Underdog to Top Dog: The Inside Story of How ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ Became a U.S. Hit

variety.com:

Manori Ravindran International EditorIn a TV landscape bloated with hyper-violent survival dramas and thrillers about people who aren’t really who they say they are, it’s comforting to know that British drama “All Creatures Great and Small” will never try to be something that it’s not.Fans of the hit series from U.K.

broadcaster Channel 5 and PBS Masterpiece will know that, two seasons in, the 1930s-set show based on the beloved novels by veterinarian James Herriot (the pen name of Alf Wight) is edging closer and closer to the brink of World War 2.

Towards the end of Season 2, which wrapped on “Masterpiece” on Sunday night, housekeeper Mrs. Hall anxiously peers out the window at a vast military aircraft flying overhead.

But if you think this soothing-yet-salty drama about an endearingly dysfunctional veterinary practice in the verdant Yorkshire Dales is about to become “Band of Brothers,” rest assured that’s not part of the plan.“It’s inevitable that the looming shadow of war will influence the lives of our characters and Darrowby,” writer Ben Vanstone tells Variety. “That will play a major part through series three and four.”Yet it’s unlikely that the program’s gentle tone will shift, says Vanstone. “Ultimately, our show is about Darrowby and the world of the Yorkshire Dales and the farmers within it, so I don’t think we’re ever going to suddenly be doing a war drama.