All Creatures Great and Small (1978–1990): Season 5, Episode 5 - When Dreams Come True - full transcript

(mooing)

Get over there.
Go on, you and all.

- Stay there.
- (mooing)

Come on, then.
Get in there.

Go on.
Get over there.

Is that the lot?

- Thank you, Bert. I can manage now.
- Righto.

- Come on. Get over there.
- (mooing)

(snoring)

(snoring)

(snoring continues)

Calum.

Calum!

(slurs) Hello, James.

Oh.

(sighs)

I'm sorry.

- What the hell's been going on?
- We had a super time.

Look at this mess!

- Tristan was...
- Tristan? Yes, of course.

- Right.
- He's away, James.

- You mean he's gone to lreland already?
- Crack of dawn.

- Leaving this?
- There was just no time.

He'd have missed
his train connection otherwise.

Have a heart, James. He's got months and
months of TT work ahead of him there.

The least we could do
was give him a proper sendoff.

What form did this sendoff take?

Well, once you and Siegfried left,

myself and Tristan and the girls
got the music going.

Wait a minute.
How is it that we didn't hear you?

We must have done it on tiptoe.

Yes, all right.
Spare me the details.

- Calum?
- Mm-hm?

What's this?

Yes, all right, all right. I know what it is.
To whom does it belong?

Mabel.

Mabel.
Yes, of course.

I know this is a very naive question,
but what the hell is it doing on the floor?

- The dancing, James.
- The Dance of the Seven Veils?

No. Four-handed reel.

You see,
Mabel got into the spirit of things,

and she insisted she needed
freer body movement to do it justice.

- Yes, of course she did.
- (phone rings)

I'll get it.

Calum, please.
I insist.

- I'll get it.
- James...

- Don't even ask.
- I see.

Darrowby three eight five.

Oh, morning, Mr Clark.

That's very good news.
I'll get out to see you today.

Mm-hm. Goodbye.

Helen, don't you dare help him.

(snores)

- Afternoon, Mr Clark.
- Hello, Mr Herriot.

Pleased to get your calves at last?

Aye, I am that, lad.

- Right.
- Come on.

(mooing)

You've done a grand job, Mr Clark.
That's splendid.

It's nowt but a goods wagon,
but it'll be first-class treatment all the way.

- Do you want to have a look at 'em?
- Yes, I would. Thanks.

What do you think of them, then,
Mr Herriot?

They're on the small side, but they were
the best I could get at the market.

Uh-huh.

- What do you reckon?
- They're looking a bit peaky, actually.

I hadn't spotted that.

Calves this young -
there are often problems.

Taken from their mother, shunted around
in lorries. Not much of a start, is it?

They're going to get the best of care here.
I'll feed 'em up.

- Great care with the feeding, eh?
- Aye.

Water and glucose
until they settle in.

Just you leave it to me, Mr Herriot.

So when did you decide
to take up farming?

Well, I use to drive the train
up and down the line all them years,

seeing the beasts on the farms,

and I used to think, "That's for me when
the time comes to turn in my badge."

Do you know,
it's like a dream come true for me.

- Doesn't happen very often.
- Aye.

Tha's right, lad.

Don't worry.
I'm sure he'll be fine.

- Bye.
- Bye.

- Hello, there.
- Mr Hartley. Come in.

(Hartley sighs)

- Good evening, Mr Herriot.
- Evening. What can I do for you?

- I'd like someone to look at my sheep.
- Anything serious?

No, no.
They just seem a bit dozy.

I'll put you down for a visit tomorrow.
All right?

Aye. Aye.

I think that's all I come to say.
I could have telephoned,

but I like to see for mesen
what's going on in here when I can.

Just to step in here, right into the heart of
the great mystery of science. Fascinating.

The things you read in
Farmers Weekly,

it seems like every day
there's summat new.

You've no faith in the new?
ls that it?

I'm not saying that,
but it's double-edged, isn't it?

- No point in change for change's sake.
- Tell me summat new.

I'll never forget that witch doctor's trick of
yours when that bull of mine were dying.

- You still remember that?
- Oh, aye! I'll never forget it.

There it was,
this great beast on its last legs,

and there I am,
expecting this young veterinary

to pull summat smart from
the science book, and what do you do?

You take the hose from the standpipe and
you spray that great beast with cold water.

Thing is,
that cold water worked a treat.

Aye, lad. I'll have to give you that.
(chuckles)

- Good evening, Mr Herriot.
- Bye, Mr Hartley.

Come on.

Come on, Dan.

Dan!

Come on, Dan!

Hello, what's this?
Sent a boy to do a man's job, have they?

Don't worry. I'll try to live up to
your high standards, Mr Hartley.

Don't mind me, veterinary.
I'm a firm believer in youth.

- Brings a bit of fresh-thinking to the job.
- Right.

So, er, those are the sheep
you want me to see?

Aye. I've penned up the worst of them.
They seem right dowly.

"Dowly"?

Aye. Dowly.

Let's have a wee look at them, then.

(baaing)

- Aye, there's something wrong there.
- Any idea what it is?

Possibly.

- Science, Mr Hartley.
- Oh, aye?

Rule number one -
never jump to conclusions.

Oh, aye.

Right.

Let's see if my scientific theory
is correct.

Thanks.

- Why have you brought me here, James?
- Just to see what you thought of it.

- Stop playing games.
- Come on.

Dan, come on.
There's a good boy.

Come on.

Helen.

Come and look at this.

Here we are.

(Helen) Lovely.

- James, what is this all about?
- Oh.

There's all the info.

Here... is the key.

Come on.
I haven't seen inside yet.

- James...
- Look first, talk later. All right?

(sighs)

Well, young fella?

- I see you're troughing them, Mr Hartley.
- Always do when lambing's on us.

- Where do you keep the feed?
- In the old cow barn.

- Do you mind if I have a look?
- You won't find nowt except feed sacks.

Just the same, I'd still like to
have a wee look, if you don't mind.

Please yoursen, veterinary.

- Do the sheep graze in this field?
- Aye.

And, er, do you always
keep this barn door shut?

Aye, as a rule.
What you getting at, veterinary?

Just a minute.

Come here and have a look at this,
Mr Hartley.

Well, I'll be damned.
Rats must have got to them.

No, I don't think so. I think some of your
sheep got in here and had a wee snack.

No, no, no.
No, no. Never.

No?

Look, Mr Hartley...

Well, what if they did?
It won't do 'em any harm.

Overeating causes protein poisoning.
That's what your sheep are suffering from.

- Poisoning?
- Keep them away from that feed.

I will. But I reckon you've got one of these
miracle drugs to knock it on the head.

Well, er, magnesium sulphate
might do the trick.

Aye. But will you have to
go back to the surgery to get it?

I don't think so. There should be
plenty of it around the farm, actually.

What? Magnesium what?
Not on the farm. No.

- How about Epsom salts?
- Aye, any amount of that, but...

Magnesium sulphate
is the scientific name for Epsom salts.

Well, you live and learn,
no mistake.

Right. What we have to do
is give them all a big dose of that.

- Could you go and get me some, please?
- Aye. Aye, I will.

Er... haven't you got anything
with a bit of science about it?

Come on.
Come on, Dan.

- You all right, darling?
- Well...

It's this corset thing the doctor's
advised me to wear. It's killing me.

That means it's doing you good.

If it wasn't such a ridiculous contraption,
I might agree.

Well? What do you think?

- You are in serious trouble, James.
- Am I?

- I want that house.
- So do I.

- Problem is, can we afford it?
- We've got savings.

That's not nearly enough.
Do you think we could get a mortgage?

We could try the bank.

It'd take a long time, and would they
let us have what we need?

- Somebody else will put an offer in.
- Somebody already has.

- Oh, no.
- Oh, yes.

Why on earth
didn't you tell me, James?

You bring me up here, you show me
the perfect house, and now you tell me...

The estate agent said
that they'd probably accept that first offer.

So we're in with a chance.

- You put in an offer?
- Who else?

You put in an offer
without consulting me first?

- I can always withdraw it.
- Over my dead body.

- Siegfried...
- Ah! James.

I have some wonderful news.

Ah, first, James, would you be kind
and explain the meaning of this?

Yes. The drugs we need to reorder.

"One winchester of formalin, one jar
of spirits of nitre, potassium iodide."

Honestly, this reads
more like an alchemist's litany

than the requirements
of a modern practice.

- Siegfried...
- James, this is 1951 ,

the age of penicillin, sulphur drugs
and divers modern miracles,

yet here you are, still chucking away
our cash on these primitive concoctions.

Do you mind if we talk about this later?
I've got something to tell you.

- James, this is not an unimportant issue.
- Everyone still uses those, including you.

Why? Because none of us bothers
to do otherwise. Look here, James.

The good news about modern alternatives
cascades through our letter box daily.

Do we take heed? Does any of us stop
to think or endeavour to take advantage?

- It's advertising bumf.
- There you go, that infuriating attitude.

- What attitude?
- Denigrating enthusiasm for progress.

- Enthusiasm tempered with caution.
- Caution to the point of pig-headedness.

I know I'm wary of change.
It's not all for the good.

Science is providing modern drugs and
medicaments quicker than one can blink,

but you consistently hark back, keeping
faith with eldritch brews of yesteryear.

Everything on this list
comes with the total approval of Mr Barge.

Ah. Mr Barge. What is this extraordinary
influence that old Barge has over you?

You have been treating him to lunches
ever since I joined this practice.

That's entirely irrelevant. James,
you said you had something to tell me?

Another time, Siegfried.

- Well, I hope it works out, James.
- Huh. So do we.

You, er, you kept it under wraps,
did you not?

Well, we didn't know it was on the market
until yesterday.

Hope you pull it off this time, though.

Helen wouldn't settle for anything less.

- Does Siegfried know yet?
- I tried to tell him.

He wouldn't give me a chance.
That drugs order I made out.

It's all those shiny pamphlets pouring
through the letter box. He's at fever pitch.

He thinks of me
as the veterinary Luddite of Darrowby.

- How do you see yourself, Mr Herriot?
- Well...

Look, I'm fascinated by new treatment.
But I do not have to share his view, do I?

- No.
- That's what needles him.

- (Helen) James!
- Yes?

- That was Mr Clark. His calves are poorly.
- Oh, God.

He's very upset about them.
He needs you out there right away.

Come on, Dan, get in.
Hurry up. Come on.

Come on, Dan. In you get.
Come on. In you go.

Good dog.

- They've got white scour, Mr Clark.
- What's that?

It's a bacterial enteritis.
It's a vicious little bug that causes it.

- (Clark) ls it serious?
- Especially in animals this young.

Oh, that's not what I'd hoped to hear at all,
Mr Herriot.

- What have you been feeding them?
- Milk substitute. I did right, didn't I?

You overdid it, actually. Their stomachs
weren't ready for rich food.

- I did say just glucose and water.
- Oh, aye, I know.

I just thought milk'd,
you know, get 'em going.

Mm.

It's a funny old life. All them years,
waiting on my own place after retiring.

You never think
it's gonna turn out like this, do you?

Well, it's just bad luck,
I suppose.

Aye. I thought
the job were a good 'un.

I told you the worst that could happen.
You haven't lost them yet.

- There's still a chance?
- New drugs on the market every day.

I'll ring the supplier,
see what he's got for white scour.

Meanwhile, I'll give them
a shot of antiserum. That might help.

Have you got any old dry sacks
around the place?

- I can have a look for you.
- Just so we can wrap them up warm.

- Would you do that?
- I'll be right back.

Yes, thanks.

(phone rings)

Hello.
Darrowby three eight five.

No, he's not, I'm afraid.
This is Mrs Herriot speaking. Can I help?

Oh, yes?

Is it about the offer
my husband made for Rowangarth? Yes.

Yes.

Yes, all right.
I'll tell him.

Thank you. Goodbye.

Helen?

Oh, Calum.

- What's the point of it, Mr Herriot?
- Old-fashioned nursing. They need it.

- Is there owt else we can do for 'em?
- Check the wagon for draughts.

Right. In you go, girls.
Come on. Let's move. Go on.

- So we keep 'em nice and warm, do we?
- That's right.

They do need fresh air as well, you know?
It's a very fine line.

- I'm very grateful for your help.
- The odds are against them, you know.

That's fascinating.

Here are the information sheets
on our new products.

Now, tell me about availability
of the new antibiotics.

The intramammary tubes
available now for mastitis

are just one of many forms of penicillin
we can supply.

James, you won't have met
Jonathan Dixon.

He works for Sigma Pharmaceuticals.
My partner, James Herriot.

- Morning, Mr Dixon.
- Pleased to meet you.

Sigma. Don't often get the big boys
knocking on our door.

We're taking a keen interest
in country practice now.

The literature's all very impressive,
James.

Oh, yes. We've been getting a lot of this
stuff lately, all selling the same things.

We think we have
something extra to offer.

Scientific information sheets on products,
a discount on bulk purchase

and, of course, access to the very latest
products ahead of the competition.

- Anything for white scour?
- Sorry?

White scour.
One of my client's calves have it.

White scour?

Come on.
Nobody talks about white scour any more.

- It's the old country name for...
- Bacterial enteritis.

That? Oh, yes. I can't say for sure,
but I bet I can find something to fit the bill.

- You leave it to me, Mr Herriot.
- It is very urgent, Mr Dixon.

Message understood.

- Thanks for giving me your time.
- My pleasure.

It's been a very interesting conversation.

Goodbye. I will be in touch
about that problem of yours.

Yes. Thank you.

There now. Thank you for spending
so much of your time with us, Jonathan.

So, one of the new breed.
Quick, intelligent, keen, up to date.

Just what we need if country practices
are to stay abreast of the times.

- He's a very long way from our Mr Barge.
- What? There's no comparison.

Old Barge and the company he represents
are not of this century.

Messrs Cargill and Sons.
They're all dead, you know.

We have had this conversation.
Had you forgotten?

Not at all.
And I apologise unreservedly, James.

It's simply marvellous that you and Helen
have found somewhere to live at last.

Thank you. It's going to cause
a few changes here.

Nothing we can't handle.
Calum can move back here for a start.

- Move back? Me?
- Well, someone's got to man the fort.

While Tristan's away,
you're the garrison.

James.

- The estate agent rang.
- And?

They accepted?

- Yes.
- What are you saying?

Well, only that we've got a house
if we want it. Really.

And if we can afford it, of course.

- You don't look very hopeful, Mr Herriot.
- We're losing them, Mr Clark. I'm sorry.

I've been talking to me neighbours about
white scour. They don't hold much hope.

I rang our supplier yesterday.
He wasn't there. I left a message, but...

Oh, them rep fellas.
They seem to promise all kind of miracles.

It's more than promises
these poor beggars need now.

- Look, Mr Clark...
- Mr Herriot,

I appreciate you trying, but you said
yourself, there's nowt more you can do.

And they say I could get a bit back
if I sold 'em to the knacker.

He pays extra if he gets them
before they die.

Well, yes.
You could do that, but...

Do you reckon they've got
any kind of chance at all, Mr Herriot?

Mr Clark,
I can't guarantee anything.

But what you'll get from Mallock now
is nothing to what you'll gain if they live.

Ifthey live, Mr Herriot.

(doorbell)

Mr Barge! Come in.
How nice to see you.

Thank you so much, dear lady.

- How are you keeping, Mr Barge?
- One must not complain.

I was wondering whether
Mr James was within.

- Oh, he's not, I'm afraid. Excuse me.
- (phone rings)

Calum!

Hello.
Darrowby three eight five.

Yes.

- Sorry? Yes.
- Oh, hello. Can I help you?

Well, I was hoping to see Mr James,
but I understand he's out at the present.

- That's right.
- Perhaps Mr Siegfried is available?

Yes, he's here.
And you are?

I represent Cargill and Sons,

suppliers of fine chemicals since 1850,
young sir.

Oh, you're a rep.

If you wish
so to describe my profession.

You, I take it, are Mr Calum,
the latest member of the practice?

Yes.

Barge.

Aloysius Barge at your service.

Oh, you're Mr Barge.
I'm sorry, I had no idea it was you.

- I'll just tell Siegfried you're here.
- Most kind.

(Helen) I'll tell him
as soon as he comes in.

- There's a Mr Barge here to see you.
- Barge?

Yes. He looks more like an emigre
from the court of St James than a rep.

Helen, shut the door.

- Did you tell him I was here?
- Yes. What's the matter? He's only a rep.

- The way a Rolls-Royce is only a car.
- You idiot, Calum.

- I can't possibly see him at the moment.
- Right. I'll send him on his way.

- You don't send Mr Barge on his way.
- Oh, he's that special is he?

Mr Barge is a legend. He has supplied
drugs to this practice since the year dot.

Almost an honorary member,
is that not right?

- The point is I've been considering...
- (Helen) Yes?

..changing our source of supplies, so it's
inconvenient to see him at the moment.

Why didn't you check with me
before you said I was here?

- I wasn't to know.
- Oh, well. Nothing for it but to see him.

I'll go and get him, then.

- Mr Barge, would you like to come in?
- Thank you so much.

Ah, come in, dear Mr Barge! I'm frightfully
sorry to have kept you waiting.

- Not at all, Mr Siegfried.
- Do, please, sit down.

Oh, thank you very much,
but please don't disturb yourself.

I shall not detain you long.

- I didn't know it was time for your visit.
- Er, no, indeed, nor did I.

No, my actual visit
does not take place until...

Let me see now.

Ah, yes.
Thursday 21 April of this year.

On that day, I am invited to luncheon
at the kind behest of Mr Siegfried.

Ah... yes.

How are Messrs Cargill and Sons coping
with all the changes in the profession?

Thank you for your interest,
dear lady.

Our professional policy
has remained unchanged since 1850.

Now, as then, we endeavour
to provide our esteemed clients

with a service second to none.

- That's very reassuring. Isn't it, Siegfried?
- Indeed so.

Well, I had hoped to see Mr James

and pass on this remedy
for the treatment of white scour.

Oh, yes,
that'll be Mr Clark's calves.

Mr James telephoned my office and left
a message yesterday of such urgency

that since I was
passing through Darrowby...

- That's extraordinarily good of you.
- Not at all.

I hope it will be
of some benefit to him.

Time was when the preferred treatment
for white scour -

or "shut" as the locals called it -

was starch and scalded milk.

It often produced
very good results.

But times change,
eh, Mr Siegfried?

Yes. One hopes that they change
for the better, Mr Barge.

Well, I shall not detain you further,
gentlemen.

Until the 21st.

And, dear lady.

- Goodbye, Mr Barge.
- Goodbye, Mr Barge.

Thank you again
on James's behalf.

Hello.

Enter.

Ah, Mr Herriot.

- Morning, Mr Gregson.
- How nice to see you again. Take a seat.

Ah.

So, all change
for the Herriot family?

As you know, we have been
thinking about moving, and...

Rowangarth seems to be
the ideal place.

Yes, a most attractive property,

judging by the details.

And a fair buy at the price.

- You have considered my request, then?
- Of course, Mr Herriot.

I should have approached you
before I made the offer, but...

If it was your intention to seek the bank's
help in purchasing the property, I agree.

There was a chance
we might lose the house, you see.

I quite understand
what prompted your action, Mr Herriot,

hasty though it was.

It seems that I'll need £1 ,500
towards the purchase price.

Mm?

£2,154, I estimate,

if one includes legal
and other sundry charges.

Ah.

Plus the cost of moving
and necessary repairs and refurbishing.

Yes, of course.

In all, I believe you'll be short
of some £2,300.

- As much as that?
- Oh, yes.

A very considerable
sum of money indeed.

How do you propose to find it?

That's why I'm here, Mr Gregson.

I know, Mr Herriot. I know.

But we only provide mortgages
in exceptional cases.

And only to customers in whom we have
immeasurable confidence.

Oh.

I know our little difficulties in the past
have been resolved,

but it is the bank's duty
to look to the future.

Yes, of course.

It wouldn't be easy, Mr Herriot.

The estimated repayments
would severely stretch your resources.

Mm.

Buying a house, Mr Herriot -
your very first house -

is the most important of decisions.

In my experience, often a case of fools
rushing in where angels fear to tread.

We want this house, Mr Gregson,
no matter what sacrifice it takes.

Hm.

The property will have to be inspected
and its value assessed.

Of course.

Family life and banking are not dissimilar.
Both thrive on confidence in the future.

Are you saying you'll help us?

I think you can confidently
leave the arrangements to us, Mr Herriot.

(James) Helen!

- Helen?
- James.

- Mr Barge left some medicine.
- That was quick.

- It's in the surgery.
- Oh, good. Thanks. He said yes.

- Who?
- Mr Gregson.

He is arranging a mortgage.

(chuckles)

That's it.

Hello, you two.
Did Mr Barge leave anything?

- Aye. On the desk.
- Ah, good.

Did he say what it was?

One of the remedies used in the ark,
without a doubt.

- As long as it helps Mr Clark's calves.
- How bad are they?

- On their last legs.
- I doubt if they'll get much joy from that.

Barge confirmed my worst fears. Do you
know what his remedy for white scour is?

- Starch and scalded milk.
- He did say that was an old cure.

I think he's come up with something
a bit better than that.

"Sulphur pyridine."

- Really?
- You know it?

Well, obviously, it's... it's one of the...
(clears throat) ..latest sulphur drugs.

- New to me.
- Has it been used to treat white scour?

Not to my knowledge, James. I'm sure
young Dixon would have told me if it had.

Maybe he didn't know it was available,
in which case, one-up to Mr Barge, eh?

I shall be interested
to know how you get on.

Yes. I'd better get this into them
straightaway.

- Best of luck.
- Thanks, Calum.

(beeps horn)

Morning.

- Mr Herriot.
- How do?

Good morning, Mr Mallock.
Bad news travels fast, I see.

- It does with stagnation of the lung.
- It's enteritis.

That's right.
Stagnation of the lung.

- They're still alive, though, Mr Clark.
- (Clark) Aye, but for how long?

I know it seems hopeless, but
the supplier's come up with new tablets.

But they're dying, lad. I mean,
you don't need to be an expert to tell that.

Mr Clark, if I manage to save just one,
it'll reduce your loss.

I really don't know. I mean,
it's throwing good money after bad.

Just let me try
this one last thing, eh?

This young fella here
is concerned for me calves, Mr Mallock.

- I think it's only fair I give him a chance.
- It's all right, Mr Clark.

Young veterinary
is only trying to do his job.

- I can always come back tomorrow.
- Yes.

Thank you so much,
Mr Mallock.

The thing is that Mr Mallock has offered
me a few bob more than they're worth.

Well, it's plain to see it's all over with 'em.
Just give me the word and I'll shift 'em.

I don't rightly know what to do.

Look, if I shift 'em straightaway,
you'll have summat, won't you?

If I leave them,
they're worth nowt.

I'll need your help, Mr Clark. We'll give
a loading dose first - two tablets per calf.

- (Clark) How do they take 'em?
- (James) Crushed and mixed with water.

I'll need some water, please, and a jug,
and do you have an empty beer bottle?

- Aye, maybe.
- Excellent.

We'll use that for the drenching.
It's got smooth sides, you see.

Right.

You know, veterinary, you're right set
on these little blue tablets, aren't you?

- Well, there's nothing else I can do.
- No, I...

I suppose
it's always worth having a go.

- They're not yours yet, Mr Mallock.
- No.

Maybe not.

But with stagnation of the lung,

they will be.

Hello, James.
How's Mr Clark's calves?

I just stopped Mallock
turning them into dog meat.

- They're still alive, then?
- Just about. Why?

Jonathan Dixon rang to say he tracked
down what you need to put them right.

He's on his way over now. Siegfried, as
you can imagine, is cock-a-hoop about it.

- Yes, I can imagine.
- (knock on door)

Oh, it's you, Mr Hartley.
Good afternoon. Come away in.

Hello, lad. I just thought you might
like to know how my sheep got on.

Since you hadn't got back in touch,
I assumed they're on the mend.

You assumed right. Right as rain.
Best work I've seen in years.

- Well done, Calum.
- Oh, it was a bit of luck, really.

Nay, praise where praise is due. I had
my doubts, but you were right on the ball.

- And no mistake.
- (knock on door)

- Hello.
- Hello, Jonathan.

- Sorry to intrude. The front door was...
- No, no. Come in.

Mr Hartley, this is Jonathan Dixon.
He's one of the drug reps serving our area.

- Mr Hartley is one of our clients.
- Pleased to meet you, Mr Hartley.

Ah, Jonathan! Jonathan,
I thought I heard you. There you are.

- So you sell this lot their miracle drugs?
- Nothing but the latest and the best.

- (Hartley) You'll do no good coming here.
- Sorry?

You'll be casting your science
on stony ground with this lot.

- I'm not with you, Mr Hartley.
- Some might need your miracles,

but these two perform their own.

They can raise animals from the dead,

and not with the wonders
of modern science. Oh, no.

- They have a different kind of magic.
- I'm sure Mr Dixon doesn't want...

Mr Farnon's a great one
for needles and fancy tablets,

but it's these two here
that I take my hat off to.

That one raises bulls from the dead
using nowt but cold water,

and this young fella saved some of my
best ewes using nowt but Epsom salts.

Good afternoon, gentlemen.
Epsom salts!

- Goodbye, Mr Hartley.
- (chuckles)

- You get some characters.
- He's one of our more eccentric clients.

- You said you had something for James?
- Something new for white scour.

- That's excellent news.
- It's not generally available yet,

but I pulled rank
and it should be with us within the week.

- As long as that?
- They do say it's a certain cure.

- What is it?
- One of the new sulphur drugs.

Sulphur pyridine.

(clears throat)

- Is something wrong?
- No.

It's just that our regular supplier
brought me some this morning.

Sorry.

(beeps horn)

Stay, Dan. Good dog.

I don't know why you bothered
to come today, Mr Herriot.

Like that, is it?

Come and see for yourself.

Yes. Right.

(mooing)

- (James) My God! I don't believe it.
- They're cured, aren't they?

It certainly looks like it, Mr Clark.

I wish I were as lively as that meself,
Mr Herriot.

Well, you can go on a course
of those tablets if you like.

Now, then, Mallock.
Does that beat hen-racing or doesn't it?

Well... I take me hat off to you, veterinary.

Them little blue tablets, eh?

First thing I ever knew
could cure stagnation of the lung.

Thank you.

Good.

The bank will of course retain possession
of the deeds to the property,

but I assume
you'd welcome a facsimile.

- Yes, please.
- Good.

I'll arrange for one
to be done for you.

So, there we are. All things considered,
a remarkably smooth purchase.

We're very grateful.

All that remains to say is that, on behalf
of the bank, I wish you and your family

every happiness
in your new home.

Thank you.

- More lemon meringue pie, Mr Barge?
- Thank you, Mrs Herriot, but perhaps not.

I've had more than
an elegant sufficiency.

And may I compliment you once again
on a truly memorable luncheon.

- Thank you.
- A motion seconded by all present.

Hear, hear!

Mr Barge, exactly how long
have you been coming here?

Oh, a long time, young sir.

Inordinately long,
some might say.

Mr Barge looked after me
when I practised here alone, Calum,

and he took care of my predecessor,
I think, if my memory serves me.

- Indeed. And the incumbent before that.
- (Siegfried) Oh, yes.

The days when the plough
was drawn by living horsepower,

and the motorcar, an innovation that
many of us thought would not catch on.

Pity it ever did.

- You must have seen so many changes.
- Indeed, young sir, indeed.

Some to our benefit,
others less so.

But that which matters most
changes least, I find.

What's that, Mr Barge?

- People, Mrs Herriot.
- An interesting thought.

One I'll leave you with,
if you'll excuse me while I make coffee.

- I'll give you a hand.
- Thank you.

Aha!

New brochure?

Well, I hoped it might be
of interest to you.

Cargill and Sons never produce one

without including
a host of scientific advances.

That sulphur pyridine
dealt with the white scour.

I hoped it might be of use to you.

Mr Barge, those calves were near
to death, and every one of them survived.

I'd like to ask you, Mr Barge, how
you came by a supply of sulphur pyridine.

Well, Mr James did stress
the urgency and severity of the case.

Yes, but it's, I understand, not
a readily available drug, sulphur pyridine.

Ways and means, Mr Siegfried.

Well, I still think
it's a remarkable achievement

to get a supply
of a scarce modern drug so quickly.

Well, you must remember,
we have 100 years' experience in...

circumventing such difficulties.

It is a curious thing,
you know, Mr Barge,

how suddenly one can lose sight
of what is under one's very nose.

With so many competing distractions,

very often the case, I find.

Happily, Farnon and Herriot
don't fall into that category.

Do we, Siegfried?

Er, James, that list of yours -
have you got it?

Mr Barge's list. Erm... Good heavens,
do you know, I have. Here it is.

Why don't you give Mr Barge
our requirements

while I get each of us
a glass of brandy?

- Oh, most kind.
- Thanks, Siegfried.

- All right, Mr Barge?
- Yes, indeed, young sir.

- Two dozen electuaries.
- Yes.

- One dozen castration clamps...
- James!

Electuaries, two dozen?
We're always short of those.

Yes, quite right.
Four dozen electuaries.

Thank you.

- A dozen castration clamps...
- At this time of year? For heaven's sake.

We'll absolutely never manage
with piffling quantities like that.

- Make that four dozen castration clamps.
- Six dozen, Mr Barge.

Thank you.

- And two dozen fever drinks.
- Two dozen fever drinks?

Forgive my cautious partner,
Mr Barge.

- With the terrific call on fever drinks...
- All right, four dozen, then.

- A gross, Mr Barge. A gross.
- Much obliged.

- One winchester...
- No, four.

- Four winchesters of formalin, please.
- Now, look here.

Now, we'll also have
three jars of spirits of nitre, er...

three jars of potassium iodide,
three... no, four of tincture of camphor,

four of Linimentum album,

three of red blister
and two of lead,

and five of...