[peaceful music]
[birds chirping]
- When a person opens themselves to learning
from the natural world,
what they discover is that the world is a teacher.
[peaceful music]
- My name is Ben Albert.
I'm a 20-year-old filmmaker making my first documentary.
This is my grandparents' backyard,
a 1,000-acre wetland preserve
that has remained relatively undeveloped.
[peaceful music]
Only 20 minutes from the state Capitol of Wisconsin,
it's one of the most thriving
and diverse wetlands left in the area.
- I often use the word "an invitation to wonder."
I love to invite people to wonder.
[singer vocalizing]
[insects chirping]
- Ben: Nestled in on the southern side of the marsh
live my grandparents.
You and Grandma moved here, like, 40ish years ago?
- Yeah, we moved here on January 1--
Well, let me, I'll start over.
[laughing]
I'm Cal DeWitt, Calvin B. DeWitt.
My family and I moved here early in 1972,
and in May of that year, we came to live here on Oak Knoll.
[gentle piano music]
And around us here, mainly out our backyard,
is Waubesa Wetlands.
And over many years,
I've worked with my neighbors to develop it into a preserve,
which is now well over 1,000 acres.
- Ben: They have lived here for over 50 years,
and they are completely immersed in this world.
Their home sits on a small mound protruding from the wetland.
It's a glacial drumlin,
formed and shaped by the movement of glaciers
over 12,000 years ago.
My grandpa is a wetlands scientist.
[projector clicking]
And he spent over half his life studying
and exploring this system out their back door.
He's also a teacher.
He's used Waubesa Wetlands as his outdoor laboratory,
where he's taught hundreds of graduate students.
He and his students
made a number of fascinating discoveries about this place.
It became his lifelong passion.
And both of my grandparents
passed on that passion to their grandkids.
- Cal: This is a rookery on what we think is
Long Island in the middle of Manistique Lake.
[birds squawking]
What are your reflections on this event here, Naomi?
- Um, it's very interesting to see the entire lake.
- Cal: Oh, great.
I think we better start the engine
and see what else we can discover.
- Ben: My grandma would take us backpacking almost every year.
- Naomi: We are walking along the trail.
Hey, Ben.
- Ben: And she was over 70 years old,
but she would carry more than any of us in her pack.
They didn't always take us on these far-off adventures.
There was so much to learn
right in my grandparents' backyard.
- When the grandchildren will be here tomorrow,
but she gets all the nets together and some trays,
and they all go down to the creek.
- Ben: And that was such a special time to us as kids.
- Ruth: Oh, Naomi, did you go right in?
- Naomi: Yeah. - Ruth: All right!
Are you trying by some of those weeds over there?
And then how about right next to the culvert here?
- They just "ooh" and "ahh" about what they find.
They do that almost every Friday.
- Oh, whoa! - Got a fish.
I got, like, I got one of those huge ones.
- Oh, look at all the stuff you've got.
- Look at me, yeah!
- Ben: There was all this life around us.
- Naomi: And we don't want them.
- Ben: All of these things that you never even knew were there,
never even knew existed.
[sandhill cranes calling]
- And then you just put the magnifier up and down,
because you have to focus it yourself.
- Ben: It was like this glimpse into a hidden world
that I haven't been a part of for over a decade.
It's spring of 2020,
and I'm taking some time away from school.
I don't know what I'm doing next,
but something drew me back to this place.
My grandparents taught me that the only way
to really learn from the wetlands
is just to spend the time out here.
This entire summer,
I decided I would go out almost every single day.
[peaceful music]
[birds chirping]
At first, I didn't see a whole lot.
[water splashing]
It's probably my third week, third or fourth week out here.
And, as you can tell, I'm getting the full experience.
Smells great.
And I'm just kind of learning as I go.
[birds chirping]
The wetland is not a place for humans,
and I discovered that in many different ways.
[mosquito buzzing]
- When people first come here, especially if it's near evening,
the first thing they mention are the mosquitoes.
[mosquitoes buzzing]
[buzzing continues]
- Ben: Holy-- [inaudible].
[buzzing stops]
- But during the day, it's pretty much mosquito-free.
- All right, here we go.
[gentle music]
[water splashing]
[sighing]
I'm about to cross over the third beaver dam today.
Did not pack a lunch.
Did not sleep very much.
[yawning] I'm getting sunburnt.
There's, like, a jelly inside of a cattail.
There's, like, literal jelly.
That's gnarly.
- It's a very pleasant place to be,
at least when you finally get your marsh legs.
- Ben: Oh, I'm sinking.
- It takes a while to learn how to walk on a water bed.
[water splashing]
Pretty much, it's safe if you're really careful
about where you walk.
[mud squelching]
- This is all very loose.
Tsssh!
- But you can also sink into holes and go in over your head.
And, occasionally, in peat deposits,
we find human beings that are still over their heads
and have been so for the last several thousand years.
- I was just walking back there and I took one step.
Instantly sank, like, all the way up to my waist.
And I stopped my-- I don't know how deep it is.
I really don't.
It could just be a hole going down and down and down, like...
[sighing] So that was, like, actually a little bit scary.
- And the key is, jump in, and...
But be cautious, because you could jump in
and go down and down and down. [laughing]
[birds chirping]
When you live here for now 48 years,
you learn far more than you can in any other way.
[peaceful music]
That's one of the reasons why I'm a very good student,
because the wetland teaches me.
But it's also the thing that makes me a good teacher.
This is a goldenrod.
An insect has laid its egg in the stem of this goldenrod.
Produces a chemical that stimulates the growth hormones,
cause this sphere to form rather than the normal stem.
One thing that you learn in being a student of the wetland
is patience, persistence,
and that often will open the book to you
so that you can read the real beauty.
[insects chirping]
[ducks quacking]
[tent flap zipping]
[peaceful music]
- First time out here.
I feel like there's nothing very,
nothing really stands out to you,
but I think there is a lot
of kind of mysterious things going on around here.
[peaceful music]
A big snapping turtle, I think it's a snapping turtle.
It was just right here.
And perhaps it laid eggs.
[sandhill cranes calling] Mm.
Some cranes flying, like, right over me.
Right over me.
[calling continues]
- I call it beholding.
I don't just look.
Sit there and behold,
and that means let the beauty of it all sink in.
- Where'd they land?
They may land right next to me.
They're still flying over.
[calling continues]
[gentle cello music]
- And the beauty is not only the appearance,
but it's also what's happening, what they're doing,
and what other things are doing to it.
[gentle cello music]
director of Jon Miskowski,
We'reWisconsin.
enjoying this
wonderful film. An
invitation to Wonder
filmmaker Ben
Albert, who
brought us , brought
beautiful project
Today, .
we'll learn
about Ben
the background on the
film. And we'll
also invite
you to support
to goWisconsin
about how importantk
state is
to us natural
places. The culture,
families. That's what we
celebrate here at
makes it possible.r support
you fornk your calls.
thel us a little bit about
>> Yeah, well,or this
be here. The honor to
film was
Ireally mean, as
very closeit had a
bothationship to
my grandparents
and the
wetland as a
taking usm
out there
everyst Friday
. And my grandpa
actually called
me in the
spring of
2020 and
I'dked if be interested
thismaking film.
And as we
know, 2020 was
interesting year and I
little lost at the
looking for the next
my career and what
And it seemed like
opportunity to
about myore grandpa. And
rediscover
this amazing
place. thanks
itor sharing with us.
The program
to theue. We hope you'll get
phone and call
pledge.36-3636 with your
>> Hi, I'm Regina
member of a the
staff here at
PBS Wisconsin, and we
are so
grateful for your
Soupport.
when you give
and you call
join us at the $10
month level, we have
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even you. It has an adjustable
So as. you're
enjoying out and
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there's so
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then at the $15
month
level, we have this
travel wild
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And at
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ane have
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So feel free
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>> Hi, I'm3636.
David Hoffert, a
volunteer here
Wisconsin, and PBS
to be an honor
part of an invitation tonight as
wonder. I had
opportunity yesterday
watch an
advance screen of
this show
what to talkknow
and you about,
two things. Numbereally
I'm not I'm
anything thisen gorgeous
onver
television. It really
struck me in a, in a
profound way. But I
reallylso reflecting
fact that there
is no
channel on
I wouldsion where expect to see
something like this. Both
the style of
programing, the
focus on nature,
the kind of
long form
narrative, but
also the fact that
it is so
specific and meaningful
us right here
ThisWisconsin. is the
thatd of program
PBS Wisconsin is known
for that you tune in because
you know it's
going to bring
you programs like
this, and
that's possible
yourause of
usinancial support. Give
(800) 236-3636.ow, one
And thank your calls.
pledges. your You know, if I
reduce wha was forced to sort of
word.ision is about to one
talkhink I'd use and
about teachers,
that'ser Sesame
that'st or
Bill Nye the
Guyience
was, you
know , or
these people bring us
information. Learning
lifelong
learning that's
really key to what
we do.
And , Ben,
you're our teacher
today. You're really
usaking into the
butrsh with you,
also introducing us
your grandfather. Tell
little bit about his
background. well, I
grandpa's passion is
teaching. I would
say. When
my grandparents
first moved
to the wetlands just
ofouth here
movedadison, they
grandpaecause my
attarted a position
UW Madison
in the Nelson
Institute. And
he taught
ecology
had the idee actually a
to bring his
ecology classes
students to Waubesa
and teach
theem firsthand in
wetland ecosystem.
>> So I'm sure he's
thousands
of people. And
thousands and
peopleands of
through this film.
It's really a
piece of work.
We're so
intrigued when this arrived.
Now, five years
roughly, I guess you
five years ago,
arrived at
when itsconsin, was just
short of a seven minutes
>> Like that. I
youink I sent the trailer. Yeah,
>> So it's really wonderful
to see that come
And this is possible because
of your
support. So
call the
screen orn your
go online
contribute.
greatave this
thank you gifts.
most
importantly your
isift
making an investment
work like
this. And you
know, from
Wisconsin projects PBS
Scenic
Treasures and over
Wisconsin environmental
celebratethat really
the land
know, you
and why it's
to all oft
us. So give us a
call with your pledge right
now. John
programsing,
really possible
supporte of
from viewers
liket you.
So let's get into
those thank you gifts
at the $10 a month
level, we
have this fantastic
you. for
Again, it's adjustable.
This great
color. So,
know, if you're
spring, the
whatever fall,
that looks like.
This hat is a great
checking. Maybe you're
a fantasticate parks
startersation
for you at the
month a
level will send you
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some really
waysderful
to get to know
all across Wisconsin,
thed at
$20 a month
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Park pass so you
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any month of the
Atear.
$30, we will
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The hat,
and that 12
month state park
please give us a So
call at
>> You know, I.
thate to say State Park
exactly the right
this, right. program like
andu watch this you and you think,
when was the last
wente I out and just
experienced nature?
And we
have all these incredible
resources across the state
of Wisconsin. And now you
can support this
support your
own ability
get out there
experience, you know,
notybe waiting
Benite as deep as
does, but, you
they've got some nice
trailsg
and you can
bring it to life and add
Inat extra dimension to it.
gifts that Regina wask you
talking about, there are
other benefits of
member of a
There'ssconsin. "Airwaves"
which comes
with a
membership, and then
Passport, which
is which
allows on demand
yourwing of
programs, PBS Wisconsin
including, for a
that you'ree, the program
tonight.g
benefits that come with
supporting
this broader
mission that we're all on
together. Give us a call
(800) 236-3636. think
everybody in our
audience is
watching tonight
knows the importance of
marshlands to this
Andate.
to the ecology,
all probably are
ofntrigued
like doing a film in the
thing. It's not an easy
>> No, it is not.
No. So
this was, you
mynow, one of
first big projects.
decided
to choose a wetland
ecosystem to start
And, you know, .
equipment into a
quiteand is
especially with my
the time was at
Inot waterproof.
quickly learned
to tie my
tripod onto my
canoe because
I had some times
canoe wase
almost, you know, it
underwater. And I
Speaking
of underwater,
to develop
know, other, you
DIY kind of
to,chniques to film
That's landscape.
thatething coming up
program. see in the
sharing andu Ben, thanks for
these phoneerful to hear
the pledges. And hear
really,
this is a wonderful
celebration of a
storyerful
of your grandfather.
And you,
but also
about this
wonderful place
places ofly
acrossetlands Wisconsin.
you for bringing that. thank
talk some more.
to goe going
of the show. next part
watchas you and think about,
you're seeing this
Wisconsin PBS
because people,
families across the state
contribute to this
Andation.
we'd like to invite
to join us tonight.
T - Ben: It took me a while before
to join us tonight. - Ben: It took me a while before I really started
to notice anything special, and a lot of the things
I started to notice I had no understanding of.
[bright string music]
This bright green dragonfly
and this blue dragonfly circling around it in this sort of dance.
[bright string music]
It would smack its tail multiple, multiple times
and then...
At the time, I had no idea what I had just captured.
Later, talking to my grandfather,
I discovered the green dragonfly was actually laying eggs
into the water.
I had witnessed this vital moment
in this species' life cycle.
[peaceful music]
Everything here
is supported by a constant supply of fresh water.
This network of meandering streams...
created by springwater welling up from deep underground...
pumping over 10,000 gallons of water per minute.
The springs are like the heart of this whole ecosystem.
[singer vocalizing]
- The most difficult thing
to get people to admire is the hydrology.
[gentle cello music]
A wetland is literally wet land.
[peaceful music]
And the land is not soil in the sense of mineral soil,
but it's soil as peat.
And that interacts with the water, and it's symphonic.
The rains fall.
[thunder rumbling]
[grass rustling]
[peaceful music]
The water percolates into the soil,
raises the water table around the marsh,
and that feeds the springs.
[bright music]
And in those places, there are unusual creatures.
In one of our springs here called Deep Spring,
there's a bacterium that grew on Earth
before there were green plants on Earth,
and it uses sulfur rather than oxygen as an electron acceptor.
[gentle music]
That bacterium preexists the time
we had oxygen available on Earth anywhere.
[gentle music]
- Ben: This organism has been around for over 2 billion years,
and it still lives on,
hidden in these small, little pools in the wetland.
And it's not alone.
When you peer into these pools, especially with a macro lens,
it turns into this alien world.
[gentle music]
These microorganisms too small to see with your naked eye.
Translucent and fluid.
They're so tiny,
it appears as though they're crawling through the water.
As if the water is jelly, which they push themselves through.
There still is very little known about these spring areas,
what organisms live here,
and the mysteries that they hold.
I started to realize the wetland isn't uniform at all.
This place has so much diversity.
It's not one wetland.
It's all of these separate ecosystems,
each with its own uniquely adapted plants and animals.
[peaceful music]
[croaking]
I began to wonder how it all formed.
- In time, as you live in a place like this,
you can come, eventually, to think of it historically.
Here is the peat,
and that's partially decomposed plant material formed
by previous generations of those very same plants
that are growing here.
It very soon runs out of oxygen
and build up all sorts of toxic gases.
These poison the process of decomposition.
So this is what gives us this great history book.
[gentle music]
[grunting]
Here's what it looks like.
You can see roots at the top.
And then, as we go farther down, it gets more pasty,
a few more roots, and now hardly any roots at all.
And we're down here at least a few hundred years already.
When I take a sample of peat,
and all of a sudden, I realize this was on Earth live
when the pyramids were being built,
and I'm holding it in my hand and think it was then.
Only a meter down, and I can go many more meters down,
and it's astounding.
[reeds rustling]
I had occasional experiences of a fear of falling.
Because I knew there were 20 feet of peat beneath me,
30 feet, and there were some areas that were really loose.
[singer vocalizing]
- Ben: [sighing]
It's definitely a bit scary.
Definitely feel like I could just fall straight through.
[eerie music]
- My graduate student and I arranged
to make 10 12-foot-long rods.
We brought them out to the deepest spot in the wetland,
which would be right at the lake edge.
We added one rod to the other to the other,
12, 24, 36, 48, and down and down and down.
And finally,
we just added the rod that would have brought us to 96 feet.
And it stopped one foot from the top.
The peat there was 95 feet thick.
- Ben: I was walking on a thin layer of vegetation
on the surface of an ancient landscape.
And what my grandpa and his students
discovered is that all of this used to be water
in what was once a bay of Lake Waubesa.
- Cal: We know we go back about 12,000 years.
Picture the glacial bay and glacial Lake Waubesa.
In quiet water, algae and aquatic life settles.
That peat builds up
and provides a new base for wetland plants.
They die down.
They form a little particulate matter.
Then the next batch the next year grows.
Every year, it gets deeper and deeper,
layer after layer after layer.
Gradually, the peat moves out,
the peat builds up from the bottom,
and the edge moves out toward Lake Waubesa.
[gentle music]
Perhaps the most astounding realization is that we live
on the edge of a great history book
with 6,000 pages, and they tell us things about the climate,
the chemistry, the vegetation, the animal life,
the history of the earth.
What a history book.
[gentle music]
This system builds itself and it builds its own soil,
and it increases its own depth.
And so it has the feeling of an organism.
[bright string music]
[mosquitoes buzzing]
- Ben: Once you get beyond this initial terror
of the mosquitoes,
and once you start paddling down the streams at night,
it turns into this mystical landscape.
[gentle music]
Even at night, the marsh is very much alive.
[frogs croaking]
These bullfrogs, which had seemed dormant during the day,
reveal a whole different side of themselves.
[croaking]
The males mark their territory
while also trying to impress curious onlookers.
[croaking continues]
[splashing]
[birds squawking]
I just saw something right there.
[splashing]
I just saw it over there.
I think there's a lot of them.
[splashing]
[loud splash] [Ben sighing]
Marsh at night is just, like, it feels very surreal.
It feels like a place you're not supposed to be in.
[chuckling]
And the way, like, that splash was massive,
and that sound was so loud.
And just, like, the feeling it gives you
is so strong of just, like,
this is such a wild place and I don't belong here.
- It was kind of like
becoming acquainted with a beautiful creature
that absolutely overpowered you,
in terms of its size, in terms of its age,
in terms of its dynamics.
So the wetland quickly reclaims what you have stepped on,
and you always feel like a guest rather than as the master.
[laughing]
[gentle string music]
[Ben exhaling deeply]
[gentle string music]
>> Hi, I'm Jon Miskowski,
director of PBS Wisconsin.
We're enjoying
wonderful
film from
filmmaker Ben
Albert. An
invitation to Wander.
now, I'd
like to make an
invitation that you
PBS. And this is
good reason. really
One. First of
all, this really
axtraordinary show is really
great time for you
yourshow support
ofor this kind
work. And then
this isly,
a challenge break,
which means
that when you
call and
pledge, new
arembers
doubled by
from currentns members
Wisconsin, those PBS
havebers
made gifts above and
beyond their annual
to match your
now,t right
to encourage you
join them in
callonsin. Phone number to
is (800) 236-3636.
you probably heard
lastthe break,
Wisconsinthis book to explore
afor a gift of $15
to doh. I'd encourage you
that and get out into
the Into nature.
So thank
you for this
wonderful work
Can you tell us a little
more about
the value of the
of the of
word that you that
used that
grandfather uses
as guest
>> Yeah.
Guest . In
environment, you know,
sometimes people
think that
we are
kind of like
ownership over the
world in a sense. But
you go out
spend the and you
time in the
wetland, you
start to feel
kind of small
And, you know,.
my grandpa
has has
lived here for over
50 years. And
thoser all
times, all
andose years time
spent studying, he
feels like he's
scratched the surface
this place. So
extremely are
ecosystems. There's
these different processes
happening. All of
this life.
One statistic is,
wetlands only
cover 6%
the Earth's
surface, 40% of
all plant and
live or breed species
Son wetlands.
>> So're crucial.
you to callnumber for
(800) 236-3636.
>> Rolled em
>> And I'll here.
film really inspires
get to out
and enjoy Wisconsin.
And you can do
know, will You
fantastic hat this
for you at
a$10 month.
We will
send this
to you . And
then at
month,
we'll send you
travel
wild . Wisconsin.
author
, Candace Andrews,
ais native
Wisconsin, and
takes
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scavenger hunt
get out and to
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everything that we have
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Andsconsin. at
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So we'll send
you the
cap, the book,
and that
pass so
there, givet out
us a call. It's
your) 236-3636. Thanks for
>> Andrt.
hello again,
Hoffert,
volunteer here at
PBS Wisconsin. First thing I want
iso remind you that this
a challenge break
thisring
break, only of
program, when
you call
contribution
by current doubled
members. Our
during
this break
calls,
three zero, and
canu be a
part of
meet thatus match. There's a
please keep those coming to
incredible. You know this
really justat that grounds you
the serenity
of being
ofart something
yourself,han
right. And
likeost
the, the, the
thatce
you'res to know that
much larger in its
own way.
PBS Wisconsin is like that,
right? We
Well come together.
all make our small
contribution to bring this
to this service,
entiree
your chance to dos
during a challenge
When you call,
you can ask
member,me a sustaining
giving those
amountsy
that Regina was
talking about so that
support keeps
further and further.
(800) 236-3636. s for that
this is a challenge
great time
to call 30 is
gete way too low. But let's
to 3030 first before we
go beyond
callt. But please us with your
pledge at
(800) 236-3636. I'm here th
filmmaker Ben Albert
Your grandfather
talks about
beholding. And
one thing I
noticed in the
film is that
that's really
, you know, a
because to the viewer
quietness, the
the chance
look at
things. And it's not
frenetic. So
didw do you how
like how did you feel you wanted to express
>> Right. through the film?
lotah. I mean, a of films and even
on nature and the
environment are
Youst paced. know,
actione cuttingg, to the
of the animal
orhase whatever it
is. And
wanted to make a
genuinely that
experience of
being out
nature and how
see, you know,
a wetland place like
on a deeper
andvel
understand the value of
it. It
does require you
goo out day
after day. I
spent three months
consistently filming
months total,
so it was like
going out day
after day and
just being present
observing
things. And it's
my grandpa's
you know, is, is
It'solding.
been it's kind
having
wonder,hildlike
wonder and curiosity
and just sitting
observing and and
being in that
moment. So go
explored
our natural
Yeah.d.
>> So we
have a production
in the works
awaybe a ways
yet a
our scenicion of
Treasures series,
same approach takes that
at thest look
beauty and really
slowly come
appreciate it. to
Thank you
your calls.
response.lly hear the great
Why don't you join
us with your pledge at
>>00) 236-3636?
PBS Wisconsin brings
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>> We are
at 12
calls going
for 30 during
The numbers break.
there on your
screen one (800)2
think36I what I love most
this film is
of course
a film about
being a and
it's also a film but
family, right? And you
Ben in the show, you
about the relationship he
s with his grandfather
that that
I forgot to ask you footage.
you ared in that. But about
20 years ago, maybe
I have a
son about the
same age
Ben is in that
that really hit me
know?, you
What am I
giveng to
my son
that kind
connection
to the broader
world? That
clearly affected him
hout his
life? That's
what programs
Wisconsin can do PBS
They inspire us to be better
versions of ourselves, and
that comes
supporte of
you.m viewers like
Again, that number
one 800.
2363636. We're at
13 calls
going for 30. Give
us a call right
>> Thanks for that
Ithought. makes me mindful
three year old my
granddaughter. These kind
experiences of going
parks, of going to the
haveonal parks. How many
people talked to? You
like my parents
me to the national
they remember that for their
whole lives. And
this really had
ongoingful
butperience to share,
you also had a team
to recognizeether. You want
folks who work with the
mean,would love to. Yeah. I
this film has been
ongoing for,
you know, since
2020. So it's been
quite a a process. And
filmmaking takes a
team . And
I had some
help me. My people
producer in
Milwaukee , Moss
Heggie, also
co-wrote and helped
story the
believe animation. I
you just saw the
beautiful animation done by
Renee Walz Waubesa.
Hopefully she's
well.hing as
And a big
thank you
know, I justdparents. You
theme to thank again
for, as
was saying,
thattilling that love
was really awhen I
was so kid, it
I'veell, I'll tell you, as
about this film andlks
in tonight as I've to tune
theaveled state,
this is
inspiring
and something
need
and always need.
think of a to
young person
making this connection, this
family and
connection is just
powerful and a great
to share. So
our viewers lot of
want going to to share that
shareone
this great work by
yourributing as well with
(800) 236-3636. We're a to
little past halfway towards
our goal, so we
work to a little
right now and joins
towards that goal
>> How wonderful is this?
love
hearing everyone
tonight.
andeir connections
stories and what
just has brought to them
can onlyght now. And I
imagine what it's
like for you
at home
youch. I hope it's inspiring
to get out
andd explore
appreciate the
nature that is here,
hereht
in Wisconsin. So
usoin
as a sustainer at
month. We
fantastics PBS Wisconsin
to offer
it is Don't forget
adjustable. So
thathave
great gift at
month.
I am fascinated by
this travel wild
bookconsin
. Again, so
many neat
things in there. Lots
wonderful treasures.
And at
$20 a month
you can you
really can get out
with your loved
explorend
has to offer. Wisconsin
With an annual
park pass.
So if you
givenn't us a
maybe you'llt, join us at the
$30 a month
you'll get where
hat, the three. The
book, and that
pass.
You can give us
at call
>> Obviously,36.
prettymade it
clear tonight how how
strongly I feel about this film.
enjoying it as much
have. But I think the
key point to make here
while this ,
Ifilm is amazing,
wasn't one bit
to see itd
on PBS Wisconsin
because it kind
of aligns
with my expectations of the
kind of
you're going that
to see when
tune in to
whether you're,
"Airwaves"t
planning outd
your monthly
viewing, or
going on you're PBS, Passport
onnd
demand, watching all the
shows that are so
to you.gful This
is the kind
experience that you're
going
to get anywhere
Andse. that's
why it
that you call and
pledgethat
22. Wepport. We're at
just need eight more
Give uso get to our goal.
a call right now,
>> Yeah. The phone.
Thisber. wonderful book
you know, it's such a great
companion to this
of watching the film
thisause is
a, like a
places to go out to. to
Ben, ,
we hope that you share
these wonderful
great calls. It's real ly
your grandparents, I
Andpe.
tell them just
bit about
what did he teach,
what was his area
>> He taught
wetland ecology
and environmental
>> Okay,.
so we'll hear more
from Ben and we
frome we hear you with your
yourl and pledge. Thanks.
>>USIC]
For. [reeds rustling]
[ducks quacking]
- Cal: It's a peaceful place.
There's not a whole lot of disruption.
And then, of course, one of the things
that gives it pulses are migrations.
[gentle piano music]
[birds chirping]
- Ben: Migratory birds flock in in the thousands...
[geese honking]
...using the marsh as a refuge on their long journey south.
[gentle piano music]
The more permanent residents stock up on food
for the long winter.
Insects emerge from the shallow waters and stagnant pools,
providing a feast for the migratory birds.
- Every once in a while,
something just bursts out with tremendous excitement.
[cedar waxwing chirping]
[gentle cello music]
- Ben: All of this activity attracts new visitors.
[gentle cello music continues]
With populations declining,
these common nighthawks have become
a rare sight in Wisconsin.
The wetland provides a brief sanctuary for them
on their migration over 4,000 miles away
to South America.
[red-winged blackbirds calling]
Okay.
What is it today?
I think it's November, it's November 2.
We probably only have a few weeks left to film
before it gets, like, way too cold
and before the animals migrate.
[blackbirds chirping]
[gentle cello music]
Right now, we're kind of focusing on blackbird migration.
[chirping continues]
They're so loud.
Like, just incredibly loud.
[chirping continues]
Being surrounded by so much life,
it's just, like, a really inspiring
and really awe-inspiring, I guess I would say, moment.
Especially when you have a sunset like this.
It's really cool.
- What you learn from listening is there is a community there
that is way, way beyond what you've usually
even experienced in human community.
There's a harmony.
It speaks to you.
[gentle cello music]
[blackbirds chirping]
I often think of it as a symphony.
[bird squawking]
There are all these different instruments playing.
[fly buzzing]
If you'd look narrowly,
you'd just look at this particular instrument and say,
"I wonder what it sounds like as a solo,"
but it's not playing a solo.
It's never playing a solo.
It's always in a symphony.
[blackbirds chirping]
[grass rustling]
[gentle string music]
[sandhill cranes calling]
[blackbirds chirping]
[gentle string music]
Then there's the beautiful quiet of it all.
And if you try to understand it,
you'll discover that you have entered a system
which always requires more knowledge.
It doesn't stop at the bottom of the peat.
[laughing] It doesn't stop, period.
[sandhill crane calling]
The cranes, of course, have been coming here
for thousands and thousands of years.
This area has been inhabited for a good 12,000 years.
And so we're not the first ones here.
And we don't want to be the last ones here.
Not everything on Earth is something that you can exploit.
There are some things on Earth
that are there only so that you can learn.
They're teachers.
- Ben: The more I explored the wetland,
the more questions I had.
It was this realization of something much older
and more complex than my own understanding.
But there's so much beauty in simply wondering about it all.
I started to feel this childlike curiosity again.
[Ruth laughing]
- Oh, look. - Oh, yeah, mm-hmm.
- And Benny, who was five, said,
"I know what I'm gonna be when I grow up."
He's such an observant person.
- Oh, Grandma, I know a way how to get the crayfish.
- What?
- We're gonna go under here... - Aha!
- And then I,
you know, I said something like "scuba diver,"
you know, and so on.
And he says, "No, Grandpa.
"A scientist!
I'm gonna be a scientist." [chuckling]
- Ben: They taught us that there's always more to learn,
more than what immediately meets your eye,
even in your own backyard.
- Ruth: The claws?
- Young Ben: Wow!
[gentle piano music]
- Good. - Ben: Nice.
- Man alive, what a treat.
What a treat. [laughing]
- Ben: When was the last time you were out here?
- Oh, a long time ago.
I don't know how long.
[laughing]
Man, isn't this something?
This is really something.
[laughing] Wow.
Great pleasure canoeing through Waubesa Marsh.
[gentle piano music]
Sandhill cranes coming up there.
That's a nice thing.
[sandhill cranes calling]
[calling continues]
Lovely.
Wow.
They called right above our heads.
Wow, how wonderful.
[gentle string music]
>> Coming here
>> Hi.
PBS Wisconsin.wski of
watched just
an invitation
wander from
Ben Albert
filmmaker ,
sharing his
film.t
And we're inviting
to support
This kindonsin. of work
with your
volunteer contributions,
canu
call or go
online for a
gift of
$15 a month. We
thise wonderful
book, Travel
Wild Wisconsin.
theanks to
great work
off University
Wisconsin Press
authorhe
Candace Andrews.
has
a really interesting
approach in that it takes
sort of creatures,
in theures
wild, whooping
cranes, elk,
butterflies,
loons , and
ofind maps
Wisconsin us in
to show us
to goe
to find those places.
So your grandfather
really just
reallyrful and it's
great to think about.
I think all of
firstwhen we saw it, thought it'd
be wonderful to introduce m to new audiences
people.w And
sorttalks about of
But how do appreciation.
you how do how
hees he how does he what did
appreciation of extend that
that he had
ther wetlands?
>> Yeah, I mean,
you saw
in that
last scene
into theut
wetland after he
hadn't been there for a
he's been there even though
still sos of times, it's
special to him. And
he taughte biggest lessons
me was
order in
for people to care
andr protect
something, they
need to fall in
love with it
themselves on a
very on a
very personal level.
that comes
from actually
going out
and seeing these
places for yourself.
So he
actually, with the
his neighbors,
was able
permanently preserve
wetlands
fieldugh literally
trips, bringing the
community to the
showing them this place
>> Thank you.
great really
And youre this story. know, I
encourage you to give I
in yourbout what you give to
givingnity. I'm
you feel more, makes
evennected and
better about
that. Your
relationship with
whether that's and
television,
library,cal
whatever you give
to it, you
know that
encouragingd we're
you to join
ats PBS with
thiss call and
(800) 236-3636 is the
number .
>> When you
make a gift
PBS Wisconsin right now,
really
are helping
us make
connections all across the
state. So
I hope this
program has helped
you feel
get outed to
and explore and
support your
acrossnity
Wisconsin. So
youen give us
decidel and
to become a sustainer
at $10 a month,
you will send
this fantastic hat.
again, a
great little
think Iation starter. I
mentioned before,
right. So get
other there, let
people see
support
andr PBS Wisconsin
inspire them
well.ive as
At that $15 a
level,
we will
give you that
wild Wisconsin
book. So
noticed
a page in here
cranes,about sandhill
and we talked
much about education
year old and my little four
those sandhill c ranes just
yesterday. So there's
many
different ways that
this film can
And theseus.
books can
us.spire
So whether you're
Crosse or
itadison, whatever might be,
when youorget
atecome a sustainer $20 a
you that annual send
park pass
you can
get out and
all over the
forget. Don't
, at that $30
we month,
will send you
The cap, the
book, and
park pass.
So give us a
and support us
now at
>> I'm236-3636.
David Hoffert,
volunteer here at
Wisconsin. And
if I'm being
really honest with you,
I,hen when I
watched this film,
especially that last
theene,
person I thought
first
was my stepfather,
man who
worked hard
medical
practice every
andy
came home to a
120 acre
farm that he was
to Wilding
Prairie . And
the, the,
the, the
havendedness that that must
given him,
much like I
assume, Ben's
has been able
over therience years
stepfather would
Unfortunately, he passed film.
away several years
ago. But,
you know, he
sustaining
Wisconsin. He PBS
loved this
station and
legacies that are passed
Ion.
do this
now because of
PBS Wisconsin
thatationship
into our stepfather brought
home every night
when I was a
kid. I
to be aou
part of
like wejust
all should be a part
of the
natural wild here
Wisconsin. Give us a call
>> At800) 236-3636.
produce aonsin. When we
film content
don't think
of that as the
end point. It is
point. There's a
work,of as Ben will attest
to getting a
film like this
done, but it
is for
audience as a starting
because
it presents
opportunities of
ofearning,
being engaged, about
making connections,
convening
yourversations in
community. This
isn'tect
folks. You want to tell
things that of the
theytinue and how
Inight engage in this.
your project
>> Yeah,.
yeah, definitely.
We are.
Right now we're
offering the film
bring ities. If you want to
to your community
screen, the film
willd we
soon have other
opportunities,
and you will.
All of that is
website, which is Waubesa
Film.com. That's
w e s a
film. Com.
We also have a
newsletter there
tof you want
stay updated on the
project. So one of
tabs up there is
wantnewsletter. So if you
to follow us that'd
>> That's great. And Ben
erybody is thinking
andout asking
like what are you
have somedo next. But you
you'rects that in
now.the works right
I wantworking.
to stay in the
documentary space and
continue with
environmentally themed
Iwork.
think now that's
important
than it ever
been.
So working with
local
Wisconsintions here in
a breakw might take
from a
documentary
We'lla while.
see. But I'd
continue to
of work.th this type
and thanksou for joining us,
wonderful work. You listen
to these phone calls,
that talking back.ls and a ll
There is
someone who's making a
commitment to
andS Wisconsin appreciating
your film
and the wonderful
findk we
here. You can
with yourm
(800) 236-3636. to
>> Now is a great time
join us so
you can give us
call
and become a
Andmber.
maybe you're already a
member and
you'll consider
increasing your gift
afor $10 month.
We'll send you
fantastic hat
. And at
montha
again, we'll
send you
this great
travel Wisconsin
book. So
in here, there are
so many
takederful stories to
you on
huntt treasure
across the state.
consider
making that gift at
$15 a
month . At
$20 a month,
you'll get
that one year
annual state
pass. So
of the all
state parks and
whatt
more can you
Sosk for?
travel all across the
state north
up to northern
lacrosse, whatever that to
might be. At $30 a
Again,. you get
wonderful thank you those
Thefts. cap, the
book , and
parkt
pass. So
please support
us today and give
ats a call
>> Well,36-3636.
thank you for folks
calling the number
again for
you to join in
thaterful thank you gifts
can inspire you
out.get So
Ben shared
website
where you can learn
more about
Ithis project. But
like the inspiration.
isere one is I think
going toare be
inery interested your your grandfather's
work, but
also to get
It's. spring.
>> It's spring is
corner. the
So other
theaces in state
that you
inspireden
to go to,
explore. mean, I
love Horicon
Marsh. I don't
know if
you've been there, but
actually the,
the biggest
freshwater wetland
country
is Horicon. It's
just a few hours
us.ay from
And it just goes
you don't need to travel far
away. We have
amazing these
Wisconsin that here in
out should go
>> See. These places
and national big fancy signs
that.s and all
It's a wonderful
Thankration of Wisconsin.
you. And
yournk you for
calls and
>> Please.
>> Yeah .
[MUSIC] [singers vocalizing]
This program was made possible
in part by contributions to your
PBS station from
viewers like you.
Thank you.
("All Creatures Great and Small" piano and string theme)
- [Narrator] The gentle storytelling
and picturesque setting
of "All Creatures Great and Small"
on MASTERPIECE have enchanted PBS viewers.
Together we've come to love not only the furry
and feathered residents of the Yorkshire Dales,
but the compassionate and quirky characters,
beautiful scenery, and compelling storylines
focused on the lives of Mrs. Hall, Siegfried,
Tristan, Helen, and James.
The endearing kindness
and simplicity of life in the Dales continue to delight us.
- We'll drop your things at the inn
and then we'll go for a drive.
- Where to?
- You'll see.
(grass rustling)
On a beautiful day like this,
you can see for 20 miles,
- [Narrator] James Herriot's real life was
as charming and as wholesome
as his books make it seem.
Today, we'll celebrate the warm,
folksy wisdom found in his timeless tales.
We'll look at the peaceful pace of life in the Dales,
celebrate themes of friendship, gratitude, and home.
And we'll even learn to talk like a local.
- "I'm not as green as I'm cabbage-lookin',"
which means "I'm not as stupid as I look."
(laughing)
- [Narrator] We'll spend some time with the daughter
and son of the real James Herriot
and talk with locals about living in this
gorgeous part of the world.
We'll meet a local artist who highlights the beauty
of the Dales in her paintings.
We'll even review all the advice given in the show.
- Trust yourself.
- I rather rely on it.
- [Mrs. Hall] It's all up there, trust yourself!
- [Narrator] We'll even brave the elements with some
of the cast members to plant trees in the Dales.
Join us today as we go behind the scenes with the cast
and creators of this heartwarming show.
Stay with us for
"All Creatures Great and Small:
The Wisdom of the Dales."
(orchestra swelling)
- Excuse me, is this Darrowby?
- Aye.
Aye, it is.
(serene orchestral music)
- [Anna] It's such a different experience living
up in this landscape.
It rebalances life completely.
(piano and string theme) (birds chirping)
- I think a lot of the wisdom
of the Dales is to do with time.
We stand on hilltops, looking out at dry stone walls
and I have no idea whether those walls are 100
or 400 years old.
(serene string music)
- You look around and you could film in 360 degrees.
It's absolutely stunning.
(string music continuing)
- I do love coming and sort of taking a break
with the endless sort of rolling fields of the Dales.
It's a beautiful place to film.
- [Jim] My dad, Alf Wight, was not just a good vet,
but he was a great father to my sister and I.
- [Rosie] Dad led by example.
He loved the countryside, uh, animals...
and he showed us all these things.
- You're a bonny little pudding, aren't you love, eh?
You helping your daddy?
(laughing)
- [Rachel] The essence of the world that we've created,
and the entire world of James Herriot is rich in simplicity.
(sheep bleating)
- [Man] Hello.
(cheeky string music) (sheep bleating)
Farnon.
(string music continuing)
- [Jim] The Herriot books are history.
That's why they're timeless.
They're describing a way of life with a vet,
the countryman, the farmer, that's almost gone.
- Why aren't they with the others?
Come on-- they've been under that tree
the whole time we've been here.
- Golly, you've figured it out, haven't you?
(Siegfried chuckling)
- [Colin] It reverts to an earlier time
when fundamental values
of caring for others, community, those values are central to life
and I think the re-embracing
of those values is right at the core of the series.
- You've always been a farmer, a truly excellent one.
- No, I haven't.
- Yes, you have.
(wind softly blowing)
- Well, if I've been any good at anything,
it's all been down to you.
(birds chirping)
- You're just imbued with this sense of...
color and light.
It's all part of a very rich tapestry.
(soft orchestral music)
- [James] Well done in there, Siegfried.
- You, too.
(jaunty oboe music)
"For if they fall, the one shall lift up the other."
(music continuing)
- [Narrator] One way "All Creatures"
constantly lifts us up is
how it highlights the importance of friendship.
- Tristan Farnon? - [Tristan] Whatever you heard,
it's not true, I didn't do it.
- Ah, no, no-- Siegfried sent me.
I'm James Herriot, his new assistant.
- [Nicholas] The sense of friendship
is so true to the spirit
of the Dales in that James is brought in
under Siegfried's wing,
Mrs. Hall's there to look after him
and he's got this kind of best friend,
brother type in Tristan...
- I gave Siegfried the wrong cat to castrate.
(Tristan gasping and chuckling)
I realized my mistake just in time.
- Was he very angry?
- Furious.
- [Tristan] Oh, sweet manna from heaven.
Tell me more, did he shout at you?
- Screamed the house down.
- (imitating Siegfried) "What the bloody hell's
the meaning of this?"
- Words to that effect.
(laughing)
- [Callum] Whilst there's some of their first episode together,
they were kind of uh, a little bit at odds,
it didn't take long for them to become fast friends.
- The only way we'll survive my brother
is if we stick together,
(sweet string music) (birds chirping)
- [Nicholas] They will get into mischief,
but they also end up helping each other
along the way as well.
(papers shuffling)
- Do you think there will be a war?
(quiet footsteps)
- I don't know.
(quiet background movement)
- [Tristan] What will you do if there is?
(quiet background movement)
- Why d'you ask?
- [Tristan] I suppose because
you always do the right thing.
- [Callum] Tristan and James' relationship is an important one
because it's like the brotherly relationship he
wished he'd had with Siegfried.
- Come here, old chap.
(back slapping)
- Eh, speaking of responsibilities...
Finish that lecture of yours, have you?
- Oh, what-- you think
I've been distracting you with
cricket to avoid getting it done?
What about your playpen?
Shouldn't you be getting back to that, hmm?
- One more over.
- That's the ticket.
- There's definitely a lot
of brotherly love there between Tristan and James.
- I thought you only cared about yourself.
- Oh. (James laughing)
Thanks very much.
- But then I got to know the real you.
And I realized that couldn't be farther from the truth.
(wind softly blowing) (gentle orchestral music)
You're a good man, Tris.
(soft string music)
- One of the things that we committed
to do right from the outset
with the series was...
really bring the female characters to life.
- [Helen] Evening, Mrs. Hall.
Oh, don't worry, I'm early.
I thought you might need a hand.
- Oh, you are good!
Well, uh, those napkins need going on the table,
but take your coat off first.
And will you call me Aud?
You've known me long enough.
- [Rachel] Helen's tough-- and the same with Mrs. Hall.
They're just quietly there for each other.
- You don't trust me to do anything.
(muffled street sounds)
- I've been there-- shouting, tantrums.
(street sounds) (tearing grass)
- Your Edward was the same?
- He was.
- [Anna] Mrs. Hall's a mother.
She's brought up her son.
Helen has brought up her sister.
They're two women who run their households.
- You're doing a great job.
Your mother would be proud.
(poignant music)
- Don't start me off.
(music continuing)
- [Rachel] They've had a sort of slow burn
into their relationship
and they've tentatively stepped forward,
not wanting to step on each other's toes,
which is really lovely to watch.
- Everything all right?
(soft string music)
- It's Dot's spring greens.
Must've been a frost overnight.
I thought it'd be safe to put 'em in,
'cause it's been so mild, but...
I shouldn't have risked it.
(music continuing)
- Why don't you stop a minute?
I brought us some tea.
- [Anna] It's just lovely having them get closer
and work out how to live in this house together
where they help each other out.
- I'm so used to doing everything.
(clock softly ticking)
On top of the farm work,
there was the cooking, washing, cleaning, more cooking...
- No one's expecting you to do all that here.
- [Rachel] When these two women have set together
and become friends, and confided in each other
and leant on each other at times you feel like they've earnt it.
- This is my home...
(softly ticking clock) (birds chirping in the distance)
...and you're not on the outside.
This is your home too.
So you should start treating it as such.
- [Rachel] Mrs. Hall turns up at Helen's house
and it's obvious she wants to talk about something
and she just says, "I've brought you some bread,"
and Helen knows straight away... "Let's have a chat."
- [Helen] It's nice of you to come all this way just
to bring me a loaf of bread.
- Well, I needed some air.
(Mrs. Hall breathing nervously)
Maybe a friend.
- [Anna] In some ways there's an element of mother-daughter
to their relationship.
- Thanks for doing this again.
- No, it's my pleasure.
For a mother without daughters,
this is something I never thought I'd get to do.
- [Rachel] The first sort of spark of it
was at Helen's wedding
and Mrs. Hall was doing her hair
and Helen got bit emotional
'cause her mum's not there
and this is the closest person in
her life to that role.
There's nobody else.
- Wish me mum were here.
- She is.
In you... and in your sister...
and in every part of this house she made your home.
- [Anna] They're both very skilled, independent women
who developed this really kind, fruitful friendship.
(poignant piano and string music)
- Lovely.
(poignant music concluding)
- [Narrator] Rachel Shenton and Nicholas Ralph play
Helen and James Herriot, who are based on the real-life
Joan and Alf Wight,
the original love story of the author and his wife.
(soft string music)
- Need a hand down?
(chickens clucking) (thoughtful oboe music)
- Uh, no, I can manage.
- Heh, I'm Helen.
- Uh, Herriot, James... Herriot.
- [Colin] When I first met Jim and Rosie, who are the
son and daughter of Alf Wight, they wanted us to assure them
that we would stay true-- not just to the stories--
but to the whole underlying values
that informed James Herriot's writing
and we committed to that. (Nicholas laughing)
- Sit down and eat.
- No, you!
- [Helen] You've been out half the night,
I'm fine on the bed.
(both laughing)
- [Jim] We had superb parents.
My definition certainly of, of a good parent is one
who always had time for his children.
- Yeah.
- [Jim] Even though in the days when he had no money--
he started with nothing,
he's working hard-- but he always found time for his kids.
- Dad must have been dying on a Sunday afternoon to sit
and read the papers when he'd been out of bed.
But he would get in the car, take us up into the hills,
climb trees, press flowers and show us the countryside.
(rushing water)
(birds chirping)
- [Rosie] He said, "For me, up here where the curlews cry,
are where I find peace and tranquility of mind."
(Nicholas and Rachel chuckling) And that was so true.
He liked getting into the middle
of nowhere-- and he imparted that to Jim and I.
- [Rachel] Mm. - [Rosie] We both love
middle of nowhere.
- [Helen] How was it today?
No drama or last minute wobbles?
- No... none.
You?
- No.
- My life was very much molded by him,
although he would never try to mold me at all.
But it was.
I followed in his footsteps as a vet.
By the time I was five I reckon I was fully qualified.
I'd been all over the farms. (Rosie laughing)
Everywhere.
- [Siegfried] Andrew, look at his hip.
Do you see it juts out slightly?
It's dislocated.
- [Rosie] Pre-school, we both went 'round
the farms with him.
He'd then say to one of us, "Go to the boot
and uh, get me some penicillin, a syringe..."
And we knew which was the penicillin,
the syringe, before we could read.
- [Siegfried] Scalpel, please.
(cows mooing)
Thank you.
- [Nicholas] It was surreal, you know,
starting on this job-- - Totally.
- playing James Herriot and,
and meeting you guys the very first time.
It was the first read through, wasn't it
for Season One? - [Rachel] Yeah, yeah.
- Oh, yes! - Yeah, yeah.
- It was... I mean, you were, eh b- both just so delightful,
and we had such a good time, reminiscing
about all the stories and all that.
It was really useful for us as well.
- [Callum] Those two have been incredibly generous with their
sort of knowledge of their memories of the real characters.
Which, I mean, is just completely invaluable
to an actor playing these characters.
- [Tristan] Yes, I took what you said about responsibility
on board, chapter and verse.
- Oh?
(tea pouring)
- Something you wish to add, Helen?
- Mm-mm.
- [Mrs. Hall] Oh, I'm sure there's plenty.
- [Colin] At every step of the way,
it was very important to us that Rosie
and Jim could see their father in Nicholas Ralph's
portrayal of James.
- Thanks for helping us with all of this, Mr. Herriot.
- Yeah, thank you, Mr. Herriot.
- [James] Not at all.
You did all the hard work.
I had the easy job.
- [Rosie] Nick has a Scottish accent.
Dad, although he was English, was brought up in Glasgow
and as most Scots do, he never lost that accent.
Very like Nick Ralph, actually,
And his voice is a bit like Dad, isn't it?
- [Jim] It is.
And his manner is, a little bit...
He's got a gentleness about him, which Dad always had.
- Well, Susie, how you getting on with those pups of yours?
- [Anne] They're all grand! (chuckling)
First one you got out's biggest of the lot.
(laughing)
We named him James.
- [James] Well, I'll have to come up
and visit him.
- The farmers all in Yorkshire
when he first came down, of course
with his Scottish accent,
they thought he was Scottish, obviously.
He was known as the "Scotch vet"
(Rosie chuckling)
to the farmers when they came down.
(latch clanking)
- So, not so serious?
- [James] Well, nothing a dose
of linseed oil won't clear up.
Start her on a couple of ounces.
She should be much brighter by the morning.
Fingers crossed.
- Thank you, Mr. Herriot.
- [Rosie] There is one photograph of my mother
and facially, she is very, very like Rachel.
I actually sent it to Rachel and she was astonished
and she said, oh, she liked being like
that beautiful lady in the picture.
- I thought we could go to The Renniston for dinner.
- [Jenny] The Renniston... fancy!
- Eh, I should go and get changed then.
- No, you look... perfect.
- [Rachel] I was constantly on the phone
to Rosie when we started the show.
I very much wanted to get the spirit of this woman right.
And so I've always consulted with Jim and Rosie
and it's been brilliant that I've been able to do that.
- I dunno what I'm going to do.
(sighing)
- Well then, we'll just have to work something out, won't we?
(romantic string music)
- [Rachel] There wasn't as much, sort of,
information about Helen, I guess,
which is why I've always called you and emailed you--
- Yes, yes. - asking you for things.
- We make a good team.
- What he means is he couldn't
do it without me.
- [James] It's true.
- [Rachel] The thing Rosie keeps saying is just
how devoted t'were to each other
and how they really were the
caretaker of each other's feelings.
- You were right.
I was wrong.
I'll make it up to you.
Swear.
- Let's just promise we'll make time for each other.
Soon.
- Of course, hand on heart.
- [Rachel] Joan really was the driving force behind Alf.
She was his moral compass
that would guide him in the right direction.
- [Helen] Yes, I stood by your side because you're my husband,
but it's also the right thing to do.
It's important.
(plaintive string music)
- [Narrator] Part of the wisdom of the Dales is
that we are constantly out in nature.
(rousing orchestral music) (tractor driving)
- Lovely view.
- [Helen] Isn't it?
- It's really inspiring to come into work every day
and be surrounded by this landscape.
Because wherever you stick the camera,
it just looks beautiful.
- [Carmody] The Dales were shaped by ice
eroding the limestone--
a hard sedimentary rock formed millions of years ago
by the remains of sea creatures.
Oh, look, there's some sheep!
- I've really got to love, you know,
shooting the countryside
'cause it's like a character in this show.
You just kind of open your chest when you go out
and you go, "Wow, look at that view!"
- Up in the Dales surrounded by those hills...
There's no place on Earth like it.
- Careful-- once it gets in your bones it's hard to get out.
- I'm not sure I want it to.
- Good.
(both chuckling)
- [Jackie] To be able to walk up on a hill
and just see the world from a different perspective
is so refreshing and so calming.
(bright orchestral music)
- Good boy.
(orchestral music continuing)
- I can see why you like it up here.
- Mr. Herriot!
- [Nicholas] Getting out into nature
and what it can do for you, you know, within yourself.
It's absolutely brilliant.
- [Mrs. Hall] Oh, it's good to get out
and away from that talk on the radio.
- [Anna] We talk about ourselves as separate to nature,
but the breadth of the landscape reminds you
you're just part of it.
- I made my peace a long time ago, Audrey.
I believe that we all end up
exactly where we're meant to be.
(gentle string music)
- [Phil] It's incredible how important
nature is for our mental health.
It just lifts the weight from your shoulders when,
when you're out in the countryside like this,
- It's beautiful up here, isn't it?
- Aye, it is.
- [Anna] Every time I come up it does take your breath away
and it's never the same.
It's beautiful in any weather.
- [Siegfried] There's not a flake of snow in Darrowby.
- [Slavens] Aye, it's like the North Pole up here.
You get three seasons in one day.
- [Callum] The weather of the Dales is just the most
unpredictable thing in the world.
You look out your window in the morning
and be like, "Okay, that's the clothes I need to put on."
And then you'll come downstairs
and the weather is the exact opposite.
- Siegfried.
- We've snow due today.
If she were to go into labor, she could
find herself stuck in the middle of nowhere.
- [Helen] Siegfried Farnon, if you don't put
that phone down, I'll blooming well throttle you!
- All right.
(phone hanging up)
- [Rachel] It looks like a postcard
no matter what season we're in.
It's beautiful in summer, it's beautiful in winter.
It's beautiful when there's frost on the fields.
- How do, lass, no need to get dressed up on my account.
- No worries, not for your benefit, Dave.
Herd doing all right?
- [Nicholas] James comes from Glasgow
and he's a kind of city boy out in the middle of the sticks
and he, he has to learn the ways
of the Dales and the Dales people.
- [Samuel] When they welcome the Glaswegian in,
he's one of their own
and they wouldn't give him back for the world.
- Will you stay for a bite to eat?
It's the least we could do.
- Unfortunately, I've got to dash.
- More poorly cows to rescue?
- Lab results to collect.
It's not very exciting but it's very important.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
- We see James just become more ingrained in the
Dales as the seasons go on.
- [James] It was only a couple of weeks I was away.
You forget how beautiful this place is.
(Tristan chuckling)
- [Nicholas] James has a dilemma between staying in the Dales
or heading back to Glasgow for work and
I think deep down there was only ever gonna be one outcome.
- I'm staying here and it's not only because of Helen.
- What about the job?
- [James] I was tempted, I won't lie.
But thinking about it has made me realize all the more
how much I love it here.
(poignant orchestral music)
Every day is different.
I wake up and I have no idea where the job will take me.
I could be up in the high Dales wrestling cattle or...
or helping a dog that's had its paw caught in a trap.
It's this place and it-- those hills.
- [Nicholas] He's very much at home in the Dales
surrounded by the ones he loves and is loved by.
(romantic string and piano music (birds chirping)
- I'm not afraid to say it.
(romantic music continuing)
- Say what?
(romantic music continuing)
- I want to spend the rest of my life
with you...
here in the Dales.
(romantic music continuing)
- I'm not afraid either.
(romantic music continuing)
- You're not?
(romantic music continuing)
- No.
(romantic music continuing)
(music swelling)
(romantic music fading)
(piano and string theme)
- [Narrator] When we return, we'll look more closely
at the pace of life in the Dales,
we'll meet an artist
who celebrates the stunning Yorkshire landscapes
and we'll even learn some
of the local slang in
"All Creatures Great and Small:
the Wisdom of the Dales."
(theme fading out)
>> To five.
Three.
>> Hi, I'm David
volunteer here at a
takingsin, and we're just
a few minutes away
Great and "All Creatures
retrospective
to ask you
make a pledge
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support to
PBS Wisconsin to
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a fan of
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and just
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Well, there's a
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And I have the true
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something
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Great andtures Small. I
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you when
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is a
become one.at time to
aWhen you become
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So if
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>> Hi, I'm Eric
I'meiling. director of
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Great andtures small has a
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It's because
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really like the words
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comforting
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love what you
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>> You know,
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>> So we are going
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Dales. But there the
timestill
to make that
support.of
And as you
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rest of the show
[MUSIC]
- [Narrato
r] Welcome back to at and Small: "All Creatures Gre
the Wisdom of the Dales."
Coming up we'll learn some
of the local slang.
We'll also hear about how the son
and daughter of author James Herriot
attended the filming
of the wedding between Helen and James.
But first, let's take a look at the pace
of life in the Dales.
(car engine puffing) (bittersweet orchestral music)
(distant sounds of farm animals)
- One of the wildest spots in England.
(car idling)
You never get tired of it.
- A simple life is appreciating the simple things in life.
Going for a walk, taking an interest in...
the trees, the flowers.
- Oh dear, I know that face.
You're planning something again.
- I was actually just thinking how lovely
it is to stretch me legs.
- You slow down, the air is fresher
you breathe more deeply.
It is awe inspiring.
- [Gerald] You could be a woman of leisure, travel the world,
sail the high seas.
(Mrs. Hall laughing)
- I'm just happy if I can hang
up me pinny for an hour or two.
- [Andy] It's definitely a very pleasant state of mind
of, of living in the countryside
Communing with nature.
(rousing string music)
- [James] Go on, little one.
(string music continuing)
(cheering and laughing)
(string music continuing) (birds chirping)
- [Joan] There was only one vehicle in the village
50 year ago when I came here.
So if you're going shopping,
you got shopping lists from everybody to bring things back.
(street sounds)
- How do we feel about Brussels sprouts?
Edward likes 'em.
Well, you can't not have sprouts.
I'll get a pound.
- I feel honored you even asked.
- [Peter] In the towns and cities
where people live the,
the commercialization of everything is there.
But here it's like another world
(cheerful orchestral music)
- [Nicholas] It does feel like time has just stopped,
around about... you know, the time we need it
to have stopped, so it's just perfect.
(wind softly blowing)
- It's so big, this world, so much bigger than Darrowby
though we often forget it.
(wind blowing)
- I know... and I don't wanna be anywhere else.
- [Rowena] Knowing that the Dales were here
gave me great security.
I was never worried about being at the other side
of the world or anywhere
because I always knew that home was there.
(soft footsteps)
- [Helen] I don't believe it.
- This isn't a mirage, Helen, it really is me.
Older, wiser, more handsome than ever.
(all laughing)
Mr. and Mrs. Herriot-- looking younger by the day
- (chuckling) It's lovely to see you.
- Aye, back where you belong.
(plaintive string music)
- Some of the farms on some of the hills
have been there for 300 years.
These people have roots, not feet.
- She's all we got left of mum.
- That's not true.
Mum's everywhere here.
Always will be.
- I remember first time she put me on her, just on there
must have been about four.
- [Helen] Practically born in the saddle, you.
(wind blowing) (birds chirping)
She's years left in her, yet.
We'll treat her like a queen, won't we?
- [Jim] There's a community spirit
as well, in the countryside in the Dales.
People know each other.
- Yeah, that's important.
- And these gentlemen and, and have one yourself.
- [Bartender] Very kind of you, Mr. Farnon.
Not at all.
- So, Mr. Herriot thinks he'll have a go,
opens her up on ground, right in front of us!
I've never seen owt like it in me life!
- Lad, you never did.
- And the people in the Dales are
really what makes it special, I think.
That sounds cheesy, but it's true.
(footsteps)
- Thank you.
- Our dad told us not to worry, didn't he?
-Yeah. -Yeah!
- He said, "Jim Herriot will have it sorted."
- I'll do everything I can.
- [Rosie] People do not care if you are a doctor
or a dustbin man.
And I think that is the feel of the whole of this area.
It's a very simple adage.
"Be decent to folk--
appreciate what's around you."
- Siegfried Farnon-- how do you do?
Come along, haven't got all day!
- Well I thought that nowt that could be done!
- [James] True, but we can help you
disinfect the farm.
- More chance of stamping it out
if the whole place is done at once.
- Well, how much is that gonna cost?
- Nothing.
Look, these are your neighbors.
Helen spread the word and they all wanted to pitch in.
Nobody around here wants to see you fail, Mr. Crabtree.
But may I make a suggestion?
- Aye, go on.
- Talk to them-- you might learn something.
- [Rowena] Most people are incredibly kind
and most people smile a lot.
You know, you get through life that way.
If you don't smile and you're not kind,
you won't go very far.
(poignant string music)
- We've worked hard with Scruff.
He's not going to scare any more sheep.
- He's good now, Mr. Benson.
And I'm gonna make sure he never goes off again, anyways.
All the same...
If you say he needs...
you know...
(farm animal sounds)
(lamb nursing)
- Nay, you carry on, lass.
I reckon some good came out of it, after all.
(optimistic orchestral music)
- [Narrator] Wisdom often comes in many forms.
Let's take a look at the local slang.
(serene string music)
- [Helen] Penny for your thoughts.
It's what me mum used to say.
As in-- I give you a penny, you tell me what you're thinking.
- Do I have to?
- [Helen] No! (cow mooing)
- You haven't even given me a penny.
That's just an expression, Richard.
- [Narrator] The Yorkshire dialect is filled
with unique expressions.
Here are some phrases you've heard within the show.
- [Doris] Ey up, Mr. Bosworth!
Doris from up Mr. Danby's.
- Have you heard something promising?
- Aye.
- Oh, aye.
- [Tristan] I'd quite like to take a look at Benjamin myself.
- Haven't you got washing up to do?
- That can wait.
- Stop your faffin, will you?
(dog whining)
I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude.
- I've twisted my knee.
It's nowt.
- It doesn't look like nowt.
- Ah, it's a right mess again.
Mother cow trod on her.
- It's not a medical problem,
you see, it's psychological.
(cheeky orchestral music)
- I'm sure you'll think of summat, heh.
(peaceful string music)
- [Narrator] And here are some other words and expressions
that you'll hear in the Dales.
- If the children are a bit bad-tempered or...
would do something when they were little,
I'd say, "Stop being so mardy."
Meaning, you know, pull yourself together and smile a bit.
- A phrase that you often pick up as somebody
who comes into the Dales, who is regarded as an outsider
in terms of... I wasn't born here.
They call them "off cumdons."
- [Samuel] One of the things we call the dogs is "daft article."
Or "daft apeth."
- Why didn't you say so, you daft beggar?
(footsteps)
- [Callum] There's other quotes
that I've heard about from Yorkshire farmers.
"Happens as not, but that's as maybe."
And that means it might happen, but it might not.
- "Hear all, say nowt."
In other words, keep secretive-- keep secretive.
- "I'm not as green as I'm cabbage-looking,"
which means I'm not as stupid as I look.
(laughing heartily)
(serene orchestral music)
- [Narrator] Now, let's meet a painter
who expresses the wisdom of the Dales
in her gorgeous landscape paintings.
- [Kitty] My name is Kitty North-- I'm an artist,
I live here in this village of Arncliffe,
which is beautiful.
- [Narrator] Arncliffe is one of several villages used
to create the fictitious village of Darrowby.
- I've painted up here for 30 years
and then I actually moved to live here 12 years ago.
And it's just a wonderful way of life.
And in this rather distracted world we live in,
it's the perfect place for a painter to be.
- Looking for something?
- I've lost a painting I'm very fond of.
It's a landscape of the moors, rendered in oils.
They must have moved it.
- [Kitty] Without the tradition of the English landscape painter
people wouldn't see the English landscape as they do.
You know, it is the painters that brought it
to the attention of people.
- [Mrs. Pumphrey] This is my father's work.
It's a view from the house where I grew up.
- Oh, you didn't grow up here, then.
- Oh goodness me, no.
I was such a fish out of water when I first arrived,
but this picture was always a piece of home.
- [Kitty] I'm an en plein air painter.
I'm out in nature, in the elements
and no two days are ever the same.
I like the drama of the elements, and the excitement.
You can imagine 6 million years ago, the rivers roaring
through the Dales, and forming the landscape.
I've always loved painting winter and the snow...
watching the farmers go out to feed sheep on a winter's day.
Everything happens slowly here.
Spring is so slow and drawn out.
The landscape wouldn't look like it did
without the complexity of the elements.
- I think I'll take it back to the cottage with me.
(footsteps)
- I hope it helps you to feel more settled.
- [Mrs. Pumphrey] Thank you.
I'm sure it will. (Tricki grumbling)
Come on, darling.
(leash jangling) (string music fading)
- [Narrator] Kitty's love of the Dales
has extended into a rental cottage that she and a friend
have transformed into a mural-filled
experience of the Dales.
The house stands as a celebration of the Dales,
as renters are reminded of this unique landscape
with every turn.
Visitors are surrounded by paintings
of the identifiable bridges, dry stone walls
and wildlife that make the Dales a truly
magical place to visit.
- I've been painting these sort of Dales farmhouses
for sort of 30 years.
Little white farmhouses on hilltops
or little stone farmhouses, animals, the sheep,
the cows, the curlew.
And it's a wonderful way of life to record,
to observe the peace and the beauty.
It gets into your soul, this area of the Dales.
And clearly I'm not alone
'cause you've got lots of walkers.
You know, you so often see a couple of people just walking
and they always look happy to be here
and it's just very unspoiled.
But it's not just the place,
it's the people, too, that are so great.
I appreciate living here very much.
(orchestral swell)
- [Narrator] As much as there is drama in "All Creatures,"
the characters always manage to make time for fun.
- And what's the point of it all?
- Fun!
I understand that's a very alien concept to you.
- I am fun!
I'm perfectly bloody fun!
- [Narrator] As we celebrate many of the simple pleasures
that come with living in the Dales, here's a list
of the things we've seen our favorite characters do for fun.
- So at times like these, James, frankly uh,
we should take what we can get.
So if I were you... say yes to everything you are offered.
The food shouldn't run out, nor should the drink.
And you certainly won't
out of people to dance with.
- Good!
(upbeat orchestral music)
- Is it a comedy?
- Yeah, and it's got Margaret Lockwood in it.
(Mrs. Hall chuckling)
Violet creams.
- You're spoiling me. (Gerald chuckling)
- [Tristan] Googly!
(ball smacking)
Yes!
- I wasn't ready!
- [Tristan] And again!
(carnival barker in background) (aiming and shooting)
(Tristan laughing and clapping)
- Well, what was it you wanted, Jenny?
The dog... or the bear?
I'd say we've won both.
- [James] Well done!
- The first duck under that bridge, wins.
Right? - [Children] Yes! Yeah!
- 1... - [All] 2, 3!
Quack!
(shouting and cheering) (upbeat piano music)
(radio music playing)
- Don't be sour, Mrs. H.
- Just because I'm blessed with a vocabulary
more heterogeneous than most...
- [Mrs. Hall] Siegfried!
- [Siegfried] What's wrong with "scrotch?"
- When did cribbage become all the rage?
I had to find something he couldn't cheat at.
- Oh, rot!
You can play next-- I'm about to thrash Richard.
- I wondered if we might lure you onto the dance floor.
- Well, that depends what you're using as bait.
(giggling)
(jazzy dance music)
- [Helen] Ooh! - [James] Sorry!
- It's all right-- got another one.
Look, try and loosen up.
Let yourself go with it.
That's it, that's better!
Ooh!
It's a little too much. (James laughing)
- [Narrator] And who could forget Mrs. Pumphrey's
annual cricket tournament?
- Ladies and gentlemen, it's my very great pleasure
to welcome you all to Pumphrey Manor for this year's encounter
between the Darrowby 11
and the Hulton Hall Chaps!
(cheering and clapping)
- [Patricia] Cricket becomes a fixture.
Uh, uh, people love an event.
They love a gathering.
(energetic orchestral music)
(cricket bat hitting ball)
(metal numbers clanking) (uptempo orchestral music)
(footsteps on grass)
(cricket bat hitting ball)
(indistinct shouting) (metal numbers clanking)
- [Patricia] It brings together every part of the community
and is an absolute moment of delight.
(polite clapping)
- Hey, bad luck Mr. Herriot.
Nearly had a draw there.
- [Henry] Aye, still, well played, lads.
They were a tough side, and no mistake.
(bright orchestral music)
- [Narrator] But the go-to place for the residents
of Skeldale House to relax, have fun
and celebrate is the friendly neighborhood pub--
The Drovers Arms.
- Just in time, big brother.
Um, how much is that Maggie?
- [Siegfried] Well, Tristan, you're a fully functioning
member of society now.
(amiable fiddle music) (background chatter)
- Yes, I am a tiny bit short.
- Go on. (Maggie laughing)
- [Callum] Tristan is slightly more relaxed,
spending so much time at The Drovers.
He'll just go there at the end of a slow working day,
and just put away a good few ales,
and that's quite a perfect life for Tristan.
- [Tristan] Henry, why don't I get you one?
- Well, that's dreadful decent of you.
- [Tristan] Eh, how about one for everybody?
- [Colin] The sense of humor and the sense of camaraderie
and the sense of community i- is really
palpable in those moments.
(background chattering)
(soaring string music)
(romantic orchestral music)
- [Narrator] Part of the wisdom of the Dales
has been passed down from
the real life story of the Herriot wedding.
(romantic orchestral music) (birds chirping)
(organ playing wedding march) (footsteps)
- [Rachel] We were so excited that
there were two very special guests
at the wedding ceremony, sat right at the front.
And that was Alf and Joan's children, Jim and Rosie.
- It was a very poignant occasion for us to see mother
and father being married.
(organ playing processional) (footsteps)
- [Jim] Some of the viewers actually phoned in
after having seen that episode.
To say, "Surely, there can't have been
so few people at a wedding."
To which my reply would've been, in reality there
was far less than that.
There were only five.
Compared to modern weddings,
it was a very, very modest affair.
- [Vicar] ...and wilt thou have this man
to be thy wedded husband
and to live together according to God's law,
in the holy state of matrimony?
Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honor and keep him
in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others,
keep thee only unto him, for as long as you both shall live?
- I will.
- [Anna] It was really special having them there that day.
They're sort of the legacy... and seeing their children
and seeing that that passion for those stories continues on.
(rifling through jacket)
- My other jacket!
- Perhaps this might suffice.
(poignant piano music)
- [Helen] Perfect.
(poignant music continuing)
Absolutely perfect.
- [Rachel] I think it was really emotional
for them and reminded us again that this story is truthful
and that we can never get away from that.
- I, James Alfred Herriot,
- "take thee..." - take thee
Helen Rosemary Alderson
to have and to hold, from this day forward,
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish 'til death us do part.
- [Colin] They were really finding it deeply emotional.
That was a real testament to the fact
that somehow, in a quiet way,
we had really captured the real James
and Helen in the series.
- I, Helen Rosemary Alderson
take thee, James Alfred Herriot, to have
and to hold, from this day forward,
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish, 'til death us do part,
according to God's holy law.
And thereto, I give thee my troth.
(romantic piano and string music)
I didn't want you showing me up.
(music swelling)
- You may now...
(music crescendoing)
kiss the bride.
- It was magical to see them-- - It was.
- and to watch them
when Jim and I could comfortably be their grandparents
and these were our parents.
It was very nice to watch, and we were very grateful.
It was a joyous day...
- [Jim] Privilege, privilege.
(romantic piano and string music)
(music swelling)
(cheering)
(flashbulbs)
(James laughing)
(romantic music fading)
(piano and string theme)
- [Narrator] When we return, we'll look at some
of the advice given in the show,
as well as how the show embraces the community spirit.
We'll also go on a tree-planting adventure
with the cast in "All Creatures
Great and Small: The Wisdom of the Dales."
(theme music fading)
>> Be credits for them.
>> Hi, I'm
volunteer here Hoffert, a
Wisconsin, and we are taking
another brief
break from the
pledgem to ask you to make a
of financial support
to support programs
Creatures Great and All
PBS Wisconsin
. And this
time, it's
a challenge
when you call
363636.00)2
During this
particular period
of time,
if you are
a new
member of
contributionn, your
will be
and ourd goal is
to get 30
calls three zero. 30
during
this break. So
you've been
this ising if
the time to donate,
well guess what? This is our
last challenge break
Marchhe
membership drive. This
is it.
So this is
to call the time
yourbers there on
(800) 236-3636 One
and think
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SmallCreatures Great and
really is one of
Wisconsin's most
programs. So
now really
the time. If
givenhaven't us
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andll us
become a sustainer at
a$6 month
for just $6 a
we'llh,
send you
fantastic
postcards to help
you recall
great andtures
small. And then
$10
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you the
Creatures Great All
Seasonmall
five DVD set.
then
at $25,
show us your
real commitment
Wisconsin. And PBS
with that
a$25 month
gift, we
youll send
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and the DVDs,
but also this
fantastic mug
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seen. So please give
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at (800) 236-3636
become a member
>> Hi, I'm Eric
ofm the director of Friends
Creatures Great and All
just like Regina said, is
one of the most beloved rams on
Just Wisconsin. like David said,
resonates with people here.
The landscape, the country,
the kindness,
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location other than
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new you're a member,
your gift will
go twice
able to say thank be
wonderful a set of DVDs and
blanket and mug
When youd.
call at a
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sustaining gift, it's
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and itet it up
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support goes on.
Wisconsin PBS
for great programs
like this.
And we'll be
to bring you the
ofext season All Creatures Great and
support and your phone
to one (800) 236-3636.
You know, because
Wisconsin is publicly
funded, your
opinion on
programs
really makes a big
difference. Eric,
ofust kind
obliquely mentioned
next
season of
enough,ndtures Small. Sure
season six has
greenlit
and you can look
forward to that
next year.
And that
happened because of
the strong
response to this
program. There's
ways that you
have a chance
to make your voice
whether it's
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giving a comment or
out one of
mail surveys we out or
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pledge break.
When you call
during this break,
that is
basically a vote
creatures Great and All
And other programs like it .
again, this
challenge break
ofith a goal
30 calls. So give
of them at
>> You know,36.
really is just such
wonderful community
partbe a of. And
is heresconsin
like you.of people
So pledge your
commitment to
atBS Wisconsin
$25 a month,
receiveu'll
those postcards. The
Great and All Creatures
then thisD set. And
mug . And
I can't
say this
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support of your
join Wisconsin. So
us at
$25 a
cannth, you
give us a call
3636, (800)2
or you can always
visit us
haven't if you
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>> Do givein.org .
us a call. Right
a challenge break. We've got
nine calls logged already.
can goones are ringing. You
thatine. You can use
screen to reach on your
during this challenge break
and become a member.
yourw
support for
Creatures Great and
for great programs
this. It
is the last
of the drive, and it's
great time
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challengeof this break,
thankan say
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mentioned.na $6 a
month, $10 a
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Findover your next program.
out what's
coming up.
won'tit a circle so you
about your Find out more
programs,
madether they're
here in Wisconsin
Wisconsin by
your Wisconsin, PBS station, or
it's upcoming
programs from
Masterpiece or all the
greatr
national PBS programs
that we bring
to you. It's
all made possible
yourause of
support, and it
withrts your call. During this
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>> Yeah.0) 236-3636.
So we are at
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fact we in
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have not yet called
one (800) 236-3636, now is a
great time to do it. I
hear the phone bank behind
me getting louder and
as more
folks are on the
phone. So we know this
program matters to you. You
can help us
of 30 of 30 that goal
calls and join
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tradition of
residentsn
Wisconsin. PBS Wisconsin PBS
been around for 70 years.
We're talking generations of
people supporting
programing,
station, andthis
service this
available to all of
us . Your
financial support,
viewers like
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single largest
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financial support for
Wisconsin, and it's only
getting more
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support here at
15. Wesin. So we're up to
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>> It isow.
so fun to hear
those phones ringing. And
are so
grateful for your
support. So
if you haven't
joined us already, don't
forget tonight
is the last
night of our drive. So we
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because of
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So again, at
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month level,
we're so
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you those
Along with that DVD
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fantastic mug. And I'm
not sure if you can see this
fantastic pattern on th there's a
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somet really
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you cozy while you're
enjoying your
Wisconsin shows. PBS
gratefulo
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tonight is the night.
really, if
usou haven't given
a member, don yet, if you're not
't wait. Give
us a call
at (800) 236-3636.
>> Keep your
calls coming.
This is a
challenge break.
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our March
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this is it for
forat andtures Small on broadcast
this spring. But if
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all the seasons,
creatures on of all
memberort your benefit.
are more there
great dramas
around the corner.
Mariee got
Antoinette coming
and
Wolf Hall starring the
great Mark
Rylance, who
spent nine years living
Milwaukee. All of
comingis
Let's learn PBS Wisconsin.
moreittle bit about the
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>> One, two,
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>> All right.
And while you
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your screen.
(800) 236-3636. Your
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howis is we
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again, the number
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>> That's it. We
few more minutes here
this challenge break.
have we
three more
to.lls to get
We are
so happy
you have
tuned in and
joining us
tonight. And
enjoying more
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support. So your
certainly love for you
join us at that
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And if
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seems
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David
said, those gifts
great and
small, make all
the difference. So don't
forget, at $10 a
we'llh, send you the
seasonres Great and Small"
five DVD set. And if
that $10 isn't
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can you, don't forget you
also become a member,
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We'll sendnsin.
you this amazing
package, this
packagele
of postcards.
please,
if you haven't done
so, now is a
call, joine to
us and
calle us a
at (800) 236-3636.
>> Just about a
minute left
in this challenge break.
wend have
reached our
You know, Regina
talking about this fuzzy,
can I can I see
blanket? fuzzy
readyuse I'm getting
to watch to watch the
show with you. And,
need. sometimes you just
Oh, that
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There we go. Just need
cozy up and get
watch an incredible piec e
programing. Oh, yeah. Check
this out.
look like thist to
the rest you watch
me. Give us a Join
(800) 236-3636 and one
rest of the
show .
("All Creatures Great and Small" pi
[MUSIC]
the Dales." Great and Small: The Wisdom of
Coming up, we will look at the community spirit
that runs through the show
and we'll also head out into the windswept Dales
for a tree-planting excursion with the cast-- but first...
- I suppose you'll have to learn the hard way
(instruments clanking)
- Is that it?
- Is that what?
- You'll never successfully manage a
practice by being soft on him.
- I am actually here, you know.
- We were just talking, Siegfried.
A piece of friendly advice-- we don't always have to
bawl and shout, you know.
- [Narrator] Advice is often rooted in wisdom.
So here's a list of the best 15 pieces
of advice given in "All Creatures Great and Small."
(door opening)
- "Slow and steady wins the race."
- I can't imagine that's true.
In fact, it seems to me terrible advice
for someone who wants to win a race.
- It's a fable, Carmody.
"The Tortoise and The Hare."
- A story predicated on the fundamentally illogical premise
that animals are capable of hubris.
- Save me, I'm begging you.
- We all make mistakes.
The thing is to forgive, and... learn from them.
(cheeky woodwind music)
- What on earth?
(bottles clanking)
- "The only way to dig out the weed is
to take hold of it by the root."
- Right.
(cheeky music continuing)
- [Siegfried] I'm glad you're going to church.
(cheeky music continuing)
Nobody will judge you, Mrs. Hall.
And if they do, so bloody what?
(cheeky music continuing)
- Be kind.
It's not her fault you offered her a job.
- Be kind.
- But be honest-- she's not daft.
- Be kind, be honest.
That's exactly what I had in mind.
- I think maybe you're right about your brother.
(poignant piano music)
You won't be happy until you step out of his shadow.
I think if we got married now, you'd never know.
(poignant music continuing)
You need to find out who you are.
(strings intensifying)
And you're not going to do that by being with me.
(poignant music concluding)
- I just want the best for her.
- Talk to her.
Let her know how you feel.
(gentle orchestral music)
- [Tristan] See, she's learning.
As I said, the only way
of surviving Siegfried is if we stick together
- To surviving Siegfried.
- [Tristan and Helen] Surviving Siegfried!
(all laughing)
- If I offended you earlier, it's only that...
for me, the animal always comes first.
Above all things.
- As it should.
(dog scurrying)
- Trust yourself.
- I rather rely on it.
- It's all up there-- trust yourself.
(footsteps receding)
- [Mrs. Pumphrey] Your instinct is absolutely right--
time is precious.
But forgive quickly, dear girl.
(gentle orchestral music)
- Why don't you say hello?
- I don't know.
- He's a good man who cares for you.
Doesn't need to be complicated.
(plaintive string music)
(cheeky orchestral music)
- [Mrs. Hall] Remember... it's not the mountain we conquer...
- [All] ...but ourselves!
(cheeky music concluding)
- You need to take a chance.
Lash out a little, carpe some diem!
Throw off these hesitant ways.
And remember, "There is a tide in the affairs
of men, which taken at the flood-"
- Yes, Siegfried-- alright... alright.
(birds chirping)
- [Mrs. Donovan] Right-- well, why're you doing this, then?
Psh, you hardly know me.
- [Tristan] I saw what happened to your dog
and I wanted to help him.
And I suppose, deep down
that also means I wanted to help you too.
(footsteps)
(Tristan chuckling)
(to himself) It's not just the animals.
- [Mrs. Donovan] Are you soft in the head?
What are you on about?
- Doesn't matter.
Something somebody said to me once.
More than once.
- [Narrator] Another component of wisdom is giving back
and caring for the environment.
- [Nicholas] We were actually helping out a charity
that Alf Wight,
the, the real James Herriot's daughter, Rosie, is part of.
And it's all about maintaining Dales as they are.
- [Rosie] We're here today just outside Grassington,
where... two actors here, Nicholas Ralph
and Rachel Shenton are kind enough--
together with Callum Woodhouse and, and Sam West--
to come and plant some trees
for the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust,
of which I'm an ambassador.
The mission is to keep the Dales as they are now
and maintain the lovely barns, the stone walls,
the beautiful meadows, the scenery, which my dad,
Alf Wight-- James Herriot-- would not want to disappear.
(contemplative orchestral music)
As I stood there this morning,
the Yorkshire Dales looked to me the same
as they did when I was a little girl.
And the same as they did when dad would be
working and looking at it.
And he would love the fact
that they were trying to keep it that way.
- Now teaching kids about the Dales and, and the nature,
and I think a couple of them have become
park rangers because of it.
- [Rosie] They try to bring young people in
who've never been exposed to the beautiful Dales...
train them up and they give them apprenticeships.
They get them jobs as rangers
and they all say they would never have an office job.
They love being in the outdoors.
(children chattering and shouting)
- Oh, James, look at their little faces.
(children talking and squealing with delight)
- [James] Is that broodiness I detect?
- Mm. Say that again.
(imitating James' accent) "Broodiness."
- Broodiness.
(laughing)
- [Rosie] We're bringing up a younger set
of people who are going
to want to walk the Dales and keep them beautiful.
It's all about the people and the wildlife
and the countryside of the Dales.
- Yeah. - So it's marvelous
that you're just planting a tree here in this wood.
- Yeah, It's brilliant!
- Right here. - Yeah?
- Deep here. - Yeah.
Deep, there. -Perfect.
(lighthearted orchestral music)
(pounding post) (orchestral music continuing)
(wind blowing through grass) (orchestral music continuing)
(lighthearted music continuing)
- Doing very well.
- That's looking so good!
(lighthearted music continuing)
- [Rachel] It's hard to...
(creaking sounds)
- [Nicholas] Easy peasy.
Nice!
- [Rosie] To get the four actors each planting a couple
of trees was a joy.
It's in everybody's interest
to keep the Dales looking as they are.
- It's one of those places that's so unspoiled
and when they're rolling you can't hear anything.
You know, there's a, there's very few cars pass
through there, and it's super peaceful.
So, yeah, that's, that's what-
- [Nicholas] Although a lot of walkers now,
because it's become very popular...
- I'm sure it- -... for some reason!
- I'm sure it is. - I have no idea why!
(serene orchestral music)
- [Nicholas] It's beautiful countryside, so...
- Yeah, it is. - anything to do to maintain it
and to... - Exactly!
- encoura- and, and not only maintain it, but
encourage new things, like...
the planting of these trees and...
- [Rosie] Exactly. - [Nicholas] ...and...
- [Rosie] And that's f- helping the environment and everything.
(wistful string music)
- [Rosie] You need the younger people coming up
to preserve the beauty of the Dales.
That beautiful scenery is intrinsic
to the success of
"All Creatures Great and Small."
(string music continuing)
- [Narrator] Part of the wisdom of the Dales
is how Darrowby is filled with community spirit.
(soaring orchestral music)
- Mrs. Calvert!
- Oh!
Hello, hello, hello.
- [Nicholas] Some of the wisdom from the Dales
certainly is, you know,
the onus on community and, and helping out your neighbor,
and looking after your own little pocket
of the world.
- We're beginners.
- Millwork did my chest in.
Can't join up, but I can do my bit here.
And keep this lot safe into the bargain-- with any luck.
- [James] Well, you've chosen an excellent place to hunker down.
- [Mary] It's a fabulous community.
There's such a wide variety of people
that have moved into the Dale
and make it the community that it is.
- Can we help you?
- [Briggs] Alright.
We're making ourselves useful.
Got anything that wants fixing?
(farm animal sounds) (serene orchestral music)
(laughing softly)
- I have, as a matter of fact.
Come on.
- [Peter] There's always a group of people around to help.
There's a lot of openness towards that.
- [Helen] Thanks for all your help on the farm, Tom.
It's hard for me to be here as much,
now I'm at Skeldale.
- Eh, you're quite welcome.
How are things at Skeldale?
James all right?
- [Rachel] There's such openness and community here
and actually I think this show would be really tough
to make if we didn't have that.
- [James] Thank you for the feast, Mrs. Dobson.
- [Mrs. Dobson] Here, take these sausages, Mr. Herriot.
Bye, love!
(footsteps)
- God, you could roll me home.
- Dales hospitality, one of the perks of the job.
- [Rowena] You can go out every single night
of the week if you want.
Whatever interests you, there will be
people here who are doing it.
(bike over cobblestones)
- Living in a place like this, it's a bit special.
It's-- becomes a big family.
- We need to wait for the results
and then we'll deal with it.
So let's stop all this talk about moving on.
Your life is here, this is where you belong.
(wind blowing) (birds calling)
- Thanks, James.
Don't forget to stop by the house for a brew.
- [Samuel] People have sadnesses,
people have difficulties.
People have absences, but we pull together.
- Morning, Dick.
- Good morning, Jim.
Keeping you busy, these ministry fellas, eh?
- You don't know the half of it.
- Aye, alright, well, I'll uh,
start bringing cows through for you.
- Thank you.
- You can start off at the bottom
of the village and it could take you
half an hour to get to the top.
'cause you, you're speaking to people as you go along
and people are happy to chat with you.
- Oh, hang on, hang on, slow down, slow down, stop!
(car driving over cobblestones)
Morning, Helen!
- Hello, Tris, Siegfried-- What can I do for you?
- You can pretty well, um, rely on people being decent.
- Thank you for your kindness yesterday.
- Alright... it was no bother at all.
- It's about celebration and community
and the veterinary house being really at
the heart of that community.
- Right-- next, we have Mrs. Fluffy and Rokesby!
(owners tittering)
My apologies-- Mrs. Rokesby and Fluffy.
(all laughing)
- [Debbie] Skeldale House gives the people
who come there the things that they need.
- [Mrs. Hall] You're a wonderful loving boy with a warm heart
and a good head on your shoulders.
Nothing inside that envelope can change that.
- The characters that live in Skeldale House
are not all related, but they are a family.
- I'm in your way-- I'll find somewhere else.
I did intend to offer, but... I confess,
I've grown rather fond of the place.
- Skeldale tends to have that effect on people.
- It does.
(gentle orchestral music)
- To have figures like Siegfried and Mrs. Hall.
has given him a whole sort of emotional landscape
Carmody has never experienced before.
- [Carmody] This... is my first ever Christmas present.
- Your first?
(softly) Goodness me.
- Mother and father...
We're not that sort of family.
- Well, here at Skeldale, we are.
So you'd best get used to it.
- [Narrator] In Season Four, the Skeldale family
organizes a Christmas party at The Drovers,
bringing everyone from the community together in one room.
- [Mrs. Pumphrey] Times like this is about
people coming together, isn't it?
I think it's wonderful, everyone pitching in.
I'm sure you're gonna have a great deal of fun.
(chuckling)
- You're coming too, aren't you Mrs. Pumphrey?
- [Patricia] The Skeldale family
become of more and more prominence.
They lead the community and provide for the community
and that feeds back in so, so many ways.
(clinking glass)
(spoon clattering)
(chairs pushing back)
- [Mrs. Pumphrey] May I thank everyone
for making us feel so welcome.
And may I... raise a toast to Mr. Farnon
for bringing us all together?
- No, the, the credit must go to Mrs. Hall,
as it nearly always should.
To the remarkable Mrs. Hall.
(poignant string music)
- [Narrator] Part of the joy of watching "All Creatures" is
to experience our growing family
(bright piano music)
- [Jenny] Hi, James!
- [James] Afternoon, Jenny.
(horse walking and nickering)
- Hello. - Hello.
- [Anna] In the city, we're the dominant force,
and I think coming up to the Dales humbles you a little
- What now, then?
- Well, the lavage is still making its way
through her system.
Let's wait a little longer before we do anything else.
(birds chirping) (distant mooing)
She'll come right, you'll see.
- I'm glad she's in your hands, Mr. Herriot.
- [Callum] Every time we come back to film this show,
it almost feels like a sense of homecoming for me.
- [Tristan] Oh... Jim!
(laughing)
I was worried you might have decided to go home early.
- Not until tomorrow.
- Living here, looking around, seeing nature...
To me that is the wisdom of the Dales.
- [Helen] That's Hesket Fell.
Eddleton, just beyond.
Wedder, over the other side.
Colver and Sennor.
- You talk about them as if they were old friends.
(tractor puttering)
- I've known 'em my whole life.
- [Patricia] The stories... are very connecting with nature.
Humans living alongside animals,
and how much effort goes into that relationship.
- Can you fix it?
- I can give him something to clear it up,
but then I have to take him back out into the wild.
- You could always put him in woods.
That way, he's not near many farms.
- That's not a bad idea.
- And I could come with you.
- Yes, I suppose you could.
- [James Anthony-Rose] You're just surrounded by
this really dramatic landscape
that can then be something that everybody can connect with
each other about
because they can just appreciate the beauty of it.
- I heard you were home!
- Mr. Dobson, you're looking well.
- As are you.
Egypt, wasn't it?
That's where you've been.
- [Tristan] That's right.
- [Dobson] Well, I never... all the way to Egypt.
And now here you are, helping out your brother.
- [Samuel] The Dales stands in opposition to a lot of things
It's solid and it's old, but get under the skin,
and you're built on very strong foundations.
- [Richard] That were Helen's mother's.
(bittersweet orchestral music)
My Joan.
Why don't you use it?
(bittersweet music continuing)
(box clicking and opening)
(gentle piano music)
- I'd be honored.
Thank you.
- Aye.
- [Jim] The series is an antidote
to a lot of the troubles
that we're facing in the world today.
My father's character
comes through-- the goodwill towards others.
He's a, just very much a, a thoroughly decent man.
- [James] We've all got our battles to fight.
Whether we're away fighting
or back home, none of it's easy.
In the end, we're all in it together.
- Easy for you to say.
- One thing I do know is that you're not doing anyone any good
punishing yourself out in the moors every night.
You should be with your family.
(poignant string music)
(hands shaking)
- [Michael] Good man.
- So are you.
- [Callum] On the surface, it's a show
about caring for animals,
but it's obviously so much more than
a show about caring for animals.
It's a show about just caring for your fellow humans.
And that's what we're making these shows about, really.
- I mean, I know you'd rather be down The Drovers with James,
(birds calling)
whoever else, but you know,
just occasionally, it wouldn't kill you
to spend an evening at home.
- Alright.
- I'm not saying every night.
- [Tristan] Well, no, obviously. (chuckling)
- [Siegfried] I just...
I would enjoy your company.
(birds calling)
(water rushing)
- I'd like that too.
- It's about community, love and truth,
and that's never gonna get old
and it's never been more relevant.
- [James] Helen's right.
Her mammary glands are definitely swollen.
- So it is a phantom pregnancy.
Ooh, I'm impressed.
- [Nicholas] There's love for the animals, and the kindness.
It's all things that I think we can all, you know,
take a little bit of into our own lives.
- This calls for a toast.
To knowledge, fleas...
and our growing family.
- [All] Knowledge, fleas and family.
(cheerful orchestral music)
(piano and string theme)
- [Narrator] Thank you for joining us for this look back
at all the different ways
"All Creatures Great and Small"
on MASTERPIECE has embodied the spirit
of the timeless books by James Herriot.
We loved hearing from the author's daughter
and son, as well as the cast, creators,
plus even a few colorful local residents.
As we look forward to new adventures in Darrowby,
we thank you for watching and spending time
with the Skeldale family.
Until next time, this has been "All Creatures Great and Small:
The Wisdom of the Dales."
>> What a beautiful,
affirming
Creatures Great All
and Small is
And hopefully
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>> And]
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