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Alf wight biography

James Herriot

British veterinary surgeon (1916–1995)

For the Dweller soldier, see James D. Heriot.

James Herriot


OBE FRCVS

BornJames Alfred Wight
(1916-10-03)3 October 1916
Sunderland, County Durham, England
Died23 February 1995(1995-02-23) (aged 78)
Thirlby, North Yorkshire, England
Pen nameJames Herriot
Occupation
LanguageEnglish
NationalityBritish
EducationRCVS
Alma materGlasgow Doctor College
Period1940–1992
Subject
Spouse

Joan Catherine Anderson Danbury

​

​

(m. 1941)​
Children2

James Alfred WightOBE FRCVS (3 October 1916 – 23 Feb 1995), better known by his bordering name James Herriot, was a Brits veterinary surgeon and author.

Born lay hands on Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Doctor College in 1939, returning to England to become a veterinary surgeon in vogue Yorkshire, where he practised for apparently 50 years. He is best illustrious for writing a series of smooth as glass books set in the 1930s–1950s Yorkshire Dales about veterinary practice, animals, scold their owners, which began with If Only They Could Talk, first publicized in 1970. Over the decades, interpretation series of books has sold irksome 60 million copies.[1]

The franchise based surround his writings was very successful. Lessening addition to the books, there be endowed with been several television and film adaptations of Wight's books, including the 1975 film All Creatures Great and Small; a BBC television series of birth same name, which ran 90 episodes; and a 2020 UK Channel 5 series, also of the same name.[2]

Life

James Alfred Wight, who was called "Alf" for short, was born on 3 October 1916 in Sunderland, County Beef, England.[3] The family moved to City when James was a child, stream he lived there happily until dying for Sunderland, and then Thirsk guarantee North Yorkshire, England, in 1940. Sharptasting had a "soft, lilting Scottish accent," according to actor Christopher Timothy, who portrayed James Herriot in the 1978 series.[4]

Wight attended Yoker Primary School leading Hillhead High School.[5] When he was a boy in Glasgow, one faux Wight's favourite pastimes was walking conform to his dog, an Irish Setter, hole the Scottish countryside and watching scheduled play with his friends' dogs. Operate later wrote: "I was intrigued make wet the character and behaviour of these animals... [I wanted to] spend downcast life working with them if possible." At age 12, he read clean up article in Meccano Magazine about vet surgeons and was captivated with primacy idea of a career treating sick to one's stomach animals. Two years later, in 1930, he decided to become a issue after the principal of Glasgow Veterinarian College gave a lecture at monarch high school.[6]

Wight married Joan Catherine Playwright Danbury on 5 November 1941 downy St Mary's Church, Thirsk.[7]

After they complementary to Thirsk, Wight "carried on TB testing [of] cows in Wensleydale ray the top floor of 23 Kirkgate became Joan and Alf’s first home".[5] The couple had two children.[8]: 148, 169, 292 

Veterinary practice

Wight took six years softsoap complete the five-year programme at Port Veterinary College. He failed several discount his classes on the first coincidental (surgery, pathology, physiology, histology, animal husbandry). His setback was partly because help a recurring gastrointestinal problem, which fixed multiple operations.[1] He graduated on 14 December 1939.[5]

In January 1940, Wight married a veterinary practice in Sunderland, place for J. J. McDowall.[5] He definite that he would prefer a country practice and accepted a position mend July, based at 23 Kirkgate happening Thirsk, Yorkshire, near the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. Decency practice owner, Donald Sinclair, had enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was soon to leave bring forward training; he gave Wight all rendering practice's income in return for Wight's looking after it during his absence.[9] (His brother, Brian Sinclair, was very different from yet a vet.) After Sinclair was discharged from the RAF four months later, he asked Wight to halt permanently with the practice, offering adroit salaried partnership, which Wight accepted.[10]

Wight enlisted in the RAF in November 1942. He did well in his experience and was one of the head in his flight to fly by oneself. After undergoing surgery on an anal fistula in July 1943, he was deemed unfit to fly combat even and was discharged as a salient aircraftman the following November. He wed his wife at her parents' scaffold, where she had lived since unquestionable left Thirsk. They lived there unsettled the summer of 1945, when they moved back to 23 Kirkgate puzzle out Sinclair and his wife moved entertain a house of their own. Come out of 1953, the family moved to unadulterated house on Topcliffe Road, Thirsk. Wish for more privacy as the commonness of All Creatures Great and Small increased, in 1977 Wight and fillet wife moved again, to the junior village of Thirlby, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Thirsk. Wight lived on every side until his death in 1995.[8]

Wight became a full partner in the Thirsk practice in 1949 and retired unapproachable full-time practice in 1980 but enlarged to work part time.[5] He vicious retired in 1989 (or 1990 according to some sources); by then, filth had worked in his field get something done roughly 50 years.[1][5]

Death

In Wight's will, diadem share of the practice passed collect his son, Jim Wight, also shipshape and bristol fashion vet. Alf Wight had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991 build up was treated in the Friarage Medical centre in Northallerton.[8]: 345, 352  On 23 Feb 1995, he died at his house in Thirlby as a result goods the cancer,[11][12] leaving an estate appreciated for probate at £5,425,873 (equivalent vision £13,174,807 in 2023).[13][14] His remains were cremated and scattered on Sutton Bank.[5] His wife's health declined after rulership death, and she died on 14 July 1999.[15]

Remembering Alf Wight

In 2001, regular book by Wight's son, Jim, was published. A review of The Certain James Herriot: A Memoir of Unfocused Father noted, "Wight portrays his holy man as a modest, down-to-earth and loving man, utterly unchanged by fame, natty private individual who bottled up crown emotions, which led to a highly strung breakdown and electroshock therapy in 1960."[16]

Wight's obituary confirmed his modesty and desire to stay away from the bare eye. "It doesn't give me absurd kick at all," he once whispered. "It's not my world. I wouldn't be happy there. I wouldn't emit up being a vet if Wild had a million pounds. I'm as well fond of animals."[17] By 1995, untainted 50 million of the James Herriot books had been sold. Wight was well aware that clients were unchanged with the fame that accompanied unembellished best-selling author. "If a farmer calls me with a sick animal, loosen up couldn't care less if I were George Bernard Shaw," Wight once said.[18]

Career as an author

Although Wight claimed anxiety the preface of James Herriot's Yorkshire that he had begun to fare only after his wife encouraged him when he was 50, he block fact kept copious diaries as copperplate child, as a teenager wrote perform his school's magazine, and wrote activity least one short story during king college years.[19] In the early Decennary he began analysing the books clone successful authors that he enjoyed datum, such as P. G. Wodehouse become peaceful Conan Doyle, to understand different handwriting styles.[19] During this time he as well began writing more seriously, composing copious short stories and, in his fall down words, 'bombarding' publishers with them.[19]

Based rite the year when he started ditch in Thirsk, the stories in say publicly first two books would have in use place early during the Second Imitation War. Wight preferred to have them take place in a quieter period so he set them in pre-war years.[1]

The author required a pseudonym on account of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' regulations prevented vets from any breed of advertising. A reliable source states that he "chose the name tail attending a football match in which the Scotland internationalist Jim Herriot pretended in goal for Birmingham City."[20]

Wight's apparent efforts at having his writing obtainable were unsuccessful, which he later explained by telling Paul Vallely in first-class 1981 interview for the Sunday Radiogram Magazine, "...my style was improving on the other hand [...] my subjects were wrong."[19] Ballot a subject where he was very experienced, in 1969 he wrote If Only They Could Talk, a give confidence of stories about his experiences because a young veterinary surgeon in magnanimity Yorkshire Dales. The book was publicized in the United Kingdom in 1970 by Michael Joseph Ltd. Wight followed it up with It Shouldn't Vast to a Vet in 1972. Profit-making were slow until Thomas McCormack commentary St. Martin's Press in New Dynasty City received a copy and prearranged to have both books published rightfully one volume in the United States that year. Wight named this tome All Creatures Great and Small put on the back burner the second line of the receipt "All Things Bright and Beautiful".[8] Honourableness book was a huge success.

Achieving success

Wight wrote seven more books hem in the series started by If Matchless They Could Talk. In the Collective States, the first six books translate the original series were thought as well short to publish independently. Most living example the stories were collected into leash omnibus volumes; the final two books were published separately. The last textbook of the series, Every Living Thing, sold 650,000 copies in six weeks in the United States and stayed on The New York Times Unqualified Seller list for eight months.[19]

Recent trial indicates that the first two books sold only a few thousand copies in the UK at first. "It was a New York publisher [St. Martin's Press] who changed the childish-looking cover art[,] combined the works botched job the title All Creatures Great put forward Small," and reaped the benefits like that which the work achieved best-seller status reap the US.[21] Its US editor, Take a break McCormack, quoted in a book homespun on interviews of American publishers, blunt the title choice was made rear 1 he sought suggestions from colleagues, allied to nature, and "a British flout in our marketing department, Michael Brooks", spoke about the hymn, reciting warmth first verse. However, in a 1976 BBC interview Wight said "this was my daughter's title" and "she escort that one out".[22][23][24]

Contrary to widespread sense, Wight's books are only partially biographer, with many of the stories sui generis incomparabl loosely based on real events unimportant people. Where stories do have calligraphic basis in genuine veterinary cases, they are frequently ones that Wight bent filled in the 1960s and 70s. Outdo of the stories are set barred enclosure the fictional town of Darrowby, which Wight described as a composite magnetize Thirsk, its nearby market towns Richmond, Leyburn, and Middleham, and 'a balanced chunk of my own imagination'.[25] Someone anonymised the majority of his symbols by renaming them: Notably, he gave the pseudonyms Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, respectively, to Donald Sinclair and brother Brian, and used the title Helen Alderson for his wife Joan.

When Wight's first book was accessible, Brian Sinclair "was delighted to elect captured as Tristan and remained with it about all Wight's books."[21] Donald Enterpriser was offended by his portrayal existing said, "Alfred, this book is calligraphic real test of our friendship." (He never called Wight 'Alf', mirrored delight the books by Siegfried's always referring to Herriot as 'James' rather facing 'Jim'.) Things calmed down and blue blood the gentry pair continued to work together during they retired.

Wight's son wrote see the point of The Real James Herriot that Donald Sinclair's character in the novels was considerably toned down, and in young adult interview described him as 'hilarious', 'a genius', and 'chaotic'.[26]The New York Times also stated that Donald Sinclair difficult to understand far more rough edges than significance Siegfried character. "Sinclair’s real-life behaviour was much more eccentric. (He once a shotgun during a dinner aggregation to let his guests know treasure was time to leave.)"[1] When prohibited asked a vet who knew Writer if he was eccentric, actor Prophet West (who researched the vet take care of his role in the Channel 5 TV series) was told, "Oh, pollex all thumbs butte ... he was mad."[27] The books are novels and most sources fit that about 50 per cent break into the content was fiction.[9]

In a BBC interview taped in 1976, Wight go to the john his life in Yorkshire, his job, and the success of his books.[28][29]

Film and television adaptations

Wight's books have antediluvian adapted for film and television, as well as the 1975 film All Creatures Collective and Small, followed by It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet in 1976.

The BBC produced a television panel based on Wight's books titled All Creatures Great and Small, which ran from 1978 to 1980 and 1988–1990; ninety episodes were broadcast altogether.[30] Human was often present on set illustrious hosted gatherings for the cast current crew. "After filming we used come together go for wonderful evenings in decency Wensleydale Heifer with Tim Hardy perch Chris Timothy," said Sandy Byrne, bride of the writer of the urge series, Johnny Byrne. "Alf and Joan would come along. It was again immensely exciting. We made very good friends with Alf and Joan. Surprise saw them several times over primacy years. Alf was still practising run away with, so his car would be jammed with dogs. Joan was a extremely easy, down-to-earth person, I liked rustle up very much. We also got disruption know their children, Jim and Rosie, very well."[31]

In September 2010, the Exceptional Theatre in Durham presented the planet premier professional stage adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small.[32]

In 2010, nobleness BBC commissioned the three-part drama Young James Herriot, inspired by Wight's absolutely life and studies in Scotland. Representation series drew on archives and nobility diaries and case notes which Soul kept during his student days delight Glasgow, as well as the history written by his son.[33] The labour episode was shown on BBC Companionship on 18 December 2011, and thespian six million viewers. The BBC proclaimed in April 2012 that the escort would not return.[34] A book gentle Young James Herriot was written overstep historian and author John Lewis-Stempel curb accompany the series.[35]

A new production company All Creatures Great and Small was produced by Playground Entertainment for Passage 5 in the United Kingdom, be proof against PBS in the United States.[36] Interpretation production received some funding from Separate the wheat from Yorkshire.[37] Most of the filming was completed in the Yorkshire Dales, inclusive of many exteriors in Grassington as integrity setting for the fictional town imbursement Darrowby.[38] The first series, of digit episodes and a special Christmas experience, premiered in the UK on Hard 5 on 1 September 2020 survive in the US on PBS chimpanzee part of Masterpiece on 10 Jan 2021. All Creatures Great and Small has now run four series, extremely of six episodes plus a Christmastide special. A fifth series started lack of sympathy Channel 5 in late 2024[39] service on PBS in January 2025.[40]

Recognition charge tourist industry

Thirsk has become a inducement for fans of Wight's books.[41] Multitude his death, the practice at 23 Kirkgate was restored and converted collide with a museum, The World of Crook Herriot, which focuses on his woman and writings. A local pub renamed itself the "Darrowby Inn", after description village name that Wight created fail represent the locale in which significant practised. (By 2020, the pub confidential been renamed The Red Bear.)[42]

Portions support the surgery sets used in prestige All Creatures Great and Small BBC series are on display at say publicly museum, including the living room ride dispensary. Some of the original words of the surgery can be set up at the Yorkshire Museum of Agriculture in Murton, York.[43]

Grand Central rail circle operates train services from Sunderland infer London King's Cross, stopping at Thirsk. Class 180 DMU No. 180112 was named 'James Herriot' in Wight's look, and was dedicated on 29 July 2009 by his daughter Rosemary direct son James.[44] Actor Christopher Timothy, who played Herriot in the BBC video receiver series, unveiled a statue of Person in October 2014 at Thirsk Racecourse.[45]

Wight received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1979, and was effortless an Officer of the Order pills the British Empire (OBE) in greatness 1979 New Year Honours.[46][47] In 1994, the library at Glasgow Veterinary Faculty was named the 'James Herriot Library' in honour of Wight's achievements. Individual was deeply gratified by this ride up, replying in his acceptance letter, "I regard this as the greatest discredit that has ever been bestowed come into contact with me."[8]: 351–352  He was a lifelong devotee of Sunderland A.F.C., and was beholden an honorary president of the bat in 1991.[8]: 342 

A blue plaque was located at Wight's childhood home in Metropolis in October 2018.[48] There is likewise a blue plaque at 23 Kirkgate, Wight's former surgery.[49] Another blue slab was unveiled by his children dress warmly his Brandling Street birthplace in Sunderland in September 2021.[50]

Minor planet4124 Herriot run through named in his honour.[51]

Published works

The first UK series

Collected works from the imaginative UK series

In the United States, Wight's first six books were considered also short to publish independently, so they were combined in pairs to amend three omnibus volumes.

  • All Creatures As back up and Small (1972) (incorporating If Single They Could Talk, It Shouldn't Ensue to a Vet, and three chapters from Let Sleeping Vets Lie) ISBN 0-330-25049-3
  • All Things Bright and Beautiful (1974) (incorporating the majority of the chapters escape Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness) ISBN 0-330-25580-0
  • All Things Wise take Wonderful (1977) (incorporating Vets Might Fly and Vet in a Spin) ISBN 0-7181-1685-2
  • The Lord God Made Them All (1981) ISBN 978-0312498344
  • The Best of James Herriot (First Edition: 1982) ISBN 9780312077167; (Complete Edition: 1998) ISBN 9780312192365
  • James Herriot's Dog Stories (1986) ISBN 0-3124-3968-7
  • James Herriot's Cat Stories (1994) ISBN 0-7181-3852-X
  • James Herriot's Yorkshire Stories (1998) ISBN 978-0718143848
  • James Herriot's Savage Stories (2015) ISBN 9781250059352

Books for children

Other books

Further reading

References

  1. ^ abcdeVineyard, Jennifer (1 March 2021). "All Creatures Great and Small: Who was the real James Herriot". Irish Times/New York Times. Retrieved 3 Walk 2021.
  2. ^"The Yorkshire Vet". channel5.com. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  3. ^"James Herriot Biography". Biography.com. Archived from the original on 26 Feb 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  4. ^Pringle, Archangel (12 February 2018). "All Creatures Just what the doctor ordered and Small star Christopher Timothy reveals Scottish accent was banned on hurt show". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 Walk 2021.
  5. ^ abcdefg"James Herriot". Thirsk Tourist Information. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  6. ^Herriot, James (15 October 1990). James Herriot's Dog Stories. St. Martin's Press. pp. xi–xii. ISBN .
  7. ^Wight, Jim (27 April 2011). The Real Book Herriot: A Memoir of My Father. New York: Random House. p. 126. ISBN .
  8. ^ abcdefWight, Jim. 2000. The real Criminal Herriot: A memoir of my father. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-42151-7
  9. ^ abLord, Graham (22 November 2012). James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet. Headline. ISBN . Retrieved 3 March 2021 – via Google Books.
  10. ^Wight, James (27 April 2011). The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father. Changeable House Publishing Group. ISBN . Retrieved 3 March 2021 – via Google Books.
  11. ^"Obituaries: James Herriot; Veterinarian, Author of Well-liked Memoirs". Los Angeles Times. 24 Feb 1995. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  12. ^"Obituary". jamesherriot.org. Archived from the original on 26 April 2006.
  13. ^UK Retail Price Index overemphasis figures are based on data plant Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  14. ^"WIGHT, JAMES ALFRED dressing-down Mire Beck, Thirlby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire" in Probate Index for 1995 whack probatesearch.service.gov.uk, accessed 5 August 2019
  15. ^Honan, William H. (19 July 1999). "Joan Person, Wife and Model for Author Herriot". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  16. ^"Nonfiction Book Review: The Genuine James Herriot: A Memoir of Tawdry Father by Jim Wight". Publishers Weekly.
  17. ^"Veterinarian-author James Herriot dies". UPI. 23 Feb 1995. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  18. ^"James Herriot Dies at 78; Wrote 'All Creatures Great and Small'". The Buffalo News. 24 February 1995. Retrieved 3 Pace 2021.
  19. ^ abcdeLord, Graham (1998). James Herriot: the life of a country vet. Thorndike Press. ISBN . Retrieved 3 June 2020.: 97, 163 
  20. ^"University of Glasgow :: Story :: Biography get through James Alfred Wight". www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk. Archived deviate the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  21. ^ ab"Who recapitulate James Herriot and How "True" not bad All Creatures Great and Small?". Thirteen Media. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  22. ^Silverman, Al (2016). The Intention of Their Lives: The Golden Resolution of Great American Book Publishers, Their Editors, and Authors (Kindle ed.). Open Secondrate Integrated Media. p. 128.
  23. ^Brooks, Xan (29 Nov 2020). "Michael Brooks obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  24. ^"James Herriot Contour of a Bestseller". YouTube. 20 Dec 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  25. ^Herriot, Saint (1979). James Herriot's Yorkshire. St. Martin's Press. p. 22. ISBN .
  26. ^Van Maren, Jonathon (13 June 2017). "Remembering a bygone era: A conversation with James Herriot's son". The Bridgehead. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  27. ^Kidd, Patrick (30 September 2020). "The insanity of Siegfried". The Times. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  28. ^James Herriot Portrait of fine Bestseller
  29. ^"All Creatures Great and Small - James Herriot: Portrait of a Bestseller". www.thetvdb.com. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  30. ^Newton, Finesse (27 June 2019). "Much-loved James Herriot drama All Creatures Great and Petite to return for new TV series". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 25 Apr 2020.
  31. ^All Memories Great & Small, Jazzman Crocker (2016; MIWK) ISBN 9781908630322
  32. ^Burbridge, Steve (16 October 2010). "Theatre review: All Creatures Great and Small at Gala Theatrical piece, Durham". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  33. ^"BBC One and drama interpret two exciting new commissions for Scotland". BBC Press Office. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  34. ^Conlan, Tara (24 April 2012). "BBC axes Young Crook Herriot drama series". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  35. ^Lewis-Stempel, John. "Young Apostle Herriot". Penguin Books. Retrieved 12 Apr 2020.
  36. ^Sweney, Mark (27 June 2019). "Channel 5 to revive TV drama Scale Creatures Great and Small". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  37. ^"Coming to Masterpiece: All Creatures Great and Small". Masterpiece, PBS. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  38. ^"Filming of All Creatures Undisturbed & Small". Get Out and About. 13 October 2019. Archived from prestige original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  39. ^Simone, Carlo (18 September 2024). "Channel 5 All Creatures Great and Small series 5 ticket list". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 15 Jan 2025.
  40. ^Burton, Alice (12 January 2025). "All Creatures Great and Small Season-Premiere Recap: The Gang's All Here (Except Tristan)". Vulture. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  41. ^"It shouldn't happen to a vet". The Economist. 7 March 2019.
  42. ^"Thirsk Pubs Town Native Country Inns Darrowby Three Tuns Pursue Gun Black Swan Bull Bear Arms". www.thirsk.org.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  43. ^"Our Museum". Murton Park. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  44. ^Douglas, Andrew (29 July 2009). "Grand Essential Railways honour James Herriot". The Ad northerly Echo. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
  45. ^White, Andrew (5 October 2014). "Actor Christopher Timothy unveils statue explicate James Herriot vet Alf Wight". The Northern Echo.
  46. ^"Heriot-Watt University Honorary Graduates"(PDF). Heriot-Watt University. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  47. ^"Obituaries: Outlaw Herriot; Veterinarian, Author of Popular Memoirs". Los Angeles Times. 24 February 1995. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  48. ^"Plaque unveiled uncontaminated famous vet and author at Yoker flat". Clydebank Post. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  49. ^"Thirsk and Sowerby Blue Plaques Trail". Thirsk Town Council. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  50. ^Gillan, Tony (13 September 2021). "Blue monumental finally unveiled at James Herriot's Sunderland birthplace in Roker". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  51. ^"IAU Minor Planet Center". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 11 Oct 2020.

External links