The real-life inspiration behind All Creatures' Richard Carmody as vet 'left mark'

The much-loved series All Creatures Great and Small makes another charming return to Channel 5, and viewers can expect some upheaval in the latest installment. Tristan Farnon (played by Callum Woodhouse) is adapting to his return at Skeldale House only to find out Richard Carmody (James Anthony Rose) has swiped his bed.

Trouble brews as Tristan and Richard engage in a war of wits, but Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) devises a plan to mend fences by sending them off to Pumphrey Manor. It's there that Tristan encounters the troubled Mrs Pumphrey (Patricia Hodge), finding common ground with her domestic disturbance.

After a stint away attending to war efforts, Tristan and fellow vet James Herriot, played by Nicholas Ralph, are replaced by Richard, quickly earning Siegfried Farnon's (Samuel West) admiration for his sharp intelligence and unwavering commitment.

Intrigued fans have been itching to uncover whether Richard Carmody, like the show's other beloved personalities, sprung from reality. On the authoritative James Herriot website, a curious supporter posed an intriguing query: "Is it 'true' that Richard Carmody's real name is Oliver Murphy? I will be so disappointed if Carmody never existed."

Indeed, the James Herriot official web page acknowledges Richard Carmody, or alternatively, Oliver Murphy, as a real-life companion of James.

Detailing Oliver's history is Alf Wight's son Jim in his poignant tribute, 'The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father,' where he reveals: "Oliver, a serious-minded young man who was also bound for an academic future, stayed only four months in the practice."

"Although having little idea of how to handle farm stock, and becoming involved in some frightful rodeos, he was a pleasant young man and the farmers liked him."

"They liked him because he was a trier; he never gave up. Alf used this to effect in his books, describing Oliver as 'Carmody' the student the young man who stubbornly hung on to a rope attached to a rampant beast while being towed through oceans of manure.

"Alf loved to hear funny anecdotes from his colleagues, and Oliver, despite his serious attitude to life, was not without a sense of humour."

While Oliver's stint with Alf was brief, he undoubtedly made a lasting impression.

Jim elaborated: "Oliver was only a transient assistant but he was in Thirsk long enough to leave a strong imprint in the mind of the future James Herriot."