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Where are the original All Creatures Great and Small cast now?

The BBC series aired from 1978 until 1990

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
12 hours ago
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Channel 5's revival of All Creatures Great and Small has quickly become a cosy autumn staple on our TV screens and has amassed a legion of dedicated fans both in the UK and across the pond. 

The heartwarming series, which is currently filming its fifth season, follows the adventures of veterinary surgeon James Herriot in the Yorkshire Dales. The drama has been widely praised by critics and viewers alike, but did you know the original 1970s series was just as popular?

The BBC drama, which premiered in 1978, ended over 30 years ago with its final seventh season in 1990. But just what happened to the original cast after the show ended and where are they now? Find out below…

WATCH: Have you seen the All Creatures Christmas special?

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Christopher Timothy in All Creatures Great And Small © Moviestore/Shutterstock

Christopher Timothy then

Christopher led the cast as James Herriot, playing the role for all 90 episodes. The actor became a household name thanks to his breakout role in the show and went on to play Mac McGuire in the BBC soap opera Doctors, before appearing as a special guest in The Bill's 2009 New Year's Day special. 

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eastenders christopher timothy secret cancer

Christopher Timothy now

In 2017, the Welsh actor made his EastEnders debut in the role of series regular Ted Murray. He's since appeared in episodes of Midsomer Murders, Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators, and Kate & Koji. He also narrated the first nine series of Channel 5's documentary programme The Yorkshire Vet.

Now 83, Christopher lives in Chichester with his wife Annie. The couple share one daughter. 

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All Creatures Great And Small: Christopher Timothy,  Robert Hardy,  Peter Davison© Moviestore/Shutterstock

Robert Hardy then

Robert portrayed cantankerous and eccentric vet Siegfried Farnon, a role he gained widespread recognition for, including a BAFTA nomination. 

Robert is also a familiar face thanks to his portrayal of Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter film series, and of Winston Churchill in several productions, but most notably in Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981), for which he earned a BAFTA nomination.

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Robert Hardy© Alan Davidson/Shutterstock

Robert Hardy now

After All Creatures ended, Robert starred in various major TV and film productions, including the BBC's 1994 adaptation of Middlemarch, the 1997 film Mrs Dalloway, and Sense and Sensibility, alongside Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. 

His final roles were in the 2017 romance film Snapshot Wedding, and as Winston Churchill in Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain.

Robert passed away aged 91 on 3 August 2017 at Denville Hall, a home for retired actors.

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carol drinkwater acgas

Carol Drinkwater then

Carol portrayed James' wife Helen for the first three seasons of the show. 

From there, she played Elizabeth in the TV mini-series Captain James Cook, before appearing in the film adaptation of Beryl Bainbridge's novel, An Awfully Big Adventure.

She also appeared in episodes of Peak Practice and Casualty. 

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Carol Drinkwater hold book© Shutterstock

Carol Drinkwater now

In 2021, she presented a Channel 5 documentary programme, Carol Drinkwater's Secret Provence.

During a recent appearance on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, Carol, who's married to French TV producer Michel Noll, revealed she was "terribly upset" when she left All Creatures after three seasons. "I'd given everything I could and I couldn't think where else I could take the role, because there was no more material," she explained.

"I wasn't leaving in any kind of spiteful thing. The BBC was so angry with me, they put a ban on using me." 

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Peter Davison And Dee Sadler in All Creatures Great And Small© John Sherbourne/ANL/Shutterstock

Peter Davison then

All Creatures Great and Small was the breakout role for Peter, who famously went on to play the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who from 1981 to 1984.

Peter boasts an impressive list of TV credits, having played David Braithwaite in At Home with the Braithwaites, Dr Stephen Daker in A Very Peculiar Practice, and Henry Sharpe in Law & Order: UK.

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Peter Davison at a screening in 2019© Getty

Peter Davison

In recent years, he's played The Vicar in ITV's The Larkins, Peter in Beyond Paradise, and ACP Gordon Stewart in The Gold. He's also appeared in episodes of Grantchester, Vera, and Call the Midwife

When he's not busy working, Peter lives in Twickenham with his third wife, actress and writer Elizabeth Morton, with whom he shares two sons. Peter's eldest child, Georgia, is married to David Tennant, who played the tenth and 14th incarnations of the Doctor.

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All Creatures Great And Small, Lynda Bellingham
© Moviestore/Shutterstock

Lynda Bellingham then

Lynda joined the show after Carol's departure and portrayed Helen until the final series. 

Aside from All Creatures, Lynda is known for her roles in Doctor Who, At Home with the Braithwaites, and as the mother in the long-running Oxo Family TV commercials. 

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lynda bellingham © Photo: Getty Images

Lynda Bellingham now

In 2007, she joined Loose Women as a regular panellist before going on to compete in the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2009. 

In July 2013, Lynda was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. She passed away from the disease in October 2014.