All Creatures Great and Small's Nicholas Ralph on animal co-stars
All Creatures Great and Small's first season is available to watch on Netflix from August 14 and the escapist series is based on the much-loved books by Yorkshire-based vet, Alf Wight. He is better known by his pen name, James Herriot, and his books offer insight into everyday life as a rural vet.
The series first aired on Channel 5 back in 2020, and it was based on the original BBC series of the same name which ran from 1978 to 1990. The first season is made up of six episodes, plus a Christmas special, and it aired to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first book in the James Herriot series.
The show centres around a trio of vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s. The eccentric Siegfried Farnon hires James Herriot for his veterinary practice at Skeldale House.
There is also Siegfried's younger brother, Tristan, and Mrs Hall, their housekeeper, amongst other key characters like farmer's daughter Helen Alderson. On Channel 5 the hit series has been renewed for a fifth and sixth season.
The series stars a number of guests but the main cast has largely stayed the same over the years. Here is all you need to know about who is in the first season.
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Siegfried Farnon - Samuel West
Siegfried is the owner of Skeldale House and he is played by 58-year-old English actor and theatre director, Samuel West. He comes from a family of actors, with his parents being TV stars Punella Scales and Timothy West.
The father of two has been nominated for a number of awards, including a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Howards End.
His career highlights include Slow Horses, Mr Selfridge and The Crown, and he is also known for his plethora of narrator credits.
The star spoke to PBS about what he liked about playing Siegfried, saying: "I like that he marches to the beat of his own drum—there aren’t a lot of checks and balances on his behaviour.
"He comes from a long line of what we call British eccentrics. Playing him is a great pleasure because he’s been written with quite a lot of depth."
Audrey Hall - Anna Madeley
Mrs Hall keeps everything in order at Skeldale House and she is played by 47-year-old English actress, Anna Madeley.
She is known for her work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as her TV appearances in Deadwater Fell, Time and Anatomy of a Scandal.
The star, who started her career as a child actress aged seven, is in a relationship with actor Geoffrey Streatfeild.
James Herriot - Nicholas Ralph
James Herriot is hired as the new vet at Siegfried's practice and he quickly has to prove his worth. He is played by Scottish actor, Nicholas Ralph.
The star was born in Cape Town, South Africa and grew up in a Scottish town called Nairn.
His audition for All Creatures Great and Small, his first TV role, came two years after he graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
He went on to star in The Most Reluctant Convert and Prey for the Devil.
On how his All Creatures role has changed his life, he told the Press and Journal: "I am so lucky. We have an incredible cast, crew and creatives. I’m still pinching myself, even now, in between takes. I look around and think: 'I can’t quite believe this. It’s just amazing'.
Tristan Farnon - Callum Woodhouse
Tristan is Siegfried's younger brother who is always getting himself into trouble, and he is played by 30-year-old British actor Callum Woodhouse.
He is best known for his role as Leslie Durrell in the ITV series, The Durrells, but viewers may also recognise him from Cold Feet and Father Brown.
His most recent role was in a film in 2022 called Raven's Hallow.
Helen Alderson - Rachel Shenton
Helen Alderson is a farmer's daughter who catches James' eye and she is played by 36-year-old English actress and writer, Rachel Shenton.
Rachel, who is married to actor Chris Overton, is known for her roles in Hollyoaks, Waterloo Road and Switched at Birth.
In 2018 she won an Academy Award for her short film The Silent Child, a British sign language film about a profoundly deaf six-year-old girl.
Rachel opened up about one of her All Creatures co-stars, Imogen Clawson, who plays her younger sister Jenny.
Speaking to Masterpiece, Rachel said: "Oh, she's gorgeous, absolutely lovely. She's a joy to be around. She's so bright, and a pleasure on and off set, and to see her grow as an actor."
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Mrs Pumphrey - Diana Rigg
Mrs Pumphrey is the wealthy owner of the Pekingese Tricki Woo, and one of Skeldale House's regular visitors.
In the first season, she is played by Diana Rigg, the 82-year-old actress, who died in September 2020 just after the series made its debut. She was later replaced by Patricia Hodge.
Diana was known for her roles in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Game of Thrones and Rebecca.
Hugh Hulton - Matthew Lewis
Hugh is a wealthy landowner who competes with James for Helen's affections, and he is played by 35-year-old actor Matthew Lewis.
The star is best known for playing Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films, and he went on to star in Girlfriends, Happy Valley and The Syndicate.
The actor told Masterpiece of his All Creatures role: "The thing I liked about playing Hugh was that he’s very different from things that I’ve done before, and I was given a degree of freedom to explore and play around.
"The dialogue was such that you didn’t want to or need to change anything, but just little mannerisms and things that I tried—if it hadn’t been such a pleasant and accommodating environment, I might’ve been a bit more nervous to try things."
Richard Alderson - Tony Pitts
Richard is Helen's strict father, who is played by Tony Pitts, a 61-year-old English actor known for playing Archie Brooks in Emmerdale Farm.
His other notable credits include Casualty, EastEnders, Heartbeat, The Bill and Peaky Blinders.
Jenny Alderson - Imogen Clawson
Jenny is Helen's younger sister and she is played by 16-year-old Imogen Clawson, who first took on the role aged 13.
She is a student at CAPA College and made her acting debut in the series.
The series also stars Maimie McCoy as Mrs Hall's friend Dorothy, Molly Winnard as Dovers Arms barmaid Maggie, Gabriel Quigley as James Herriot's mother and Drew Cain as James Herriot's father.
