All Creatures Great & Small – The Complete Collection (BBC)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: B- Episodes: B
Imagine a TV series drama build around a group of
veterinarians in a small British countryside town. Imagine it having a good cast, some comedy
and animals all over the place. Now
imagine it being a hit. All
Creatures Great & Small is one of those series that has always defied
expectations and the kind of series only British TV could have made. It was an hour-long drama, but much of the
early shows were videotaped (always signifying sitcoms on U.S. TV) and being
fully taped in the end. It somehow found
the material to keep the show a big hit and it became an early import success
on many PBS stations. As they issue the
seventh and final season on DVD, BBC Home Video is putting out a massive box
set of all seven seasons, plus a disc of specials. That includes 91 episodes from 1978 – 1990.
Peter
Davidson is the most recognizable face here, from Dr. Who to At Home With The
Braithwaites, but here he is as a supporting character as one of the main
vets in Darrowby. The show starts in the
1930s and ends in the 1950s and it has been a long time since I have seen the
show. It has aged well, though I am not
its biggest fan, I appreciate what they accomplished now that I have looked
through the entire series, which is a pleasant advantage of the DVD
format. You can see the story arc much
more clearly.
Christopher
Timothy, Robert Hardy, Carol Drinkwater, Lynda Bellingham and John McGlynn are
the other regulars and James Herroit (who wrote the book the show is based on)
co-developed it for TV and that gave it a consistent flow that kept fans
watching. Yes, it can be melodramatic,
but in total, it is intelligent TV like we never see anymore and though not
everyone will find it rewatchable to no end, All Creatures Great & Small is smart TV and that is looking
better and better all the time.
The 1.33 x 1 image is very average, all copies look
like second-generation digital copies that can be harsh, soft and sometimes
even blocky on occasion. Too bad,
because this could look better and if the early show’s 16mm footage exists, a
partial HD upgrade would be possible.
The PAL footage could look better too. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is better, but of
course, show’s the age of the recordings.
The combination is good enough to watch, but the picture still
disappoints throughout.
Extras are interesting. Too many of the full season sets only offer a
Who’s Who In The Cast piece, but
Season One adds a 48-minutes-long piece on Herroit, five more minutes on his
museum on Season Three also containing a few audio commentary tracks on three
select shows, short separate interviews with Timothy & McGlynn on Season
Four and a 54-minutes long reunion special and 1990 Christmas Special on Season Seven.
A bonus DVD has specials from 1983 and 1985, so except for a few extras
they could have cooked up, that is a pretty thorough set. Try it or start with the first season set,
all sold separately.
- Nicholas
Sheffo
