''It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet'' (in the United States also known as ''All Things Bright and Beautiful''), is a 1976 sequel to the 1975 film '' All Creatures Great and Small''. Although having the same title as

James Herriot James Alfred Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author. Born in Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939, returning to Eng ...

's second novel, the film is actually based on his third and fourth novels, ''Let Sleeping Vets Lie'' and ''Vet in Harness'', which in the United States were released as a compilation volume titled ''All Things Bright and Beautiful''. It is part of a series of movies and television series based on Herriot's novels. In this film,

John Alderton John Alderton (born 27 November 1940) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', '' Thomas & Sarah'', '' Wodehouse Playhouse'', ''Little Miss'' (original television series), '' Please Sir!'', '' No, Hones ...

has taken over the role of James and

Colin Blakely Colin George Blakely (23 September 1930 – 7 May 1987) was a Northern Irish actor. He had roles in the films '' A Man for All Seasons'' (1966), '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970), '' Murder on the Orient Express'' (1974), and '' ...

that of Siegfried (portrayed in the first film by Simon Ward and

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

, respectively), while

Lisa Harrow Lisa Harrow (born 25 August 1943) is a New Zealand RADA-trained actress, noted for her roles in British theatre, films and television. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Nancy Astor in the British BBC television drama, '' Nancy Ast ...

returns as Helen. It also features

Richard Griffiths Richard Thomas Griffiths (31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013) was an English actor of film, television, and stage. For his performance in the stage play '' The History Boys'', Griffiths won a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, the Drama Desk ...

in his debut film appearance as Sam. The film was directed by

Eric Till Eric Till (born 24 November 1929) is an English film and television director working in Canada, the United States, and Europe since the 1960s. His 1977 film '' It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet'' was entered into the 10th Moscow International Film ...

, and the screenplay is by

Alan Plater Alan Frederick Plater (15 April 1935 – 25 June 2010) was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. Career Plater was born in Jarrow, County Durham, although his family ...

. The film, which has a British-American joint venture, was entered into the

10th Moscow International Film Festival The 10th Moscow International Film Festival was held 7-21 July 1977. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Hungarian film ''The Fifth Seal'' directed by Zoltán Fábri, the Spanish film '' El puente'' directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and the Sovie ...

Synopsis

The story continues where '' All Creatures Great and Small'' ended, and follows the lives of James, Helen and Siegfried from 1938 until the outbreak of war.

Main cast

as James Herriott *

as Siegfried Farnon *

as Helen *

Bill Maynard Walter Frederick George Williams (8 October 1928 – 30 March 2018), better known by his stage name Bill Maynard, was an English comedian and actor. He began working in television in the 1950s, notably starring alongside Terry Scott in '' G ...

as Hinchcliffe *

Paul Shelley Paul Shelley (born Paul Matthews; 15 May 1942) is an English actor. Shelley was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, and trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). Since then he has mainly worked in the theatre as a classical actor. ...

as Richard * Richard Pearson as Granville *

Rosemary Martin Rosemary Martin (17 December 1936 – 14 August 1998) was an England, English actress, born in Birmingham. She appeared in dozens of films from 1964 to 1998 and is also known for television roles including Mrs. Partridge in ''Last of the Summe ...

as Mrs Dalby *

Raymond Francis Raymond Francis (6 October 1911- 24 October 1987) was a British actor best known for his role as Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart in the Associated-Rediffusion detective series ''Murder Bag'', ''Crime Sheet'' and ''No Hiding Place''. ...

as Colonel Bosworth * John Barrett as Crump *

Philip Stone Philip Stone (14 April 1924 – 15 June 2003) was an English actor, well known for portraying film characters such as "Pa", the father of Alex DeLarge, in ''A Clockwork Orange''; General Alfred Jodl in '' Hitler: The Last Ten Days''; Delbert ...

as Jack *

Clifford Kershaw Clifford may refer to: People *Clifford (name), an English given name and surname, includes a list of people with that name *William Kingdon Clifford *Baron Clifford *Baron Clifford of Chudleigh *Baron de Clifford * Clifford baronets * Clifford fa ...

as Kendall *

Kevin Moreton Kevin Moreton (born 19 January 1959) is an English actor, best known for his portrayal of Kevin Marsh in ''Coronation Street'', the British prime-time soap opera set in the fictional town of Weatherfield, made by Granada Television (now ITV St ...

as William * Liz Smith as Mrs Dodds * Leslie Sarony as Kirby *

Gwen Nelson Gwendoline Alexandra Nelson (30 June 1901 – 15 October 1990) was an English actress who was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre Company. Born in Muswell Hill, London, she originally intended to be a singer, ...

as Mrs Kirby

Production

In July 1975 the film was announced as part of a slate of eleven films from EMI with a budget of £6 million. The film was known during production as ''All Things Bright and Beautiful''.

Home media

Released on VHS in the 1990s, the film has yet to see a commercial release on DVD in the UK (region 2) or US (region 1).

References

External links

* *
Official James Herriot Website
1977 films 1977 drama films British drama films Films directed by Eric Till Films scored by Laurie Johnson Films set in Yorkshire Medical-themed films EMI Films films 1970s English-language films 1970s British films {{1970s-UK-film-stub