Edward Cornock Straiton OBE (27 March 1917 – 30 October 2004),[1] known as "the TV vet", was a Scottish veterinarian, author, and television host.[2] He was the studio-based technical advisor for the BBC television series All Creatures Great and Small.[3] [2]
Born at Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, Straiton studied at Glasgow veterinary school. He started his veterinarian practice in the 1940s and practised in Penkridge, Staffordshire.[4] He began his TV career serving as a host on the television show Farming Today in 1957, giving advice on animal health. His broadcasting reached its peak audience when, in 1977, he took up a regular slot on BBC Radio's Jimmy Young Show. He also wrote a series of popular veterinary books (by "the TV Vet") on farm animals and domestic pets. The books sold almost a million copies worldwide.[2]
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1998 New Year Honours, for services to the veterinary profession and to agriculture.[2]