First look at upcoming All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special

Filming preparations for the Christmas special of All Creatures Great and Small have begun in the Yorkshire village of Grassington.

Army recruitment posters and horses were seen as the village prepares to transform into the fictional village of Darrowby. A plaque for James's veterinary practice at Skeldale House was also spotted by The Yorkshire Post.

The Devonshire pub was transformed with a large sign re-naming it The Drover's Arms, a key set in the series.

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Curiously, crew members also put tape across lots of the windows in the village.

In an interview with Radio Times, Patricia Hodge who plays Mrs Pumphrey revealed the reason behind it: "An amusing detail that I discovered… when we film at Broughton Hall, of course, they have to tape every single one of the windows in wartime fashion. Windows had to be cross taped, each pane, so that they would withstand any blast that happened and stop them from shattering and becoming dangerous.

"Well, you can imagine the number of windows that they have to tape up at Broughton Hall. And they do every single one immaculately. I always stare up at them and think, 'Someone has got to get up and remove every single one of those tapes when we’ve finished filming.'

She added: "I’m always very admiring of people who do that. It's laborious."

What happened in the previous Christmas episode?

Last year's Christmas special proved extremely dramatic, as leading man James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) was stuck on an RAF base while his wife Helen (played by Rachel Shenton) went into labour, delivering baby James in an emotional and heart-warming episode.

Is All Creatures Great and Small coming back?

Fans were delighted when the popular Channel 5 show was renewed for a further two series, with the broadcaster promising that the series would "continue to bring the stories of James Herriot to life as we return to Darrowby to rejoin our unconventional much loved Skeldale Family and the colourful ensemble of farmers, animals and townsfolk living in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1940s."

Who will be in the new series?

It's a host of familiar faces returning, as Nicholas and Rachel reprise their roles as our favourite leading couple. Samuel West is back as eccentric vet Siegfried Farnon, as well as beloved matriarch Mrs Hall, played by Anna Madeley. James Anthony-Rose is also back as Richard Carmody and Patricia Hodge is Mrs Pumphrey.

There's an exciting return of Callum Woodhouse as Siegfried's mischievous younger brother Tristan Farnon, who left Darrowby in series three to join the Royal Veterinary Corps.

What have the actors said about the next season?

Speaking previously to HELLO!, Samuel revealed his "dream scene" for season five. "I love working with horses," he said. "My dream is to have a scene in series five with Rachel [Shenton] where we both get to ride together because I know she's a great horse rider and I'm not."

Anna (Mrs Hall) expressed her excitement for other character arcs, telling HELLO!: "I think there are loads of stories that are fantastic to tell."