Julian Norton didn’t set out to become a TV star. Growing up with a fascination for animals, he knew he wanted to work with them from a young age. After studying veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge, Julian returned to his northern roots, eventually landing a role at a veterinary practice in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. And while most of us might think that veterinary life is about giving vaccinations to dogs or performing the occasional surgery on a cat, Julian’s day-to-day is a bit more rugged.
With his work based in the heart of "Herriot Country" - the area famed by James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small - Julian’s career has come to represent the continuation of a long tradition of Yorkshire vets who roll up their sleeves and dive into the most unpredictable situations. It was only a matter of time before television came calling.
When The Yorkshire Vet launched in 2015, viewers quickly fell in love with Julian's warmth, down-to-earth personality, and ability to handle everything - from sheep births to very feisty ferrets. Now, Julian has recently released his latest book, New Pastures for a Yorkshire Vet.
Speaking of Yorkshire, Julian said: "It’s the mixture of everything. The county is so huge that there is something for everyone. I love the space and the fresh air."
Julian Norton on being a vet
When asked what's the best thing about being a vet, Julian said: "Obviously, discovering a diagnosis and effecting a cure is very satisfying, but over the years, I’ve come to realise that the best bits are actually meeting and chatting with the humans!"
As well as owners, he has also had several memorable patients. "There have been too many to mention. Although the most memorable parts of being a vet is actually the combination of patients and their owners, some of whom we get to know very well."
"I have a good friend who is a rather eccentric elderly lady called Betty and she had a stoic old dog called Billy. One day, she found a hard and quite nasty lump which she presumed was a growth. Initially it felt like a horrible tumour, but on closer inspection it turned out to be a Foxes Glacier mint!"
The sad part comes when animals die, but as Julian points out: "When we have to put down an animal it is usually in its best interest, so that tempers the sadness."
Does Julian Norton have any pets?
"Yes, Emmy who is a Jack Russell Terrier. She’s a star." he says.
When we asked if he's got any top tips for dogs, he told us: "I think we should talk to our dogs more than we do. Obviously, they can’t reply, but they can definitely listen and understand more than we think."
Julian Norton's latest book
"I started writing books in 2015, shortly after the first episode of The Yorkshire Vet was aired on Channel 5. I totally fell in love with the process and writing has become something of a compulsion. New Pastures is my tenth book and it is a compilation of weekly diary-style pieces. Each chapter is a short, succinct and self-contained anecdote about what my veterinary life has thrown at me that week. It’s quite a different style of writing to a typical book, because each one is limited to about 650 words. It forces me to be concise!"
AmazonJulian Norton Instagram
If you'd like to keep up with Julian Norton's work, you can follow him over on Instagram @juliannortonvet.
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, playing board games and spending time with her pet dogs, tortoise and chickens.