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James Herriot Trivia

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James Alfred "Alf" Wight used the pen name of James Herriot for his semi-autobiographical books based on his experiences as a veterinary surgeon. They were the basis for a long-running BBC television series which shared its title with his first book, "All Creatures Great and Small".
3 James Herriot quizzes and 45 James Herriot trivia questions.
1.
  All Things James Herriot   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
James Herriot wrote a funny and charming series of books detailing his experiences working as a vet in Yorkshire during the first half of the 20th century. Let's see how familiar you are with the author and his stories!
Average, 20 Qns, skippymac, Nov 02 24
Average
skippymac
Nov 02 24
1730 plays
2.
  The Books of James Herriot    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
The books written by the vet James Herriot are a fantastic, hilarious read set in Yorkshire, England. Please note - there may be spoilers.
Average, 15 Qns, JasonOgg, Oct 31 06
Average
JasonOgg
648 plays
3.
  "All Creatures" Food   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Many of the popular vet's stories involved food and drink - sometimes in hilarious ways!
Average, 10 Qns, skippymac, Jan 28 12
Average
skippymac
735 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What was the title of the first book written by James Herriot?

From Quiz "All Things James Herriot"




Related Topics
  British Literature [Literature] (49 quizzes)

  Contemporary Literature and Fiction [Literature] (23 quizzes)


James Herriot Trivia Questions
1. What is the name of the woman James Herriot later marries?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: Helen Alderson

James asked Helen to various things around the town of Darrowby, often going on the advice of his boss' brother, Tristan. These attempts to win Helen's favour seemed to always end in some sort of disaster, although it seems that Helen herself didn't really mind.

2. What was the author's real name?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: James Alfred Wight

James Alfred Wight (or Alf Wight, as he was known) wrote his stories under the pen name James Herriot. Christopher Timothy is the actor who played the role of James Herriot in the BBC series "All Creatures Great and Small".

3. James did not want to appear impolite by refusing a meal he was served by a friendly farmer's wife - even though he found the dish she served utterly disgusting! What did James have to smother it with in order to force it down?

From Quiz "All Creatures" Food

Answer: Spicy relish

"And you like ma Piccalilli too - you finished the whole jar!"

4. What was the title of the first book written by James Herriot?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: "If Only They Could Talk"

James Herriot wrote his first book "If Only They Could Talk" at the age of 50, although it took 4 years before it was published in 1970. "It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet" was his second book, published in 1972. "All Creatures Great and Small" is an omnibus edition incorporating his first two books, published in 1972. "Every Living Thing" was not published until 1992.

5. Whilst serving in the RAF, James was forced to have his tooth, for want of a better word, removed. What was the nickname that the infamous dentist who attempted to perform this deed had acquired?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: The Butcher

It turned out that the "Butcher" only snapped James' tooth in half, leaving the root inside his mouth, as well as causing him to have stitches. James was annoyed at the time because, not only had he already had a previous check-up telling him his teeth were fine, but the tooth that was "removed" was the tooth he used to hold his pipe.

6. What is the fictional name of the town where James lived and worked?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: Darrowby

Despite the fictitious name, fans discovered quickly where the "real" Darrowby was and it became quite a tourist attraction. Today there are museums and libraries celebrating the life of the popular vet from Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

7. James Herriot used to have to visit a woman called Mrs Bond who had numerous cats. What was the name of the savage cat that Tristan let out of a cage just before James was supposed to examine it?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: Boris

Boris the cat. James, Tristan and Mrs Bond then had to spend ages trying to re-catch the cat. Tristan had wreaked havoc trying to capture Boris, having a wonderful time in the process, saying, "That was great Jim. I didn't realise you had so much fun...". Mrs Bond, after this little occurance, said on a different visit, "Mr Herriot, I hope you aren't going to bring that young man with you again."

8. Mr Crump served James a wide variety of his homemade wines, which James found both unique and delicious. What was one of the unusual types of wine they tried?

From Quiz "All Creatures" Food

Answer: Cowslip

Mrs Crump scolded her husband for pestering people to try his wines, but James loved it and his obvious enjoyment seemed to fill Mr Crump with pride - and of course, the two of them became downright pie-eyed as they sampled his concoctions.

9. How old was James (according to the books) when he first arrived in Yorkshire to interview for the veterinary assistant position at Skeldale House?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: 21

James arrived in "Darrowby" in 1937, shortly after graduating from Veterinary College. He was understandably concerned about finding employment in his chosen field, as he had heard plenty of horror stories at college, but he was hired and remained there until his retirement.

10. Mrs Pumphrey once had a pet pig. What was the name of this pig?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: Nugent

Mrs Pumphrey, as well as having a pet pig, originally had a pet dog named Tricki Woo, to whom James was the uncle. Although he was teased by Siegfried and Tristan because of it, James realised the advantage of being Tricki Woo's uncle when he was sent hampers, kippers and various other expensive items in the dog's name.

11. Here is an easy one - what are the fictional names of the two brothers James worked with?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: Siegfried and Tristan

Donald Sinclair was "Siegfried" in the books, and Brian Sinclair was "Tristan".

12. What was the name of James' and Helen's first son?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: Jimmy

When James first saw Jimmy, he couldn't believe that a baby could look that strange, so he quickly compared him to another newborn child in the building. According to James: "He's a funny looking thing, isn't he?"

13. James was once summoned to see an urgent case - a dog had eaten rat poison. He hadn't brought any medicines with him in his hurry. What did he use to treat the dog?

From Quiz "All Creatures" Food

Answer: Mustard

It worked, too.

14. What happened when James arrived at Skeldale House to meet his future boss for the first time?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: He had forgotten about the interview and gone out, and James had to wait for him all day

James was quite distressed to hear upon arriving that Siegfried had gone to visit his mother in Brawton. While he waited for Siegfried to return, he had a few confusing conversations with clients, an uncomfortable tea with a lady friend of Siegfried's, and eventually fell asleep in the garden before finally meeting his boss.

15. When James sent a letter to his canine nephew Tricki Woo, thanking him for a hamper, why was the dog apparently offended?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: James addressed the letter to "Master" Tricki Woo

Mrs Pumphrey said: "Tricki adored your charming letter and he will keep it always, but he was very put out about one thing - you addressed it to Master Tricki and he does insist upon Mister. He was dreadfully affronted at first, quite beside himself, but when he saw it was from you he soon recovered his good temper. I can't think why he should have these little prejudices. Perhaps it is because he is an only dog - I do think an only dog develops more prejudices than one from a large family."

16. What was the name of Mrs Pumphrey's pampered Pekingese?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: Tricki Woo

Some of Tricki Woo's unique ailments included going "flop bott" and "cracker dog". He often sent gifts and letters to his dear "Uncle Herriot".

17. After visiting a racecourse with a group of others, Siegfried found it necessary to polish the windscreen of the car. What did he polish it with?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: A dead chicken

This was quite an unfortunate occurance. It could, possibly, be blamed on the fact that Siegfried was drunk at the time.

18. When Helen was pregnant with their first child, what food couldn't she get enough of?

From Quiz "All Creatures" Food

Answer: Custard

He would always see her with a spoon in her hand. Along with the cravings, she began to complain of "funny smells" which led them on a long search for a place to eat that didn't "smell funny". Pregnancy is a funny thing.

19. What was the name of the housekeeper at Skeldale House?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: Mrs Hall

Miss Harbottle was the secretary Siegfried hired to do the bookkeeping and who found his disorganized ways around the office extremely vexing.

20. James discovered an interesting food combination favoured by locals at the holidays, and learned that when eaten boldly together at once it tasted quite good. What was it?

From Quiz "All Creatures" Food

Answer: Fruitcake, cheese, and whisky

Maybe it tasted better after a few whiskys!

21. What was the name of the pub where James and the Farnon brothers used to unwind over a pint most often?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: The Drover's Arms

Although they frequented many establishments in the area, the Drover's Arms was most often their local haunt of choice, and Tristan would regularly be chatting up the barmaids.

22. What was Richard Carmody bitten by?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: A dog

Well, I suppose a dog would be the logical choice. Richard Carmody was the student vet who went round with Siegfried and James on the farms. On one of the first visits, Carmody questioned and, in fact, completely disagreed in a rude way, with James' diagnosis of a lame calf. Carmody said, as they were driving away from that particular farm, "You know, that wasn't joint ill." James then wrote, "I made a mental note to try and keep this fellow away from Siegfried; one remark like that and Siegfried would unhesitatingly hurl him out of the car."

23. Where did James meet Helen, the girl he fell in love with and later married?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: At her home when he was called to see an injured calf

He later would run into Helen at all of these times, and it always made him a bit flustered as he was so smitten with her - and she was often in the company of her boyfriend.

24. What was the first name of Granville Bennett's wife?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: Zoe

Whenever James went to visit Granville Bennett and his wife, Zoe, Granville would offer him large amounts of food and drink, looking offended when James declined. By the time he left each time, James was pretty much a drunken wreck.

25. Tristan was always playing tricks. Once he dressed as a monk and pretended to be a ghost to frighten motorists as they passed an old abbey late at night - what happened?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: A policeman spotted him and gave chase, so Tristan hid in a smelly drainage pipe until he was gone

James did play a telephone prank on Tristan once in retaliation for the numerous tricks Tristan was always playing on him, but it wasn't in relation to this story.

26. What was the day that James first took Helen to the Reniston?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: Saturday

One of the disastrous ideas of Tristan.

27. Where did James take Helen on their first date?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: A dinner dance at a posh hotel

James' suit didn't fit and Mrs Hall had to alter the seat of ths trousers, which the jacket was not long enough to cover. The road was flooded and they got soaked when the car filled with water, and had to push the stalled car. And when they finally arrived at the hotel the dance was not on after all. All in all, not a great first date!

28. How much did "the Geography of the World in Twenty-Four Volumes" cost James?

From Quiz The Books of James Herriot

Answer: Three shillings

"The Geography of the World in Twenty-Four Volumes" ended up in the cellar of Skeldale House, because the books didn't smell particularly pleasant.

29. Mrs Pumphrey acquired an unusual pet to be a companion for her spoiled little dog - a pig! What was its name?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: Nugent

Although she originally kept it in the kitchen, the cook was not happy about this arrangement and James managed to convince Mrs Pumphrey that the pig would be happier outdoors. Still, he lived outdoors in style. "Nudist" is how the gardener mistakenly (or perhaps not!) pronounced Nugent.

30. When James and Helen married, they took in a ginger tabby cat that James had treated. However, the cat had the unusual habit of running away from home to attend all the local social functions. What was the cat's name?

From Quiz All Things James Herriot

Answer: Oscar

Unfortunately, the cat's owners turned up and James and Helen had to return Oscar to them.

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