He’s quite the expert at delivering calves on screen as much-loved mid-century vet James Herriot.
But Nicholas Ralph has now had some real-life experience treating all creatures great and small – and he found it fascinating.
The actor spent a day shadowing The Yorkshire Vet star Julian Norton as part of Channel 5’s festive edition of Our Big Yorkshire Christmas – which will be aired on Friday just before the All Creatures Great and Small Yuletide special.
Nicholas said: “It was very real and I felt out of my depth and not as comfortable – but it was a lot of fun.
“I was allowed to clip a dog’s fur for surgery and I trimmed the nails of another. I started off small.
“Julian was great and talked me through the procedures, while I made the odd silly joke.
“I was interested to learn that as much as things have progressed, like medications, some of the procedures are very similar, if not the same, as they were in James Herriot’s time.”
Nicholas, 32, was a theatre actor before he landed the role of the famous vet three years ago.
He said: “It’s been a huge opportunity. I’m absolutely loving it.
“I remember getting dropped off at the base camp in 2019 with the trailers and catering. It was so cool. And the learning curve was fast because I was in every day for ten hours.” He also got to work with the late Dame Diana Rigg, who played Mrs Pumphrey in the first series.
She sadly passed away in September 2020, a few days after the first episode of All Creatures aired in the UK.
Nicholas said: “She was hilarious with a real wicked sense of humour.
“She wouldn’t suffer fools either and kept the machine rolling. If she thought there was a lull between takes, she’d ask what was happening and keep the energy up.”
Nicholas is great pals with the regular All Creatures cast, which includes Rachel Shenton, who plays James’ wife Helen, Samuel West and Callum Woodhouse, who star as vet brothers Siegfried and Tristan.
Imogen Clawson plays Jenny Alderson and Anna Madeley is housekeeper Mrs Hall.
They all share a WhatsApp group and go for a weekly “family meal” when they are on set in Yorkshire.
“We go out on weekends too,” said Nicholas. “We really get on. Hopefully that bleeds on to the screen.”
The cast also have a good relationship with Jim Wight and Rosie Page – the son and daughter of author Alf Wight, who wrote the James Herriot books, based on his experiences as a rural vet in Thirsk, North Yorks.
The best-sellers made him one of the most popular authors of the 20th century and spawned two film adaptations, as well as a BBC series.
The original TV drama, which ran from 1978 until 1990, starred Christopher Timothy as James Herriot and Robert Hardy as Siegfried. Helen was played by two actresses, Carol Drinkwater and Lynda Bellingham, over the hit drama’s 12 years.
The Channel 5 reboot – due to start a fourth series early next year – has the full backing of Jim and Rosie.
Nicholas said: “We’re lucky because they are consultants on the show. They have wonderful stories about their parents and the other characters.”
In Our Big Yorkshire Christmas, he spends a day with Jim at the World of James Herriot museum in Thirsk.
It used to be the Wight’s family home where Alf had his surgery.
Nicholas said: “Jim spoke a lot about how Christmas was spent in the front room by the tree. But it would be busy with visitors and, quite often, his dad would be out birthing a calf. He always got back for his Christmas dinner though.”
The All Creatures festive special looks like a winter wonderland, but the scenes in the Yorkshire Dales were shot during this summer’s heatwave.
Nicholas said: “We had snow cannons, but it was 30 degrees and we were in suits, hats and scarves.
“They were handing out ice packs and fans because it was so hot. It’s not normally like that in Yorkshire!”
The storyline is set in 1939, when the newlywed Herriots take in a young Jewish evacuee. Nicholas said: “James and Helen take a particular interest in making her feel welcome. It’s full of that Christmas spirit.”
The James Herriot books have sold more than 50 million copies and made Thirsk a mecca for fans. So Nicholas felt a duty to get the reboot right.
He said: “I was nervous before starting. But the overriding feeling was excitement. Of course, you don’t want to get it wrong, which is one thing the locals made us well aware of.
“They told us it was great it was coming back. But that always came with the caveat, ‘Don’t f*** it up!’”
However the show gets a definite thumbs-up from Jim and Rosie.
Nicholas said: “They enjoy the show for what it is... it maintains the spirit of James Herriot and his ethos.
“When I see them, Rosie starts with, ‘Hello Dad’. They were there for the wedding scene and Rosie shed a tear. Jim tells me he thinks his father would approve of his incarnation. To hear that is wonderful.”
To make sure he got the animal scenes right, Nicholas had a bootcamp with on-set vet Andy Barrett.
Before that, he says his only experience with cows was running away from them when he used to play football in fields near his childhood home in northern Scotland.
Nicholas said: “On day one, Andy threw a stethoscope at me and said, ‘On you go’. We were up close and personal with cows, horses and sheep.
“It was a great training and we all got stuck in. You need that gung-ho attitude to work on the show.
“Andy is on set all the time if there are any animals there. It’s priceless. I ask him questions all the time.
“I remember birthing a calf in season one and asking him if it was believable. He said it was – but he thought I milked it a bit.”
Our Big Yorkshire Christmas is on Channel 5 on December 23 at 7.30pm, followed by the All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special at 9pm.
