3rd October 1916

Vet ‘James Herriot’ is born

Vet James Herriot was made famous by a series of novels, a handful of films, and two UK television series called All Creatures Great and Small, which were broadcast on the BBC and Channel 5. The books were based on the experiences of a real vet who, in the books as well as real life, had grown up and trained in Scotland.

Where reality and fiction diverge, though, is in the character’s name. The books were written by – and featured – a certain ‘James Herriot’, but this was the pen name of James Alfred Wight, better known as Alf. He had been unable to publish under his own name, as this might have been considered a form of advertising, which was banned by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.