Adrian Austin, a proud Skipton local, has found himself at the heart of one of British TV’s most cherished dramas, marking VJ Day.
Viewers of Channel 5’s All Creatures Great and Small may have spotted him in the final episode of season six, where he leads Skipton Brass Band during a village celebration.
For Adrian, who grew up in Skipton and now studies Music at the University of Huddersfield, the moment was a surreal blend of hometown roots and national visibility.
Adrian conducts the Skipton Brass Band in real life, and it was through a very local connection that the group found their way onto the show.
The band’s admin manager, Sarah, lives near filming spots in Arncliffe, and her back door happens to double as part of Siegfried’s house in the series.
After plenty of gentle persuasion, the production team finally agreed to feature the band in season six. The result was a full day on location, with the musicians acting as extras in the episode’s penultimate scene.
Although Adrian wasn’t present during the filming of the episode’s final moments, his influence is still front and centre.
The scene features the band performing Gustav Holst’s ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’, arranged and conducted by Adrian shortly before the cameras rolled.
His recording was used on set, with the band miming to his interpretation while gathered around one of the beacons lit to mark the end of the war.
He laughs that the make-up team were probably relieved he wasn’t there on the day, as they had already spent plenty of time covering his tattoos to meet the show’s World War II-era look.
For Adrian, arranging such a well-loved piece meant keeping things traditional. He completed the score quickly, and the band recorded it only hours before heading to set.
Knowing that his arrangement would be heard by millions across the world still feels unreal to him. Skipton and the Dales already attract fans of the series from across Europe, and Adrian admits it’s strange to think that something he created now forms part of that global appeal.
He reflects on how lucky he feels to be part of the Skipton Brass Band and how conducting has opened doors he never expected. What started with answering a simple advert has led to a bucket-list moment: hearing his music used on television, performed by friends and fellow musicians from the town he calls home.
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