All Creatures Great and Small's Samuel West shares update on dad Timothy's potential cameo

Nicky Morris
·3-min read
Samuel West in All Creatures Great and Small, Samuel with dad Timothy West
Samuel West in All Creatures Great and Small, Samuel with dad Timothy West (Channel 5 / Shutterstock)

All Creatures Great and Small star Samuel West has shared an update on the possibility of his dad, actor Timothy West, making an appearance in the popular Channel 5 show.

Samuel plays Siegfried Farnon in the period drama, which tells of veterinary surgeon James Herriot's adventures in the 1940s Yorkshire Dales.

Speaking to HELLO! and other press ahead of series five, which concludes on Thursday night, Samuel revealed that Timothy isn't lined up for a cameo role, adding that if his father were to guest-star, he'd have to play a character related to Siegfried due to the uncanny resemblance between the two actors.

When asked if he'd had any luck securing his dad a part on the show, Samuel said: "No, not yet. 

Samuel West in All Creatures Great and Small
Samuel West stars in All Creatures Great and Small (Helen Williams / Playground Television / Channel 5 Television)

"I think James Bolam played the part he would have been up for last year, beautifully. And they're roughly the same age," he continued, referring to James's season four character, Mr. Dakin, whose elderly cow is a patient of Siegfried's.

Samuel went on to say that while "there aren't that many roles for 90-year-old actors", the "problem" is that he and his dad look "increasingly like each other".

Timothy West and Samuel West
Samuel said his dad Timothy West isn't lined up for a cameo (Dan Wooller/Shutterstock)

"I don't really believe in the genetic inheritability of talent, so much as the genetic inheritability of tiny little eyes that disappear when you smile," joked the actor, adding: "So unless we were playing two people who were actually related, I think it would be quite confusing."

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Timothy, 90, boasts an impressive acting career and is known for his roles both on the stage and on-screen. Viewers will recognise him for his appearances in Bleak House, the BBC psychological thriller, Exile, alongside John Simm and Olivia Coleman, Last Tango in Halifax and EastEnders.

Samuel West, Prunella Scales and Timothy WestUK Theatre Awards, London, Britain - 28 Oct 2012
Samuel is the son of famous actors Prunella Scales and Timothy West (Dan Wooller/Shutterstock)

His wife – and Sam's mum – Prunella Scales, is also a famous actress. The 92-year-old is perhaps best recognised for playing Sybil Fawlty, wife of John Cleese's Basil Fawlty in the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. She's also appeared in a wide range of films and TV series, including The Hound of the Baskervilles and Howards End.

In 2014, Timothy revealed that Prunella had been diagnosed with vascular dementia.

Timothy West and Prunella Scales attending the gala opening of the new London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art centre, London
Prunella was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014 (Ian West - PA Images)

When asked about her memory in a recent interview with The Times, Prunella said: "Well, as one gets older, one's memory and living from minute to minute changes, doesn't it? You get less efficient. My memory is less good. I mean, I forget to do things and, that's age, the same as everybody else. Oh, don't go on asking me about things like that."

All Creatures Great and Small continues on Thursday 24 October at 9pm on Channel 5.