How did the real James Herriot die? All Creatures Great and Small hero's health battle

James Herriot is the star of the Channel 5 adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small, which is due to make its way to Netflix on August 14. Nicholas Ralph stars as the keen vet who works under Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) at Skeldale House.

Many of the characters in the series and books by Alf are inspired by real people, with the countryside vet coining the pseudonym James to recall personal anecdotes from his career. He graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939 before moving to Yorkshire.

He practised as a rural vet for almost 50 years, writing about his experiences in a series of eight books, the first of which was called If Only They Could Talk. The hugely successful franchise included several TV adaptations, including a BBC series in the late 70s and the 2020 revival on Channel 5.

James Alfred Wight, who was called Alf for short, retired from full-time practice in 1980 but continued to work part-time for another nine years before he officially retired. In his will, his share of the practise was passed to his son Jim, who is also a vet.

Here is all you need to know about how and when the Yorkshire stalwart died.

How did the real James Herriot die?

Alf had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991, shortly after his retirement, and was treated in the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.

However, following a three-year battle, he died at his home in Thirlby at the age of 78, leaving an estate worth more than £5 million.

He was cremated and his ashes were scattered on Sutton Bank. Sadly his wife Joan's health deteriorated after his death and she died in 1999.

His granddaughter, Emma Page, said at the time of his death: "He had been ill for three years, but he had borne his illness very patiently and bravely.

"His family were all with him when he died peacefully at home today."

Alf's son Jim said of his father and his successful career: "People often ask me when my father actually retired from veterinary work.

"That always has me scratching my head. He never really did. He kept coming in, even though he wasn't taking a penny in pay. He just did it because he loved it. It was a way of life, not just a job," reports the Daily Mail.