0:00:29 > 0:00:34Yorkshire, a landscape shaped by nature and cherished by man.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44It was home to Alf Wight, known to millions as James Herriot,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47the vet the world took to its heart.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49And this year, we're marking 100 years since his birth.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59He's famous for his real-life tales of working in the countryside that
0:00:59 > 0:01:03are cherished by people across the globe, including me.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07And I'm on a very special journey in Yorkshire to celebrate his life
0:01:07 > 0:01:09and legacy.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I'll be finding out about the global impact his stories had.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20The bottom line is, Herriot is responsible.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23And we were just the messengers, weren't we, really?
0:01:23 > 0:01:28Learning what life was like as a rural vet in the 1940s.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Very satisfying because you see the cow, this enormous, bloated animal,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35just goes... Like a deflated balloon.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39As well as indulging my own love of Herriot's Yorkshire.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Darrowby 385.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43I've always wanted to do that!
0:01:43 > 0:01:45I'll also be looking back at some of our favourite
0:01:45 > 0:01:46stories on Countryfile.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Those that reveal the work of people who devote their lives to
0:01:50 > 0:01:53helping all creatures great and small.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Like the time Adam met the Yorkshire farmers who are keeping the
0:01:57 > 0:02:00traditional county breeds going strong.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02If you were out here all winter,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05first thing you'd want would be a good warm, dry topcoat.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Pull it tight.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11When Joe got to grips with a very dangerous rescue...
0:02:11 > 0:02:13It's an incredible sound. Very guttural.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17..and when John got more than he bargained for,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20helping out smaller animals in need.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Ow! Oh, sorry.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24That was a really big bite.
0:02:40 > 0:02:41Yorkshire.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Empty and wild.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Occasionally bleak...
0:02:50 > 0:02:52..but always beautiful.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02I'm on the edge of the North Yorkshire moors near the market town
0:03:02 > 0:03:03of Thirsk, the place that
0:03:03 > 0:03:06James Herriot called home for most of his life.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17We know him as James Herriot but his real name
0:03:17 > 0:03:19was James Alfred Wight,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21or Alf to his friends and family.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26He was born in 1916 and grew up in Glasgow.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29As a child with a love of animals,
0:03:29 > 0:03:34there was only one job he ever wanted - to become a vet.
0:03:34 > 0:03:35Good morning.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37- How are you today?- All right, how is yourself?
0:03:37 > 0:03:41- Fine, thanks. Grand weather, hey? - Yes, it's lovely weather.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46It seemed to me a most fulfilling and marvellous life if I could spend
0:03:46 > 0:03:49my whole time helping animals.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52But animals to me were dogs and cats.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54But I qualified at the time of the Depression.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58There was only one job going, and that was in rural Yorkshire.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01And it took me just a fortnight to realise that this was the kind of
0:04:01 > 0:04:03life I wanted.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06He fell in love with this landscape and its people,
0:04:06 > 0:04:11and he stayed in his practice for 50 more years until his death in 1995,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14but he wasn't just a rural vet.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16He was also a world-famous author.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23He wrote many books about his time as a vet,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26set in a fictional Dales town of Darrowby.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28But the characters were all real,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30including his eccentric partner,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Donald Sinclair, and his flighty brother,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Brian, known as Siegfried and Tristan in the stories.
0:04:39 > 0:04:45They were a witty and honest view of the hard-working but sometimes dour
0:04:45 > 0:04:46Yorkshire farming community.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51His books were a huge success,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54selling more than 60 million copies across the world,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57but it didn't end there.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58Keep clear.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Turn over.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07Two films were made and a BBC TV series All Creatures Great and Small
0:05:07 > 0:05:10brought James Herriot into millions of our sitting rooms for
0:05:10 > 0:05:11more than a decade.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19One of those sitting rooms was mine.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23As a child, I adored All Creatures Great and Small.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27But what was it about this place and its people that inspired him?
0:05:27 > 0:05:30In a moment, I'll be joining his daughter, Rosie, on one of his
0:05:30 > 0:05:31favourite walks to find out.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37But first, we look back to when Adam gave us an insight into the breeds,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41great and small, that made this rural county famous.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42One or two of which James Herriot
0:05:42 > 0:05:44would have been all too familiar with.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55It fascinates me how throughout the country there are breeds particular
0:05:55 > 0:05:57to individual places.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Our livestock has been shaped by the landscape it lives in and the way we
0:06:01 > 0:06:02farm it.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04So today, I'm getting a closer look
0:06:04 > 0:06:07at seven county breeds that are special to Yorkshire.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Come by, come by.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12When I think about the traditional breeds of Yorkshire,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14this is what springs to mind.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Swaledale sheep up here about
0:06:17 > 0:06:211,000 foot up on the weather-beaten hills of the Yorkshire Dales.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25'In fact, there are 30 times more
0:06:25 > 0:06:28'sheep in the Yorkshire Dales than people,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30'more than half a million of them.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34'They're hardy creatures, used to being out in all weathers.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38'Roy Nelson has been a shepherd here all his working life.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39'I've chosen to meet him on a day
0:06:39 > 0:06:43'that shows why farmers here need to be tough too.'
0:06:43 > 0:06:45This is a good bit of Yorkshire weather, Roy, isn't it?
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Just have a marvellous view down there if it had been clear,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50but it didn't so that's that.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55And why is it that Swaledale suits this region so well?
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Well, they're just hardier.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Ours live out on top of winter more
0:07:00 > 0:07:03or less same as they did 50 years ago
0:07:03 > 0:07:07and grow to a size that they can support themselves.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10So, what should the ewe look like? What does she need to be like?
0:07:11 > 0:07:14We like them with a good hard coat on, a jacket and waistcoat.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- What does that mean?- It wants to be a thick bed of wool
0:07:18 > 0:07:21that will keep wind out, it won't open with wind.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23- Yeah.- And then it wants a bit of top on it to throw water off,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- so it's white today. - It just runs away, yes.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30And if you were out here all winter, first thing you would want would be
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- a good warm, dry topcoat.- So, you've got these tough sheep up here.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37You've got to be a pretty hardy farmer too, haven't you?
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Well, I don't know, it's just what we're used to.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41You just don't think about it.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44And do you feel the sheep are part of you as a Yorkshireman?
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- Oh, definitely.- Proud of them? - Oh, definitely, yes.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49One of the biggest thrills to me is
0:07:49 > 0:07:51when somebody buys one off me and then
0:07:51 > 0:07:56they take it to a show somewhere and they'll maybe win a show with it.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58I feel quite proud of that.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04And the annual Ryedale Agricultural Show
0:08:04 > 0:08:06is just the place to see the best
0:08:06 > 0:08:09of this breed in amongst 1,000 sheep exhibits.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Now, here we are. Let me explain something to you.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17The Swaledale ewe here, the female,
0:08:17 > 0:08:23not only is a fantastic sheep for surviving on the hills but, also,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26if she is crossed with this ram, the Bluefaced Leicester,
0:08:26 > 0:08:31this great big brute, put him on her, you get a lamb called a mule.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35And this is a mule ewe. A wonderful mother.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38So, she has fine wool, lots of lambs,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40plenty of milk from the Bluefaced Leicester,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and then that wonderful mothering ability and hardiness from the
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Swaledale. It's an incredible mix that creates this fantastic sheep
0:08:47 > 0:08:51that is now the mainstay of lowland sheep farming,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53producing lamb for the table.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59And that's why the Swaledale is the backbone of the UK sheep industry.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02But Yorkshire's not just the birthplace of hardy sheep.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04It has some good lookers too.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06You've heard of Wensleydale cheese.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Well, this is the Wensleydale sheep.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13This one's called Nosterfield Lulu 2.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14She's just won
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Reserve Supreme Champion of Show for owner Ernie Sherwin.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20How long have you been breeding Wensleydales?
0:09:20 > 0:09:23They've been in the family for nearly over a century, really.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Over the years with my grandparents and my dad and things.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28So you feel really passionate about them as a breed?
0:09:28 > 0:09:29Yeah, they're just a bit of a fun thing.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32I love to keep these traditional breeds on for the wool.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Fleeces are worth in excess of £100 now in the right places.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36Oh, congratulations.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40- Thank you.- Beautiful. And they came from Wensleydale itself?
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Yes, yes, the Cistercian monks are supposed to
0:09:43 > 0:09:45have set up with the Wensleydale Creamery
0:09:45 > 0:09:48to start off milking them and making cheese, apparently.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- So that's where the famous Wensleydale cheese comes from?- Yeah.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55There are also 1,000 horses on show here,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58and there's one local breed I'm particularly interested in.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02In the show ring now is the Cleveland Bay.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04They used to be known as the Chapman Horse
0:10:04 > 0:10:05because the chapmen were the
0:10:05 > 0:10:07travelling salesman and they used these
0:10:07 > 0:10:09animals as pack horses to carry all their wares around.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11And they were very versatile.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12They could pull the plough,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15they could be ridden or they'd pull carriages.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18But sadly, now, they're in decline and they're a rare breed.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26This is another classic Yorkshire breed.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29The Middle White with its lovely squashed nose.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34And it was developed about 200 years ago by a guy called Joseph Tuley in
0:10:34 > 0:10:35Keighley, West Riding.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38And they're great at producing pork
0:10:38 > 0:10:40but there is another breed of pig from Yorkshire that's become
0:10:40 > 0:10:41famous worldwide.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49The Middle White's much bigger cousin is creatively called the
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Large White. They used to be seen as the perfect pig,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56sent all over the world to establish commercial breeding herds.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57Earning them a great reputation.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02They're still a favourite of Ron Fieldhouse,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04who breeds them on his farm in Tadcaster.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Goodness me, how many piglets has she got?
0:11:08 > 0:11:1013.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12They're gorgeous!
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Tell me about the breed itself. Where did it originate from?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18It originated in West Riding of Yorkshire...
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and was quickly developed into a
0:11:21 > 0:11:24fast lean growing pig suitable for the
0:11:24 > 0:11:27bacon trade and was exported worldwide.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29And when was it at its height?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31I would say it was at its height in
0:11:31 > 0:11:34the '50s and then started declining in
0:11:34 > 0:11:41the late '70s when the breeding companies started developing hybrids
0:11:41 > 0:11:45which are basically a mixture of Large White and other breeds.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47And do you think they still have their place?
0:11:47 > 0:11:48They still have their place.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52They are still a fast lean growing pig that can compete with the
0:11:52 > 0:11:53commercial market.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55We call them Large Whites
0:11:55 > 0:11:57but worldwide they're known as the Yorkshire pig.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- Lovely. How does that make you feel? - Oh, it's very proud, very proud.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05Despite their recent decline,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09it's hybrids of the breed that are used by the large-scale producers to
0:12:09 > 0:12:11supply supermarkets.
0:12:12 > 0:12:13They're big pigs, aren't they?
0:12:13 > 0:12:18- Yeah.- And here in Yorkshire the pure bred Large Whites are in safe hands.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Ron's son, David, is building up the herd to help preserve them.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26We've seen that there's going to be a real problem
0:12:26 > 0:12:28because people just aren't breeding them,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32so there's a few of us that are just trying to get them out and get
0:12:32 > 0:12:33them spread throughout the country.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Do you keep them because they're a good pig or because
0:12:36 > 0:12:38they're Yorkshire pigs and you're a Yorkshireman?
0:12:38 > 0:12:40It's a bit of both, really.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43I mean, there's pride in it that they are a Yorkshire breed and we
0:12:43 > 0:12:46are based in Yorkshire, so what better pig to keep?
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Yorkshire's local breeds have spread their influence
0:12:52 > 0:12:54far beyond the farmyard.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Bred here in the 1860s for hunting,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02the Airedale terrier became a hero of the First World War.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08They were trained to find wounded soldiers and carry messages.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14But it's one of the world's smallest stocks that's the best known
0:13:14 > 0:13:15Yorkshire breed of all.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18So, why have you chosen to keep Yorkshire terriers?
0:13:18 > 0:13:23Because they're a nice little dog. The hairs don't drop out.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Come on. And they're sporting. She does the ratting.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28And very good at ratting.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30And this little one that's hanging back...
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Come on, mate. I use her for my deerstalking.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36She finds all the deer and the rabbits that I shoot.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Really? So they're proper little working dogs, then.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41- Proper working dogs. - And how did they come about?
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Why Yorkshire terriers in Yorkshire?
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Well, they were bred initially for keeping the rat population down in
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- the mills.- And there would have been a lot of mills round here.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Hundreds. Hundreds of mills.
0:13:52 > 0:13:53And I suppose, as a little dog,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56they can get into all the nooks and crannies.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Yes, and they're lightning quick as well.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03They have got a bit of a reputation as being a handbag breed.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Have they been bred smaller for that?
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Yes. An old lady's dog.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11But they're not. They're very, very game little dogs.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15They would tackle any dog when they're out on a walk.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17With or without the ribbons in their hair.
0:14:17 > 0:14:18ADAM LAUGHS
0:14:18 > 0:14:20They've got a big attitude for a little animal.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21They have got a big attitude.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23They're very sweet, aren't they?
0:14:23 > 0:14:25They can be a bit snappy, though, can't they?
0:14:25 > 0:14:27This one's never bitten anybody yet.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- Always a first time! - There's always a first time.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36Tiny dogs, enormous pigs, versatile workhorses.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Yorkshire has given us so much.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42But, for me, this is the image that defines the county.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46A man, a dog and a flock of Swaledale sheep.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49The romance and the grit of farming in Yorkshire.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Working side-by-side with farmers like Roy,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03the rural vet has been an invaluable service for hundreds of years.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08But it wasn't until the 20th century that one vet in particular reached a
0:15:08 > 0:15:10global audience.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13So who was the real man behind James Herriot?
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Why did he love this county so much that he felt compelled
0:15:16 > 0:15:18to put pen to paper?
0:15:21 > 0:15:25No-one knows the answers better than his daughter, Rosie Page.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29I'm meeting her at a very special place to her and her father,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Sutton Bank near Thirsk.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34This is such an incredible spot, Rosie.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36What can we see from up here?
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Yeah, I think it's incredible too and so did my dad.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49We're looking right over the plain of York here.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52From a very breezy point about 1,000 feet up.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54You can see almost from York to Darlington from here.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00One of the finest views in England, I think, this.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03You look over what was his practice, basically,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05all his best memories were up here.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08He used to take us as kids to climb trees,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11to press flowers and we had a whale of a time,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14but this whole escarpment was very special to him.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23The spot was so special to the family that, when Alf passed away in
0:16:23 > 0:16:261995, his ashes were scattered here overlooking his
0:16:26 > 0:16:27beloved Vale of York.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33What kind of man was your dad?
0:16:33 > 0:16:39He was gentle, good-natured, didn't often see him in a bad temper.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42He was the observer in life, usually.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47His books were, I think, observing other people rather than himself
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- and their animals.- And yet, even in interviews that he gave,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52he didn't really talk about...
0:16:52 > 0:16:54He didn't mention his name or where he was from.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- Was he a very private man, your dad? - Extremely private man.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00He thought, fondly,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02that nobody would find out who he was or where he lived.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Staying out of the limelight was important to Alf.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11He didn't plan to be famous and was happy to continue being a vet.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Something made much easier with a pen name.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19I was watching a football match and James Herriot
0:17:19 > 0:17:20was playing for Birmingham.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23He was the goalkeeper. He played such a good game that night,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and I thought, "By Jove, what a nice name, James Herriot."
0:17:26 > 0:17:31And just at that time, I was looking desperately for a nice-sounding name
0:17:31 > 0:17:33to use as my pseudonym.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37What inspired him to write the books?
0:17:37 > 0:17:43Well, he had these wonderful characters to write about.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47He had the Yorkshire farmers, who were characters in themselves.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51But then he had these heaven sent characters in Donald Sinclair,
0:17:51 > 0:17:55Siegfried and Brian Sinclair's brother, Tristan.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00And there were so many funny stories that he used to tell about them,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02that it would have been a shame not to write them down.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09I wanted to start writing funny books.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11I wanted to tell people about Yorkshire,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14about the beauties of the Yorkshire Dales.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17And I also wanted to tell them about the sad and touching things
0:18:17 > 0:18:18that there are in veterinary practice.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23Triplets, eh? Oh, he's lively.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Look at him.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26Do you have a favourite story?
0:18:26 > 0:18:28I have several favourite stories.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30I love them. But the ones that always
0:18:30 > 0:18:33make me laugh the most are that first book.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36They were what Dad thought were his best stories.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41- Yeah.- And, of course, he had the ability to make you laugh out loud.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45And I remember reading them and watching the TV and having the audio
0:18:45 > 0:18:46tape as well. And they are very accessible.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48I was a child when I read them.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50And I remember this one story about
0:18:50 > 0:18:52him going off to treat a cow that had
0:18:52 > 0:18:53mastitis and it says here...
0:18:53 > 0:18:56"One second later, I was sitting gasping in the dung channel with a
0:18:56 > 0:19:00"neat imprint of a cloven hoof on my shirt front
0:19:00 > 0:19:01"just over the solar plexus."
0:19:01 > 0:19:05"And then the farmer replies, 'She allus likes to shake hands.'"
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Brilliant. Very witty but very accessible.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09Yeah, absolutely.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12What would you say is your dad's legacy?
0:19:12 > 0:19:16His books brought such joy to millions of people.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20He sort of touched their hearts and he made them laugh.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22He made them feel better.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26So I'd love to think that that legacy could be passed on to a
0:19:26 > 0:19:28generation who've missed it.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Alf didn't just make a difference to his readers
0:19:35 > 0:19:38but also closer to home, to the animals he looked after.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45It's what vets and those who work with animals
0:19:45 > 0:19:47do every day in Britain.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Even though it comes with its challenges.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53As Joe found out in Sussex a while ago.
0:19:59 > 0:20:00When there's an emergency,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03the crew of this ambulance are ready for anything.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05But it's not a human casualty we're attending
0:20:05 > 0:20:08because this is a wildlife ambulance.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12The East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service was the brainchild
0:20:12 > 0:20:16of Trevor Weeks and, with around 50 emergency calls a week,
0:20:16 > 0:20:17it's a full-time job.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Casualties happen 24 hours a day,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23seven days a week, 365 days of the year.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27So, whether you want your Christmas dinner with family,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29you've got to take into consideration
0:20:29 > 0:20:31that the phone could ring and you're going to have to go.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39The centre deals with 2,000 to 3,000 animals a year.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42There's all sorts of wildlife here, great and small.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45From poorly pigeons to helpless hedgehogs.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47PHONE RINGS
0:20:50 > 0:20:53East Sussex Wildlife Rescue.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55The ambulance has been called out to something big,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57a fallow deer stag has got its
0:20:57 > 0:20:59antlers tangled up in some tough nylon rope
0:20:59 > 0:21:03on a farmer's field and the animal is very distressed.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05So Trevor has to act fast.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06Once you've caught that animal,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10you've got to get it basically either sedated or released within
0:21:10 > 0:21:1130 minutes.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Otherwise, you're technically looking at an animal that's going
0:21:14 > 0:21:16- to have a heart attack.- Oh, really?
0:21:16 > 0:21:17So it's putting stress on the animal?
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Yes, they're very highly strung animals.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Call-outs like this are rare so, when they do happen,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25they require expert handling.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- There we go.- Got him?
0:21:28 > 0:21:29Yeah, he's just down there.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32We'll keep our distance and we'll wait for the
0:21:32 > 0:21:34rest of the team to arrive.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Got to be treated with respect, it's quite dangerous.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38You are talking a dangerous situation here.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50We are looking at him being caught
0:21:50 > 0:21:53halfway along a long stretch of rope.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55OK, so the net at full stretch.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58Careful.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01- Right.- So, try and go in?
0:22:01 > 0:22:03- Yeah.- Do you want to come round the back next to the legs?
0:22:03 > 0:22:05OK. That's fine.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07The first challenge is to pin the animal to the ground.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Keep it steady. Pull it tight.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- Can I have a blanket?- Over his eyes.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Over his head completely. Step back, step back.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20The blanket should calm the stag down
0:22:20 > 0:22:22but it's still rough and tumble.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Trevor has to draw on 30 years of experience with wildlife to get the
0:22:25 > 0:22:28animal under control.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Do you want Chris to come round the far side for an extra pair of hands?
0:22:32 > 0:22:34- Just hold on.- Watch the feet.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Cover his head completely.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40OK.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Fantastic.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43OK.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Let's start cutting away, please.
0:22:45 > 0:22:46Cut that one.
0:22:48 > 0:22:49Yeah, cut that one.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- That's it, you're doing well. - It's an incredible sound.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Very guttural. It's quite stressed.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59The idea is to do this as quickly as possible.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01They've got him pinned down and they've got a blanket
0:23:01 > 0:23:02covering his eyes.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04To try to calm him down but now they've got to hack through all
0:23:04 > 0:23:06this rope and there is a lot of it.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Clearly, the deer has really become entwined in this over some time
0:23:09 > 0:23:11perhaps. They've got to work as
0:23:11 > 0:23:15quickly as possible to free him without doing him any damage.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Something's caught round there. What's this one?
0:23:17 > 0:23:20That's the one that he's lying on. OK.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Joe, can you walk towards the net and
0:23:22 > 0:23:24bring it round to my left so it comes
0:23:24 > 0:23:26underneath his leg, if you can?
0:23:26 > 0:23:30- Back over his legs? - No, just keep it at that angle.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33- OK.- Right, we're almost free. - Not quite, not quite.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35It's this one down here you're caught on.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39OK, you've got that away.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40Leave my blankets in place.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42So if you can clear out.
0:23:44 > 0:23:45Purple blanket away.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49This is the really tricky moment.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51The deer's completely free now, it's been cut loose.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Thankfully, there are no injuries but this is the most difficult time.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Sorry, can I have the meds bag? I'm just going to listen to his chest.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02This is the point that he's got to be set free.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06But first, I think he's doing a quick health check.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09He's going to listen to his heart and see what condition he's in and
0:24:09 > 0:24:10how stressed he is.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14OK, back off from the area.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17I'll clear the rest up afterwards.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21- OK?- Pick the rest up afterwards.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36What an incredible sight!
0:24:37 > 0:24:39That is textbook animal rescue.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Wow!
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Congratulations!
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- That was amazing.- Oh, dear. - You must be very happy with that?
0:24:47 > 0:24:50That's what you do rescue work for, at the end of the day,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52to get them back to the wild, where they belong.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Within an hour of us getting the call, it's released.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Amazing work. Well done, well done!
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Time for a cup of tea.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09I'm in Yorkshire, exploring the life and legacy of Alf Wight,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11better known as James Herriot.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18By the time his tales of life in the Dales had become an international
0:25:18 > 0:25:22hit, Alf had been a vet in Thirsk for more than 30 years.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25But what was the job like when he started out?
0:25:25 > 0:25:28I've come to his original practice to meet his son and former partner,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Jim Wight, to find out.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34- Hello, Ellie.- Hi, Jim.- How nice to meet you.- Thanks, you too.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35- Come in.- Thanks.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Jim, it's the actual phone!
0:25:39 > 0:25:40I've got to do this, forgive me.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Darrowby 385. I've always wanted to do that!
0:25:49 > 0:25:53The house and surgery where he lived and worked has been painstakingly
0:25:53 > 0:25:56restored - a time capsule of the life of a busy vet
0:25:56 > 0:25:58in 1940s Yorkshire.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Now, this was your family home, wasn't it, Jim?
0:26:03 > 0:26:04The whole building doubled up as a
0:26:04 > 0:26:06family home and a veterinary practice
0:26:06 > 0:26:09because there was very little dog and cat work.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13It was an agricultural practice so this was what they used to call our
0:26:13 > 0:26:15best room if we had visitors.
0:26:15 > 0:26:16It also doubled up as the office
0:26:16 > 0:26:18with the old-fashioned typewriter there.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21The farmers would come here on a Monday to pay the bills.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24- Why Monday?- It was market day.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26And the pubs were open all day.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29What was veterinary work like back in the '40s?
0:26:29 > 0:26:34Massively different. It was 90-95% agricultural work,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36cows, pigs, sheep.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40There was one job that took up much of Alf's time.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43People were dying of TB through drinking
0:26:43 > 0:26:45tuburculous milk off infected cows.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49That's how my dad was introduced to the Yorkshire Dales and that is
0:26:49 > 0:26:50why my father and his partner,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Donald Sinclair, better known as Siegfried,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56they went up there to do to tuberculin testing
0:26:56 > 0:26:58but it was a hard life.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Every animal had to be tested - dairy cattle, calves,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05wild animals off the fells, off the moors.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10He had to travel 30 miles up there in a car with no brakes, no heater,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12holes in the floor.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15- Tough.- He used to arrive up there and his words were,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17"stupefied with cold."
0:27:17 > 0:27:19So, physical work, really, wasn't it?
0:27:19 > 0:27:22He always used to say, James Herriot said in his books,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25his work was harder but more fun.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33'The sitting room holds row upon row of Alf's favourite books and the
0:27:33 > 0:27:37'tankard that was used as the office till for many years still sits on
0:27:37 > 0:27:38'the mantelpiece.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44'But it's round the corner that the real tricks of the trade
0:27:44 > 0:27:45'are revealed.'
0:27:47 > 0:27:50This is incredible, like a vet's apothecary.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53This was the days when my father first started here,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55when the vets made their own medicines up.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59We've got all these balances and weighs and they all had their own
0:27:59 > 0:28:05recipes. A lot of these medicines here did no good whatsoever
0:28:05 > 0:28:07but the vet had to do something.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Universal mixture.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13- Very generic.- Universal Cattle Medicine, UCM,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16if you see the old vet day books, they're always saying,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19"visit cow, dispense UCM",
0:28:19 > 0:28:22so the vet doesn't know what's wrong with it but he knows that the UCM is
0:28:22 > 0:28:24- going to cure it. - It's kind of a placebo,
0:28:24 > 0:28:26except the animals don't know.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Castor oil, the worst thing that happened was a stoppage.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Farmers called it opening medicine.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34The old vet in Glasgow said to my dad,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37"One of the secrets of veterinary practice is,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40"keep the bowels open and trust the rest to God!"
0:28:40 > 0:28:42There was other things, like, on
0:28:42 > 0:28:44wounds, they would put turpentine on top of
0:28:44 > 0:28:46iodine crystals. There would be a
0:28:46 > 0:28:49great explosion of purple clouds, which
0:28:49 > 0:28:51looked really good. This was the final,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53the piece de resistance for the vet.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Utterly fantastic but it did no good whatsoever but the vet got
0:28:56 > 0:28:59a lot of credit.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02All our treatments were steeped in black magic and witchcraft and,
0:29:02 > 0:29:06of course, that was one of the things that motivated me to write.
0:29:07 > 0:29:08The treatment's so funny.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13I often think, when science comes in the door,
0:29:13 > 0:29:14the fun flies out of the window.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18As well as the lotions and potions,
0:29:18 > 0:29:23the vets of Alf's day had some rather primitive tools, too.
0:29:23 > 0:29:24Oh, it's quite cosy in here.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Are these the implements that were used?
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Yeah, these are a real blast from the past.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32- They look slightly torturous, don't they?- This here...
0:29:32 > 0:29:34is what my father used multiple, multiple times.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36It's called the probang.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41In those days, cows were often fed chopped potatoes, chopped mangels,
0:29:41 > 0:29:45chopped turnips and sometimes these things would lodge in the gullet.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49The cow blows up like a balloon and, if she gets really big,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52she'll die because the pressure on the chest is such that the cow will
0:29:52 > 0:29:54asphyxiate, so what does the vet do?
0:29:54 > 0:29:57He puts that into the cow's mouth.
0:29:57 > 0:29:58Oh, my goodness!
0:29:58 > 0:30:03He puts this probang through there and he pushes the probang
0:30:03 > 0:30:05down the gullet.
0:30:05 > 0:30:06The full length of this?
0:30:06 > 0:30:10He pushes it down until he'll feel the obstruction
0:30:10 > 0:30:14and then, very gently, you tap the obstruction down, down,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17down and, eventually, of course, it goes into the stomach.
0:30:17 > 0:30:18You have released the obstruction
0:30:18 > 0:30:21and it's very satisfying because you see the cow,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25this enormous bloated animal, just goes like a deflated balloon.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27An almighty belch?
0:30:27 > 0:30:30You just watch it going right down.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31Very, very satisfying.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35It's such a fascinating insight into your dad's life and work.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38Going around with my father from the age of three...
0:30:39 > 0:30:42..to watch him doing all these things was a huge adventure.
0:30:43 > 0:30:44Exciting stuff.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Getting up close and personal with all creatures great and small
0:30:55 > 0:30:57was Alf's bread and butter.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03And, as John found out one Christmas in Gloucestershire,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06sometimes, it's the little ones you have to watch out for.
0:31:10 > 0:31:16Winter can be a hard time for a lot of British wildlife and this
0:31:16 > 0:31:19prickly little fellow finds it particularly tough.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24A hedgehog. He should be sleeping away the cold winter months
0:31:24 > 0:31:28in hibernation but, like many others like him,
0:31:28 > 0:31:30his calendar is a bit out of kilter.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36The trouble is, hedgehogs often have a second and even third litter
0:31:36 > 0:31:39of babies, known as hoglets, in late summer.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42But when the weather starts to turn,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46Mum goes into hibernation and the late arrivals are left
0:31:46 > 0:31:47to fend for themselves.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53Many of the youngsters haven't built up enough fat reserves in time
0:31:53 > 0:31:54for the cold weather.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58So, if they try to hibernate, they might never wake up.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03Luckily, they're determined little creatures and, when it comes to
0:32:03 > 0:32:05Christmas wishes, they've got quite a list.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13Mary Hinton can fulfil some of those wishes.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16She's a volunteer with Help A Hedgehog and her garage,
0:32:16 > 0:32:20a few minutes from Westonbirt, doubles up as a hospital.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24This one was found out in the day in a road.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28When he first came in, he was only 355g,
0:32:28 > 0:32:33so hedgehogs have to be 600g to have a safe chance of hibernating.
0:32:33 > 0:32:34You weigh him in a food bowl?
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Yes. Yes, just on a domestic pair of scales.
0:32:38 > 0:32:39This is what people could do at home.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43He is 605g so he's above danger level now?
0:32:43 > 0:32:47- He is.- 605, so this one has done very well,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49it's now up to a safe weight.
0:32:49 > 0:32:55So, top of the Christmas wishes list for hedgehogs is a nice fat tummy.
0:32:55 > 0:32:56That means lots of lovely food.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03So, in hedgehog terms, he's getting quite chubby now?
0:33:03 > 0:33:05- He is. - What do you feed them on?
0:33:05 > 0:33:09Basically, we do a mixture of wet cat food, non-fishy,
0:33:09 > 0:33:11and we mix up that with dried mealworms,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14which they're absolutely addicted to, so that's a bit of a treat.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18Also, little cat biscuits and we mix that altogether and that gives them
0:33:18 > 0:33:21a good mixture, a good range in their diet.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24What shouldn't you feed them?
0:33:24 > 0:33:27- You shouldn't give them bread and milk.- Really?
0:33:27 > 0:33:30It's a complete fallacy because hedgehogs are actually lactose
0:33:30 > 0:33:34intolerant so actually it makes them very, very poorly and can kill them.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39Hedgehogs are tenacious characters, which often gets them
0:33:39 > 0:33:41into a spot of bother.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45In some cases, they need more than a good meal to put them right.
0:33:47 > 0:33:52That's why another perfectly ordinary home has been transformed
0:33:52 > 0:33:54into a life-saving facility for hedgehogs in need.
0:34:01 > 0:34:07This bungalow also provides high-rise living for 53 hedgehogs.
0:34:07 > 0:34:12That's a record number for another helper, the festively named
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Carol Doyton.
0:34:14 > 0:34:15- Shall I hold him?- Yes.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17We want to... Come on.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23Even the tiniest hedgehogs get 5-star treatment right here
0:34:23 > 0:34:24in Carol's kitchen.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26This is a special milk.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Milk? I thought you weren't supposed to give them milk.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33But it is special, it is puppy milk that we feed the hogs.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Oh, there we go. Yes, he's got the hang of it now.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41Well, he's really enjoying that, isn't he?
0:34:41 > 0:34:43So this is a kind of emergency unit here, is it?
0:34:43 > 0:34:45It is the intensive care unit in here.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49Mainly because little ones need such constant care.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51What's wrong with this one here?
0:34:51 > 0:34:53That is our strimmer injury.
0:34:53 > 0:34:54- Strimmer?- Yes.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Here's an object lesson to be very careful when you're out
0:34:57 > 0:34:58in the garden.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03- Yeah.- Because it's easy to give a hedgehog a haircut
0:35:03 > 0:35:05without really intending it.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08That's right. He's been on antibiotics for a week.
0:35:08 > 0:35:13He's also got round worm so he's actually on medicines
0:35:13 > 0:35:15for that as well.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17So, how do you see the future for hedgehogs,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20because we keep hearing they're in a bad way in the wild?
0:35:20 > 0:35:21It's worrying.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25Well, it's said that, by 2025,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28there won't be any hedgehogs as we know it now.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Do you believe that?
0:35:30 > 0:35:33I do actually because there is just so many things...
0:35:33 > 0:35:35- netting...- Ow!
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Oh, sorry, that was a really big bite.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Look at that!
0:35:42 > 0:35:43THEY LAUGH
0:35:43 > 0:35:44No, no, no.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48He's obviously got a little bit fed up.
0:35:48 > 0:35:49We'll put you back in there.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Hedgehogs are a threat to me now,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54I don't know about humans being a threat to hedgehogs!
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Good job you had your gloves on!
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Talk about biting the hand that feeds!
0:36:00 > 0:36:04But this little fellow will survive to join the dwindling hedgehog
0:36:04 > 0:36:08population, down to just under a million today,
0:36:08 > 0:36:12compared to an estimated 30 million in the 1950s.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17So, it's a good job that people like Carol are able to do their bit.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20But there's one more Christmas wish that you can help with.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31So, if you come across a tiny hedgehog like this that's obviously
0:36:31 > 0:36:34underweight, best to try and keep it warm
0:36:34 > 0:36:37and then call someone like Carol or Mary to get help.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42But should you find a fully grown hedgehog that's hibernating cosily
0:36:42 > 0:36:45somewhere safe, just leave it in peace.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48That's the best Christmas present any hedgehog could have.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00The 1970s were a time of huge success for James Herriot,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03the author, while Alf continued life as a vet.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07It's a funny smelling stuff, this.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10His adventures hit our TV screens with a BBC programme,
0:37:10 > 0:37:12All Creatures Great and Small,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15and it made a star of Christopher Timothy, who played him.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19As a big fan myself,
0:37:19 > 0:37:23I wanted to find out what it was like and I'm meeting him
0:37:23 > 0:37:25somewhere he should feel right at home.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Does this all feel familiar, coming back to a farm?
0:37:29 > 0:37:34Well, yeah, but I did visit farms prior to being a vet.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36- To being James Herriot? - Yeah, absolutely.
0:37:36 > 0:37:41I grew up in North Wales so the smell of cow poo is one of my favourite smells.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43And that's a fact.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47I've got to declare my absolute dedication to the programme.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49I used to love All Creatures Great and Small,
0:37:49 > 0:37:50it was compulsory viewing for me,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53and I can even remember how your wife answered the phone,
0:37:53 > 0:37:54"Darrowby 385."
0:37:54 > 0:37:57- I remember that.- You remember the number?- I do.- Amazing!
0:37:57 > 0:38:00PHONE RINGS
0:38:00 > 0:38:01Hello, Darrowby 385.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Yes. Hello, Mr Mellis.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08What was it like for you working on that really important series?
0:38:08 > 0:38:11It was a gift from heaven.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14I arrived in Yorkshire, not knowing it very well and, suddenly,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16this glorious, glorious countryside
0:38:16 > 0:38:19and these amazing people who say it like it is.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23It's not often, or not always, what you want to hear,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26but at least you know it comes from the heart and it's true.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Straight-talking Yorkshiremen, that's what you mean, isn't it?
0:38:29 > 0:38:33How did you prepare for the role as a vet because you were working with
0:38:33 > 0:38:35real animals, weren't you?
0:38:35 > 0:38:37I spent a week with a real vet in Leyburn called Jack Watkinson
0:38:37 > 0:38:40who became a dear, dear friend.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43I arrived at this house wearing faded denim,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46because I thought that's what you wear when you play the lead
0:38:46 > 0:38:49in a television series, and a pair of white moccasins
0:38:49 > 0:38:51and when Jack arrived at the house to meet me,
0:38:51 > 0:38:56I saw his face fall and I went out on all his calls, all of them.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59He'd wake me up sometimes in the morning at four and say,
0:38:59 > 0:39:00"You did say to wake you up?"
0:39:00 > 0:39:01"No, absolutely."
0:39:01 > 0:39:05So we used to get out in the morning as dawn was breaking.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07Oh, goodness, he really put you through your paces?
0:39:08 > 0:39:10It was, without exception,
0:39:10 > 0:39:14as much as I adored playing James for all those years and everything,
0:39:14 > 0:39:16it was the best week of the whole job.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Wow!
0:39:18 > 0:39:22Christopher's early training would come in handy episode after episode.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Didn't you, in the series, deliver a foal?
0:39:31 > 0:39:36Yes, it was a story whereby Siegfried and James both went out
0:39:36 > 0:39:40to a foaling and the foal that James delivered is born dead.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44There's the head, David. There's the head.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Can you get the cowl off?
0:39:46 > 0:39:48I was used to delivering calves, I'd never done a foal before,
0:39:48 > 0:39:51standing up. And I knew that the legs were there and there.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54Lying down, they were in a different place, so I forgot that.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58So, I was really getting a bit uptight about it
0:39:58 > 0:40:00and out came this beautiful foal.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Yes, yes!
0:40:03 > 0:40:04Come on!
0:40:04 > 0:40:08It is an extraordinary moment and then, almost immediately,
0:40:08 > 0:40:12they brought in a dead foal and I had to pretend to give it
0:40:12 > 0:40:16the kiss of life but the actual joy of the birth was...
0:40:16 > 0:40:18- Yeah.- Never got over it. - Pretty magical.- Yeah.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21- Stays with you...- Absolutely. - That sort of thing, yeah.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26That's laminated tissue,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29she's got haemorrhages under the soles.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33The TV show introduced Herriot's stories to a new audience,
0:40:33 > 0:40:37many of whom were so inspired by the programme they signed up to become
0:40:37 > 0:40:38vets themselves.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44It soon picked up the attention of the press and became known as the
0:40:44 > 0:40:45Herriot effect.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49People used to stop me and say, "Excuse me,
0:40:49 > 0:40:53"I'm sorry to trouble you, but I am now a vet and I'm a vet because of you."
0:40:54 > 0:40:57The bottom line is Herriot is responsible
0:40:57 > 0:41:00- and we were just the messengers, weren't we, really?- I suppose so.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02Which is incredible.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06And what did Alf think of his alter ego's performance?
0:41:06 > 0:41:10I was in hospital with a badly broken leg and he wrote to me
0:41:10 > 0:41:13and he said very nice things and my biggest regret
0:41:13 > 0:41:14is that I lost the letter.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18- Oh, what a shame.- Well, I framed it and put it near the front door
0:41:18 > 0:41:19so everybody who came to the house would see.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Yes! It was part of the grand tour of the house.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24He was very, very complimentary and I was very relieved.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32The way we treat and understand animals has changed dramatically
0:41:32 > 0:41:35since the boom days of the Herriot effect.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39It's down to the passion of those who dedicate their lives to helping
0:41:39 > 0:41:43them, as I found out on a trip to Nottinghamshire last year.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56We use them for recreation, a gentle canter in the country,
0:41:56 > 0:41:57some people work the land with them.
0:41:58 > 0:42:03But bio-mechanics - pilates for horses -
0:42:03 > 0:42:06apparently, it's something every rider should know.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15And it starts with some colouring in.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20This might look like an unusual art class but there's a serious reason
0:42:20 > 0:42:22for painting on this horse.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27Horse therapist Gillian Higgins isn't teaching art.
0:42:27 > 0:42:28She's teaching anatomy.
0:42:30 > 0:42:31- Gillian, how are you doing? - Hi, Ellie.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33- Good to meet you.- You too.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35What are you painting here?
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Well, this is Derby.
0:42:37 > 0:42:38Derby, hello.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42I'm painting the muscles on the side of Derby's body so
0:42:42 > 0:42:46we can really see what's going on inside when he moves later on.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48- Can I have a little go at some colouring in?- Yeah, of course.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51Absolutely. So what you're painting here is the muscle called the
0:42:51 > 0:42:53longissimus dorsi muscle
0:42:53 > 0:42:57and this muscle is the one that we actually sit on
0:42:57 > 0:43:02when we're riding and it runs either side of the length
0:43:02 > 0:43:05of our spine and, quite often, people get back pain,
0:43:05 > 0:43:09it would be in the longissimus dorsi muscle.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11It takes quite a lot of paint, doesn't it, to get it on?
0:43:11 > 0:43:14- It does, yes.- You must get through a lot.- Yes, indeed.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20The paint is washable and doesn't harm the horse.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22What it does do is give us a picture
0:43:22 > 0:43:26of how the animal's bones and muscles flex when we ride them.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29And that's important to understand because horses weren't designed to
0:43:29 > 0:43:33carry us. The stresses we put them under can give them back problems
0:43:33 > 0:43:35and bad posture, just like us.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37Why have you got me dressed like this, Gillian?
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Well, just like with the horse posture,
0:43:39 > 0:43:42rider posture is really important as well.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45Posture and position and, when you're wearing that skeleton suit,
0:43:45 > 0:43:49we can really see how your bones are on the inside.
0:43:49 > 0:43:54- Of course, how you sit will affect how the horse moves.- Aha!
0:43:54 > 0:43:56As soon as you sit on the horse,
0:43:56 > 0:43:59we're adding weight onto the horse's back and, actually,
0:43:59 > 0:44:03to help reduce the burden that we place on the back,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06it's important that we maintain a really good balance and posture
0:44:06 > 0:44:09position so that they're comfortable and perform well.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11Put your left foot...
0:44:11 > 0:44:14I'm not an experienced rider but I am keen to see how this works.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Well done. That's good.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19OK, so thinking about your general posture.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21- You'd sit up nice and tall, wouldn't you?- Yeah.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25So that's better already. You're sitting up much taller.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28You want to imagine a balloon attached to the back of your head,
0:44:28 > 0:44:30pulling you up really tall.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35Gillian has spotted many potential problems this way,
0:44:35 > 0:44:39and she's put them right by using a very human solution.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43She's devised a set of stretching exercises for horses based on Pilates.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46But how do you get a horse to do Pilates?
0:44:47 > 0:44:51This is a really good exercise for stimulating the abdominal muscles,
0:44:51 > 0:44:55that I've painted on here in pink, and the hip flexors.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59It's really important to make sure that your horse is happy
0:44:59 > 0:45:02for you to be around the back end before you get started.
0:45:02 > 0:45:03I'm pretty confident with him.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06Just come up to the back end. Just give him a bit of a rub here to say,
0:45:06 > 0:45:08"Are you all right with that, Smoky?"
0:45:08 > 0:45:09He seems absolutely fine.
0:45:09 > 0:45:14What I'll do is just gently change that from a flat hand to a scratch.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17To give him a nice feeling, as if they're having a good itch.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20- Yeah.- He likes that. And then he should start rounding his back up,
0:45:20 > 0:45:24contracting his abdominal muscles, his hip flexors.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26And you might see the saddle's gone up as well.
0:45:26 > 0:45:27- Good boy!- Fantastic.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30- Well done.- A perfect response.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33The next exercise involves a little bribery.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36I'm going to stand on the other side so you can see what's happening.
0:45:36 > 0:45:41And you should notice that, as I move his head,
0:45:41 > 0:45:43it will get him to contract his abdominal muscles
0:45:43 > 0:45:44and his back will round up.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47So I'm going to come and stand by his shoulder here.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49I'm going to use the first carrot. Here we go, Smoky.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53Stand still. First carrot to get him to lower his head down.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57And then the second carrot to take his head back.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01And there you should see he's recruiting his abdominal muscles
0:46:01 > 0:46:03and really rounding his back up.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05Oh, good boy, Smoky.
0:46:05 > 0:46:06- Yeah.- He likes that carrot.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11Well done. The human equivalent of this exercise would us be doing...
0:46:11 > 0:46:12- A crunch.- A bit of a stomach crunch, yeah.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15- Good boy. Absolutely.- A little cheeky reward along the way.
0:46:15 > 0:46:16Yeah, absolutely.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21Gillian's also created routines to help improve performance
0:46:21 > 0:46:23and uses them to train amateur owners
0:46:23 > 0:46:25as well as professional eventers,
0:46:25 > 0:46:28like Fiona Davidson, who's now taken over in the skeleton suit.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32What about with jump work?
0:46:32 > 0:46:36Well, Fiona's now just about to go through this grid that we've set up.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39So the design of it is different fences, different shapes,
0:46:39 > 0:46:44and they're all different distances to get Smoky up in the air,
0:46:44 > 0:46:45powerfully using his body.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47And you'll see, as she comes through here,
0:46:47 > 0:46:50just how much movement there is in his skeleton
0:46:50 > 0:46:53and just how much power's required to get him over those fences.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56- That's a big fence coming out. - That's really impressive, isn't it?
0:46:56 > 0:46:58The range of movement, just to get over that fence.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01- The whole body...- Yes. - ..is really being tested.
0:47:01 > 0:47:02Yeah, absolutely.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05Absolutely. He's done a very, very good job.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17HORSE WHINNIES
0:47:21 > 0:47:22Yorkshire.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25Patchwork farms and ancient moors.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31I'm here learning about Alf Wight,
0:47:31 > 0:47:34the man behind the James Herriot books that put Yorkshire
0:47:34 > 0:47:38and its farmers on the map. But what of his surgery?
0:47:38 > 0:47:42Well, it may have moved house, but it's still going strong in Thirsk.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47Peter Wright is one of the partners in the practice today
0:47:47 > 0:47:50but was trained as a young man by Alf himself.
0:47:54 > 0:47:55Let's go on your rounds.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03So you trained with Alf?
0:48:03 > 0:48:04- Yes.- What was that like?
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Within two hours of being there,
0:48:06 > 0:48:08if they said, "Look, bring your sleeping bag
0:48:08 > 0:48:10"and sleep in one of the consulting rooms at night,"
0:48:10 > 0:48:11I probably wouldn't have left.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15I just liked the whole thing about the work, the atmosphere,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18the challenges, the variety.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20Being out in the open air.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22So it was just phenomenal, as far as I was concerned.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25It was exactly what I wanted, I knew straightaway.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31But times have certainly changed for rural vets.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35A lot of the family farms are disappearing.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39The children don't want to go into farming because...
0:48:40 > 0:48:42..there's no money to be made at it.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46When Peter started out,
0:48:46 > 0:48:49there were more than 50 dairy herds in the area.
0:48:49 > 0:48:50Now there are just three.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55The modern-day vets now, that are predominantly small animal,
0:48:55 > 0:48:58they tend to be standing consulting all day long.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03But it would be wrong to say there aren't some of the same perks
0:49:03 > 0:49:06there used to be working in this wonderful countryside.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12All around me was the beautiful Yorkshire moors.
0:49:12 > 0:49:14I used to stop the car and get out
0:49:14 > 0:49:16and let the breeze blow under my shirt
0:49:16 > 0:49:18and look over this wonderful panorama.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22I say to people that come to work for us in Thirsk,
0:49:22 > 0:49:24Thirsk's the centre of the world!
0:49:24 > 0:49:26THEY CHUCKLE
0:49:28 > 0:49:29So has it got easier, then,
0:49:29 > 0:49:32as technology and techniques and medicine has improved?
0:49:32 > 0:49:35Nowadays, veterinary surgeons, young veterinary surgeons,
0:49:35 > 0:49:39rely more on laboratory assessments, on X-rays,
0:49:39 > 0:49:41on ultrasound scans and this sort of thing.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44But as my old boss used to say,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47there is nothing to beat a good clinical examination.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51An ethos that seemed to have passed on to Alf, too.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56In the immortal words of my partner, Siegfried,
0:49:56 > 0:49:58there's more to be learned up a cow's backside
0:49:58 > 0:50:00than in many an encyclopaedia.
0:50:00 > 0:50:01And this is literally true.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29I'm in Yorkshire, exploring the life and legacy
0:50:29 > 0:50:32of the world's most famous vet, Alf Wight,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35better known to millions of us as James Herriot.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38Although times have changed,
0:50:38 > 0:50:42Skeldale Surgery still has his farmers on its books.
0:50:42 > 0:50:43Here we are.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45Today, John Swales needs a hand pregnancy testing
0:50:45 > 0:50:47some of his pedigree heifers
0:50:47 > 0:50:51and Julian, Peter's partner in the practice, is already on site.
0:50:56 > 0:50:57It's all go here, John, isn't it?
0:50:57 > 0:51:01- Yeah, it certainly is.- Tell me about this breed that you've got here.
0:51:01 > 0:51:02Pedigree Limousins.
0:51:02 > 0:51:07- Pedigrees.- At one time, they were classed as very, very wild.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11We've bred the nastiness out of them, if you like.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14So today, you're hoping that each one of these is in calf?
0:51:14 > 0:51:16They haven't told me anything any different yet.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19We'll find out. The moment of truth shortly.
0:51:19 > 0:51:20You knew Alf Wight, didn't you?
0:51:20 > 0:51:22- Yes.- Have you got fond memories?
0:51:22 > 0:51:24Very fond, yes.
0:51:24 > 0:51:25He was a gentleman.
0:51:27 > 0:51:34When I was starting in farming, he always had time to explain things.
0:51:34 > 0:51:39He didn't tell you just what the problem was but he told you why,
0:51:39 > 0:51:41and then, of course, you learned things.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43So he helped you become a more knowledgeable farmer?
0:51:43 > 0:51:45Yeah.
0:51:45 > 0:51:46Thank you, Josh. That's brilliant.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51And it looks like John's grandson, Joshua, is benefiting
0:51:51 > 0:51:54from the know-how of a new generation of vet.
0:51:54 > 0:51:55COW LOWS
0:51:55 > 0:51:57That's a calf there, look.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00- Yeah.- That little white thing that looks like a kidney bean.
0:52:00 > 0:52:01Yeah.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03That's about six weeks.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12There may be a lot more technology around than in Alf's day
0:52:12 > 0:52:17but the vet's most useful tool will always be a steady arm.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19The scanner probe looks through into the cow's uterus
0:52:19 > 0:52:22and tells me whether there's a calf in there or not.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25She is well and truly in calf.
0:52:25 > 0:52:26So that's good news for her.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29And you can't use this ultrasound from the outside,
0:52:29 > 0:52:31you have to do an internal to get the image?
0:52:31 > 0:52:33That's right, a rectal probe.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37A cow's abdomen is too big to put the scanner on the outside,
0:52:37 > 0:52:39- like you would with a human baby. - Yeah.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42They're big animals and you need to be inside to do it.
0:52:42 > 0:52:43Nowadays, it's a bit easier
0:52:43 > 0:52:45cos we've got the benefit of modern technology
0:52:45 > 0:52:47but, as you can see, you know,
0:52:47 > 0:52:49we're just as plastered in mess as Alf would have been,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52even without the benefit of modern equipment.
0:52:52 > 0:52:53Just as it was back then.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57- Exactly.- And did the James Herriot effect work on you?
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Very much so. I was a young kid
0:52:59 > 0:53:02watching the television series in the '70s and '80s
0:53:02 > 0:53:06and it was really what set me on the path towards being a vet.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Our practice is probably as close as you can get
0:53:08 > 0:53:10to the Herriot way of working
0:53:10 > 0:53:13and it's a great privilege to be part of that.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18And time for the news that all farmers want to hear.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21So John's been waiting on this news.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24So far, what success rate have you got?
0:53:24 > 0:53:26So far, everything's good. We've been to about six or seven cows
0:53:26 > 0:53:28and they're all pregnant.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30So the bull's obviously been working and this is good news.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32It's a really nice, good-quality suckler herd
0:53:32 > 0:53:35that John's got here and it's important for him
0:53:35 > 0:53:36that his cows are pregnant.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40- So far, it's looking good.- 100% success rate, John, how about that?
0:53:40 > 0:53:41- I hope so, yeah.- That's good.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43- How do you feel about that? - Very good.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45- That's what...- That's what you wanted to hear today?
0:53:45 > 0:53:47That's what it's all about.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58So much has changed since James Herriot first arrived in Yorkshire
0:53:58 > 0:54:04in 1940 - farming, being a vet, the way we live and work.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08But his wonderful stories full of humour and humanity will live on,
0:54:08 > 0:54:11inspiring future generations. HE WHISTLES, DOG PANTS
0:54:11 > 0:54:12Come on, then.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18Are we going home, then, eh? Are we going home? Come on, then.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29Next week, Anita will be exploring an area of the countryside
0:54:29 > 0:54:32that's close to her heart and we'll be taking a trip down memory lane
0:54:32 > 0:54:36with some famous faces to their favourite places.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38To find out where, you'll have to join us then.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40See you next week. Bye-bye.