All Creaturres Great and Small's season five is right around the corner, and fans might be surprised to see that a beloved cast member has been replaced!
It has been confirmed that the dog who played Tricki Woo, Derek, has been replaced after reaching retirement age. Paticia Hodge portrays Tricki's owner Mrs Pumphrey in the show, and spoke about the cast change, telling the Express: "It was lovely to see Derek again but he has now reached retirement age and has put his paws up and having a well-deserved rest."
A new pooch named Dora is set to place Derek's place as Mrs Pumphrey's pampered pooch, with the sta adding: "He has his own stand-in, Dora. And our wonderful trainer Jill has trained Dora up very well… It's uncanny really. Dora is slightly smaller, but she's a pretty spot-on lookalike for Derek.
"Derek, of course, is so laid back that he is just a joy to work with. Dora was a bit twitchy in the beginning, but she's really settled. And she's really taken to the training." The trainer also opened up about working with little Dora, saying: "I've really not had anything much to do with the breed up until Tricki came along, but they're incredible little dogs, the nicest, bravest little dogs I think I've ever met."
Samuel West also recently revealed that two of the babies from the previous season had been recast, explaining: "You always work with a pair of babies because if one of them asleep, you're not allowed to wake him up. If they're both asleep, you shoot something else.
"The only problem is that when we got to the Christmas episode, we'd moved forward in time. So the two babies we really liked weren't big enough, so they had to recast them, which was a bit sad." Anna Madeley added: "The babies have changed everything for us. We have many a Jimmy and when we thought the animals made us concentrate and get it right first time, the babies really make sure. It's been lovely working with them."
Fans have been buzzing for the show's return, with Sir Colin Callender CBE, Executive Producer and CEO of Playground saying: "Kindness and decency are increasingly rare qualities these days, so it is a blessing to be able to return to the sanctuary of Skeldale House and James Herriot's beloved characters who represent all that is the best in us.
"There are no villains in All Creatures - just everyday folk trying to get through the day with dignity with the help of a supportive community, family and friends. It's a lesson for modern times."
All Creatures Great and Small will air on 19 September on Channel 5.