Victor Gilling

Czechoslovakia, 1952. For some, life under the post-war Stalinist regime is hardly worth living and although the escape route to the West is almost suicide, the rewards - prosperity, political freedom, even luxury - make it a risk worth taking.

All Creatures Great and Small is a British television series, based on the books of the British veterinary surgeon Alf Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot. Ninety episodes were aired over two three-year runs. The first run was based directly on Herriot's books; the second was filmed with original scripts.