Julian Norton Explained

Julian Norton
Birth Date:1972 6, df=y
Birth Place:Castleford, West Yorkshire, England
Occupation:Veterinary surgeon, TV personality, author
Spouse:Anne
Children:Two

Julian Norton (born 3 June 1972) is a British veterinary surgeon, author and TV personality, best known for his appearances on thirteen series[1] [2] of The Yorkshire Vet, which has been broadcast on Channel 5 since 2015.[3] [4]

Early life

Norton was born and brought up in the mining town of Castleford and went to school in Wakefield at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, before gaining a place to study veterinary medicine at Cambridge University.[5]

Career

Norton attained a certificate in Small Animal Practice in 2007. From 2018 he worked at Rae, Bean and Partners in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire.[6] He moved to a new independent small animal practice – Sandbeck Veterinary Centre – in Wetherby, West Yorkshire in 2019 and, in March 2021, Norton opened the Thirsk Veterinary Centre with colleagues. Norton also co-authored a paper in the Veterinary Record 142: 107–109, on the "Measurement of arterial oxygen-haemaglobin saturation in newborn lambs by pulse oximetry".

He performs regular "in conversation" events with comedian and stand up poet, Kate Fox,[7] [8] and was awarded the Dalesman "Yorkshireman of the Year 2017".[9]

Norton is connected with various charities and is an ambassador for Cheetah Conservation Fund (www.cheetah.org.uk) and for VetMentor, an organisation to assist potential veterinary students. He is also partnered with charity Riding for the Disabled. During his work with the organisation, he raised enough funds for riding lessons for 32 disabled children.[10]

Sporting achievements

Norton held the world record for 24-hour tandem indoor rowing in 2010 with friend Roger Brown, an ex-Olympic rower.[11] [12]

He has competed in the UK Ironman event, finishing in the top 50 in 2013,[5] [13] and represented Britain at age-group level in the European Long Course Duathlon in 2014 and 2015 and at the European Middle Distance Triathlon championships in 2014 and 2015.[14] [13] [15]

He completed the Patrouille des Glaciers ski mountaineering race from Zermatt to Verbier in 2018.

Personal life

Norton is a mixed practice veterinary surgeon, in North Yorkshire, where he lives with his wife, Anne and two sons, Jack and Archie.[16] [17] He has spent the majority of his working life in Thirsk,[18] working as, first, an assistant, then partner in the practice at which Alf Wight (better known under his pseudonym of James Herriot) had worked.[19] [20]

Norton is an active supporter of the Liberal Democrats.[21]

Channel 5/Daisybeck programmes

From 2015 to 2018, Norton was the main vet featured in the Channel 5 docuseries The Yorkshire Vet. Produced by Daisybeck Studios[22] in Leeds, the show originally featured Norton working as at a vet at Skeldale Veterinary Centre in Thirsk, alongside Peter Wright.[23] [24] The programme became popular, achieving viewing figures of over 2 million and making it one of the channel's most successful shows.[25] [26] Since 2018, the programme has followed Norton as he worked at a number of new veterinary practices and added Donaldson's Vets on Somerset Road in Almondbury as a filming location,[27] [28] following vets David Melleney, Matt Smith[29] and Shona Searson[29] as they go out to see animals in the Huddersfield area and on Cannon Hall Farm.

Norton has also featured as a regular guest on The Wright Stuff as well as Springtime on the Farm and Big Week at the Zoo.[30] [31]

In 2021, season 13 of The Yorkshire Vet followed Norton as he sets up the Sandbeck Veterinary Centre in Wetherby,[32] a surgery which became one of the three places the series is based at, alongside Grace Lane Vets in Kirkbymoorside and Donaldson's Vets in Almondbury, Huddersfield.[33] [29] [34] [35]

In 2022, Norton presented reports for the Channel 5[36] documentary series Our Great Yorkshire Life,[37] visiting Becky and Ian Sheveling's vineyard in Robin Hood's Bay[38] [39] [40] [41] for the first episode.[37] Our Great Yorkshire Life also features Norton's co-stars from The Yorkshire Vet (Peter Wright)[42] [43] and This Week on the Farm (Cannon Hall Farm brothers Dave and Rob Nicholson) as presenters and is narrated by Emmerdale actor Dean Andrews.

Works

Filmography

Television
YearTitleRoleChannel
2015—The Yorkshire VetHimselfChannel 5
2017The Wright StuffHimself – Special GuestChannel 5
2018Springtime on the FarmHimselfChannel 5
2018Big Week at the ZooPresenterChannel 5
2020This Week on the FarmHimselfChannel 5
2021Live: Summer on the Farm[44] [45] [46] HimselfChannel 5
2022Our Great Yorkshire Life[47] PresenterChannel 5

Books

Norton has written six books, and he also contributes a weekly column in The Country Week of The Yorkshire Post.[48]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: My5. Channel5.com. 26 January 2022.
  2. Web site: My5. Channel5.com. 26 January 2022.
  3. Web site: The Yorkshire Vet. Facebook.com. 20 October 2018.
  4. News: Julian Norton MBA Literary Agents. Mbalit.co.uk. 20 October 2018.
  5. News: The Yorkshire Vet talks stud alpacas, udder salve and James Herriot's legacy. Parker. Olivia. 30 September 2016. The Telegraph. 20 October 2018. 0307-1235.
  6. Web site: Rae, Bean & Partners STAFF. rbp1. 20 October 2018.
  7. Web site: An Audience with the Yorkshire Vet. yarmschool.org. 20 October 2018.
  8. Web site: An Evening with Julian Norton King's Hall Ilkley. Yorkshire. Bradford Theatres. 20 October 2018.
  9. News: Dalesman Awards 2017 . Dalesman. 20 October 2018.
  10. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/country-and-farming/yorkshire-vets-ad-libbing-at-a-talk-in-leeds-raises-enough-money-for-32-disabled-riding-lessons-3872414
  11. Web site: Thirsk pair hope to break rowing machine record. Gazette & Herald. 20 October 2018.
  12. News: Celebrities: Pam Ferris, Sir John Major, Cherie Booth, Roger Brown, Julian Norton, John Bercow, Ricky Tomlinson. Thirdsector.co.uk. 20 October 2018.
  13. Web site: Our Staff. Skeldalevets.co.uk. 20 October 2018.
  14. Web site: Athlete Profile: Julian Norton ITU World Triathlon Series. Union. International Triathlon. ITU World Triathlon Series. 20 October 2018.
  15. News: My Yorkshire: Julian Norton aka the Yorkshire Vet on his favourite people and places. Yorkshirepost.co.uk. 20 October 2018.
  16. News: Julian Norton: Seizing the chance for a camper van escape. Yorkshirepost.co.uk. 20 October 2018.
  17. News: Treating all creatures great and small in new TV show The Yorkshire Vet. Pontefractadcastlefordexpress.co.uk. 20 October 2018.
  18. Web site: Yorkshire vet Julian Norton opens independent practice in Thirsk. Darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk.
  19. Web site: Vet departs original James Herriot practice. Centralvet.com. Vision Team -. Vnonline.co.uk. 20 October 2018.
  20. Web site: Meet our team of vets, nurses & client support at our new vets in Thirsk. Thirskvetcentre.co.uk. 26 January 2022.
  21. Web site: Chapman . Hannah . Resounding victory for Liberal Democrats in North Yorkshire Council by-election . The Northern Echo . 3 December 2023 . 1 December 2023.
  22. Web site: Home. Daisybeckstudios.com. 26 January 2022.
  23. Web site: Our Staff. Skeldalevets.co.uk. 26 January 2022.
  24. News: The Yorkshire Vet . Channel 5. 20 October 2018.
  25. News: The Yorkshire Vet: How a TV show revived a town's tourist trade. Utton. Dominic. 24 April 2018. The Daily Express. 20 October 2018.
  26. News: Thirsk is buzzing from The Yorkshire Vet effect. 20 October 2018.
  27. Web site: Somerset Road 24/7 Surgery. Donaldsonsvets.co.uk. 26 January 2022.
  28. Web site: Locations. Donaldsonsvets.co.uk. 26 January 2022.
  29. Web site: The Yorkshire Vet. Donaldsonsvets.co.uk.
  30. Web site: YouTube. The Wright Stuff: The Yorkshire Vet, Julian Norton tells us about a lamb born with 5 legs. 25 April 2017. 20 October 2018.
  31. News: Farming realities captured on TV as Yorkshire's Cannon Hall hosts Springtime on the Farm. Yorkshire.co.uk. 20 October 2018.
  32. Web site: Meet our team of vets, nurses & client support at our new vets in Wetherby. Sandbeckvets.co.uk. 26 January 2022.
  33. Web site: Home. Donaldsonsvets.co.uk. 26 January 2022.
  34. Web site: Somerset Road 24/7 Surgery. Donaldsonsvets.co.uk.
  35. Web site: The Yorkshire Vet Season 13. Radio Times.
  36. Web site: TV listings guide. Radio Times. 26 January 2022.
  37. Web site: My5. Channel5.com. 26 January 2022.
  38. Web site: Robin Hoods Bay Yorkshire Vineyard. Bayvineyard.co.uk. 26 January 2022.
  39. Web site: about. Bayvineyard.co.uk. 26 January 2022.
  40. Web site: The Yorkshire sheep farm that became Britain's highest vineyard. Yorkshirepost.co.uk. 26 January 2022.
  41. Web site: Our Great Yorkshire Life: Scarborough fishing family and Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton to star in new Channel 5 series. Yorkshirepost.co.uk. 26 January 2022.
  42. Web site: Channel 5 Has Launched New Series 'Our Great Yorkshire Life' With 'Yorkshire Vet' Star Peter Wright. The. Yorkshireman. 7 January 2022. The Yorkshireman. 26 January 2022.
  43. Web site: Our Great Yorkshire Life Season 1. Radio Times. 26 January 2022.
  44. Web site: Summer on the Farm with Rob and Dave. Newsletter.co.uk.
  45. Web site: My5. Channel5.com. 26 January 2022.
  46. Web site: My5. My5.tv.
  47. Web site: My5. Channel5.com. 26 January 2022.
  48. News: Julian Norton: Hobbo has pants on his head. Yorkshirepost.co.uk. 20 October 2018.