Love Your Weekend: Carol Drinkwater gets emotional watching retro clip
All Creatures Great and Small's Carol Drinkwater claims she was "banned" by BBC after her shock exit from the beloved series. The cherished TV classic All Creatures Great and Small, which first graced screens in 1978, quickly captured the hearts of the nation.
Adapted from James Herriot's treasured books, the show transports viewers to the picturesque Yorkshire Dales of the mid-1930s. The original lineup boasted talents such as Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, Peter Davison, Carol Drinkwater, and Mary Hignett. However, from the third series onwards, the cast experienced a shake-up, with some actors bowing out and new faces stepping in.
Carol, now 76, who originally portrayed Helen Herriot through the first three series, eventually handed over the reins to Lynda Bellingham. But Carol's decision to leave the show was met with disdain from the television executives, leading her to allege that the BBC subsequently "put a ban" on casting her in future projects.
Reflecting on her departure, Carol expressed: "I'd given everything I could and I couldn't think where else I could take the role, because there was no more material. I wasn't leaving in any kind of spiteful thing. The BBC was so angry with me, they put a ban on using me."
She continued: "So they re-cast and another actress got the role. I was terribly upset because it was a wonderful role and would have been very good for me. I must say now, looking back on my career, it's one of the few things in my life I would do differently, and I wouldn't have left."
Express.co.uk has reached out to the BBC for comment.
The acclaimed 2020 revival of All Creatures Great and Small on Channel 5 has unveiled plans for both a fifth and sixth series.
On the Alan Titchmarsh Show, aired on Sunday, 5 May, Carol candidly shared her desire to portray Mrs Pumphrey, the well-to-do owner of the Pekingese Tricki Woo.
Regrettably, she confessed that the role was not awarded to her but to the venerable Diana Rigg.
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In the programmes discussion about the resurgence of All Creatures Great and Small, Carol mentioned her limited exposure to the new series, having only watched a single episode from the inaugural reboot series, starring Diana Rigg as Mrs Pumphrey.
"I wanted to play Mrs Pumphrey and they didn't give it to me. They gave it to Diana Rigg," she confessed to Alan.
Love Your Sunday with Alan Titchmarsh is available to watch on the ITV Hub.
