It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet ** (1976, John Alderton, Colin Blakely, Lisa Harrow) – Classic Movie Review 10,512

Director Eric Till’s 1976 British comedy drama It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet [All Things Bright and Beautiful] is based on the book by James Herriot, and stars John Alderton, Colin Blakely and Lisa Harrow, along with Bill Maynard, Richard Pearson, Raymond Francis, John Barrett and Paul Shelley.

The follow-up to All Creatures Great and Small (1975) sees only Harrow reprise her role (as Helen Herriot) from that film with Alderton (as James Herriot) and Blakely (as his boss, Siegfried Farnon) taking on the mantle of novelist-vet James Herriot’s pre-war Yorkshire veterinarians.

The plot concerns sick cows, sheep and dogs, muddy fields and the inevitable farmyard hazards, with a touch of rural romanticism thrown in. Alderton is charming in the part originally played by Simon Ward, Blakely has fun with his grouchy persona (Anthony Hopkins’s old role), and the warmth and humour of the original books are enough to see this through any little sticky patches. The screenplay is by Alan Plater.

Christopher Timothy and Robert Hardy played the two main roles in the subsequent TV series All Creatures Great and Small (1978-1990) of 90 episodes. Timothy recalled: ‘It was a life-changing opportunity for me and I met some wonderful people.’ HIs 1979 book of memoirs is called Vet Behind the Ears, a title suggested to him by actor Gorden Kaye.

Also in the cast are Rosemary Martin, Philip Stone, Clifford Kershaw, Kevin Moreton, Liz Smith, Leslie Sarony, Gwen Nelson, Juliet Cooke, Stacy Davies, Christine Hargreaves, Mary Warden, Richard Griffiths and Ian Hastings.

It is the first feature of Richard Griffiths.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,512

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