Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app + Encore Sunday, Dec. 1 at 8:30 p.m on KPBS TV
Don't miss new seasons of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL and MISS SCARLET, both beginning Jan. 12, 2025!
James Herriot wrote, “If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.” Perhaps the most endearing charm of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL on MASTERPIECE is its ability to show the special bond between humans and animals. Where else would the most anticipated wedding ceremony in recent memory include a Pekingese, a Golden Retriever, and a German Shepherd as guests? Now viewers can celebrate the animals they love in ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL "Tricki & Friends."
“The animals always come first,” wrote Herriot, a line that Siegfried and James say repeatedly in ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL. Dogs, cats, ferrets, geese, parrots, horses, cows, chickens, sheep and rabbits — from livestock to house pets, they’re all loved in Darrowby. The first three seasons of the series introduced a flock of furry and feathered friends, including Clive the Bull, Strawberry the Cow, Dash the Springer Spaniel, Bob the Donkey, Susie and her puppies, Maggie the Hen, Daisy the Dalmatian, River the Horse, and of course, Tricki.
A long-haired Pekingese who feasts on trifle and caviar, Tricki is ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL’S tiniest star and biggest scene stealer. Owned by Mrs. Pumphrey, he’s the overindulged apple of her eye. "Tricki & Friends" includes his best moments and celebrates the funniest, most moving and unnerving animal anecdotes from the series.
Cast members Nicolas Ralph (James Herriot), Rachel Shenton (Helen Herriot), Anna Madeley (Mrs. Hall), James Anthony Rose (Richard Carmody), Patricia Hodge (Mrs. Pumphrey), Callum Woodhouse (Tristan Farnon) and Samuel West (Siegfried Farnon) share the joys and challenges of sharing the screen with animal cast members.
Others offering insights into how the production works with animals are executive producers Colin Callender and Melissa Galant, Andy Hay, who’s directed many of the episodes featuring Tricki, veterinary advisor Andy Barrett, animal coordinator Jill Clark, and horse master Mark Atkinson, whose job includes making sure the actors do a convincing job of looking utterly comfortable around horses.
In other segments, Nicolas Ralph and Samuel West are tested on the veterinary knowledge they’ve acquired from their roles, and cast members are asked which vet they would choose for their own real-life pets: James, Samuel, Tristan or Richard. "Tricki & Friends" also introduces the charming off-camera pets of the crew, starting with Lily, the “Pawducer” and Chief Morale Officer, who belongs to production manager Elle Gibbs.
Credits: Executive producer: Scott Sauer. Produced + directed by Jim Hoppin and is a production of Hoppin Productions, LLC.
