Force of NATURE!

SAMUEL WEST on how tetchy vet siegfried may have met his match

- CAREN CLERK

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
THURSDAY, 9PM, CHANNEL 5 DRAMA

Siegfried Farnon has always run the Skeldale House veterinary practice with a rod of iron in Channel 5’s hit period drama All Creatures Great and Small. But now, a new arrival in the beautiful fictional village of Darrowby is set to give the quick-tempered head vet a run for his money!

As series four continues this week, super-organised bookkeeper Miss Harbottle (played by Shetland star Neve McIntosh, see our interview, right) comes on board to try to bring some order to the surgery, which is drowning in paperwork and unpaid bills, as Siegfried (Samuel West) and junior partner James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) are rushed off their feet. But her no-nonsense methods are soon the cause of much tension.

Here, Samuel, 57, gives us his take on the storyline and teases what lies ahead for his fan-favourite character…

What does Siegfried make of Miss Harbottle?

He’s always been one for the ladies and he meets her at a dance and she’s funny, quick and attractive. He could do with some help at the practice and she’s somebody who respects what he’s trying to do, and might make the place more efficient. Initially, he reckons it’s going to be a marriage made in heaven, and possibly an actual marriage! Who can say?!

Things don’t go to plan, though, do they?