Lasting LEGACY

As The Yorkshire Vet marks a magical milestone, MATT JACKSON-SMITH and PETER WRIGHT chat to TV Times about continuing James Herriot’s important work

- HANNAH DAVIES

There’s cause for celebration when The Yorkshire Vet returns to our screens this week, as the 18th run will feature the show’s milestone 200th episode!

The Channel 5 docuseries immediately struck a chord with viewers when it began in 2015, giving us a slice of country life as cameras charted the work of mild-mannered vets Peter Wright and Julian Norton at Skeldale Veterinary Centre as they followed in the footsteps of All Creatures Great and Small author James Herriot, also known as vet James Alfred ‘Alf’ Wight.

Now, almost nine years on, the team is as busy as ever, with the new nine-part outing seeing Peter rush a ewe to the practice with her lamb stuck mid-delivery, while his current protégé, Matt Jackson-Smith, has to dart antibiotics into a poorly deer.

TV Times booked an appointment with Peter, 67, who trained under Alf, and Matt, 34, to find out more…

Congratulations on the 200th episode, which will be the fifth instalment In this latest run. Why do you think the show remains so popular?

PETER We’re lucky to have a lot of loyal fans. I think they love the series because we’re living in dreadful times – you turn on the TV and it’s all bad news but The Yorkshire Vet brings people back to the natural world, especially now it’s spring.

Lambing time and bringing new life into the world is a time of fresh hope and new beginnings. It puts a spring in my step! Yes, we have ups and downs as vets, but there’s a lot of happiness, too!

What can you tell us about the animals we’ll meet this time?