Barnes & Noble

There never was much tumult in this beloved BBC series about veterinarians in Britain's rural Yorkshire Dales, but the 12 episodes of the 1988 season shook things up a bit and, in so doing, revitalized the show. Based on the bestselling memoirs of James Herriot, Creatures was originally set in the 1930s, but Series 5 takes place in the post-World War II years. Advances in technology and communication are beginning to make the world a smaller place, although residents of the Dales are slow to embrace modernity. Herriot (Christopher Timothy) and his mercurial partner, Siegfried Farnon (Robert Hardy), realize that change is inevitable even if they can't predict when or how it will affect them. In the terms of the series' narrative, one of the biggest changes is the return of junior partner Tristan Farnon (Peter Davison), largely absent from the previous season due to his stint with the Ministry of Agriculture. His return to the show signals a slight diminution of the role of Calum Buchanan (John McGlynn), brought into the practice to compensate for Tristan's departure. The inevitability of change is also manifested in what is perhaps the season's best episode, "A New Chapter," during which James suffers the loss of his beloved dog just as he and wife, Helen (Lynda Bellingham), are preparing to move into a new house. Other notable Series 5 installments include the season opener, "Against the Odds," which finds the Dales covered with several feet of snow and Herriot forced to make his rounds on skis, and "Salt of the Earth," in which he is asked to treat a dog that faints to get attention. Warm, gentle, generally humorous, and occasionally poignant, All Creatures Great and Small remains one of the most fondly remembered shows ever to cross the Atlantic, and this latest DVD box will delight new viewers as well as old fans. Ed Hulse

Product Details

• UPC: 794051281920
• Source: BBC WARNER

This set contains DVDs which may be available separately:

• All Creatures Great and Small: Against the Odds
• All Creatures Great and Small: Place of Honor
• All Creatures Great and Small: Choose a Bright Morning
• All Creatures Great and Small: The Playing Field
• All Creatures Great and Small: When Dreams Come True
• All Creatures Great and Small: A New Chapter
• All Creatures Great and Small: A Present From Dublin
• All Creatures Great and Small: The Salt of the Earth
• All Creatures Great and Small: Cheques and Balances
• All Creatures Great and Small: Female of the Species
• All Creatures Great and Small: The Jackpot
• All Creatures Great and Small: Two of a Kind