Patricia Hodge as Mrs Pumphrey on All Creatures Great And Small
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All Creatures Great and Small: Patricia Hodge delights fans as she replaces late Diana Rigg as Mrs Pumphrey

Patricia did a great job!

All Creatures Great and Small viewers have given their verdict on Patricia Hodge as the new Mrs Pumphrey.

The veteran actress, 75, stepped into the role after Dame Diana Rigg passed away aged 82 last year (2020).

And the good news is that they gave her a big, fat thumbs up!

Patricia Hodge as Mrs Pumphrey on All Creatures Great And Small
Viewers gave their verdict on Patricia in the role (Credit: Channel 5)

What happened in last night’s All Creatures Great And Small with Patricia?

In last night’s episode, viewers were made to wait for Mrs Pumphrey’s grand arrival.

To start with, her little dog Tricki Woo made a visit to Skeldale House to be looked after by James after Mrs Pumphrey went on a trip.

Read more: All Creatures Great And Small: Patricia Hodge to replace late Diana Rigg as Mrs Pumphrey

As you can imagine, things were chaos when the posh pooch was being looked after by ‘Uncle Herriot’.

But after around 40 minutes, Mrs Pumphrey made her entrance, apologising for her dog who goes a little ‘Tricki Woo-lally’ when she’s left near chickens.

However, eyes were soon on Patricia who had some big shoes to fill after Dame Diana’s exit.

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How did viewers react to Patricia?

Thankfully, viewers gave Patricia a big thumbs up for her performance as the eccentric and forthright widow.

One exclaimed: “#AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall Saved the best till last… Patricia Hodge great actress.”

Another wrote: “Patricia Hodge as Mrs Pumphrey on #AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall a great choice [smiley face emoji].”

A third said: “Patricia Hodge embodying the spirit Mrs Pumphrey beautifully.

“Got her off to a T. She’s one of the family already. #ACGAS #AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall.”

Finally, a fourth said: “Pure escapsim… #AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall @channel5_tv #PatriciaHodge is fine and dandy as new Mrs Pumphrey.”

Patricia Hodge took over from Dame Diana Rigg in All Creatures Great and Small
Dame Diana had made the role her own (Credit: YouTube)

“It was an honour”

In interviews with the Daily Express in the lead-up to the second series, Patricia said it was an honour to take over from Dame Diana and play the role.

“I met her several times but I didn’t ever work with her but the very last encounter I had with her, it was one to remember,” she said.

Read more: All Creatures Great and Small: Samuel West plays Siegfried Farnon – who are his famous parents?

Asked if she felt the pressure of following in Dame Diana’s footsteps, she said: “You could never play Hamlet if you thought of all the people who went before.

“You just step in and do what you feel instinctively is right.

“I didn’t have to think about it because everyone just accepted me from day one. So that was a help.”

All Creatures Great and Small, Season 1: Episode 2 Scene

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor