All Creatures Great and Small has fast become one of Channel 5's most-loved dramas, and it's not hard to see why. The comforting period show transports us back to 1940s Yorkshire and follows the adventures of veterinary surgeon James Herriot, his wife Helen and their friends at Skeldale Hall. But it's not all denim overalls, lab coats and tweed button-up suits for the cast of the hit series.
Away from the quaint village of Darrowby, Rachel Shenton, Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West and the rest of the cast couldn't look more different from their characters. As we return to Darrowby for the annual Christmas special , find out what the stars look like out of costume below..
. 1 / 5 Nicholas Ralph Nicholas leads the cast as James Herriot, who often sports a classic 1940s slicked-back hair look and in more recent episodes, has donned an RAF uniform after joining the war effort. In real life, James' appearance is much more casual, with his hair loose and pushed to the side.
On what he likes most about playing James, Nicholas told PBS : "As an actor, what I love is, because it's based on real people, these characters are so three dimensional and the relationships are so strong, that it’s so much fun to play. "I get to play James in a multitude of scenarios, varying emotions—it's never just two-dimensional. He's never just 'the funny guy' or 'this guy.
' It’s a wonderful scope and a range, so it's brilliant because it's such a challenge, and every day is different." 2 / 5 Rachel Shent.