TOURISM bosses believe a prime time television series based on the early life of James Herriot will provide a much-needed injection to numerous attractions.

The Herriot Tourism Attractions Group, which represents 130 firms and groups in Hambleton and Richmondshire, said the three-part drama based on the early life of the vet will be “a fantastic opportunity to revive interest in the James Herriot” brand, more than 20 years after All Creatures Great And Small was last broadcast.

Ian Ashton, chairman of the Herriot Tourism Attractions Group, said Young James Herriot, which will be aired on BBC1 on consecutive nights in the run up to Christmas, would attract a new age group to the area.

Mr Ashton said: “This will bring James Herriot back in the spotlight for all the right reasons.”

Phil Bustard, manager of The World Of James Herriot museum, in Thirsk said the series had the right mixture of laughter and tears to put James Herriot back on the map - and help reverse the sharp decline in visitors to the attraction over the past few years.

He said: “To have something on a par with Downton Abbey will be brilliant.”

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said although the series focuses on Herriot’s early life as a student at Glasgow Veterinary College in the 1930s, it would serve as a boost for the North Yorkshire tourism industry and lead to an increase in visitor numbers.

The drama will draw on the diaries and case notes kept by Thirsk-based veterinary surgeon Alf Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym Herriot.

It was written by All Creatures Great And Small and Doctor Who scrip editor Johnny Byrne, a friend of the Wight family which still lives in the Thirsk area.

A BBC spokesman said the most important aspect of the show was the cooperation of the Herriot estate and in particular Mr Wight’s son, Jim, who wrote his father’s biography.

He said: “The family are justifiably proud of the Herriot legacy and very protective of his reputation.”