In the Fall of 1999 I had the pleasure of interviewing Jim Wight. He was in Canada promoting his book (The Real James Herriot) about his father Alf Wight - more commonly known as James Herriot.

James Alfred Wight, known the world over as James Herriot, the world’s most famous veterinarian and author, continues to be incredibly popular five years after his death. While parts of his life were shared with his fans through his books and the television series All Creatures Great & Small, Alf Wight remained a very private man. Recently his son, Jim Wight, a veterinarian who worked alongside his father in their Yorkshire animal hospital for more than 20 years, shared considerable information about him when he wrote the authorized biography The Real James Herriot. In December, while Jim Wight was in Toronto promoting his book, I had the opportunity  to ask him some questions.

Q.  When you were first approached about writing your father's biography you had some reservations. What were they and what convinced you to write this book?

A.  My reservations about writing the book were:

• I did not want people to think that I was trying to emulate my father as a writer.  I did not want comparisons to be made.
• I had absolutely no "track record" as a writer.  I gave up English at school at 15 years old.  I did not think I could do it.
• I did not want to give up my work as a veterinarian.
• There was a danger of "over sanctifying" my subject, in writing about someone for whom I had an extremely high regard.

Q.  The Real James Herriot is a delightful book. I found that your writing style was similar to your father's in that the book was not only informative, entertaining and easy to read, but it consisted of liberal doses of humour and compassion. In writing this book you mentioned that you re-read your father's books to "...pick up some tips from the master,..." You obviously learned well. Any thoughts of continuing your literary career? Have you considered writing about some of the incidents you've had as a veterinarian?

A.  Thank you for your kind comments about my book.  At the moment I have no definite plans for writing another.  I have, however, plenty of material and have thought of writing another on the fascinating people my father knew.  I could also write about my own experiences as a veterinarian; I have had many interesting ones.  Remember, though, a guy by the name of James Herriot has beaten me to it, and "pinched" one or two of my best stories!

Q. It is obvious that your family is very close - even from a geographical point of view with your sister Rosie living next door to your parents and you living in a nearby village. Describe what it was like growing up in your family. Do your sister, mother and you still live close to one another? What were their reactions to your book?

A.  My mother, sadly, died in July this year, but my sister Rosie still lives in the house next door.  We had an idyllic childhood, having great and understanding parents who always found time for us. My mother had, at first, reservations about my writing such an open and frank biography.  I have revealed everything to the reader -- my father's bad times as well as the good ones -- and, judging by the response from readers of my book in the U.K., I have made the right decision.  Both Rosie and my mother eventually agreed to the contents of my book.  If they had not, I would not have gone ahead.  In fact, if they had not, I would not have agreed to the book's publication.  I decided that the book was to be a "warts and all" biography, or not at all!

Q.  In 1997 Graham Lord wrote a biography about your father entitled James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet. What do you think of this book?

A.  I do not wish to comment too much on Mr. Lord's book.  It was well-researched and very professionally written, but, in not having access to those closest to my father, his book falls short of describing the truth behind my father's life.  This is only to be expected from an unauthorized biography.

Q.  Some people mistakenly believe that the James Herriot books are fiction. Your father did embellish his stories somewhat changing the dates and names (and occasionally the sexes) of his characters to protect their identity. How accurate were the stories themselves?

A.  Mr. Lord, in his book, intimated that at least 50% of James Herriot's stories were fiction.  This is very misleading.  The vast majority of the stories were based upon real characters and real incidents.  I should know -- I knew the people and I remember many of the incidents.

One of the reasons the Herriot books captured the imagination of so many people is that they were based on fact.  This was a major reason for so many tourists flocking to Thirsk and the dales to see the places -- and hopefully meet the real people themselves.  The stories, of course, were embellished a little and composite characters and events constructed out of varying numbers of characters and incidents.  But almost all were based on fact.

Q.  My wife Lynn and I have recently begun reading James Herriot's wonderful children's books to Gleannan, our 5-year-old daughter. In The Real James Herriot you mention that the stories of Oscar, Cat-about-town, Moses the Kitten and Blossom Comes Home were changed somewhat from what actually occurred. How accurate are Bonny's Big Day, The Christmas Day Kitten, The Market Square Dog, Only One Woof and Smudge's Day Out?

A.  Again, many of these stories were based upon fact, although these were embellished, probably more than his other stories.  For example, Only One Woof was based upon a dog that barked only once, but it takes a storyteller of the calibre of James Herriot to turn this into a readable story. Bonny's Big Day was based on a real horse (and owner -- real name John Sowenby), but The Market Square Dog and The Christmas Day Kitten were composites on several animals and quite heavily embellished.  The incidents in these stories did, however, all enter my father's life at some time during his veterinary career.

Q.  Your father's stories were brought to life on the big screen and on television and these productions were immensely popular. I think that your book would make a good movie. Can you see The Real James Herriot being made into a movie?

A.  Why don't you drop a line to some TV producer with this idea Glenn?!  I would love to see it on film.  Interestingly, a 30 minute video on the life of my father (brought out long before the publication of my book -- it was released about four months ago) has proved extremely popular.  A film, based on my book, I think, could do well.  I believe my agents in London are working on this idea.

Q.  Like your father you became a veterinarian joining the practice of Sinclair and Wight in 1967. Are you still working as a veterinarian at this practice in Thirsk?

A.  Yes, I am still working as a vet in Thirsk, although only part time.  I am in limbo at the moment -- neither vet nor author -- and have to think carefully about my next move.

Q.  What are the biggest changes and challenges facing veterinarians today compared to when you graduated from the Glasgow Veterinary College in 1966?

A.  The biggest changes and challenges facing the vet profession compared to my qualification in 1966 are:
 1. Keeping pace with the rapid advances in our knowledge of animal diseases.
 2. Keeping pace with ever-changing technological advances.
 3. Dealing with an ever more demanding public (most important).
 4. Combating the new diseases that continually emerge through intensive livestock farming.

Never forget that James Herriot, in his heyday, did not have the rules, regulations, bureaucracy and ever-present threat of litigation to dog his every move.  He was right when he said his life was "harder but more fun."

Q.  Animal companions are such a big part of people's lives. Like your father I can't imagine living without a canine companion - several in fact. Describe the animal companions who have been a part of your family and what they have meant to you and your family.

A.  The animals in my family have been numerous, ranging from dogs to iguanas and snakes.  After leaving home in 1974, when I was married, my wife Gill and I had a Lancashire Heeler bitch called Sophie.  She had one eye, as the other had been shot out by an air gun pellet. This wonderful little dog (frightened of nothing!) had a serious congenital heart condition and died suddenly at the age of nine years.  She had three pups and we kept one -- Chloe.  I had to put her to sleep at the age of 16 years but we had another dog at the time, Zola,  who, sadly, died two months ago of kidney failure.

Zola was a rescue dog from one of two dog sanctuaries near Thirsk.  She was from the Jerry Green Foundation Trust -- one of my Dad's favourite animal charities.  Another wonderful little dog.

For the first time in over thirty years I am without a dog, but I still have a 16-year-old cat, "Crumpet"….  I cannot be much longer without a dog…. Dogs have provided immeasurable pleasure to my family for as long as I can remember.

Q.  23 Kirkgate, the veterinary clinic in Thirsk (referred to in the books and movies as Skeldale House) where your father and Donald Sinclair worked for more than 50 years has been "...preserved as a memorial to James Herriot" and is now a "...visitor centre under the title of 'The World of James Herriot.'" Can you please describe this venture and what it means to your family.

A.  This centre has proved a great success with over 69,000 having passed through its doors following its opening at Easter this year.  I think it will continue to be a great success, especially as the feedback from visitors has been extremely positive.

My father always maintained that his worldwide success and fame meant very little to the local people, always maintaining that "one is never a prophet in one's own land."  This gesture by those local people to Thirsk's most famous adopted son proves, I think, that he was wrong.

Jim Wight, his wife Gillian, their children Nicholas, Zoe and Katrina along with Crumpet, their 16-year-old cat, live in a village near Thirsk, England.

Note: Thanks to Kelly Hechler and Meghan Brousseau with McClelland & Stewart Inc. for their assistance with this interview.

Recommended Reading
The Real James Herriot
The Christmas Day Kitten
Smudge's Day Out
The Market Square Dog
Only One Woof
Blossom Comes Home
Oscar Cat-about-town
Bonny's Big Day
Moses the Kitten