Is Samuel West from All Creatures Great and Small a real animal expert?

All creatures big and small will return to Channel 5 for Season 3 later this year. Fans have seen different sides of the quirky and outspoken Siegfried Farnon played by Samuel West over the course of the TV series. Express.co.uk has everything you need to know about being a true animal expert.

Is Samuel West of all creatures big and small a true animal expert?

West was happy to
join the cast of All Creatures Great and Small as the fictional version of Skeldale House President Donald Sinclair. Talk about how much he likes the fact that Siegfried comes from an eccentric British breed. The star said that it was a pleasure to play a fierce and short tempered person but very loving. Siegfried has a good heart under his sometimes cold exterior and offers plenty of comedic comfort. His love for animals may be deeper than his love for humans.

Siegfried may be an expert on animals of all sizes in the series but actor West also knows a thing or two. Although he is not a qualified veterinarian or animal expert he is a keen watcher of birds and is often asked for advice on how to care for them. Speaking to Masterpiece he said A lot of people tweet when they find baby birds and say What should I do? Unfortunately the advice is always the same that if he is really incapacitated and there is no father around him you can take him but he is more likely to survive if you leave him alone. And this is not very useful to say but you have to say that .

The star expressed his love for small animals and had mice and rats as a child. Since then he has passed on knowledge to his eldest daughter and explained to her how clever mice can be. The actor added Im very good at rat diseases of which Im afraid there are quite a few. But actually in my case its more about saying to Andy [Barrett] our vet Where does my hand go to check this out? Is this bone broken or not? How do I check that this horse doesnt have a concussion? With that in mind West has some insight into how to care for young animals in real life. Not a qualified vet.

He spoke to Country Living about his love of birds which he developed after listening to a CD of bird songs while in the car. The actor shared I had to start liking the normal stuff. You have a gargoyle in your garden and youre like Its a great day great! I think Im very good at bird singing. When we go out bird watching Laura [Wests partner] is the eyes and Im the ears. Her interest in the natural world definitely made her role on the Channel 5 series a good fit. Filming for the third series has ended and the new episodes are expected to be broadcast around September 2022. The official launch date has not been announced but all other seasons have been broadcasted so far in September and the third season is expected to witness the Second World War Cup.