Cheap All Creatures Great & Small - The Complete Series 1 Collection (DVD) (James Herriot) Price

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Customer Reviews of All Creatures Great & Small - The Complete Series 1 Collection

WARNING: The following review contains unrestrained gushing
All Creatures Great and Small is the most wonderful series on Earth (heck, and the other planets too). Although it doesn't really matter which episodes you begin with (the last ones were the first ones I saw) I think it's best to start at the beginning. In the first episode of the series, "Horse Sense," we see how newly-qualified vet James (Christopher Timothy) arrives in Darrowby and at the practice of Siegfried Farnon, MRCVS (Robert Hardy). It's a great episode, which wonderfully establishes all the ACGAS characters and themes one eventually comes to know and love.

However, in my opinion, the episode where the story really begins is the second one, "Dog Days," in which we meet Siegfried's mischievous, irresponsible, and wonderful younger brother, Tristan (Peter Davison) who has failed all his vet school tests, not for the first time. It is wonderful to see the relationship between Siegfried and Tristan established. The acting is first-rate from all the cast members - and if I may cite a shallower reason for enjoying this, Tristan is ADORABLE. (I hope the capital letters suffice as description.) There are also a bunch of animals in each episode, all of whom rival him for the cuteness title, depending on your point of view.

I guarantee you will enjoy this series.

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All Things Wise and Wonderful
One of the great joys of my childhood was when my family would gather round, each and every Saturday night, and watch an episode of this series on PBS. This charming little series is based on the wildly popular, real-life James Herriot veterinary stories set in the Yorkshire Dales. A mixture of drama and very witty comedy, the main characters are played to perfection by Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, and Peter Davison, supported by a fine cast of British character actors as the "good country people" of the dales.

The DVDs are pretty standard - the interior video footage is quite clean and nice, but the 16mm film exteriors is often grainy and dirty (this is improved somewhat on the series 2 set). The only supplement is on disc 4 - a one-hour 1980s interview with the real James Herriot, veterinarian Alf Wight. Still, the real joy is in the episodes themselves. Although the series is set in the '30s, it has dated a little bit; it can be unusually slow on occasion. Nonetheless, this is recommended viewing for BBC fans, as well as families who enjoy gentle comedy and (of course!) animals.

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Finally on DVD!
Finally the BBC has put this on DVD! Having grown up reading about the adventures of the Yorkshire vet and then following it on TV in the BBCs great adaption, I find that now, almost 25 years later, the series is as wonderful, funny, and heartwarming as ever. Series 1 begins right at the onset of James Herriot's career in Siegfried Farnon's veterinary practice in Darrowby, Yorkshire. From the start the young vet has his work cut out for him, not only with the animals and the quirks of the Yorkshire country folk, but also with his volatile boss Siegfried, brilliantly played by Robert Hardy, and Siegfried's fun-loving and ever-mischievous younger brother Tristan. The episodes vary from pure funny to heartwarming to poignant, but all are equally well made. This is a true family material, so gather around the TV and enjoy together