<P> All Creatures Great and Small is a British television series based on the books of the British veterinary surgeon Alf Wight , who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot . In 1977 , the BBC tasked producer Bill Sellars with the creation of a television series from Herriot 's first two novels , If Only They Could Talk and It Should n't Happen to a Vet , using the title of the 1975 film adaptation . The Herriot novels were written in an episodic style , with each chapter generally containing a short story within the ongoing narrative of Herriot 's life . This format greatly facilitated their adaptation for a television series . </P>
where is all creatures great and small based
books of the British veterinary surgeon Alf Wight