Nicholas Ralph felt an instant connection with the character of James Herriot and knew he had to land the role in the new adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small.
“I had never come across James Herriot or All Creatures Great and Small before the audition. Initially when the script came through I thought the writing was incredible and I felt like I knew the character really well. I felt an instant connection and I really wanted to play him.
My parents knew of and had seen the 1970s show so I spoke with them and it was actually my uncle who is a massive fan of the books and as a boy had read them all. He lived near Alf Wight’s veterinary practice and his mum took him along one day and they opened the door for signings and my uncle had his book signed. So when I told him he nearly hit the roof and that was only about the audition. He was beside himself when I got the role!
Stories like that are timeless which is why 80 million copies of the books have sold worldwide. They are heart-warming and lovely stories and the emotional connection to them, in that they’re funny and there is drama in them, is perfect – they have everything you need, especially for just now. I think these stories are a lovely escape.”
What attracted Nicholas to the role of James Herriot?
“He was so funny, lovable, charming and slightly awkward and I guess I had an instant connection with James and knew what I wanted to do with him. His compassion for the animals and his passion for his field and his intelligence are all traits you can’t not like.
Obviously he is a three dimensional character because he is based on a real person and you have all of this material and true stories – for an actor that is so exciting because you have this guy who you can see every facet of to play. You see him in all different kinds of situations being tried and tested in different ways and how he responds. A total dream really.”
James has a tough start moving down from Scotland to a farming community who are not used to outsiders and quite a difficult potential boss…
“Contrary to classic stories of small towns to big cities, this is quite the opposite. James qualifies as a vet in Glasgow and then there is a job opportunity in Darrowby, in the Yorkshire Dales, so he goes from the big city to a small town and faces all of the difficulties that come along with it, like getting the locals on your side. Meanwhile the farmers are obviously all wondering who this guy is with the funny accent coming down to tell them what to do with their farm animals.
Siegfried is the one who gives him the job, and they live and work together which I can’t imagine happening nowadays – living and working with your boss under the same roof, especially a boss like Siegfried who can be quite challenging at times. So I guess he is in a brand new environment and so he comes up against brand new challenges.”
And how did he enjoy working with his fellow cast members?
“My first day on set was with Sam (West) and he was so lovely and helpful from the first second. I’d ask him questions all of the time. And because of that, because he is such a well renowned actor, he keeps you on your toes. From take to take he will throw in different things so you may have learned it one way, but you have to be open and listening all of the time. That kind of thing is so valuable for a young actor. He was so open and helpful.
Callum (Woodhouse) and I hit it off straight away. James and Tristan are best pals in the show, and we got on really well which definitely helped. We kept each other’s spirits up and he was so much fun to be around on set. Cal is also a comic genius and his timing and the choices he makes are amazing, but also his physical comedy is absolutely brilliant. The casting in this show is so on point.
Mrs Hall, played by Anna Madeley, is a big advocate for James. Off the bat she is looking out for him and is kind of his mother figure where Siegfried is his mentor and someone he really looks up to and respects. On one of the first days on set during downtime I decided I didn’t want to go back to my trailer, I wanted to watch some filming and it was Anna and Sam doing a scene and just watching them do it live and then watching them do it on the monitor and seeing what changed and what they did take to take… it was basically an acting master class.”
This role was your first TV job…was it extra pressure stepping into such an iconic role?
“It is a pretty huge opportunity. I knew it would be a non-stop learning process and I would have to take it step by step and learn as we went as it’s my first time being on set and certainly the first lead role in a TV series and for it to be this one is really incredible.
The more I researched and discovered about the world of James Herriot, which is absolutely massive, and is still thriving today… it was pure excitement. So big shoes to fill and of course you have slight nerves that go with that but the overriding emotion is excitement. Of course I want to do it justice so if anything it focuses you in even more. I just hope people enjoy it.”
What is the relationship between James and Helen Alderson, played by Rachel Shenton?
“Helen is one of the first people James comes across and it is pretty much love at first sight. He is bowled over by her and the more he gets to know her the more he realises that she is everything James ends up loving about The Dales but also everything he loves in a person. She is passionate towards the animals, she works hard on the farm and she is a kind of girl who is completely new to him I imagine, coming from Glasgow. They have similar interests and for James it is love at first sight that only grows more and more as the time goes on and he gets to know more about her.”
Might you have been a vet in real life?
“I have huge amount of respect for the production vet Andy Barrett and the handlers who worked on the show. I have huge admiration and respect for them because they are the pros and the information and advice we were given was second to none. I would ask them everything, even down to the most minute details.
I love animals but I couldn’t pick a career so I became an actor so I could do all different kinds of jobs and have a multi-faceted career. I have certainly loved playing a vet and just like acting it has wonderful variety. You never know what is coming next and there is a similarity there. But I will leave it to the pros.”
What research did you undertake for the role?
“The vet Andy Barrett took Callum (Woodhouse), Rachel (Shenton) and myself to meet cows, horses, sheep and there was no holding back, we were straight in there in our wellies and vet coats getting up close and personal with the animals. We were taking the cow’s heartbeat and there is a triangle that you go through from stomach to lungs to heart, you check those three points and we did that and just being up close with them and learning to be around them. There was one horse across the stables from us that was bashing his hoof against the door of the stable and then the guy said to us ‘right so shall we go and meet a horse now’ and I was just thinking ‘sure, but I hope he’s not like the guy over there!”
Nicholas describes his newfound love of The Dales.
“I had never been to The Dales. All I knew about it was what Herriot (Alf Wight) had written in the books so I knew how beautiful it was. I am from the Highlands of Scotland which is picturesque and lovely and so I thought The Dales must be lovely, but it’s very nice at home too. But then when I got on the train and I was travelling through The Dales, much like James was, your eyes are glued to the window because it is like a painting. It is beautiful and some of these locations we were lucky enough to shoot in, you could literally shoot in 360 degrees. Every time we would get dropped off at a new location we would look around and think how incredible it was.
We were so fortunate with the weather for the first weeks of filming, it was amazing and so we were even more taken with it. I don’t think you can truly appreciate it until you see it. I’ve told my folks they need to visit.”
But the weather turned out to be the biggest challenge for Nicholas…
“The Yorkshire winter and being outside in it was tricky. One morning in particular when it was raining and I was measuring ponies with this big stick and it was slipping around and it was taking me forever because I was shivering from the cold until they shouted ‘action’ and then I had to pretend to be cool, loving this massive stick that was getting in everyone’s way.
As soon as they said cut I was shivering again and wrapping up in my big, warm coat. It was just a challenge to get my lines out in that downpour. That was testing at times!
Before the show I thought the animals would be the challenge but because of the handlers and the people who looked after them and trained them were so incredible that actually, for the vast majority of the time, it went off without a hitch which was pleasantly surprising.”
Nicholas also had the opportunity to drive some vintage cars which he relished.
“I absolutely loved driving the cars; you couldn’t get me out of them. I took a bit of time to get used to them, especially the Vauxhall. The gear stick jangles about so you are never really quite sure if you’ve hit a gear or not. It is a guessing game at the start, you throw it in a direction and hope something sticks.
But once you get used to it and know how to drive it they are so much fun. There were times we would be at base and we needed to get to a location to film and they’d usually just tell us to jump in the bus but I’d always ask if I could drive the car down instead. After every take they said I could get out as they reset but I would just open the door and ask if I could stay in and drive around myself to reset it.
We got to film some really fun scenes; driving really fast and around some tight bends which was something I would look forward to if we go again.”
