10 Sept 2025
Viking Vets opened its doors in front of a TV audience of millions.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Maria Lowe (centre), practice manager Andrew Lowe and head nurse Lisa Cartwright celebrate 25 years in practice.
A Bristol clinic founded by two stars of Vets in Practice is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Viking Vets was established in 2000 by Norwegian vet duo Maria Lowe and Trude Mostue while appearing in the hit BBC One docu-soap, which ran from 1997 to 2002.
An episode of the series was dedicated to the practice’s opening, and filming continued at Viking Vets for a year.
While Trude left to pursue a television career – which included appearances on Vets to the Rescue, Vets in the Wild, and Britain’s Worst Pets – Dr Lowe remains the head veterinary surgeon.
She is celebrating the practice’s milestone alongside her husband Andrew Lowe, who became practice manager when Trude departed, and head vet nurse Lisa Cartwright, who joined the team a week before its opening.
Dr Lowe said that while Viking Vets has grown from a team of four to 24 vets, nurses and receptionists, “it was my goal when opening the practice to give first-class care to pets and an excellent service to clients, and that is no different today.”
She said the team is “like a family” and that “once a month we have an extended lunch break and I cook for everyone, because looking after our people is the best way of delivering the best care to pets.”
Viking Vets won the SPVS/Mind Matters Initiative Veterinary Wellbeing Award in 2017.
Dr Lowe added: “What humbles me every day is the appreciation our clients give us and the trust they put in us to care for their much-loved animals.”
The clinic opened just one month after a suitable building had been found, and three months after Dr Lowe had given birth to her youngest son.
Reflecting on her time in Vets in Practice, she said: “Being on the programme was an incredible experience and we created so many incredible memories that were captured on camera. It was a quarter of a century ago, but people still ask me about it today.”
The series – a follow-up to Vets’ School, which followed a group of final-year students at the University of Bristol – attracted more than 10 million viewers at its peak.
