The All Creatures Great and Small star comes from a famous family of TV and theatre stars.
Samuel West is showcasing his passion for birdwatching in a brand new Channel 5 series.
All Creatures Great and Small star Samuel West is joining actor Adrian Edmondson in a new three-part series for Channel 5, called Sam & Ade Go Birding.
Sam, known for his role as Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures, has travelled the world to follow his passion and is keen to introduce Adrian, a complete novice, to some of the UK’s most beautiful birds and habitats.
The series is also about companionship as the pair open up to one another about their lives, with Sam saying it was his mother who inspired his love for the great outdoors.
He said, “I inherited a love of the outdoors from my mother. She was brought up in the country. We always enjoyed walking together, and she was a great gardener, but the birding thing was something I got from my uncle.
“He was a soldier. He used to shoot birds, but then he stopped shooting them and started watching them, which is the right way round. It just became a thing.” Here is all you need to know about the star’s famous family.
Who are Samuel West’s famous parents?
Samuel West, 59, was born in Hammersmith, London, and he is the elder son of the renowned actress Prunella Scales and actor Timothy West. He is also the grandson of the esteemed actor Lockwood West.
Devastatingly, Sam lost both of his parents within less than a year of one another, with his father dying in November 2024 at the age of 90.
His mother, who had battled with vascular dementia, died in October 2025 at the age of 93.
Timothy was best known for his theatre roles and for playing King Edward VII in the television series Edward the Seventh.
He was also known for his collaborations with his wife and son, Sam, both in acting and personal projects.
Prunella was best known for her portrayal of Sybil Fawlty in the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. In her later years, she starred in the documentary series Great Canal Journeys with her husband, Timothy.
Sam recently opened up about the deaths of his parents, telling The Telegraph they were central to his life and he still feels their absence deeply.
He said of his life after loss: “When two such big trees fall on your horizon, you can see much further, but everything looks different, and you’re not quite sure how it looks different.
“You have to get out there and find out.” For much of his life, he unintentionally measured himself against them, adding: “I think you do find out who you are when they’ve gone.”
Samuel West’s family life
Samuel had a close relationship with his parents, both in and out of the spotlight, and appeared alongside them on several occasions.
He starred alongside his mother in Howards End and Stiff Upper Lips, and alongside his father on stage in A Number, Henry IV, Part 1, and Henry IV, Part 2.
In Edward the Seventh, Sam and his brother Joseph played the young sons of the title character, who was played by their father.
In 2002, all three family members performed in Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale.
As for his personal life, Sam began living with playwright Laura Wade in 2007, but they temporarily separated in 2011.
However, in 2013, their relationship flourished when he was cast in a minor role in The Riot Club, the film adaptation of Wade’s play Posh.
The couple have two daughters, born in 2014 and 2017.
Sam & Ade Go Birding starts on April 14 at 8pm on 5
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