All Creatures Great and Small has returned to Channel 5 for a seventh series, and in recent instalments, Skeldale House proprietor Siegfried Farnon, portrayed by Samuel West, has been pursuing a relationship with Dorothy, played by Maimie McCoy. At last beginning to accept the loss of his first spouse, Evelyn, Siegfried has permitted himself to embrace romance again.
The character draws from the real Donald Sinclair, who practised alongside vet Alf Wight, the writer behind the All Creatures Great and Small novels, who adopted the pseudonym James Herriot. Similar to his real-world inspiration, Siegfried serves as an unconventional standout figure in Channel 5's version of the programme, though he possesses a deeply troubling history.
Sinclair's Tragic Personal Life
Sinclair wed his first spouse, Evelyn, in 1930, though she heartbreakingly succumbed to tuberculosis six years afterwards. He married his second wife, Audrey, in 1943, and they remained together for 53 years until her passing in 1995. They raised two children, a son and a daughter, yet their romance concluded in tragedy.
Sinclair took his own life through an overdose in June 1995, merely two weeks following his wife's death. In conversation with Masterpiece, actor West was pleased the programme had depicted Donald's true story, commenting: "In the original books, Siegfried is a bachelor, but I was very pleased that they decided to go with what happened to the real Donald Sinclair, which was that his wife had died."
"I thought that was a proper piece of homework that made it much more interesting, for Siegfried to have that history, that backstory. He's felt a bit blocked ever since. He's still in love with his wife, and she's only four years dead."
"None of that really appears in the series - I'm talking about two things that happened four years, or 19 years, before the series begins - but it is all underneath."
Moving Forward with Dorothy
As the programme has developed, Siegfried has at last been able to move past his former relationship and is prepared to embrace companionship once more. The actual Donald Sinclair adored horses and did indeed become the resident equine veterinarian at Thirsk Racecourse, a position he maintained for five decades, as portrayed in the programme. He was recognised as being unpredictable and capricious, yet was also charming and "truly likeable" according to Wight.
The duo collaborated in their Thirsk practice for 50 years and remained friends throughout their lives. Prior to the new series of All Creatures, West discussed what lay ahead for Siegfried, sharing: "I think he's in quite a good place. He's got a new girlfriend and he's enjoying his work. There's a challenge that arrives fairly early on, which is the presence of a new vet in town."
"My father would have called it 'old stag and young stag'. When he turns up, he looks annoyingly like me, but younger and better. He's like a younger, better version of Siegfried. But I think he's in quite a good place. He's rediscovered a bit of his pep, his joie de vivre, and a beautiful, intelligent, stylish, funny woman likes him. I think there's a prospect of happiness on the horizon. It's one of the happier starts to a series I've had."
All Creatures Great and Small airs on Channel 5 on Thursdays at 9pm. If you have been affected by any of the content in this article, contact Samaritans on 116 123.
