It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (in the United States also known as All Things Bright and Beautiful), is a 1976 sequel to the 1975 film All Creatures Great and Small. Although having the same title as James Herriot's second novel, the film is actually based on his third and fourth novels, Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness, which in the United States were released as a compilation volume titled All Things Bright and Beautiful. It is part of a series of movies and television series based on Herriot's novels. In this film, John Alderton has taken over the role of James and Colin Blakely that of Siegfried (portrayed in the first film by Simon Ward and Anthony Hopkins, respectively), while Lisa Harrow returns as Helen. It also features Richard Griffiths in his debut film appearance as Sam. The film was directed by Eric Till, and the screenplay is by Alan Plater. The film, which has a British-American joint venture, was entered into the 10th Moscow International Film Festival.

Synopsis

The story continues where All Creatures Great and Small ended, and follows the lives of James, Helen and Siegfried from 1938 until the outbreak of war.

Main cast

Production

In July 1975 the film was announced as part of a slate of eleven films from EMI with a budget of £6 million. The film was known during production as All Things Bright and Beautiful.

Home media

Released on VHS in the 1990s, the film has yet to see a commercial release on DVD in the UK (region 2) or US (region 1).