All Creatures Great and Small

Siegfried Farnon is the principal veterinarian at the practice in Darrowby. He hires James as an assistant. James is eager to make a good impression on him, and therefore always follows his advice even though Siegfried immediately forgets any advice given and then scolds James for being so silly as to do things in the way he said to. He is unaccountably attractive to women and deeply eccentric. His specialty is horses, but when he has the opportunity to work at a local racetrack, he grows quickly bored with trying to impress and ends up losing out on the job. Siegfried is a static character in that, despite the forces acting on him from every direction (notably James and Miss Harbottle) he doesn’t change. His character provides a stable background against which the reader can better perceive James’s professional and personal development.

Tristan Farnon is Siegfried’s younger brother. Although he is also studying to be a vet, he is disinclined toward hard work, particularly studying and farm animal medicine. He is very intelligent but uses that intelligence to enjoy the company of women, drink copious amounts of alcohol, and amuse himself with practical jokes. Although he is always making Siegfried furious at him and getting “sacked”—kicked out—Tristan knows that if he stays out of the way for a little while, Siegfried will quickly forget his anger and their relationship will return to normal. Tristan is in some ways a foil character to James. Both work for Siegfried in the same veterinary clinic, yet their personalities could not be more different. James is serious, responsible, and self-conscious. Yet they like each other, perhaps because each can see that the other possesses virtues that he lacks.

Angus Grier is a cantankerous Scottish vet who is so difficult to work with that he manages to drive his assistant away even when veterinary jobs are few and far between. He has a poor relationship with his wife and is secretly carrying on an affair with a client. He serves as a reminder to James about how much he enjoys his life in the Yorkshire Dales with Siegfried and Tristan.

Miss Harbottle is the efficient secretary that Siegfried hires after Tristan disastrously loses the receipt book. Although Siegfried is the one who wants her to get the practice in shape, his chaotic habits are the cause of most of the problems, and she struggles futilely to get him to write neatly, not borrow cash from the cash box, and keep up with the day book. Meanwhile, Siegfried does his best to evade her and continues to run the practice as inefficiently as before.

Mrs. Pumphrey is the wealthy owner of Tricki Woo, a spoilt Pekingese. She adores her dog and has a lively fantasy life in which Tricki picks horses in the races, corresponds with a lonely Dalmatian, and has strong opinions about the summer house. She also spoils her vet, sending James kippers from the seaside, Christmas hampers, and invitations to fancy parties. James, enjoying this taste of the high life offered by small animal medicine, earnestly sends a thank-you note addressed to Master Tricki, only to be assured by Mrs. Pumphrey that the dog prefers Mister.