Samuel West, who plays Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small, has shared a personal regret as he reflected on turning 60. The actor, who has starred in the Channel 5 reboot for six years, admitted he wishes he had taken up birding seriously earlier in life.
West, who also appears in the Channel 5 series Sam and Ade Go Birding with comedian Adrian Edmondson, spoke about his hobby during a conversation for the show. He recalled being asked by Edmondson if he felt old, and revealed an additional remark that did not make it into the programme.
"I wish I'd started earlier"
West told Go Birding: "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."
He continued: "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."
The actor, who marked his 60th birthday in June, explained that his early birdwatching was amateur. "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," he said.
Family and All Creatures season seven
West also spoke about his children, noting that they began birding at an even younger age. "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," he added.
The actor shares two daughters with his long-term partner, Rivals executive producer Laura Wade. In 2021, he told The Telegraph that he hoped to raise "strong women," adding: "I'm not really into a gendered upbringing. Strong is the new pretty, as they say, so I hope that girls' time has come."
In All Creatures Great and Small season seven, Siegfried faces new challenges, including a veterinary nemesis and a blooming romance with Dorothy (Maime McCarthy), while Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) watches on. The series continues every Thursday at 9pm on Channel 5.
