Samuel West, known for playing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small, has opened up about a personal regret as he returns to another Channel 5 series. The actor, who turned 60 earlier this year, shared his one “wish” ahead of the second season of Sam and Ade Go Birding.
A personal regret revealed
Speaking to Go Birding, West recalled a conversation with his co-star, comedian Adrian Edmondson, saying: “I remember Adrian (Edmondson) asking me if I felt old and I replied, ‘Nearly’. But I also said something else which didn’t make it into the programme.
“I keep thinking, ‘I must try that when I grow up’, and then I think, ‘But I am sort of grown up.’ I don’t know what that something is in this case. It’s not birding, which I started when I was about 40. I wish I'd started earlier.”
A 20-year passion
West has been a keen bird watcher for more than 20 years, sharing his experiences with birding novice Edmondson on the show. He explained: “I did a bit of very amateur birdwatching when I was younger - ticking birds off, making lists of stuff seen abroad - but I’ve only been birding seriously for about 20 years.
“I’ll never have seen as many birds as people who started when they were 15 - or my children, who began when they were even younger than that, and have already got pretty good life lists.”
Life beyond the screen
West is in a long-term relationship with Rivals executive producer Laura Wade, with whom he shares two daughters. Speaking to The Telegraph in 2021, he shared his approach to parenting, remarking: "I'm pleased we had daughters – I've tried to do things that make them feel strong. They both have my partner's surname, and we're very into unisex clothing for them.
"I'm not really into a gendered upbringing. Strong is the new pretty, as they say, so I hope that girls' time has come."
All Creatures Great and Small continues every Thursday at 9pm on Channel 5.
