Peter Davison Movies
Adapted from the novel by H.E. Bates, the British miniseries Love for Lydia featured Mel Martin in the title role. A young and giddy heiress, Lydia spent the better part of the 1930s holding several eligible bachelors in her thrall. Meanwhile, long-suffering Edward Richardson (Christopher Blake), convinced that he'd be the heroine's one true love if only given the chance, stood quietly on the sidelines as the impulsive Lydia toyed with the emotions of his rivals. The 13 hour-long episodes of Love for Lydia were originally aired over London Weekend Television in 1977, then telecast in America as part of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre anthology beginning September 23, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Martin, Jeremy Irons, (more)
- 1979
Season three of All Creatures Great & Small begins with one of the series' customary dual crises as young Yorkshire veterinarian James Herriot (Christopher Timothy) and his wife Helen (Carol Drinkwater) try to save a cow from the slaughterhouse, while James' partners Siegfried and Tristan Farnon (Robert Hardy, Peter Davison) minister to a flock of ailing grouse. In later episodes, Tristan makes a mess of things filling in for his brother's housekeeper, Mrs. Hall (Mary Hignett); a young juvenile delinquent has an epiphany when his dog comes down with distemper; a goat eats the Herriots' checkbook, leaving them with nary an extra shilling for their wedding anniversary celebration; and an epidemic of foot and mouth disease is made doubly problematic when Britain and Germany go to war. The season ends as James and Siegfried leave their Darrowby practices to enlist in the RAF. All Creatures Great and Small ends at this point as well -- at least for the next eight years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, (more)
- 1978
The second season of the warm-hearted BBC medical series All Creatures Great & Small finds young veterinarian James Herriot (Christopher Timothy) gradually winning over the confidence of all the animal owners in the tiny Yorkshire farming community of Darrowby. But it is still an uphill climb; the locals are a superstitious lot who don't hold with modern methods, and James' boss Siegfried Farnon (Robert Hardy) can be a holy terror if you catch him in the wrong mood. Making life easier for our hero is the love and support of his new wife Helen (Carol Drinkwater). The season opener finds the practice swamped with work, as cats and dogs literally fall from the sky. In later episodes, Siegfried's capricious brother Tristan (Peter Davison) runs afoul of the law, James takes on the daunting task of "duty vet" at the annual Darrowby Show, a hormone treatment on a local dog yields most unexpected results; the Farnon brothers inveigle the klutzy James into representing Darrowby in the yearly cricket match with Rainby; and Christmas Day proves to be just another workday for our beleaguered vets. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, (more)
- 1978
Season one of All Creatures Great & Small begins in late 1936 as newly qualified veterinarian James Herriot (Christopher Timothy) arrives at his first assistant's post at Skeldale House, Darrowby, Yorkshire. Here he meets his boss, the irascible Siegfried Farnon, and Siegfried's long-suffering but fun-loving, food-devouring younger brother Tristan (played by future Doctor Who star Peter Davison), who is kept on as a partner despite having flunked out of college. Though he thinks he is thoroughly prepared for his life's calling, James could never have imagined that his first patient would be a little girl's pet turtle. Not long afterward, however, our hero shows his mettle by curing a very valuable horse. In the third of season one's 13 episodes, James meets Helen Alderson (Carol Drinkwater), the farmer's daughter who will one day become his wife. First, however, James must overcome the resistance of Helen's father, who has an inbred distate for everyone in the medical profession. This he does, and by episode ten James and Helen are on their honeymoon...albeit using their spare time to carry out tuberculin testing! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, (more)
- 1974
This feature-length dramatization of James Herriot's best-seller was issued by EMI as a big-screen theatrical release in England, but debuted on NBC as a telemovie in the United States, February 4, 1975. It stars Simon Ward as Herriot in his early days as a veterinarian. The story picks up in 1937, with Herriot's first assignment as assistant to eccentric Yorkshire vet Siegfried Farnon (Anthony Hopkins). The film's highlight is the strenuous delivery of a newborn colt; its most poignant moment is the mercy killing of a seriously ill dog. In between "cases," Herriot courts pretty farmer's daughter Helen (Lisa Farrow). The film eventually spawned a television series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Simon Ward, (more)
The sequel to the made-for-TV animated special Adventures of Mole, Adventures of Toad is one of several British-produced cartoons based on Kenneth Grahame's whimsical The Wind in the Willows. The lord of Toad Hall, capricious Mr. Toad is a source of great concern for his close friends Mole, Badger and Rat; it seems that whenever Toad is enthusiastic about something, trouble quickly follows. Right now, Toad is obsessed with his flashy new motorcar--and sure enough, he is ultimately arrested for driving too fast. Upon being sprung from jail, Toad finds out that his stately manor has been taken over by the rowdy Weasel gang, prompting his friends to formulate a scheme to help Toad regain what is rightfully his. In America, Adventures of Toad premiered over cable's Disney Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Briers, Peter Davison, (more)
