Search - All Creatures Great & Small: The Specials on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 4/11/2024...

Slow but entertaining!

Samuel K. (Solvanda)
Reviewed on 1/1/2019...

Based on the books of the British veterinary surgeon Alf Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot. It's an old saying in the film industry that one should never work with children or animals, as they never do what they are supposed to. Well, this show did, and proved it was possible, although the animals still greatly misbehaved. The series had two runs, totaling 90 episodes: the original (1978 to 1980, based directly on Herriot's books) was for three series. The second run (1988 to 1990, filmed with original scripts) for the fourth series. Since then, it has become an internationally beloved world favorite, and indeed, when viewing these now, one gets a feeling that the countryside was a glorious place inhabited by amazing people. Two or three of these episodes at the end of the day provides an escapist, gentle, heartwarming, cozy-cup-of-cocoa type drama. It's warm, simple, nice, and lovely, even educational, and it's not going to frighten the horses. Although, I should add, that all the main actors here suffered at least one anointing of having their hand up a cow.