All Creatures Great and Small has fast become one of Channel 5âs most-loved dramas, and itâs 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.Â
But itâs 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 couldnât 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 belowâŠ
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.Â
In real life, Jamesâ appearance is much more casual, with his hair loose and pushed to the side.Â
On what he likes most about playing James, Nicholas told PBS: âAs an actor, what I love is, because itâs based on real people, these characters are so three dimensional and the relationships are so strong, that itâs so much fun to play.Â
âI get to play James in a multitude of scenarios, varying emotionsâitâs never just two-dimensional. Heâs never just âthe funny guyâ or âthis guy.â Itâs a wonderful scope and a range, so itâs brilliant because itâs such a challenge, and every day is different.â
Rachel Shenton
While Helen often opts for a practical wardrobe with denim overalls and a tweed blazer, her real-life counterpart likes to have fun with her fashion.
Unlike Helen, Rachel tends to wear her brunette locks loose over her shoulders while sporting a bold red lip.Â
Revealing her favourite item of Helenâs, Rachel said: âShe wears dungarees with this cute little waist belt and headband. Iâm like, âOh, thatâs so good.â So more dungarees for me, definitely.â
Samuel West
Samuelâs real-life look couldnât be more different from his on-screen character, who frequently sports tweed blazers with silk ties and lab coats.Â
According to the showâs costume designer, Samuel requested that Siegfried shouldnât look âtoo smartâ. Ros Little told PBS: âWith Sam, when we first talked about this series, he said, âI donât want to be too smart. I should be a bit shabby.â I said, âWell, good. Because you would be,â because Iâd spoken to people like older vets Iâd made contact with.â
Anna Madeley
While Mrs Hall often sports a buttoned-up white shirt paired with a long skirt and knitted cardigan, Annaâs real-life look is much more relaxed.Â
The actress is frequently pictured wearing her locks loose while donning a stylish dress for red-carpet appearances.Â
Callum Woodhouse
While viewers are used to seeing Callum wearing knitted jumpers and a slicked-back side parting for his role in the show, in real life the actor lets his curls go free and is often pictured wearing stylish T-shirts and jackets.Â