The Forgotten ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ Book Prequel Fans Need to Know About
Meet the real James Herriot books behind your favorite cozy TV show
Key Takeaways
- A forgotten BBC prequel follows James Herriot during veterinary school.
- The series offers a heartwarming glimpse at Herriot before Skeldale House.
- James Herriot’s beloved books are perfect reading before Season 7 arrives.
Since the conclusion of All Creatures Great and Small Season 6, fans have been anxiously anticipating the return of the beloved Skeldale House crew. With the seventh season set to premiere on MASTERPIECE PBS on January 17, 2027, fans can at least find comfort that the next installment is within reach. If you’ve already rewatched the latest seasons ahead of All Creatures Great and Small Season 7, you may be curious about another take on James Herriot’s early years: the BBC’s Young James Herriot. Set during Herriot’s time at Glasgow Veterinary College, the 2011 series offers a heartwarming origin story for the beloved veterinarian. Though it’s a separate adaptation—not a direct prequel to the modern series—it draws from the same real-life inspiration: James Alfred Wight’s books, written under the pen name James Herriot. Here’s what to know about the often-overlooked series and the original books that inspired it all.
‘Young James Herriot’ is a 2011 BBC prequel series about James Herriot’s veterinary-school years
While All Creatures Great and Small tells James Herriot’s story from the start of his tenure at Skeldale House, Young James Herriot takes viewers back even further, to Herriot’s days studying at Scotland’s Glasgow Veterinary College. As James cultivates his skills caring for animals, he forms bonds with new friends, navigates prickly professors and comes into his own as a veterinarian. In Young James Herriot, the title character is brought to life by Iain De Caestecker, and his performance in the show lines up with the early version of James we got to know in All Creatures, now played by Nicholas Ralph.
While the All Creatures Great and Small book series and modern TV series chronicle James’ time as a vet post-college, Young James Herriot tapped into the past thanks to creator Johnny Byrne. Byrne actually worked on the original version of All Creatures Great and Small, which aired between 1978 and 1990.
“Johnny was a great writer and he knew Alf and his family really well,” shared consultant producer Kate Croft with the BBC back in 2011. “Through his friendship with Alf he also came to know this wonderful story of how Alf became a vet. This was an amazing story and when he first told me—this was about 10 years ago—I knew it had to be a TV series. I had loved all of the Herriot books and I just ate up the original series.”
Young James Herriot is unfortunately unavailable to stream, but if you need something to hold you over while you wait for All Creatures Great and Small, now is the time to dive into the books that inspired the series.
‘All Creatures Great and Small’ books to read while you wait for Season 7!
All Creatures Great and Small was inspired by the books by James Alfred “Alf” Wight, who wrote under the name of James Herriot. His beloved tales of his time caring for animals in the Yorkshire Dales are heartwarming, humorous and have been adapted into the TV series folks have loved for years. His books include:
- All Creatures Great and Small
- All Things Bright and Beautiful
- All Things Wise and Wonderful
- The Lord God Made Them All
- and Every Living Thing.
These books can be purchased as a set. Dive in while you wait for Season 7!
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