PETER WRIGHT TURNS 70 — THE YORKSHIRE VET CELEBRATES A LIFETIME OF CARING FOR ANIMALS

From the Yorkshire farms that shaped his childhood to television screens around the world, Peter Wright has spent a lifetime turning his love for animals into a remarkable veterinary career.

For generations of viewers, Peter Wright is more than simply a familiar face on television.

He is the calm voice in the consultation room, the experienced vet arriving at a farm when an animal needs help, and one of the most recognisable personalities from The Yorkshire Vet.

Now, the much-loved Yorkshire vet is celebrating a major milestone — turning 70.

And behind the birthday celebrations is a career that stretches far beyond television, filled with animals, family, rural life and a deep commitment to animal welfare.

LOVE OF ANIMALS THAT STARTED IN YORKSHIRE

Peter was born and raised in the small village of Thirkleby in North Yorkshire, surrounded by family farms and the countryside.

He has previously recalled how his childhood environment helped develop his fascination with animals.

In September 2026, Peter returned to his childhood village for celebrations marking the 175th anniversary of All Saints’ Church. Speaking about his early years, he described growing up there as an idyllic childhood and remembered how the surrounding countryside helped shape his lifelong love of animals.

That early connection eventually became a profession.

Peter studied veterinary science at the University of Liverpool, graduating in 1981, before returning to North Yorkshire and building his career as a rural veterinary surgeon.

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JAMES HERRIOT

Peter’s career also has a remarkable connection to one of Britain’s most famous fictional veterinarians.

He worked alongside Alf Wight, the real-life Yorkshire vet whose pen name was James Herriot.

Wight’s experiences inspired the much-loved All Creatures Great and Small books, and Peter has spoken frequently about the influence of the legendary vet on his own career.

Peter even remembers visiting the veterinary practice as a schoolboy while Alf Wight was still working there.

Decades later, Peter would become part of a new generation bringing Yorkshire veterinary life into viewers’ homes.

THE FACE OF THE YORKSHIRE VET

When The Yorkshire Vet first arrived on Channel 5, Peter was initially hesitant about appearing on television.

But the programme became a huge success.

By 2026, the series had reached its 10th anniversary, with Peter still at the centre of its story. The Royal Television Society reported that the programme attracts more than one million live viewers for its regular Channel 5 broadcasts, with millions more watching on catch-up.

Across the years, audiences have watched Peter deal with everything from farm emergencies to beloved family pets.

The appeal has never been only about veterinary medicine.

It is about the relationships between animals and the people who care for them.

HIS PASSION DOESN’T STOP WITH TELEVISION

Away from The Yorkshire Vet, Peter has also become a passionate advocate for donkey welfare.

In 2019, The Donkey Sanctuary appointed him as an ambassador, recognising his years of veterinary experience and his compassion for animals.

Peter had already visited the charity’s specialist donkey hospital in 2018 for Channel 5’s Help the Animals at Christmas.

During that visit, he assisted with an operation involving Poppy, a donkey with a potentially life-threatening sarcoid.

The experience left a lasting impression on him, and he later described becoming an ambassador as a great honour.

A SPECIAL CONNECTION WITH DONKEYS

Peter’s work with The Donkey Sanctuary has continued over the years.

During a later visit, he met Champagne, a Poitou donkey recovering from a painful eye condition.

Peter praised the veterinary team’s care and highlighted how carefully staff had adapted their approach to Champagne’s reduced vision.

For him, the experience offered another reminder of how much pain animals can experience — and how important specialised veterinary care can be.

It is another side of Peter that viewers may not always see on television.

Behind the familiar personality is a vet who continues to advocate for animals even when the cameras are no longer rolling.

TURNING COMPASSION INTO A LEGACY

In 2026, Peter also took on another deeply personal project — helping create memorial spaces where people can remember beloved pets they have lost.

Working with partners including Ifor Williams Trailers, he helped launch a nationwide pet memorial scheme.

The first memorial area opened at the World of James Herriot museum in Thirsk, in the very place where Peter’s own veterinary history is deeply rooted.

The project reflects Peter’s belief that the grief people experience after losing an animal companion should not be dismissed simply because that companion had four legs.

It is a particularly fitting project for a vet whose career has always centred on the bond between people and animals.

SEVEN DECADES, ONE PASSION

From childhood adventures in the Yorkshire countryside to working alongside the real James Herriot, from decades as a practising vet to becoming a television favourite, Peter Wright’s journey has been anything but ordinary.

His career has crossed generations.

He has treated countless animals, shared their stories with millions of viewers and used his public profile to support causes close to his heart.

And even at 70, Peter’s work shows no sign of being defined simply by the number on his birthday cake.

Whether he is standing beside a farm animal, treating a beloved family pet or speaking about animal welfare, the message running through his career remains remarkably consistent:

Animals matter.

And for a man who discovered his love for them as a boy growing up in rural Yorkshire, that may be the most fitting legacy of all.

A BIRTHDAY WORTH CELEBRATING

For fans of The Yorkshire Vet, Peter’s 70th birthday is more than a personal milestone.

It is a chance to celebrate a man whose career has brought the realities — and the emotional rewards — of veterinary life into millions of homes.

From Yorkshire farms to donkey hospitals and pet memorial gardens, his story continues to be shaped by the same thing that inspired him as a child:

A lifelong love of animals.

🥳 Happy 70th birthday, Peter Wright — and here’s to many more years of caring for the creatures who have made your remarkable career so special.

SOURCES

• University of Liverpool — Peter Wright profile
• Ifor Williams Trailers — Peter Wright’s pet memorial scheme
• Hambleton Today — Peter Wright’s childhood in Thirkleby