Biggins post-dated the cheque. Biggins' first name is revealed to be Ezra in the series 7 episode "If Music Be the Food of Love". "John Sharp was just like you see him," recalled Peter Davison. "He was a wonderful raconteur and would tell you these long stories."[1] Christopher Timothy added: "I found myself getting quite moved when I watched an episode recently, not because of what we were doing, but because all those lovely people are no longer with us. John Sharp was a lovely, lovely man."[1]

Bill Hartley (Peter Martin, who also plays Arthur Handshaw in series 1 and 2), meanwhile, is a relatively good-natured client, compared to the perpetually disgruntled Ted Grimsdale (Bryan Pringle). "Peter Martin was fantastic," remembered Peter Davison. "He was mainly known then for the Jewson commercials. He was just very funny. He played two parts for us over the years."[1]

Knackerman Jeff Mallock (Frank Birch from series 1 to 3 and Fred Feast from series 4 to 7) is regularly waiting in the wings to take ailing livestock to his knacker's yard. Whatever the vets' diagnosis, Mallock always thinks the real reason is "stagnation o' t'lung".

Fellow vet Granville Bennett (James Grout), a cat and dog specialist, is often on hand to help out with the more severe small animal cases. His enjoyment of alcohol is always of a concern for James, however, who regularly ends up inebriated and making a fool of himself in front of Bennett's wife, Zoe (Pamela Salem), whom he always thought considered him a dipsomaniac. "One of the guest characters we both adored was Granville Bennett, from whom James never escaped without being utterly plastered," recalled Sandy Byrne, the widow of writer Johnny Byrne. "He was played by James Grout, who was wonderful! He very much enjoyed writing for Mrs Pumphrey and Hodgekin too."[1]

As evidenced by Peter Martin above, several actors played more than one character throughout the course of the series; none more so than Bill Lund, who played four people: Mr Sykes in "Fair Means and Fowl", a farmhand in "Pups, Pigs and Pickle", Mr Edgeworth in the 1985 Christmas Special and Mr Bushell in "Hail Caesar!".

Geoffrey Bayldon played three characters: Roland Partridge in "Pride of Possession", Mr Mason in the 1983 Christmas Special and confectioner Geoff Hatfield in "Where Sheep May Safely Graze".

Anna Turner also played three characters: Miss Thompson in "Big Steps and Little 'Uns", a stall holder in the 1983 Christmas Special and Mrs Pettinger in "A Cat in Hull's Chance".

Jack Watson played two cantankerous characters: farmer Isaac Cranford in "Nothing Like Experience" and vet Hilary Mottram in "One of Nature's Little Miracles". He reprised the role of Cranford in the 1990 Christmas Special.

Others who played two or more characters:[1]

  • Alan Hockey: Duggleby in "Brink of Disaster" and Mr Pinkerton in "Barks and Bites"
  • Ashley Barker: Eric Handshaw in "Dog Days", Sam Broadbent in "Practice Makes Perfect" and Len Birtwhistle in "A Present From Dublin" and "The New World"
  • Joby Blanshard: Mr Bailes in "Pig in the Middle" and Mr Bellerby in "Faint Hearts"
  • Anthea Holloway: Mrs Tompkins in "Faint Hearts". Three series later, she plays Mrs Pumphrey's housemaid, Edna
  • George Malpas: Mr Dean in "Dog Days" and Mr Dakin in "The Bull with the Bowler Hat"
  • Joe Belcher: Dan Cooper in "Dog Days" and Mr Thwaites in "Only One Woof"
  • Enid Irvin: Mrs Allen in "Sleeping Partners" and Mrs Wheatley in "For Richer, For Poorer"
  • Alan Hulse: Mr Willis in "Hair of the Dog" and Mr Stott in "The Pig Man Cometh"
  • Pearl Hackney: Mrs Crump in "Calf Love" and Mrs Hird in "Choose a Bright Morning"
  • Avril Angers: Miss Dooley in "Pups, Pigs and Pickle" and Molly Shadwell in "A Friend for Life"
  • Barry Jackson: Ken Billings in "Matters of Life and Death" and Mr Dowson in "Blood and Water"
  • Madeline Smith: Angela Farmer in "Pride of Possession" and Anne Grantley in the 1983 Christmas Special
  • Katharine Page: Aunt Lucy in "Golden Lads and Girls" and Mollie Minikin in "Only One Woof"
  • Fine Time Fontayne: George Forsyth in the 1985 Christmas Special and Joe Bentley in "A New Chapter"
  • Tony Capstick: Fred Allan in "In Whom We Trust" and Clem Hudson in the 1985 Christmas Special
  • June Ellis: Mrs Bellerby in "Faint Hearts" and Mrs Mason in "The New World"
  • Michael Lees: Mr Bond in "Cats and Dogs" and Colonel Bosworth in "The Healing Touch"
  • Peter Ivatts: Mr Blackburn in "A Dying Breed" and Tom Maxwell in "The Bull With the Bowler Hat" and "Against the Odds"
  • James Bree: Mr Plenderleith in "Out of Practice" and Humphrey Cobb in "The Bull With the Bowler Hat"
  • Danny O'Dea: Tom in "Faint Hearts" and Rupe in "The Pig Man Cometh"
  • Graham Hamilton: a soldier in "Alarms and Excursions" and Sergeant Bannister in the 1983 Christmas Special
  • Danny James: Smedley in "Dog Days" and Mr Meynell in "The Jackpot"
  • John Barrett: Kitson in "Breath of Life" and Mr Dent in "Every Dog His Day"
  • Keith Marsh: George Hindley in "Will to Live" and Mr Howell in "The Prodigal Returns"
  • Dickie Arnold: Joe Kendall in "Nothing Like Experience" and "A Dog's Life" and Will in "The Pig Man Cometh"
  • Tom Harrison: Reynolds in "Dog Days", Eli Bagley in "Bulldog Breed" and Mr. Buckle in "One of Nature's Little Miracles"
  • Edward Peel: Dobbs in "Barks and Bites" and Marmaduke 'Duke' Skelton in "Fair Means and Fowl"
  • Martin Matthews: Mr Denham in "Ways and Means" and Keith Lawrence in "A Cat in Hull's Chance"

"They used some genuine Yorkshire characters to play the farmers," recalled Sandy Byrne, "so [Johnny] relished writing for them because they were so quirky and funny."[1] Robert Hardy concurs: "What I think made the thing a success was those Yorkshire and Lancashire actors we had playing the farmers. They were wonderful. They lent a real authenticity to their stuff, farmers complaining about their bills and all that."[1]

Ted Moult, who played Harold Carter, was a real farmer in the 1940s but became a radio and television personality in the mid-1960s. He committed suicide in 1986, aged 60, after a period of depression after several weeks of wet weather that worried arable farmers.[3]

In addition to the roles of Helen Herriot, her children and Jeff Mallock, a few characters were played by more than one actor:[1]

  • Dr Harry Allinson: John Grieve in "Bulldog Breed" and Richard Butler (uncredited) in "The Nelson Touch"
  • Charlie (Lord Hulton's estate worker): Mike Kelly in "Matters of Life and Death" and James Garbutt in "The Nelson Touch" and "Hampered"
  • Hilda Biggins: Kathleen Helme and Margaret Jackman
  • Kit Bilton: Gorden Kaye and Bill Croasdale
  • Mr Bond: Michael Lees in "Cats and Dogs" and Kenneth Cranham in "Call of the Wild" (mute and uncredited)
  • Stewie Brannan: Ronald Lacey and Dinsdale Landen
  • Major Bullen: Norman Shelley and Mark Kingston
  • Phineas Calvert: Johnny Allan and Alan Partington
  • Mr Dimmock: John Comer and Harry Goodier
  • Eleanor "Nellie" Dimmock: Georgina Eastwood and Jane Clifford
  • Mr Dowson: John Ronane and Barry Jackson
  • Caleb Mount: Dave King and John Woodvine
  • Ewan Ross: Alex McCrindle and David Ashton. The character was based on Frank Bingham, Brian Sinclair's first assistant. Bingham died "like many good vets, in a cow byre doing a tough job."[4]
  • Sister Rose: Jessica Spencer and Irene Sutcliffe
  • Roddy Travers: Patrick Troughton and James Ellis

References

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Specific
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i All Memories Great & Small, Oliver Crocker (2016; MIWK)
  2. ^ "Cricket pavilion built for James Herriot recording to be replaced" - The Northern Echo, 3 April 2015
  3. ^ "Ted Moult". Inside Out East Midlands. BBC. 25 September 2006. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  4. ^ James Herriot's Yorkshire (1979), James Herriot, St. Martin's
General