All Creatures Great and Small star calls for return of leading man in hit show

The star of TV hit All Creatures Great And Small wants the original leading man of the beloved 1980s show to return to the modern version.

Nicholas Ralph, who plays vet James Herriot, hopes that his screen predecessor Christopher Timothy will pop up in the hit series which airs on Channel 5 and MASTERPIECE and PBS SoCal in the USA.

Timothy, 83, is considered a national treasure in the UK thanks to his BBC portrayal of Herriot from 1978 until 1990.

He sent a note of approval to the new actors who have reprised the stories of the real-life Yorkshire vet last century.

Co-star Rachel Shenton admitted that Timothy's backing came after Yorkshire locals expressed trepidation about a reboot of the iconic show.

But the "wholesome" feel of the series and character portrayals, have made it a rare "family viewing appointment" across the world.Ralph opened up exclusively about the show's appeal both in the US and UK.

Scottish star Ralph said: "We got a lovely email from him after series one, just saying, really enjoyed the show, well done, and things like that, which was absolutely brilliant."

And then not long after was his 80th birthday. So we got together and Samuel West, who plays Siegfried, sent him a tweet for a happy birthday, and we took a picture and we said, happy birthday and all that to Christopher. It's brilliant and it is just such a lovely thing to receive from someone.

"They did it for 10 years. It's just hugely popular. 20 million people were watching that series back in the eighties. Obviously they were the two channels, (it reached) 20 million people. It's huge numbers. So it's brilliant to receive something like that from him."

Ralph added that Timothy, who also appeared in Doctors, The Yorkshire Vet and EastEnders, could pick any role he wanted on the show.

He added: "We would absolutely love it.

"Whatever he wanted to do. Yeah, no, I mean, that would be brilliant, but we'll see. I've got no idea about that. But yeah, I could absolutely see him in the show for sure."

Ralph is delighted that the appeal of the show back in the 1980s is as huge with the reboot, which is watched by millions in America.

"I think a lot of what people say is just, it's complete escapism. It's like getting a warm hug in a television show and also just how a whole family can sit down and watch it together. There's not as much television like that right now. So that's one thing we're hugely proud of as well, during the audition process, that's with the execs.

"And Brian, our director, said we'd love it if a television show for all the generations to sit down together and watch. And that's happened. So we're extremely proud of that. And yeah, it's that out would've escapism.

"We get messages and family on things from people from all over the place that have been through tough times or things like that, and they put the show on and that's what they watch. And for that little moment, they can kind of lose themselves in that world. And it's that world of gentleness, kindness, and compassion and love for one another and for the animals and for your little pocket in the world as well, looking after your patch.

"So yeah, I mean, it's a wonderful world to spend a bit of time in. We love making it so we get to spend a bit more time in it."

All Creatures Great and Small continues Thursdays at 9pm on Channel 5 and on PBS stations in US.