Early Herriot lacks animal magnetism

There are many of us who remember with affection the weekend television series All Creatures Great and Small.

The series, which ran for 12 years from 1978, starred Christopher Timothy as country vet James Herriot who worked with fellow vets Siegfried (Robert Hardy) and Tristan (played by Peter Davison).

It was at times moving, funny and entertaining. So it must have seemed like a great idea to return to the stories and begin them at Herriot's veterinary training college in Glasgow. In Young James Herriot,BBC One, The young James (Iain De Caestecker) has no science qualifications but he does have a passion for animals and a burning desire to be a vet.

He is a bit of an innocent abroad, immediately the victim of a practical joke by posh boy Rob McAloon (Ben Lloyd-Hughes).

But there's comfort from the feisty Whirly Tyson (Amy Manson), who – shock horror – is campaigning for toilet facilities for the college's two women students.

On paper, this should have been great. On screen it was a massive disappointment.

There's no edge to the drama. James is nice enough ("I came here to cure animals, not to kill them") but he's a very two-dimensional character.

The others don't fare much better. Whirly has the most ridiculous scene of the opening episode. When her aunt's puppy is struggling in labour she demands "towels, hot water and soap flakes... for lubrication".

Where All Creatures Great and Small almost relished the chance for Herriot or the others to be up to the armpit in cow bottom, Young James Herriot chickens out.

Having demanded towels and so on, the scene immediately cuts to Whirly wiping her sweating brow and looking on in amazement at the safely delivered and very, very clean puppies.

I suspect it seemed like a good idea at the time. But what next? Perhaps First of the Summer Wine?