The Yorkshire Vet gives honest verdict on All Creatures Great and Small

The Yorkshire Vet star Julian Norton has revealed he was surprised during his encounter with All Creatures Great and Small actor Nicholas Ralph, who plays James Herriot, because he didn't actually know the basics of examining an animal. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk the Channel 5 star said: "I've got to meet some of the guys who were in the new series on Channel 5. I wasn't really an advisor, but there was an informal kind of 'showing the TV vet what it's like to be a real vet' kind of thing.

"Nick Ralph, who plays James Herriot in the new series came to the practice and spent the day looking around, and I was showing him what to do. I sort of expected that he would know what to do, because I've seen him on television and, of course, he didn't know anything, because he is an actor," he laughed.

"He brought his own makeup artist." he revealed. "We were doing some filming for the Yorkshire Vet, and he didn't know anything about how to do the practicalities, or how to make a diagnosis, or how to use a stethoscope, or any of these things. So it was really interesting to see somebody that you look at and think, 'he's a vet on telly', but of course it was a bit odd.

"But he was very good. He's very interested and very grateful for some of the tips and advice and the chat and the experience that he had in practice with me that day," Julian said.

While viewers seem to love watching vets - both real life and fictional - on television Julian concedes the profession has come in for some criticism in recent years over the cost of treatment.

"I think in in my practices, we try to do an honest job, fair price, you know. We love doing what we're doing. We enjoy the relationship that we develop with he clients, the owners of the animals, and that's the reason why we go to work in the morning. It's about the service and the interactions and the friendships that we make, rather than the money," he said.

"But it is an important thing that all practices and businesses - you've got to pay your staff and you need to charge for that. There isn't an NHS for animals. And there's quite a lot of complicated things that we can do, blood tests, imaging can be complicated these days. And I think the owner sees the table and the consulting room, but doesn't see everything that's happening in the background that can be quite involved and can be quite expensive as well.

"So hopefully programmes like The Yorkshire Vet give that behind the scenes insight so people have a better understanding of what's happening behind the scenes," he said.

Julian was speaking in advance of the release of the latest installment in his Yorkshire Vet diaries series A Yorkshire Vet: Back To Herriot Country, which covers his return to Herriot Country, and Thirsk in particular, as he sets up a new practice in his hometown. It also further details his experience with Nicholas Ralph.

A Yorkshire Vet: Back To Herriot Country by Julian Norton, is published by Great Northern Books, RRP £14.99