All Creatures Great and Small star on 'poignant' reminder of famous dad

Samuel West has revealed how his All Creatures Great and Small character reminded him of his late father.The actor's dad was performer Timothy West - celebrated for films including The Day of the Jackal and The Thirty Nine Steps - who passed away last year aged 90.

Samuel has pursued an acting career too and currently portrays Siegfried Farnon in the Channel 5 period drama, which draws from books about a Yorkshire vet that Alf Wight penned under the pseudonym James Herriot. The star has now opened up about the "poignant" way Siegfried reminds him of his father.

In the programme, Siegfried keeps tins of sardines in the kitchen and in a recent instalment he consumed some rather than bothering Mrs Hall for a meal, reports the Manchester Evening News. He and the housekeeper (Anna Madeley) have been involved in a slow-burn storyline that has witnessed them forge a close bond, with fans convinced a full-blown romance is approaching.

But in the recent episode Siegfried was distressed at the thought of her departing to visit family, and prepared his own food to make her life easier.

Samuel has now disclosed how it made him recall his dad "never knowingly cooking, and very happy to open a tin of fish".

Discussing the sardines featured in the kitchen in the programme, Samuel explained: "The real Siegfried Farnon, Donald Sinclair, was very fond of sardines.

"And Jim, Alf Wight's son, told me that he once called up the office and the housekeeper said, 'No, he can't come to the phone now, he's turning his sardines.' Because the sardines were in oil, and he didn't want them to dry out, he would turn them once a week."

"I've known about this for a number of years, we've all known about it, but we'd never managed to get it into the story," the star revealed.

Discussing his character further, he continued: "He doesn't need to get up, he doesn't need to bathe - there's nothing wrong with cold sardines from a tin, and he's got plenty of them.

"He reminds me of my dad slightly in that respect: never knowingly cooking, and very happy to open a tin of fish. So that's the story of the sardines."

"But I do think it's quite poignant," he concluded.

All Creatures Great and Small airs on Channel 5.