All Creatures Great and Small is the epitome of cosy autumn viewing. The heartwarming Channel 5 show is a huge hit among viewers – and for good reason. The 1940s-set series, based on James Herriot's beloved collection of short stories, follows the adventures of a veterinary surgeon living in the Yorkshire Dales.
While we wait for the new season to arrive on our screens, here are some comforting shows to keep you company.
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© Stuart WoodVera
Nothing quite says cosy Sunday night drama like Vera. Starring Brenda Blethyn, this ITV detective series follows no-nonsense Geordie DCI Vera Stanhope as she investigates grizzly crimes across Northumberland.
If the compelling stories aren't enough to keep you watching, then Brenda's take on writer Ann Cleeve's sharp-tongued, witty detective certainly will. Plus, if you love All Creatures Great and Small for its stunning scenery, then you're in for a treat with the picturesque Northumberland landscape featured in Vera.
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© ITV/ShutterstockFoyle's War
Like the more recent seasons of All Creatures Great and Small, police drama Foyle's War is set against the backdrop of World War Two.
Midsomer Murders creator Antony Horowitz penned this much-loved period show, which stars Michael Kitchen as the modest, fedora-wearing DCS Christopher Foyle, a widower investigating crimes on the Home Front in Hastings.
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© ITV/ShutterstockThe Durrells
If the heartwarming, yet a little chaotic, ongoings of Skeldale House keep you tuning in each season, then you'll love ITV's family period drama, The Durrells.
Keeley Hawes stars in this endearing adaptation of Gerald Durrell's autobiographical Corfu trilogy as widow Louisa Durrell as she embarks on a new life in Corfu with her four unruly children, Larry, Leslie, Margot and Gerry.
Just like All Creatures Great and Small, the series opens in the 1930s and also features Callum Woodhouse – aka Tristan!
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© ITVDoc Martin
If like me, Samuel West's portrayal of the eccentric and grumpy, yet endearing, Siegfried Farnon is one of your favourite elements of the show, then Martin Clunes's quirky and cantankerous Doc Martin will definitely win you over.
The ITV medical drama, set against the stunning scenery of Port Isaac, follows the comings and goings of former London surgeon Martin Ellingham's GP practice after he moves to the sleepy Cornish fishing village of Portwenn. But with his poor bedside manner and phobia of blood, things are never plain sailing.
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The Yorkshire Vet
You might consider Channel 5's documentary series as a modern, factual version of All Creatures Great and Small. Not only does it follow veterinarians tending to animals in the Yorkshire Dales, but it's even set in Skeldale Veterinary Centre - the practice once owned by James Herriot!
The show follows the work of former Herriot Trainee Peter Wright and partner, Julian Norton, as they care for animals in the rural communities of North Yorkshire.
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© Neal Street Productions/Nicky Johnston/BBCCall the Midwife
This much-loved period drama will have you crying one minute and laughing the next. Penned by Heidi Thomas, the show follows the nurses and midwives working at the nursing convent Nonnatus House in the deprived Poplar district of London's east End.
The 1950s-set series, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, made stars of Helen George, Emerald Fennell and Charlotte Ritchie, and also features acting royalty Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris and Judy Parfitt.
Just like All Creatures, Call the Midwife will have you crying, laughing and experiencing all the emotions in between.
