PBS confirms US start date for the new ‘All Creatures Great and Small’

It’s been revealed when the new version of All Creatures Great and Small begins in the US!

Based on author James Herriot’s much-loved collection of stories, the period drama series chronicles the heartwarming and humorous adventures of a young country vet in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s.

The new remake comes from Downton Abbey executive producer Rebecca Eaton and the director of the Downton movie.

Eaton previously commented: “We promise that the new series will have all the wit, warmth, and quirky charm of the original – and of course, lots of irresistible animals.”

Marking the 50th anniversary of the first book’s publication, the show launched in the UK last month.

3.3 million viewers watched All Creatures Great and Small on Channel 5, giving the channel its biggest audience in almost five years.

The cast is led by Callum Woodhouse (The Durrells), Samuel West (Mr Selfridge), Anna Madeley (Patrick Melrose) and Rachel Shenton (White Gold), with newcomer Nicholas Ralph playing James Herriot.

Executive producer Colin Callender commented: “It has given audiences a bit of an escape from pandemic and politics, escaping to the great landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales. Even before COVID, I felt the audience wanted the sort of show that you could watch and revel in and not be beaten up by.

“There was something about All Creatures Great and Small with its themes of community and family, harking back to a kinder, gentler world, compared to the divided, complex and rather brutal one that we’re now living in.”

All Creatures Great and Small will premiere in the US on at 9/8c on Sunday 10th January on PBS Masterpiece.

Watch a preview:

 

Guest stars in the first season include Harry Potter actor Matthew Lewis, Chariots of Fire star Nigel Havers, and the late Dame Diana Rigg (Victoria, The Avengers).

Season 1 will be released on DVD in February and you can pre-order it now.

In very exciting news, the show’s makers have confirmed they’re already planning a second season!

Herriot’s stories were previously dramatised in the classic BBC series, which ran for nearly a hundred episodes between 1978 and 1990.

All Creatures Great and Small is available on DVD on Amazon.