92 WDhugehitintheUK,doyou
feel more pressure tackling
such a beloved show?
Yes, it’s quite a pressure
wanting to get it right.
When we were filming on
location in Yorkshire, locals
would approach us and ask
what we were filming. When
we told them All Creatures
Great And Small, they’d say,
“Don’t mess it up.”
How did your role on the
series come about?
I didn’t know much about
ACGAS. I received an email
for the audition and realised
it was a big deal, but I didn’t
understand the reverence of
the original series.
It was an exciting audition,
I went in and spent 40
minutes of my hour-long
audition chatting to the
director and producer.
I spent 10 minutes doing my
prepared scenes and then
went on my way. It’s a good
feeling getting on with thethatI spentmoretimetalking
than performing. I got a call
the next day saying I was cast.
Had you watched the original
series or read the books?
Yes, I read the books – that’s
where I drew most of my
inspiration from.
I read them on holiday
in Croatia and people would
stare at me as I laughed
out loud. The books really
are hilarious.I’ve watched parts of
the original series, but
I didn’t watch the scenes
with Peter Davison. I didn’t
want to compete with
his performance.
How did this role differ from
playing Leslie on The Durrells?aaaa creaaattttvevevvesssosososo dddiidn’ttwowowowoorrrrrrryyyCALLUM WOODHOUSE
PEOPLE ALWAYS
SAY ‘DON’T
S IT UP’
TheDurrellsactor reveals
whatit waslike rebooting
theiconicBritish dramedy
AllCreaturesGreat And Small
Exclusive
interview!Oh yeah totally, Leslie was
an incredible character.
Leslie was the start of my
career and will always
have a special place in my
heart. He’s a downtrodden
sort of character, very
negative. Tristan couldn’t
be more opposite.
They say never work with
animals... were there any
funny moments on set?
There’s an alsatian in
episode four that was
supposed to be very
aggressive. However
in between shooting this
was the most lovable dog
you could ever imagine.
It was licking our faces
and rolling around but
the moment cameras
were on it was barking
and wanted to eat us.
The show has been a
breakout hit in the UK. Can
we expect a second season?
You can never really predict
these things – fingers
crossed we get to do it again!Behind the
scenes
Your entertainment
backstage pass!
‘I readthe
books on
holiday in
Croatia’