The official companion to the hit TV series All Creatures Great & Small launches on 26th September in hardback. The book offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the award winning TV show with lots of photographs from the filming of the first 5 series. The launch takes place a week after the latest series (series 5) takes place in the UK.
Having been lucky enough to receive and advanced copy to review, I can vouch for the fact that the photography is stunning. The book features not just photographs of the cast and various sets, but also showcases the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales landscape, which in my opinion is one of the main reasons why the show has become so successful.
There are also pictures of the real life James Herriot – Alf Wight who wrote the books the TV show is based upon about his experiences as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales and the characters he met. In fact the book (as is the TV series) is endorsed by Alf’s family and has a foreword written by Rosie Page, Alf Wight’s daughter.
The book contains over 200 colour stills from the TV series mainly but also portraits of the cast and locations used whilst filming. It also offers an interesting history of the local area, the landscape and its heritage – celebrating the captivating scenery in “God’s own county”. This helps readers to understand the themes which have made the show such unmissable viewing.
Whilst the photographs are what bring the book to life, it offers a fascinating insight into the making of the show with an in-depth look at each of the main characters, interspersed with soundbites from the cast as well as the crew.
The book has been written and produced in full collaboration with the All Creatures Great and Small production company Playground Production for Channel 5 in association with All3Media and Screen Yorkshire.
The book is published by Michael O' Mara Books - Nicki Crossley, Editorial Director at Michael O’Mara Books, said: “Celebrating All Creatures Great and Small is a toast to the extraordinary heritage behind the show, its iconic setting as well as to the cast and crew who have all made the programme such essential viewing. This is a love letter to James Herriot and his beloved Dales.”
As a fan of the show myself, who has bumped into the cast on numerous times whilst tour guiding in the Yorkshire Dales, I am a big fan of the show myself. I really do think this book is a great companion piece to the series.
(A blog I wrote previously about meeting the cast can be found here - https://www.realyorkshireblog.com/post/the-day-we-bumped-into-james-herriot-in-arncliffe )
If you are looking to get your hands on a copy, may I suggest a good place would be my friends at The Stripey Badger Book Shop in Grassington (AKA Darrowby in the TV series). The shop actually plays G.F.Endleby Grocers in the show and the shop owners have become great friends with the cast, with Samuel West & Callum Woodhouse often popping in to say hello and buy the odd book even when they're not filming in the town!
A link to the shop can be found below – and yes, they can ship to the USA, Canada and Australia.
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