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James Alfred Wight OBE FRCVS (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author. Born in Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939, returning to England to become a veterinary surgeon in Yorkshire, where he practised for almost 50 years.
James Herriot was a pseudonym of James Alfred Wight, a Scottish veterinarian who wrote stories based on his life and work in Yorkshire. Learn how his real-life friends and colleagues inspired the characters of All Creatures Great and Small, such as Helen Alderson, Siegfried Farnon, and Mrs. Pumphrey.
- Masterpiece
May 1, 2024 · James Herriot (born October 3, 1916, Sunderland, Durham, England—died February 23, 1995, Thirlby, near Thirsk, Yorkshire) was a British veterinarian and writer.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Masterpiece
- He Started Writing at Age 50. Wight’s early ambitions to author a book were sidelined by the long hours demanded of a rural vet. He finally began a manuscript in 1965 after some persuading by his wife.
- Legions of Fans Called at His Veterinary Practice. By the late 1970s, James Herriot was becoming a household name, his books each selling more than a million copies.
- Queen Elizabeth was an Admirer. With literary fame came an invitation for Alf Wight to join Her Majesty for lunch. “Over a private [meal] at Buckingham Palace, she told [him] his were ‘the only books that have made me repeatedly laugh out loud,’” the author’s children tell the Daily Mail (UK).
- He Struggled with Depression. For a man who delivered such uplifting stories, it’s a surprise to learn from his son, Jim Wight, that the vet and author suffered from depression at times, and especially after the 1960 death of his father.
- Masterpiece
- All Creatures Great and Small. Book Summary: We meet young Herriot as he lands a job at a rural veterinary practice in Yorkshire, England during the 1930’s Great Depression.
- All Things Bright and Beautiful. Book Summary: Readers continue to get compelling, humorous stories of the young vet, still in the early years of his professional practice with the Farnon brothers.
- All Things Wise and Wonderful. Book Summary: In this third volume, readers contemplate a country entering World War II. James has traded in his Yorkshire wellingtons for a shapeless flight suit: he is enlisted by the RAF into basic training.
- The Lord God Made Them All. Book Summary: With Herriot home from the RAF, this title provides stories of post-war life in Darrowby. These are years of major medical advances, but the hard-working locals haven’t changed much at all.
Hired James Herriot in 1940 while he was in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was only enlisted for a few months before he was sent home to continue being a veterinarian. He took his own life by an overdose of barbiturates two weeks after the death of his wife of fifty-three years, Audrey.
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Jan 10, 2021 · Learn about the real person behind the pen name James Herriot, a rural veterinarian who wrote semi-autobiographical stories about his life and work in Yorkshire. Find out how his books were adapted for TV, how his stories were embellished, and how he became a best-selling author.
