A television series charting the early life of vet James Herriot is being planned.

Scriptwriter Johnny Byrne, who wrote much of the All Creatures Great and Small series, has written a show called Young James, which is being looked at by a production company.

He got the idea for the programme after reading the diaries of vet Alf Wight, who drew on his experiences in the Yorkshire Dales for the James Herriot books.

Mr Wight began writing at the age of 50. His 19 books have sold almost 70 million copies worldwide and spawned two films and the TV series. He died of cancer in 1995, aged 78.

The Wight family gave Mr Byrne permission to see the diaries, which cover the vet's time as a student at Glasgow Veterinary College in the 1930s.

Mr Byrne said he had been given access to Mr Wight's diaries by his son, Jim, and daughter Rosie.

He said: "I have spent six months researching and writing the new Herriot series. It is now with a production company and is ready to go."

All Creatures Great and Small ran from 1979 until the early 1990s and proved so popular, with up to 18 million viewers tuning in, that tourism chiefs in North Yorkshire began marketing the area as Herriot country.

It is hoped the new series could further boost visitor numbers to the area, especially to Thirsk, which is home to the World of James Herriot Visitor Centre.

At the weekend it was reported that Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe could step into the role of James, played in the original series by Christopher Timothy.

Published: 14/03/2005