50 years on from the publication of the first James Herriot book, Skeldale House is back on our screens in a new TV version of All Creatures Great and Small. In that half-century, the books have remained enduringly popular around the world and been adapted into two films, as well as a BBC TV series that ran for 12 years and starred Robert Hardy, Peter Davison and Christopher Timothy. Herriot is often heralded as the world’s most famous vet and the first episode of the new series was watched by 3.3 million people in the UK.
As I’m sure many reading this will know, James Herriot was the nom de plume of real-life vet Alfred Wight, who graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939 and whose novels were heavily based on his own experience. In a blog on veterinary humanities it was inevitable that Herriot would feature at some point. Not only is he one of the most prominent vets in media but his tales are very much about the human aspects of veterinary medicine. You could question how much the books are even about veterinary practice at all, rather than about a community and its inhabitants with the vet practice simply as the setting. The central hub of Skeldale House provides the perfect backdrop for the fond, humorous, gentle examination of a Yorkshire village and the colourful characters living there. This community-study and its tear-inducing properties (from both laughter and heartbreak) seems the most likely reason for the stories’ incredible endurance.
Regardless, his impact on generations of vets is inarguable: he inspired many to take up the profession in the first place. While I’m not quite one of those – I had decided to become a vet before I was ever shown Herriot and was given them as a test to see if the depictions of cold night calls and euthanising pets would put me off – he strengthened my resolve. He was also part of building the image of vets as central pillars of the community to be respected. Beyond this, all accounts of both the character and author are that they were kind, decent, hardworking vets.
But despite being a popular figure, he is also a highly controversial one, as a passionate slew of letters in the Veterinary Record in 2019 highlighted. While many championed him, others described him as creating a “nightmare” for the profession (Loeb, 2019) by perpetuating an outdated understanding of the role and encouraging poor working conditions.
I’m not sure it is fair to blame the world of Herriot for the difficulties that vets face. The hugely increased threat of being sued by clients, for example, is a mark of our changed society and not an impact he has had. The clients in the Herriot stories are almost uniformly shown to be grateful, and the ones that aren’t are shown as distinctly ungrateful. It also seems unlikely that an image of vets as something other than exclusively white, straight men in country practice would have formed in the national psyche even without Herriot, as that is (sadly) what the profession looked like for a long time. It is no longer an accurate image, especially with regards to the gender split, so that is a false stereotype that the new show could be encouraging. And there is no doubt that veterinary medicine has changed hugely since the thirties and forties (moving towards prevention much more than cure is just one example). For that reason, it seems positive that in the UK the new series is airing double-billed with The Yorkshire Vet, a documentary show about the modern incarnation of Alf Wight’s practice, that can highlight the profession’s current form for viewers.
One of the accusations levelled at Wight most commonly is that he depicted vets as self-sacrificing in an unhealthy way, in it purely for the love of animals and not taking time to look after themselves physically, mentally or financially. Some argue that this has created unrealistic expectations by the public of their vets and by vets of themselves, but there are many other strong reasons for these (including highly pressurised working environments, how much more can now be done to treat animals and the dedicated natures of many vets).
Whatever its cause, mental health is a major struggle in the veterinary profession. Vets are four times more likely to commit suicide than the population average in the UK. That is most likely the visible tip of the iceberg, with many others suffering from mental illness hidden below the water. It is interesting, then, that some of what Alf Wight has been accused of creating he himself suffered from. His son has even admitted that for a while he believed his father would resort to taking his own life, and after a two-year depressive episode in the sixties he received electroconvulsive therapy. This his son attributes to both Wight’s money troubles and a strained relationship with his own parents.
Although the stories are rose-tinted and nostalgic by nature, here is something that the new series could include that goes beyond what any rendition of James Herriot has before. The strain and difficulties of the profession were touched on in the third episode of the new series in James’ handling of a euthanasia. Yet surely the show could afford to explore this further, to show the public that for all of the great reward of a veterinary career it has great burdens too. Other cosy, family dramas have managed to handle tough topics beautifully – Call the Midwife in particular springs to mind. There is already talk of the new All Creatures being extended for many seasons until they are making up stories beyond the scope of the books, in exactly a Call the Midwife style. If we’re going to tell the story of Herriot again, perhaps it’s also time to tell the story of veterinary mental health.
If you are a veterinary surgeon, nurse or student (or a dependent of one of these) in the UK and have been affected by any of the issues described above, consider contacting VetLife for confidential support on 0303 040 2251 or on their website.
Sources:
- Aitken, M.M. (2019) Herriot’s way inspired a generation. Veterinary Record, 2nd May, p.559.
- Grant, L. (2019) ‘James Herriot is not responsible for the profession’s woes’. Veterinary Record, 18th October, p.486.
- Griffiths, E. B. (2020) Will there be a second series of All Creatures Great and Small on Channel 5? Radio Times [online]. Available at: https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-09-01/all-creatures-great-and-small-season-2-future/ [Accessed 9th October 2020].
- Herbert, I. (2005) Loneliness, depression, and stress: It shouldn’t happen to a vet. The Independent [online]. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/loneliness-depression-and-stress-it-shouldnt-happen-to-a-vet-318050.html [Accessed 1st October 2020].
- Lamb, H. (2019) Have we got over ‘James Herriot syndrome’? Veterinary Record, 10th August, p.177.
- Lee, R. (2019) Herriot’s legacy to future vet practice. Veterinary Record, 29th October, p.485.
- Loeb, J. (2019) Vets labouring under legacy of bygone era. Veterinary Record, 20th September, p.319.
- Taylor, N. (2019) Why working vets will always love Alf Wight. Veterinary Record, 1st November, p.544.
- VetLife (n.a.) Stress, anxiety and depression. Available at: https://www.vetlife.org.uk/mental-health/depression/ [Accessed 9th October 2020].
- Waters, A. (2019) Editor’s response: Herriot is not responsible for the profession’s woes. Veterinary Record, 3rd October, p.410.
- White, P. (2020) ‘All Creatures Great And Small’ Becomes Highest-Rated Show For Viacom’s UK Net C5 In Nearly Five Years. Available at: https://deadline.com/2020/09/all-creatures-great-and-small-becomes-highest-rated-show-viacom-c5-1234569016/ [Accessed 12th October 2020].
- Wight, J. (2001) The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of my Father. New York City: Ballentine Books.
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