Vintage Roads Great and Small

[lighthearted melody] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): My name is Peter Davison.

And I've always loved classic cars.

Such an elegant way of traveling.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): I'm Christopher Timothy.

I have a passion for history and Britain's great heritage.

I just like finding out about the past.

It's intriguing.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): We've been friends ever since our All Creatures Great and Small days.

Just take it easy, will you?

Relax, Jim.

Enjoy yourself.

Woo!

Take the first gear.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Now, 40 years later, we're returning to the golden age of motoring and setting off on a series of classic road trips, 1930s style.

You see the map in your hand?

That's for navigating.

There is-- it's-- We don't have a sat nav.

We don't have any other means-- It's not as easy as all-- it's not as easy as all that.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): We'll uncover incredible historical secrets.

Fantastic!

It's fascinating.

It's fascinating.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): We'll tackle the toughest driving challenges we've ever faced.

[tires squealing] [banging] Take it easy, buddy.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): And meet some truly remarkable people.

Hiya.

You are what real heroes are, aren't you?

You're the genuine article.

An absolute privilege.

And me too.

Thank you so much.

Hats on, roof down.

Home, James.

[whimsical tune] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Today, we're making a very special homecoming journey as we travel on our own Herriot Trail from Scarborough to the villages of the Yorkshire Dales where we filmed All Creatures Great and Small.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: For both of us, it was a sort of turning point, wasn't it?

PETER DAVISON: That's where it began all those years ago, isn't it?

- Magical times.

- Yeah.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Along the way, we'll uncover Yorkshire's rich motoring history and meet its unique car enthusiasts.

If it was too pricey, they'd have been-- they'd have been saying, how much?

[laughter] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): We'll tackle one of the county's most extreme roads.

OK, Chris, we're going to give this beast a go.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): And at the end of our adventure, we'll be sharing a very personal and fantastically nostalgic drive.

Fancy a spin?

Why not?

[engine rumbles] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): But before we can do any of that, I need to meet up with Chris on the glorious Scarborough seafront.

PETER DAVISON: This is the iconic journey that Chris and I were always destined to make because this is Scarborough.

And Scarborough is where we would often head on our weekends when we weren't filming.

And this time, by way of variation, we're going to do that journey in reverse.

So we're going to start here and retrace our steps back to the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

It's going to be a trip down memory lane.

Quite a long memory lane, actually.

I think the journey is a little short of 100 miles.

Could be a lot longer with Chris as my navigator.

But that's all part of the fun.

[jaunty tune] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): I'm meeting Chris in front of Scarborough's iconic Grand Hotel, one of the earliest spa retreats in the country.

Built in 1867, it was designed to have 365 rooms, 52 chimneys, and 12 floors, all representative of our calendar.

Most importantly, this hotel is where my namesake, the real James Herriot, first fell in love with Scarborough.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): During the war, Scarborough's Grand Hotel was commandeered by the Royal Air Force as a cadet training center.

One of its recruits was Alf Wight, better known as James Herriot, who went on to write a bunch of pretty popular books about life as a Yorkshire veterinarian.

During wartime, every morning at 6:00 AM, Alf would take part in some pretty grueling PT sessions on this very beach, and slept on uncarpeted floors up there.

But in spite of all these hardships, he fell in love with the place.

And he vowed that he would bring his children here on holiday.

And he did, year after year.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): The Grand Hotel is the perfect place to start our nostalgic journey back to the Yorkshire Dales.

[chuckles] Here's the fun and games.

How is it?

- The car?

- Yeah.

Well, I think-- how are you?

I'm good, I'm good, I'm good.

Good to see you.

Yeah.

I think individually, we're very serious items.

But together, we're sheer comedy because it's almost impossible getting in and out of the car.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Our trusty companion for our homecoming journey is a Morgan 4/4.

Designed in the mid-1930s, it's the longest-running production car in the world.

With a 1.6-liter engine, wire wheels, and a sleek, handcrafted body, it definitely looks the part once you've managed to clamber into it.

I'll now demonstrate the Morgan hat removal system.

[grunts] CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: My favorite bit is this.

[laughs] Ugh!

Here we go.

Yeah, can't wait.

Still, actually, once you're in-- - It's quite comfortable.

- --it's better, too.

Because we'll never get out.

No, it's not.

It's lovely.

[lively melody] CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Traveling from east to west, our journey will take us out of Scarborough via short detour on the North York Moors.

We'll travel through picture postcard countryside before arriving in Langthwaite in the Yorkshire Dales, where a unique and exceptionally special driving experience awaits.

[engine rumbling] PETER DAVISON: So, Chris, we're back on the road again.

We're going on the Herriot Trail.

Oh, fantastic.

We're blazing our own Herriot Trail.

It's a trip down memory lane.

- Yeah, I can't wait.

- It'll be great.

When we first came up, do you remember that first-- I think we had an eight-week block of filming before we actually started in the studios.

And I remember driving up the A1, which I'd done before on my way to Scotland but never turned off it, and then turning off the A1 at Bedale and just seeing this glorious countryside that I had no idea was there.

Absolutely.

[lighthearted melody] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Staying away from motorways and dual carriageways and using maps instead of sat navs, we're going to be traveling 1930s-style through the legendary scenery and countryside that has played such a large part in both our lives.

PETER DAVISON: I do consider myself now to be an honorary Yorkshireman.

I've decided that.

I don't care if the Yorkshire people don't want me to be.

That's what I am.

I'm now an honorary Yorkshireman.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: I agree.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): As we head out of Scarborough, breathtaking scenery lies ahead, some of which was described in almost Yorkshire-like forthrightness in the 1930s guidebook, Car and Country.

"The incomparable Yorkshire Moors, which have a new face every day, for every traveler to Carlisle, and from there to Barnard Castle.

Nobody in possession of their senses could object to that.

If they have, let them sell their car and buy something which will keep them at home.

They do not deserve the freedom of the King's Highway."

That must have been written by a Yorkshireman, mustn't it?

I would imagine.

This is God's own country.

And even if it's not yours, it's still almost indisputable.

Are they saying God was a Yorkshireman?

Almost certainly, hm?

I think what they're really saying is that of all the places that God created, this is number one.

--the pinnacle.

Absolutely.

They are hugely proud, aren't they?

PETER DAVISON: They are hugely proud and unashamedly belligerent in their pride.

And I like that about them.

[slow jazzy music] CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Meeting its people and exploring Yorkshire played a big part in making filming All Creatures Great and Small such a fantastic time in both our lives.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Now we're discovering the place all over again.

And just under half an hour out of Scarborough, we're turning off the road to delve into a little known slice of the county's motoring history.

I'm just going to turn right into here, Chris, because-- It's very grand.

Yeah, isn't it?

And we're popping in here to Wykeham Abbey to see a man about a tractor and a lady about an Aston Martin, which is, of course-- The James Bond car.

[engine revving] [groovy music] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): The Aston Martin screeched onto the big screen in the 1964 bond film Goldfinger.

The DB5's 4-liter engine put out 252 brake horsepower.

And it had a top speed of around 145 miles an hour.

But it owed a large part of its success to some Yorkshire tractor engineers.

We've come to the impressive Wykeham Abbey to find out more.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Look at that.

Look at that.

By heck.

By heck is like.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): We're here to meet Lady Diana Downe, the president of the Aston Martin Owners Club, and Adam Brown, the grandson of entrepreneur and tractor manufacturer Sir David Brown, who bought Aston Martin in 1947.

I'm Peter.

Hello.

- Diana.

- How are you?

Hi, there.

Nice to see you.

- Thank you.

Good.

Welcome to Wykeham.

Thank you very much indeed.

Now, we're very common people.

So we don't-- want to do this right.

So how would you like to be addressed?

- Diana.

- Diana.

That's fine.

That's great.

Tell us about your enthusiasm for Aston Martin cars.

Well, the first time my husband took me out in his DB24-- Right.

--I didn't know what Aston Martin was.

I promise you, that's true.

Right.

Then we started racing and one thing and another.

And I, well, went with them all the time.

So did you actually race yourself?

No, I was thinking of racing when my husband did a bit of club racing.

I thought, I'll go because I'll be so frightened that I must club race.

But in fact, then he bought faster cars and better cars, and I finished up just doing the timekeeping.

And now you're the president of the Aston Martin Owners Club.

Yes, my husband was president before me.

I see.

Do you get a car along with that-- I wish I had.

That would have been really nice.

[laughs] PETER DAVISON: And this one here, of course, is the James Bond car that we're all very excited about.

What's it like to drive a car-- It's actually not difficult.

The earlier ones were very much more difficult with the clutch and what have you.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): There's no doubt that the DB5 is a true classic of British motor manufacturing.

But if Adam's grandfather hadn't bought Aston Martin, it's unlikely to have been the worldwide icon we know today.

PETER DAVISON: How did the fact that David Brown had a successful tractor company affect the advancement of the Aston Martin when he bought the company?

The Aston Martin guys maybe wouldn't like me to say this, but the tractor engineers were-- were quite ahead of their-- their game.

And they did help tuning the engines, and indeed, making sure the racing gearboxes were up to speed.

You'd never think, would you, that the makers of a tractor would end up facilitating a fast car like the Aston Martin.

I suppose you've just got to think of the man, David Brown, because he was a racing driver, really, at heart.

And the tractors were not a way to get to the car, but they were viewed as a sports car in his mentality, I think.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): I'd like nothing more than to get behind the wheel of such an iconic British car.

But unfortunately for me, Chris has driving ambitions of his own.

It will come as no surprise that I have never actually auditioned or played James Bond.

- What a pity.

- But I did play-- I know.

Absolutely.

Good for you.

But I did play James Herriot.

And I am licensed to drive a tractor.

Please, may I have a go?

Is that allowed?

Of course, you can.

Yeah.

- Oh, fantastic.

- Help yourself.

It's very much your style.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

[engine rumbling] [upbeat music] I told a little fib to Lady Diana.

If truth be known, I have never driven a tractor in my life.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): If truth be known, Chris, I think Lady Diana has probably worked that out.

Oh!

Whoa!

What do you think?

To the manor born!

[laughs] PETER DAVISON: I think he enjoyed himself on the tractor.

It was fun to watch him do a circuit, his head going along the top of the wall.

And he got back, he arrived back.

That's the important thing with Chris, if he turns up again.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Having ridden a vintage tractor and uncovered a fascinating piece of postwar Yorkshire motoring history, we jump back into the Morgan and make progress along our homecoming Herriot Trail.

[jaunty tune] PETER DAVISON: Did you imagine that All Creatures would be that successful?

Well, it was huge, wasn't it?

Absolutely extraordinary.

I mean, we both heard that first review.

- Oh, yeah.

- Do you remember that?

Yeah.

Broke my-- broke my heart.

Well, they had a vet.

They got a vet.

The veterinary advisor at London Zoo.

Right.

And he said, oh, who wants to listen-- who wants to watch a program about vets?

No one is going to find this program interesting.

About three weeks later, vicars were changing church service times to accommodate the people who weren't coming to church because of the show.

Do you think-- did you think, imagine we'd still know each other or be friends all this time later?

I don't know.

I just knew we were mates.

That was, yeah.

Why?

I'm surprised we're still alive all this time later, actually.

I sometimes wonder if I still am.

[laughter] CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): We've some way to go before we reach the place where our friendship started.

And before we get there, we're going to cross the epic beauty of the North York Moors.

This place became like a second home.

I think of it as almost as a second home.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: The fact that Herriot and his kind, these were the areas they went in the bleakest part of winter.

Yes.

Who'd be a vet, eh?

Absolutely.

A pretend vet is fine.

[laughs] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Almost 30 miles into our trip, we've reached the North York Moors, a beautiful but desolate landscape that is largely unchanged since Herriot's time.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): We're on our way to visit a coaching inn that would have been familiar to James Herriot.

Standing several miles from the nearest house and 1,325 feet above sea level, the Lion Inn is one of the remotest inns in the country and was popular with pioneer motorists in the 1920s and '30s.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Nowadays, it often serves classic car enthusiasts, just like us, who love to get off the beaten track.

Morning!

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): This bunch are fans of Jowett cars, Yorkshire's very own car manufacturing company.

[engines rumbling] - Hello.

- Hiya.

Hello there.

Hi.

How are you?

- Nice to meet you.

- Peter.

- Peter, I'm Noel.

- I'm Chris.

Hi, Noel.

PETER DAVISON: Chris and I were talking earlier about the-- the traits of a typical Yorkshireman, proud.

And it seems to me that the Jowett car personifies that absolutely to a T. The Jowett brothers, their philosophy was to make affordable, cheap cars that the average man in the street could afford to buy, but as rugged and well-built as possible.

I mean, all the mechanicals are good quality stuff.

They didn't cut corners.

If it was too pricey, they'd have been-- they'd have been saying, how much?

[laughter] These are proper Yorkshire cars owned by Yorkshire people.

I mean, they are quirky.

And it suits Yorkshire people because I think we're pretty quirky on average.

The Javelin is postwar?

It's postwar, yeah.

OK.

And why do they look like 1930s gangster cars?

Because they do, don't they?

The front is like straight out of American comics.

NOEL: Well, General-- They're fantastic, I think.

General Palmer, who designed the Javelin, he had worked at MG before the war.

And Jowett headhunted him in 1942 and said, we can design whatever you like.

- And he came out with that?

- Yeah.

I think we should go and have a look at, actually, some of the cars.

- That's great, yeah.

Thank you very much.

Yeah, really amazing.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): While Chris goes to check out the cars, I've spotted more club members who I want to chat with.

Hello.

How are you?

How are you?

How are you?

I wanted to come and talk to you because I wanted to get the real story about how you feel.

You are the Jowettesses, is that right?

Yes.

PETER DAVISON: So how do you-- how do you feel about your partners having this hobby?

I do a lot of praying that we'll get to our destination-- - And a lot of-- - --and home again.

Yes.

PETER DAVISON: And do you have a smile on your face when-- It's more gritted teeth, Peter, actually.

Well, I just love it.

Everybody helps one another.

Yes, it's a very friendly car club.

And with Noel, it's very much with a little help from his friends or a lot help from his friends.

WOMAN: When I get in Jowett, everybody waves to you.

And you always find an elderly lady or gentleman attached to it saying, I used to have one of these.

I learned to drive in one of these.

Yeah.

Well, it's lovely to meet you all.

Nice-- And a very-- very beautiful selection of cars-- and ladies.

- Well, thank you.

- Oh, thank you!

Thank you.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Having leapt back into the Morgan, smooth-talking Peter Davison and I leave the Jowett Car Club behind and continue our journey to Herriot country.

PETER DAVISON: Well, I don't think you can get much better than that.

Agree, agree.

A collection of Yorkshire Jowetts ridden by Yorkshire people in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors.

They're keeping history alive.

Absolutely.

And they love it, don't they?

[jazzy melody] CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): While we're on our own Herriot Trail adventure, James wasn't the only one to put pen to paper about this unique county.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: I've got a quote from Daniel Defoe, 1724.

Yeah.

And when he was passing through the Dales, this is what he wrote.

"Nor were these hills high and formidable only, but they had a kind of inhospitable terror in them.

All barren and wild, and of no use or advantage, either to man or beast."

It's funny how our attitudes have changed towards scenery and the countryside, especially the-- the wild end of the countryside.

You know, now, it's what-- it's what we look for, isn't it?

We look for that untouched-- CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: The dramatic and the-- PETER DAVISON: Yeah, untouched by man.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

PETER DAVISON: Hundreds of years ago, it used to be this sort of scenery wasn't really what you wanted to see.

It was too-- too raw.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): As we continue to travel across the moors, the wide open spaces give way to narrow lanes and picturesque villages, which are becoming increasingly tricky to drive.

[engine rumbling] Whoa!

Yeah.

Please-- - It's quite steep.

I don't think I'm going to make this in second gear, even.

I might have to go into first.

Well, we've really got an even trickier bit of road ahead, it looks to me.

Oh, no, that's-- there we go, first.

Whoa!

[laughs] - Nice.

It looks worse than this.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): The piece of road Chris is referring to is the Rosedale Chimney, one of the steepest roads in Britain.

It got its name from the 100-foot chimney marking the location of a Victorian ironstone mine.

In the early 20th century, it was the site of a popular motorsport event, which up to 15,000 spectators came to watch.

PETER DAVISON: Whoa!

Into first again.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): In preparation for tackling it ourselves, we're meeting local expert Paul to find out more about this daunting road and race, which both have a fascinating history.

Hello.

Hello.

Paul.

- Hello.

- Hi, Paul.

Chris.

- Chris, hi.

I'm very well, thank you.

Nice to meet you.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: So the road ahead does look a bit tricky.

It is a tricky hill.

It was used as a hill climb venue.

It was unmade, untarmacked, very rough.

1 in 4, 1 in 3 and 1/2.

And races used to start from the pub car park here and go half a mile up the hill.

They had crowds of 10,000, 12,000, 15,000 watching the event here.

- That many?

- That many.

And when were they held?

PAUL: Always on a Sunday, which caused some controversy.

There was a church service held on the hill before the event.

The local vicar, the Reverend Clarkson-Birch, was stood on the hill and had a heroic photograph of addressing the crowds or the congregation.

I brought along an order of service, complete with hymns, finishing up with "Onward, Christian Soldiers," probably a very appropriate hymn.

"Onward, Christian"-- we know that, don't we?

I know the first verse.

PETER DAVISON: Well, thank you very much, Paul, for telling us all that.

And wish us luck because-- are we going to have a go at this?

Yes.

PETER DAVISON: Well, I am.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Exactly.

[laughter] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): It's time to buckle up, fire up the Morgan, and take on the legendary Rosedale Chimney.

Thunderbirds are go.

[engine rumbling, revving] OK, Chris, we're going to give this beast a go, OK?

Yeah, can't wait.

I don't think there'll be a cup waiting for us, but maybe a vicar, eh?

Whoa!

[laughs] Bloody hell.

PETER DAVISON: Woo!

Into first gear.

[engine revving] BOTH: Onward, Christian soldiers Marching as to war With the cross of Jesus Going on before Christ the CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): The tarmac on the road was probably more help than the hymns, but we've made it to the top.

Well, that was-- that was good.

Could have done it faster.

I'm glad you didn't.

[laughter] [upbeat piano music] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Having conquered the Rosedale Chimney, we motor on towards Herriot country.

And the landscape brings back some fond driving memories.

This road reminds me very slightly of-- do you remember what we used to affectionately call the yellow brick road?

Absolutely.

We used to end up driving it quite late at night, in the pitch black.

Road was full of twists and turns.

And if you-- if you weren't careful, you'd end up off the road.

But also, being townies, the last thing we wanted to do was run over a rabbit.

So you'd be driving across the yellow brick road, pitch black.

Some rabbit would be sitting in the middle of the road.

And rather than just drive straight over the top of it, we would swerve off.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): In the golden age of motoring, dark roads like the one Chris and I used to drive on after filming were commonplace and provided the inspiration for a Yorkshire motoring revolution that was exported around the world.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Legend has it that one foggy night, businessman Percy Shaw was driving on the wrong side of the road and was saved from a serious crash by seeing a cat's eyes, which revealed where he was.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Cat's Eyes, along with Jowett cars and David Brown's ownership of Aston Martin, form part of Yorkshire's rich motoring heritage.

But as we approach the Dales, we are closing in on one of the county's most incredible natural creations.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Sutton Bank overlooks where James Herriot used to live and work, and offers what the man himself called the finest view in England.

We've come to take a look for ourselves and meet a man I know well, his son Jim.

How are you, mate?

It's so good to see you.

- Yeah.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Fantastic.

- How are you?

PETER DAVISON: Nice to see you.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Good to see you, really good.

We've both played pretend vets, right?

And we appreciate all the things involved and everything.

But you were the son of the world's most famous vet.

My only claim to fame, yes.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Oh, come now, come now.

Yeah.

But tell me about that, please.

Yeah, well, I used to go around in the car with him from the age of three.

And by the time I was five, I reckoned I was pretty well qualified, you know?

I'd seen it all.

PETER DAVISON: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

What is this view?

Look at it.

Extraordinary.

This was his favorite walk, along here.

My father always had time when he was at his busiest to walk his dogs.

All through '60s, '70s, '80s, my dad would walk his dogs.

You're looking down on where he lived.

You're looking down on his practice.

And you're looking across to All Creatures Great and Small country.

PETER DAVISON: So his desire for anonymity, was that the only-- was that the only reason he chose a pen name?

Well, he wasn't allowed to use his name, because in those days, there was a thing called veterinary etiquette.

You were not allowed to advertise.

And if he would use his name, it was construed as advertising.

So he had to look for a pen name.

And every time he thought of one, there was a vet called that name because the veterinary register was about this thick, you know.

There's thousands of us.

And-- and then he was watching a football match one night, and it was Birmingham City versus Manchester United.

And in goal for Birmingham is a goalkeeper called Jim Herriot.

Really?

And my dad reached yet again for the register, and no vet called Herriot.

What do you think struck a chord?

Because it's one thing to find this scenery beautiful, as your father obviously did, and then to want to write these stories.

But to be that successful, it must have been a terrific surprise to him, I'd have thought.

But why did it-- - Well, I know why-- --strike such a note?

One of the reasons these books are so successful-- I always say this-- it's not just about animals.

James Herriot's books are about people.

And I think he described the characters so well, and you portrayed them so well in the television series.

And people are interested in people.

And I think this is why the television series was so successful.

But to go back to the '40s and '50s like that had huge appeal for people.

A total pleasure, Jim, as always.

Lovely to see you, Chris.

Always nice to see you.

[jaunty melody] CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): It was great to catch up with Jim.

And as we head off, we're driving down the hill from Sutton Bank.

PETER DAVISON: Could you just have-- could you possibly have a look out that window and see if anything's coming?

Oh, the seat belt.

[bleep].

Yes, I can look.

You're all right for the moment.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): It won't be long now before we arrive in the place where our 40-year friendship began.

And now, the story really begins.

[gentle melody] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): We spent many years working amidst this incredible landscape.

It was always full of slightly quirky and unexpected surprises.

And we're on our way to uncover another.

In the late 1940s, the British government began distributing invalid cars to disabled people.

By the 1970s, there were over 20,000 of them on the roads.

We've come to meet a man who's got one of the largest collections of invalid cars and carriages in the world.

PETER DAVISON: Hi.

Simon, is it?

- Peter.

Yeah.

How are you?

Hi, Simon.

Chris.

- Chris, nice to meet you.

- You too.

Thank you for having me.

Thanks for coming.

So you have a collection of what I know as invalid cars.

That's right, yeah.

And how did you-- how did you come to have an interest in these?

It started with my grandfather.

So my grandfather was a disabled person.

And after World War II, the government started to, through the NHS, give disabled people mobility and independence through carriages like these.

Right, yes.

Now, obviously, we have three of them, your examples here.

You have many more.

How many do you have altogether?

About 20.

PETER DAVISON: About 20.

But this, of course, is the one that I recognize.

Yes.

We used to see many of these-- SIMON: Yes.

PETER DAVISON: --around on the roads.

The government phased these out in 1975.

They phased them out over a long period.

But in-- but in 1975, there was around about 25,000 disabled invalid carriage vehicles on the road.

And they were using these all over the country.

It was a revolutionary scheme that came with the-- the revolution of the NHS, basically.

How reliable were they?

Bear in mind, there's no spare wheel.

There's no-- in the early vehicles, there's no petrol gauge.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: It's absurd, isn't it?

Yeah.

There was-- the absurdity of it is part of the historic interest in it.

But they're not a comedy.

They're not-- it's not comedy.

It's not a joke-- CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: No, absolutely.

--because literally in the world, we-- the British government, provided, albeit a very strange solution, a solution for independence for disabled people, which in no other country was completed on this scale.

So in fairness, the real answer is not terribly reliable.

Terribly unreliable.

[laughter] Yeah.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Do you speak on behalf of disabled people?

Because if you don't, I reckon you should start.

I really do.

- I'm disabled.

I have deafness.

I've broken a lot of bones.

I have a-- a bone condition.

So I've broken about 140 bones.

So disability is a big part of what I do.

Thank you very much for showing them to us, Simon.

You're a social historian.

Try to be.

It's been a great pleasure.

It's been a great pleasure.

Absolutely.

SIMON: Thank you for coming.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Don't be silly.

Thanks for having us.

[upbeat music] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Back in the Morgan, we're closing in rapidly on Herriot country.

Our old stomping ground will be packed full of wonderful memories.

But before we arrive, we have a slight issue to resolve in the navigation department.

PETER DAVISON: Where are we?

Do you know where we are?

Well, I've just saw a sign for Bedale.

And I can't remember how many miles that was.

Yeah, you're holding the map, Chris.

Yeah, well, I know, I know.

So you don't know when we're going to cross over.

You can't tell me.

- I can't remember.

You can't say to me, Peter, we're about to cross over the A1 into Herriot-- It's quite likely that I will recognize it when we get there.

OK?

OK.

I can't believe it.

We've come to another traffic light.

They're all temporary traffic lights.

Do you think they just put them up to annoy us?

It's usually roadworks in it, isn't it?

Or-- These are one of those roadworks where there aren't actually any people working on the road.

And that is so rare, isn't it?

So rare.

[chuckles] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Back on the move, and thankfully, having located where we are on the map, it's not long before we arrive at perhaps the most exclusive stop on our exploration of Yorkshire's rich motoring history and classic car culture.

PETER DAVISON: That, Chris, is a steam car.

That's extraordinary.

Well, this is exciting.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): The car we've come to see is an American Stanley Model M. It's one of the only two working models in the world and belongs to steam car enthusiast Harold.

- Harold.

- Yes.

Good morning.

Harold, it's very nice to see you.

How are you?

- I'm all right.

Hello, Harold.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Chris.

Pleased to meet you.

I don't know what I was expecting, but not this.

It's magnificent.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Yeah, it surely is.

And so clean!

I don't want to touch it even.

HAROLD: Yeah, you're OK.

Am I OK?

HAROLD: I'll give you-- I'll give you a rag to polish it up later.

[laughter] OK, that's a deal.

Is it easy to drive?

Once-- once it's all prepared and ready and in steam, it's relatively simple because you would just need to steer it, use the throttle.

We need to keep an eye on the water gauge.

And then we need to keep an eye on the winker.

And then we keep an eye on a little pyrometer so we know the fire's lit.

Right.

And then if you get time, you have a look where you're going.

[laughter] Can we have a go in it?

I'll take you a ride in it, yes.

- Will you?

- Yeah, of course, I will.

Excellent.

Thank you very much.

Right.

[steam hissing] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Harold's car holds 35 gallons of water, giving it a range of around 35 miles.

The steam was once produced by burning paraffin.

But nowadays, he uses a petrol and diesel mix.

[engine chugging] Oh, listen!

PETER DAVISON: What?

It sounds like a train.

PETER DAVISON: Oh, it definitely does.

The engine is exactly the same as a train.

Right.

Let's say you were to wake up in the morning and decide, I want to have a little-- a little drive around in my steam car.

How long would it take you to get it ready to go?

It's about between 20 and 25 minutes.

PETER DAVISON: All right.

How old is the car?

When was it built?

1908.

And they only made 75 of them.

It was too expensive in its day at $2,000 for the very bare car.

Right.

Didn't even have a speedo and lights at that.

PETER DAVISON: And so obviously, it had a very exclusive clientele, presumably.

Only the very rich, really.

You know, by the time you've put your extras on, you're probably looking at $2,500 in 1908.

PETER DAVISON: And what's the-- what's the top speed of something like this?

HAROLD: It will actually do 70 miles an hour.

PETER DAVISON: Will it?

I wouldn't like to be doing 70 miles an hour-- No, it's only got back brakes as well.

- Has it, really?

- Yes.

Their sales literature said it would-- a car capable of 70 miles an hour as long as the roads are suitable to do it.

So it was the roads that were the problem-- And were there any roads that were suitable?

There can't be many.

Not many, I don't think, no.

But it does do 70.

We've done it.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Time to see what Harold's Stanley Model M can do.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Woo-woo!

[engine chugging] Yee-haw!

It's such an elegant way of traveling.

Oh, it's better than that.

Yes.

And now we're going to get back in the Morgan.

Well, I'm going to suggest that we scrap the Morgan and we finish the trip in this.

I've never been so comfortable, ever.

I think Harold might have something to say about that.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Fantastic, Harold.

Thank you.

HAROLD: You're very welcome.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Really fantastic.

This is the only way to travel, isn't it?

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): The age of the steam-powered car was relatively short-lived.

But Harold's Stanley Model M is undeniable proof that it produced some remarkable vehicles.

PETER DAVISON: Wasn't that a fantastic way to be transported?

I've never known such comfort.

It was elegant.

Yeah, absolutely.

It just sounded so much like being in a very genteel steam train.

That's right.

I know!

[gentle melody] CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): As we motor on, we're on the very edge of the Yorkshire Dales, which have played such a big part in mine and Peter's lives.

Passing under the A1, I'm behind the wheel for the moment we've both been waiting for.

We're now in Herriot country.

Yes!

And, you know, it smells different.

I don't care who says it.

There's a difference.

Hmm.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Peter and I filmed seven series of All Creatures Great and Small in the Yorkshire Dales.

And many of its towns and villages hold fond memories.

The house where I spent that first week of veterinary training-- Oh, yes.

--before filming started-- Right.

--it's up here on the right.

And I'm 99% certain-- it was that one.

PETER DAVISON: That house?

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Yeah.

And that's where I-- that's where I met Jack and Jess.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Jack Watkinson is the man who gave me my veterinary training.

I lived with him, his wife Jess, and his children for seven eventful days while he did his best to make me into a credible TV vet.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Jack's sadly no longer with us.

But his son John has followed in his father's footsteps.

And we're dropping in on him at work.

Aww.

Hello.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Hi, John.

- Hi, Peter.

- Hi, John.

- Hi, Chris.

- Nice to see you.

- How do you do?

PETER DAVISON: Very well.

- Good to see you.

- How are you doing?

Yeah, good.

Good, good.

Did your dad ever mention what he thought of this-- this city boy turning up, apparently in a denim jacket, denim trousers, white moccasin shoes?

Chris and Father got on quite well, which is fair to say.

And they were totally different backgrounds, different personalities.

And it rather surprised us when we were kids, how well they got on, considering that you were from two different worlds, really, weren't you?

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We literally went out, and he said-- he said, have-- he looked at my attire and said, have you got any boots?

And I have.

I bought up a brand new pair of wellies, proper wellies.

So I put the wellies on and got in the car, and we went-- we went off on his rounds, afternoon visits.

First was a cat with bad breath, which was in-- and everything about it was James Herriot.

The lady, the house, the furniture.

She was sweet and charming.

Your dad was delightful.

And then there was a cow who wouldn't get up.

Jack got hold of the tail, right, and stood behind it.

"Get up, ya!

Up, ya!

Up, ya!"

And the cow got up, without so much as a bye or leave, and off it trotted.

So I remember thinking-- Cruel to be kind.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Yeah, exactly.

Then there was a calving.

And at the end, when the calf was cleaned up and strawed up and breathing and tottering on its feet, I just saw Jack.

And he was clearly quite moved.

Yeah.

There's always an element of satisfaction.

That's still the case to this day.

And even the farmers who see it absolutely day in, day out, I think they get a bit of a kick from it, still.

It's been really good to see you, John.

Thank you.

- Bye.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Being in Yorkshire and catching up with probably one of the most influential times in my life for me is-- it's very touching and-- and quite moving.

And it's second only to the reactions I feel when I go back to Wales.

[lighthearted tune] CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): It was really great to see John again.

And as we drive off, more memories come flooding back.

PETER DAVISON: I remember the first time we filmed here.

I knew the books had been successful.

But there was not a soul around, and people really weren't that interested in us filming, were they?

We got in their way very often.

Yeah, we got in their way.

And there was always-- we would have to hold the traffic in Askrigg.

All right, so we're driving down the hill now into Askrigg.

The whole of the first-- that first filming block, not a soul was here.

The second block-- - You couldn't move.

- Couldn't move.

I know.

Coach parties, everything.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: The village of Askrigg is right in the heart of Herriot country.

On screen, the King's Arms Pub became The Drovers Arms.

And Skeldale House, which nowadays is a B&B, was used as the exterior for our vet's practice and home.

[chuckles] I feel like we've found the Holy Grail.

[laughter] Do you remember that day we did a-- we did a scene, and across the road, there must have been at least 200 tourists, I think from Canada, I think.

A coach party.

Yeah.

At least two or three coaches, right.

And they were all over there.

And we were all gathered-- we came out, we said a few lines.

And a lady dressed perfectly for the period walked across and would have been fine, except she was carrying a plastic carrier bag.

And, "Cut!"

And she looked at the crowd, looked at us, and she said, "I've got my bloody life to lead, you know."

And it's the truth, isn't it?

I mean, she was obviously going to get her husband's lunch or something.

They're looking out their windows now and thinking, oh, no, they're back.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): After spending the night in the village of Askrigg, we're now heading out on the final leg of our journey-- [quirky music] --that is, if the locals will let us get by.

There's a dog on the road.

Oh!

Good dog.

Used to be a vet, you know.

So now we're almost at the end of our Yorkshire trip.

Yes.

What's been your favorite bit?

I love the-- you driving the tractor, especially the disembodied head going along the top of the wall.

And-- Oh, you-- that's what it looked like, did it?

- Yeah.

- Oh, OK, OK.

And of course, the steam car, that was fun.

Yeah, it was.

I agree.

But I suppose for me, the best bit must be, you know, when we actually crossed the A1 into the Dales proper.

That's where it began all those years ago, isn't it?

I absolutely agree.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Magical times.

Yeah.

PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): Driving through the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, we're closing in on the village of Langthwaite, the location of the opening scenes of All Creatures Great and Small, where we're going to recreate what are perhaps the series' most famous scenes.

So Langthwaite, opening credits of All Creatures.

Oh, in the Austin 7.

Yeah, my first car was an Austin 7.

My parents' first car was an Austin 7.

Oh, get on.

Really.

Well, what a coincidence.

Here we go.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): To mark the end of an incredible journey and to celebrate our 40-year friendship, we've borrowed an Austin 7 to recreate the opening titles of the show that transformed our lives.

Oh!

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: [laughs] Oh, dear.

That was fun.

Look at this Bit nice, isn't it?

Yes.

Now, this was Siegfried's-- or very similar to Siegfried's car in the first series.

Fancy a spin?

Why not?

No, no, no, you drive, you drive.

You be Siegfried.

Go on.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): Introduced in 1922, the Austin 7 was at first derided for its tiny, compact design and low power.

But it wasn't long before the low price tag and low fuel consumption endeared the car to the public, soon earning the nickname "Baby Austin."

This was a small car with a big influence that made motoring accessible to the lower middle classes.

We are now going to re-enact the opening sequence of All Creatures Great and Small, OK?

You realize I have no-- you realize I have no idea what I'm doing?

I'll show you.

You are Siegfried, and I'm James.

[cheerful tune] CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY (VOICEOVER): In 1977, I drove the roads in and around Langthwaite with Robert Hardy.

Now I'm going to drive them again with my mate of over 40 years.

[TIRES SQUEALING, GEARS GRINDING] PETER DAVISON: Oh!

[laughs] Oh, my goodness!

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: [laughs] The number of people who came up for at least a year after that, if not more, and said, when you and Robert Hardy were laughing, what were you laughing about?

And I said, we were laugh-- I can't tell you what we were laughing about without offending you because it was nothing to do with the series, nothing to do with vets.

It was something slightly untoward that-- that Robert Hardy said that made me laugh.

[gentle music] PETER DAVISON (VOICEOVER): The journey along our own Herriot Trail has been truly fantastic.

And revisiting the places where our friendship began all those years ago has been an unforgettable experience.

CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: I've got to say, I am really, really glad that we've done Yorkshire.

And I'm even gladder that we're sort of reaching the end in the part of Yorkshire that we knew so well, don't you think?

Yeah, yeah.

A rare experience, and it's fantastic.

This is perfect because this is the-- this is the location that we used to use when you had those moments of-- I know you don't like the word "sentimentality," but-- Reflection.

--those sentimental scenes and when we were going off to war.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We'd do a scene, and it would just create such a fantastic backdrop and make it all the more poignant.

Absolutely.

But it is stunning, isn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah.

What-- what a great experience, eh?

Well, another 40 years, we'll come back again, shall we?

- Why not?

- Yeah.

You can push me.

[theme music]