CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Across Yorkshire's moors and dales,
the world's most famous vet set the benchmark for animal care,
and James Herriot's legacy lives on.
SHEEP BAA
His former trainee Peter Wright...
All my life, I've enjoyed doing this.
..has been a Yorkshire vet...
..for over 40 years.
Its like when you are in a pub
the fastest.
Peters old partner Julian Norton. Feeling like a gladiator
going into battle .Loves his work.
In the town Harriet made his home.Wow.
Welcome to Thirsk.
Everything that you can see all across
there is Yorkshire. Alongside Peter and Julian.
That'll do nicely.
I'll do nicely.
A new generation.He’s is coming out.
He's got it.
Of town and country vets.
High five Elise.
Also uphold the Harriet ethos.
Just lining things up.
I get some lubrication in there.
As the Yorkshire vet team
Cheers. Cheers.
Help! Animals of all shapes.
Got it out. Hey! Up! Sizes.
Good girl .Types
Its only a small one.
I think Julian begs to differ.
And temperaments. I'll tell you what he hasn’t
Got any manners, has he.
It's definitely not glamorous.
I'm in the line of fire for another Fart aren’t I.
but it's varied
they’re going pretty quick aren’t they?
This is like Bull Aftersun.
It's rarely easy.
Well. They continue the Harriet tradition, treating all creatures.
It's moving.
I can't believe it.
Great and small.
I'm not real, dad.
No I'm not. I'm sorry about that.
Sunrise in Yorkshire.
Another new dawn...
..another new day.
First light sparks an energy that flows across the countryside.
From field to fell...
..through the hum of every village...
..gathering strength...
SHEEP BAA
..with each passing hour...
..until suddenly... it's time...
..to hit the brakes.
SHEEP BAA
But when darkness descends once more...
OWL HOOTS
..a Yorkshire vet can't always slow down...
..however energy-sapping their day might have been.
HE SIGHS AND YAWNS
Tonight, in Huddersfield, that's the case for Matt.
Oh, dear.
It's half past one in the morning, and I'm on call.
I've just had a call from one of the farmers, Joe.
He's got a cow that calved this morning,
and she's got a prolapse.
COW MOOS
He's really quite concerned about her.
It is an emergency, so best get there quick,
and, well, nothing like a big prolapse
to wake you up at half one in the morning.
For Joe, seeing his cow's pushed out uterus came as a shock.
Everything seemed to be all right with her,
and then, just come up to do us midnight checks and everything,
checked in this pen, found her that she'd pushed the prolapse out.
It's as big a prolapse that I've seen, is this one.
We don't see that many, but it is a big one, yeah.
HE SIGHS
Morning. You all right? Yes, not so bad.
She calved about four o'clock this morning.
Yeah, yeah.
She'd just been pushing a little bit this afternoon,
not thinking much of it.
Yeah. It were just, like, after birth coming out.
Yeah. And now it has, like, you know, majorly come out.
Ah, right. Lovely. Lovely.
Is she all right in herself? She's just gone down, actually.
She's laid on t'floor, so...
Oh, right, in that case, we might try and keep her on the floor
and get her in a nice froggy leg position.
Right, let's have a look at the situation.
Wow. OK.
That is major.
That is major, is that. Erm...
Right.
But anyway, right, well, let's get to work.
That's a fair size, is that. Yeah. Another challenge for you.
When cows have a uterine prolapse,
sometimes, they can push out the bladder and other organs
that are in there if the wall's really weak,
and that, there, is absolutely massive.
I don't think I've seen a bigger one for a long time,
so hopefully, I can get it back in, but, mm...
I'm a bit 50-50 if this is gonna be a good outcome or not.
That's an epidural that we need to get inside her
because she's going to be pushing against us.
And the last thing I want is for a prolapse that size
to be pushing against me.
But obviously, she's on her side, so she's not helping matters.
Easier said than done.
Mm.
COW MOOS
She's not going to make things easy for us, is she? No.
Right, stay there and let me get this in,
because we need some advantage with a prolapse like this.
It's just that bloody big.
MATT SIGHS, MOOING
Stop it. Come on, lass.
Although the epidural is in,
Matt stills needs the cow in a better position
to be able to push her uterus back in.
Right, so, we'll just try and push her up onto this side here.
If you get that...
If you hold her there... Yeah.
THEY GRUNT
Try and get that other leg.
Argh!
There's no way we're gonna get it in
unless you get her to the right position for me.
Get that other leg.
GRUNTING
We can't let her roll over. Yeah.
COW MOOS
You're not helping yourself here, lass.
This is not looking good.
This prolapse is absolutely massive. It looks partially twisted.
It looks like there could be the bladder involved.
I am very sceptical
as to whether we're gonna get a good outcome here,
but we can but try.
THEY GRUNT
COW MOOS
Even if they have a macho name...
Rambo, Rambo, go for a wee-wee.
Good boy.
..lots of pets get nervous about a trip to the vets'.
You having a wee-wee? No?
He's not quite cooperating.
I think he senses that something's amiss.
And 12-year-old Boston terrier Rambo
has reluctantly come to the practice in Wetherby, with Kevin.
Just lately, he's become less playful,
and we've noticed he seems to be painful around his face.
He looks as though he's got several bad teeth
and a bit of a swelling.
Come on.
HE CHUCKLES
Julian is ready to investigate.
Rambo's got one or two problems. There's some blood in his mouth.
So, today, we're gonna anaesthetise him,
examine his mouth,
and see whether we can work out what else is going on.
Rambo?
Come on, Rambo. Hello, Rambo.
Come say hello to Julian. Good morning.
We have noticed this weekend
that he first had a little bit of a swelling under his neck.
Oh, right, so that's changed, then. On this side, yeah.
Hmm. That's come up, hasn't it? Yeah.
We've also noticed he's not barked for about two weeks,
and he's making some really strange rattling noises.
Hmm. It could be because there's infection in the mouth.
You don't like it, do you? No, he's not being...
There is a possibility that blood's coming from a growth in his mouth,
and that could be also accounting for everything that he's doing.
Yeah. If there is a growth, then we might be able to remove it.
Yeah.
I guess we'll see when we're in there.
Yeah, yeah.
Lovely, thank you. See you later, Rambo.
Come on, Rambo. See you later.
Come on, mate, this way.
Assisting Julian and keeping nervous Rambo calm...
Well done. Are you really brave? It's OK. It's OK.
Rambo, come on. It's OK, Rambo.
..is nurse Lucy.
This is a pre-anaesthetic blood test for Rambo.
He's quite an old boy, so we want to just check his organ function.
So, this is what we call First Blood Part 1.
Do you get it? No. Is it a movie?
Yeah, and the first one was called Rambo: First Blood Part 1,
which is what we're doing. That's quite funny, actually.
Thank you. Not like you.
Well done. Well done, Rambo.
You're brave.
Once they have Rambo's blood results...
There we are. Oh, they look perfect.
Nothing there that makes us anxious
about giving him an anaesthetic today.
..the team can press ahead with confidence.
Superstar! Well done, mister! Good boy.
But for an owner, this is where anxiety kicks in.
It's nerve-racking. Erm...
Yeah, it is a worry.
He's not been under anaesthetic before, so we are obviously nervous,
so just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.
Can you see enough in there? Er...
Ah, he's got a mass at the back.
A mass? Mm.
I can see there's a growth at the back of his mouth...
..which is not what I wanted to see.
Hmm.
There's a good girl.
Rohin's concerned for a cat he thinks got more than the cream.
There could be something stuck, which could be a real nightmare.
What is that?
MATT GRUNTS
It could rupture. And if it rips, then it's game over.
And hoping for a steady hand, it's Brave the Shave for charity...
Oh, my God.
..or maybe Brave the Barber.
Right, who's first?
CHRISTOPHER TIMOTHY: Near Huddersfield, it's past 2am.
Matt's battling to get Joe's three-quarter-tonne cow
into position, to be able to save her.
COW MOOS
No!
Bloody hell. Fire.
She's pushed out her uterus after giving birth,
and the longer it's out...
THEY GRUNT
..the worse her chances of survival.
Perfect. Well done. Well done.
Right, I'm just gonna give her some more sedation.
Obviously, we've got to put this back where it came from,
and naturally, there shouldn't be loads of straw and bits on it,
so we want to get it cleaned off as best we can.
I'm gonna put salt on it now, which gives me extra grip,
but it also helps to shrink the size of the uterus.
Let's see what we can do.
MATT GRUNTS
So, now it's just a case of holding the weight
and just kneading it through, using hands and fists,
because unfortunately, part of the problem
is if I use the ends of my fingers,
it could... rupture.
And if it rips, then it's game over.
That's why it's just easy does it. Nice and easy does it.
Not the best of smells.
It's not, is it? No.
So, all these lumpy bits, what we call the cotyledons, these,
if you imagine they're like Velcro pads
that attach the placenta of the calf to its mother.
We're almost in now. We're almost in.
Matt has the cow's uterus back in
less than half an hour after arriving at the farm.
There we go.
But his work isn't done.
Normally, I don't stitch these in,
but I'm gonna stitch this one in... Yeah.
..because it's that slack, which concerns me
that it might come out just as easily...
As easily again. Just easily again.
Sedation did the trick anyway, didn't it?
Yeah, it calmed her. It calmed her down.
She's not kicking against us. No.
Right, let's get her stitched up.
Yeah, it looked a challenging job, did that.
Obviously when summat like that happens,
it's best for the vet to come out.
She's had an epidural, so she can't feel this.
There we go, coming through.
Right, that's one side in.
The cow is showing signs of waking up...
Ooh! No, no, no, no, no.
Yeah, get... hop back on, Joe. Hop back on, yeah.
THEY LAUGH
..and the newborn calf desperately needs his mum.
Right. There we go.
This is just to make sure that our good work is not undone.
But Matt has to be thorough.
If she pushes through this, unfortunately, it's game over.
But it sounds like she's got a bit of character
and a bit of strength to her. A bit of strength to her.
So she's got every chance. Right. Lovely jubbly.
So far, so good, but only time will tell now
whether we're gonna have a positive outcome,
because we've done as much as we can.
Right. It'll be breakfast time soon anyway, won't it?
Aye.
I'm cautiously a lot more optimistic than I was when I first arrived,
but... I don't know, we'll see.
To prepare patients for vital procedures...
We'll just do a bit of a hair cut.
..a Yorkshire vet needs a very basic level of hairdressing ability.
Well, it has been said I'm not much of a stylist. Now...
All he lacks is a basin to put on. Keep it simple.
I just find it quite satisfying.
It's like mowing a lawn or cutting the hedge.
You do get it quite straight.
I like a straight edge, yeah. I do like a straight edge.
And today, at the practice in Kirkbymoorside,
Peter will need those barber skills,
but for something a little different.
Right.
Clinical manager Chloe has invited friends and family
to the practice...
CHLOE:They do look like a good set, them, Mum.
..to watch her Brave the Shave
to raise money for Prostate Cancer Research,
after her grandad was recently diagnosed with the disease.
I just wanna make it more of a thing that men go to the doctors'.
The younger, the better, get tested.
There's nothing I can do now to help Grandad,
but I just want to help other people.
So, for her altruistic, extreme haircut,
Chloe's asked the practice's most senior gentleman to do the honours.
Right. Who's first?
Let's do this.
Oh, my God. OK.
What sort of style are you looking for this morning?
Well, I think grade one, straight over the top.
THEY LAUGH
SHE LAUGHS
It's the most bizarre feeling in the world.
SHE LAUGHS
Joking apart, I think you're being very, very brave.
Thank you very much. Maybe I should do the same.
You see... You see, the thing is, Chloe,
as you can see, I'm halfway there.
I know. Shall we do you next?
THEY LAUGH
Almost finished.
Chloe is no stranger to serious illness.
THEY LAUGH
I just want to make sure that you're happy with it, so...
15 years ago, she had a cyst removed from her brain.
It's a good job, Peter. Look at that scar of mine on there.
Never mind the scar, I think that accentuates your beauty.
Thank you very much, sir.
But today is all about her grandad...
WHOOPING AND APPLAUSE I did it!
SHE LAUGHS
..and other people who are affected by prostate cancer.
She looks gorgeous. She looks gorgeous.
WOMAN:Well done, Chloe.
Thank you. PETER:Well done, Chloe. Well done.
It is for a fantastic cause,
and I just hope that people do come in to see Chloe,
and they contribute to something
that will kill thousands of men every year.
Right, then. Better go back to work, hadn't we?
I do need something done. Absolutely.
DOG BARKS
At the practice in Wetherby...
LUCY:Hoff, can you come and hold the torch for me, please?
I've not got much room to work with.
..Julian and Lucy are examining
elderly Boston terrier Rambo's problematic mouth...
Has he been breathing any different? He's suddenly stopped barking.
Didn't want to be in, did it? No.
..and Julian's concerned by what he can see.
Right, there's a very obvious benign kind of growth on the gum,
but what I'm a bit more worried about is, further back,
there's a mass there.
We need to look at this mass down the throat,
but I can't hold his head and tube.
Oh, dear.
Can you see there on the right-hand side?
Oh, yeah. That's quite big.
That is quite big. No wonder you couldn't get the tube in.
Mm.
Oh, dear. That's hard.
Oh, gosh, it's really big.
Hmm. That's not really operable.
JULIAN SIGHS
This is not very good for you, mate.
HE CLEARS HIS THROAT
I think I'll give them a ring and see what they want to do.
Rambo.
The swelling that's suddenly appeared
and the fact that his bark's gone
always indicates problems in the throat.
Until we've been able to examine him like this,
it's impossible to tell quite what's going on back there,
but we've had quite a good look.
It's fairly clear that there's a tumour in the back of his throat,
and it's not something that's gonna be fixable.
It's too deep and a bit too hard.
Oh, hi. Is that Carol?
Delivering and dealing with bad news
is a difficult part of this job...
This outcome is obviously not an outcome we want,
and it can get to you, it can be quite upsetting.
If you think we look after these pets every day,
so they're like us own, so not very nice, is it mate?
But we'll look after you best we can.
We'll get you in your bed.
..while hearing it is even harder for loving owners like Carol.
Not what we hoped. Erm...
Hopefully, he said, that it would take...
It might grow slowly,
so we're just playing it probably week by week.
Carol?
'He's never been left at the vets' once without us,
'so I can't wait to see him.'
Oh, Rambo! Rambo, where have you been?
He looks a bit bewildered, but he's...
He does! You're a bit drowsy, aren't you, darling?
Yeah, I took a photo of his throat.
It's quite enlarged, it's quite discoloured on the surface,
and that's perhaps where the blood was coming from.
It was pushing the larynx to one side,
and I think that's why his barking will have stopped.
Yeah.
Is there anything he should or shouldn't have?
My view would be to give him everything he wants, really.
All right.
Tasty food, keep him happy and comfortable for as long as we can.
Yeah. He's not had that before, I don't think?
It does have some anti-cancer properties,
so we do sometimes use it as a palliative treatment
for this kind of thing.
And it'll slow down the growth, reduce the inflammation around it
and take the soreness away.
Yeah. All right. All right?
It's been a day, hasn't it?
Yes, I bet it's been stressful for you as well.
Been a day, little Ramby. Bye-bye.
All right, cheerio. Bye. Thank you ever so much.
Come on, then. This way.
Often, we can bring happy news if there's something that's fixable,
but unfortunately, on some occasions, we can't do that,
so, you know, you never really get used to it as a vet,
but it does happen.
There's very little we can do in terms of treatment options.
Rambo's quite old, but still happy and relatively healthy,
so if we can keep him comfortable for as long as possible,
then I think that's the best we can kind of hope for.
You know that you're not gonna have your dog forever,
but it's still so hard.
But I think you've got to think about the life that you gave them.
And he's had a lovely life, and he's made our lives nicer.
He really has.
So we're just gonna let him enjoy his life like he always has done.
Yeah.
Over in Huddersfield,
another much-loved pet has a very different throat problem
that's also causing concern.
Hola. Que tal, bonita? Que tal?
Caeser whispers continental sweet nothings
to his two-year-old cat, Luna.
I talk to her in Spanish because my family is Spanish.
She's named after the Moon in Spanish, which is Luna,
so that's Luna.
But Luna's about to say "hola" to Rohin...
There's a good girl.
..and nurse Leah.
Because Caeser suspects she's strayed from her recommended diet.
Let's have a look at you. Good girl.
She was outside, and she came back in coughing,
and I was like, she's probably tried to chase a rat
or eaten something that she shouldn't have.
Didn't know what was wrong with her. She's two-and-a-half years old.
I've had her since she was a kitten.
Got her cos I was feeling very down at the time.
She really helped me during that period,
so she is very special to me.
She's already been on anti-inflammatories
and has just not improved, so we are quite suspicious
there could be something stuck in her actual throat,
which, if that's happened, it can be a real nightmare.
DOG WHINES
I can't hear anything unusual deeper down in her lung fields.
It seems the symptoms she's had are very much upper respiratory,
and in a young, otherwise healthy cat,
where this starts really suddenly, it just raises alarm bells
that there could be something genuinely stuck.
A twig, a string, anything like that,
if it is there, ideally, we try and remove it.
Aw!
There we go. All done! Felt it a bit?
The best way to really know what's going on is to do an anaesthetic,
have a look in the back of the mouth.
You don't wanna miss it. It could end up coming back to bite her.
She could be back in another week a lot worse than she is now.
We're just gonna put some local anaesthetic spray
in there, get everything nice and numb.
Even under anaesthetic, it's so inflamed,
often with these things, they can react.
Nothing obvious yet.
Right, shall we start having a look?
We'll have a look. Let's see what we've got.
Something surprisingly large can be hidden in there,
and you just wouldn't see it
unless you're really having a proper poke around under anaesthetic.
It's often hooked right behind the soft palate,
so we do need to be a bit more thorough
and just have a proper look and try and be careful as well.
They are very delicate tissues,
but we need to move everything out the way
and see exactly what's going on up in there.
Let's see. Ooh.
What is that?
Leah, I think I can see something in there.
But it's a bit awkward. It's right behind the soft pallet.
It's right far back.
We don't ask Hoff cos Hoff's on my side.
JULIAN:It's not a question of sides.
A high-noon showdown in Wetherby...
Courtesy. It's not always something you know much about, Lucy.
Is that a joke?
..and after a high point...
This is the famous Tan Hill pub, 1,700-and-odd feet above sea level.
..Peter and Shona's gloves are off at the sheep show...
We'll maybe just give him a little bit of a clean.
Is that just Peter, or are you doing the sheep as well?
..with Peter heading into the ring.
There's probably nobody more tense here than I am.
THEY LAUGH
SHEEP BAA
Near Huddersfield, it's two weeks since Matt faced a huge challenge
in the early hours,
when a cow prolapsed her uterus after giving birth.
Go on, then. Take it up there.
Since then, Joe and his son, William,
have been keeping a close eye on Mum and her calf.
COW MOOS
You all right, Joe? How are you getting on?
How you doing, Matt? You OK? Good stuff. William, how you doing?
I'm not so bad, thanks. How are you? Good stuff. I'm very well.
How have they been getting on? Yeah, we've been doing really well.
We've been making sure she has been eating and drinking,
so she's recovered well.
Excellent. That's the main thing, isn't it?
Keep that energy up. Yeah. What about that stitch?
Has that stitch been fine, has it, that we put in?
Yeah, there's been no problems, no discharges or anything, so...
Oh, that's good.
Right, we'll get that stitch out, shall we?
Yeah, let's get that stitch out. Right, lead the way.
So, yeah, she looks well, doesn't she?
Oh, she's come to very well, yeah.
Got condition right back on her, you know?
Yeah, she's done very well. Brilliant.
So, was she just up and eating next day?
Yeah, no problems. Calf were up, sucking.
With Matt's stitch having done its job, he can take it out...
All right, then, missus. Eh? Good girl.
..to sew up a great result, against the odds.
Seeing the size of that prolapse and how it went on,
I was very 50-50.
I always like to think I'm very glass half-full,
but that point in time, I was thinking, hmm.
There. Sorted. Lovely.
That is beautiful.
No swelling or anything. Nothing.
Just what we like. Just what we like. Yeah.
COW MOOS
I am so, so pleased as to how well the cow's doing,
and to see a lovely calf, too, because the size of that prolapse...
You know what, I don't think I've seen a bigger one.
It was massive.
She is testament to the fact
that no matter how hopeless you think the situation looks,
you've just got to give it a go,
because sometimes, they can surprise you.
COW MOOS
In the normally peaceful West Yorkshire town of Wetherby,
a drug war has broken out...
Cos when they're in them packets, they always just go all over.
JULIAN:Right, so, just...
Don't... I know how to do dispensary.
I'm on it enough.
..with Julian and Lucy doing battle in the dispensary.
Right, you need to sign that.
You could do with sellotaping that on now.
You see, look, that now goes in there.
That is a much cheaper... But it's not
cos they still charge us the same price as if they go in anything.
No, they don't! Yeah, they do.
JULIAN LAUGHS
There's some medicine to post to a dog that's got itchy feet,
and we're just really debating, Lucy and I,
the best packaging arrangement.
You see, the only thing I would do different,
not wanting to quibble,
I'd put a "with compliments" slip in there as well.
Really? Yeah. Wouldn't you?
We don't... No, don't ask Hoff cos Hoff's on my side.
What? It's not a question of sides. It is definitely sides.
We used to put compliment slips in the last place.
We don't do it here, though.
Put one in. Don't seal it up yet. Put a "with compliments" slip in.
Right, go on, then. They won't be able to read yours.
Courtesy, it's not always something you know much about, Lucy.
Is that a joke? JULIAN LAUGHS
These disagreements are quite typical for us here,
but we kind of disagree, not like he's my boss,
like he's my friend.
Look. Look how polite that looks. Aw, thank you. That's gonna...
JULIAN LAUGHS
Exactly. That's gonna go in the bin when they get home.
No, it won't go in the bin. People might be very grateful.
They might use it for their food shop.
Yeah, there we are. It does fit, look, actually.
Look, there we are.
It's the most polite package
that you could possibly hope to receive from a vet.
Whatever you say, boss man.
That's ready to go now.
Of course, with any war, when it comes to reaching a truce,
money always talks.
You don't put "with compliments" on my payslip.
Well, maybe times are changing.
And here, there's another crucial currency.
What about a couple of chocolates as well?
Yeah, Galaxy Caramel. My favourite.
JULIAN LAUGHS
When the anti-inflammatory drugs didn't work for Spanish cat Luna,
Rohin feared she had something stuck in her throat.
ROHIN:It's when you need a steady hand,
isn't it, Leah, stuff like this? LEAH:Yeah, it is.
So with Leah's help,
he's performing urgent, delicate surgery.
We've got a tiny window of view there.
And he suspects Luna has been grazing in the garden.
I do think that's a little grass blade just hidden.
It is in a very awkward spot
cos it's hooked right under the soft palate
where it shouldn't be.
I can just see the tip of it there. Oh, it's...
It's a bit of an awkward one.
This is when you need your delicate instruments in,
and we'll try and see if we can tease that out.
Let's see.
That is awkward. Right.
I can just about see the tip of the grass blade there.
There, we're getting it. It's coming.
It's a long one.
Oh, my goodness me, it's a very long one. Oh, wow.
Look at the size of that! Wow, OK. We got it.
I think that's one of the biggest ones I've seen.
That is enormous.
Often, it's just a tiny little thing.
I'll let her get back onto oxygen, yeah.
We'll give her a break and give her some oxygen.
It's a monster. It is big.
It'll definitely cause some irritation there.
Her owner said she's been really sore,
gagging and retching a lot. Definitely.
I'm glad we did that, cos if we didn't,
it would have just stayed there, festered, got infected,
and she'd come in much worse, wouldn't she, in a week's time?
It would. It's a good job we gave her anti-inflammatories as well.
It's very, very satisfying, isn't it?
There's not that many things in our job
where you can do something and it's an instant fix.
She should feel ten times better
as soon as she wakes up, I would hope.
Absolutely. She definitely will do. Result.
Come on, then, sweetheart.
Right, let's go put her back to bed,
and I'll keep a really close eye on her in recovery.
Thank you, Leah. Did you get nervous, then?
I did, yeah. There's always some adrenaline
when you don't know what you're gonna find, isn't there?
And after dealing with his own nerves...
Cesar is back to collect Luna.
She's up. She's up already?
Yeah. Aw.
She'll feel so much better, won't you?
Yes, you will.
Here she is.
She's still very sleepy and I think a bit terrified.
She's had a bit of a stressful day, but it's really good news.
I mean, that's what we got out of her.
Oh, that's so long. It's huge, isn't it?
Now that that's out, you know, you would hope
her prospects should be really good.
Right, no worries. Thank you.
I'm a happy vet, and she'll be a happy cat,
so it's really good.
Surrounded by the stunning scenery of Swaledale,
the Tan Hill Inn dates back to the 17th century.
And 1,700 feet above sea level, it's Britain's highest pub.
An iconic stop for walkers on the Pennine Way,
it's famous for some long, snow-enforced lock-ins.
Today, the wind and rain aren't dampening spirits...
BAAING
..at the annual Tan Hill Swaledale Sheep Show.
Second - number ten. Third - number five.
A lover of the Dales, sheep, and the occasional pub trip,
Peter's here on his day off.
This is a first for me to come to the Swaledale Sheep Show,
and the weather isn't exactly wonderful,
but there's lots of enthusiasm here,
and I can't wait to go and have a look at these fantastic sheep.
And he's not the only Yorkshire vet braving the elements
on a busman's holiday.
Ah, nice to see you. Fancy seeing you here.
How are you doing? I'm all right, thanks. Are you?
Do you want a cuppa? I'd love a cup of tea.
Can we have another one, please? Thank you.
Shona breeds her own sheep back in West Yorkshire...
This is the famous Tan Hill pub, 1,700-and-odd feet above sea level.
I've not been before. I've heard of it.
Have you not? No.
..so here in Swaledale,
she's keen to see the pick of the locals.
Well, there's quite a gathering here, isn't there, this morning?
And they're only here for one reason, aren't they?
And that's Swaledale sheep.
They're very wild and rugged. That's what I like about them.
You'd be a bit wild if you lived up here, wouldn't you?
They've got to be, haven't they?
SHEEP BAA
We're going to meet a chap called Raymond,
who I think has organised this,
and I've said, "Look, we don't mind mucking in a bit."
You mean we have to do some work? We might have to do.
No, I'm up for that. Have you got your gear in the car?
Yeah. I've got my wellies. Well, that's all right, then.
Raymond, is it? Yes, it is. Aye.
Pleased to meet you. I understand that you run this show.
Yes, my 37th year as the show secretary.
This show is seen as the best show of Swaledale sheep that there is.
It's Premier League, and it brings all the top breeders,
all the top sheep, far and wide.
And as you look just over the hill here,
into the top end of Swaledale...
We would if we could see it, but it's a bit...
THEY LAUGH
That is where the breed actually originated from. Right.
And I think that, to me, also makes it special
to have a show at Tan Hill, so close to where it all began.
SHEEP BAA
Raymond, I've got to comment on the fact that we're all stood here
in waterproofs, and it must be a wool jacket, that,
cos it looks very smart.
I reckon to be as hard as they are. SHE LAUGHS
As far as Raymond's concerned, it's a hot day today.
Yeah, that's true, yeah.
SHEEP BAA
The competition across a number of classes is fierce,
and with Raymond entering one of his own tups...
You know, just you stand back, like, half a step. Yeah.
..he's heard Peter has some experience...
at the Great Yorkshire Show.
Thank you very much.
I'm going to ask Peter here
if he would show me this aged tup which is going out.
OK. Right.
We'll maybe just get the old cloth out
and give him a little bit of a last-minute wipe
and a bit of a clean.
Is that just Peter, or are you doing the sheep as well?
THEY LAUGH
Andrew, my son, he has got his cloth.
I think he's got quite high hopes for it.
That's what worries me.
I think you'll smash it. You'll be good.
Andrew will just lead him on,
and then, you're in pole position now.
The pressure's on. I hope it's a class of one.
HE LAUGHS
Have you got your concentrating face on? Yeah.
THEY LAUGH
I don't want to let my exhibit down. Don't let Raymond down either.
THEY LAUGH
I think it's a very stiff class, this.
'It could go any way, really.
'There's probably nobody more tense here than I am.'
SHEEP BAA
Still to come... KEVIN:Is that nice, Rambo?
..for a much-loved companion, happiness to the end...
CAROL:He's eating like a king. He's having exactly what he wants.
And he washes the plates as well. THEY LAUGH
..in all kinds of ways.
He's quite amorous, and he's still got something in him.
Oh, Rambo!
In Wetherby... Julian and Lucy recently found a tumour
in 12-year-old terrier Rambo's throat...
JULIAN:That's quite big. LUCY:That is quite big.
..and all they could prescribe was palliative care.
That's not really operable.
JULIAN SIGHS
This is not very good for you, mate.
Since then, Rambo's owners Kevin and Carol...
CAROL:Come on. This way.
..have been spoiling him more than ever...
Now, then, what have you been doing, eh?
..and looking out for each other too.
It's a bit of a struggle, isn't it? Yeah.
Yeah. I think...
I think the reality of it is kind of overwhelming at times.
That's the thought that, you know,
this is coming towards the end of his days, I suppose.
And you know you haven't got them forever,
but I do feel a bit robbed because...
Yeah, yeah.
..I thought we'd have him a bit longer.
Yeah, yeah. WHISPERING:Sorry.
TOY SQUEAKS
But every day is a bonus now. Yeah.
So I try and think, "Well, today, he's still here.
"Let's enjoy it." Mm.
I'm just chopping up a bit of salmon.
It's his favourite, so...
Good boy.
'Rambo's just having soft food now,
'so no biscuits any more or hard treats.
'But he's eating like a king. He's having exactly what he wants.'
Is that nice, Rambo?
If we go for a pub lunch,
I have to have fish and chips cos I have to share it with him.
Because he's under the table waiting for some.
Yeah. Yeah.
Since he's been having treatment for the pain, he seems more alert,
and he's generally got a bit of his mojo back,
so he seems quite more like himself.
And he washes the plates as well. THEY LAUGH
As well as doing the dishes, Rambo enjoys vacuuming.
Well, it's clear... Mummy, clean up.
..he hasn't lost his mojo.
He's quite amorous, and he's still got something in him.
THEY LAUGH
Are you being a naughty boy? Oh, Rambo!
We think he's had a nice full life,
but he's brought so much more to our lives. Yeah.
We won't ever lose that, will we? No.
We all love him so much. Mm.
And I'm just so sad.
I cry every day, don't I? I know, I know.
I did have a very sad walk with him recently... Yeah.
..and I just wondered, how many more walks has he got left?
Yeah. Quite heartbreaking. Yeah.
Rambo, do you want to go for a walk?
Come on.
Good boy.
This is his everyday walk,
just round the corner from where he lives.
He knows every tree and every post.
You love this, don't you, Rambo?
He's our little boy. We've had him 12-and-a-half years.
Oh, that's nice. Aw! You tired?
He's extra special to us as we don't have children together,
but that's exactly what he is - our little boy.
Aw.
On a wet and windy day, high up in the Dales...
This tup's done me quite well so far.
He knows I'm a novice, but he's making me look quite good.
..with Shona watching from the sidelines,
Peter's in the ring at the Swaledale Sheep Show...
SHEEP BAA
There's about a hundred judges here that'll all have their own opinions,
but there's only one man that matters.
..and he's feeling the pressure with show secretary Raymond's tup.
So, the judge is going through now,
having another look at them - teeth, toes, testicles.
He's having a look at the back legs now.
I'm at one end - I'm either first or last.
But I think I know which it is. We've been completely ignored now.
How are you feeling about Peter being down that end?
Peter's doing all right. Nothing wrong.
This is, without doubt, the best class of old tups
that we've had for quite a number of years,
and so there's going to be some sheep which won't get prizes today.
Yeah. But no disgrace in that.
Right, they've made their decision.
Here we go.
First - 29.
That wasn't unexpected, but it could have been any of them, that.
PETER:Yeah, I was at the wrong end, but never mind.
I think they're just going to make a fifth rosette now,
but I'll pick it up later.
Go on, Pete, just pass us your rosette.
I'll put it in my pocket.
Well done!
I quite enjoyed it, actually,
but the tension, you can cut it with a knife.
Oh, you will really feel the tension later on today
when we're down to the champion male and the champion female.
It's every Swaledale sheep breeder's ambition to win here.
SHEEP BAA
And what better way to relieve all that tension
than in the historic pub?
Cheers. Cheers. Good to see you.
It's lovely, in't it?
It's a good, cosy British pub feel, which is nice on a day like this.
I was here with an ex-girlfriend when I was 17. Oh, shh.
And it was a blazing hot day.
We were doing the Pennine Way,
and I thought, "I've got to be a bit macho,"
ordered myself a pint of beer.
It went straight to my head.
As I went out the door, I walked into the door frame.
Not surprisingly, she kicked me into touch not long after that.
THEY LAUGH
With the worsening weather even getting to Raymond...
I didn't recognise you for a second then cos you've got a coat on.
Er, yeah, I've had to submit.
..it can't spoil a great day...
Very well done.
..for the show's big winners. Many congratulations. Well done.
A bit of drizzle isn't gonna affect your enthusiasm, is it?
And while some don't let the dizzy heights of success
go to their head...
A huge congratulations to Paul and his family.
It's an unbelievable achievement. APPLAUSE
..hopefully, visiting Britain's highest pub
won't go to Peter's head this time.
Right, are we gonna go and get warm now?
Your round, I think.
SHEEP BAA