Rachel Shenton and Nicholas Ralph feel perfectly at home in the Yorkshire Dales. The duo – known and loved for playing Helen and James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small – have been welcomed with open arms by the local community.
After five years, life also imitated art when it comes to the cast's tight-knit bond. "When you're on set, you're just so comfortable," Nicholas, 34, tells HELLO!.
"You're so comfortable playing with each other and suggesting things. Especially for me in season one, I imagine I wouldn't be as ready to do that sort of thing but it's a totally safe space."
The pair headed back to the historic market town of Grassington – which stands in for Darrowby – this spring, and after wrapping season five, fans have been watching their hard work unfold on screen.
© Playground Television / PBS / Channel 5 Television / Jay BrooksAsked about their favourite memories from the shoot, Rachel and Nicholas both agreed on one thing in particular. "I think getting everything to line up and the baby to be happy at the same time is a practical challenge, and not just for me but for everybody in the scene but when it does, it's absolute magic," Rachel, 36, recalled.
"And you know it's a moment where no one's gonna be looking at you because the baby can just captivate in a way that, you know, we can't no matter what we do, and some of the things were priceless."
When we find James and Helen in season five, the duo are adjusting to life as new parents, after welcoming their son, Jimmy. Behind the scenes, Rachel and Nicholas worked with several babies, who took turns portraying the character.
"I'd say we had two or three?" Nicholas mused. "We worked with two a lot of the time in the earlier episodes, but we had three and then we had the twins at the end and it was a different kind of challenge, a completely new thing for all of us.
© PBS / Channel 5 Television / Jay Brooks"We had to learn how best to operate," he noted. "And I think it was really funny as well because there were certain things that worked, like a certain toy or whatever. There was a little maraca that made them happy, but then after a couple of scenes the maraca was dead and they were not investing anymore, like not in the slightest. We had to learn on our toes!"
After working together for several years, Rachel and Nicholas have developed a shorthand on set, and they also told HELLO! how much they've enjoyed collaborating.
© Channel 5"We all know each other so well now and that can only help with what we're trying to portray, which is people that have lived together for years," explained Rachel. "So that can only help really, and it honestly sounds so cheesy but we're all really excited when we get to work together again and hang out. It's good fun."
Chiming in, Nick agreed: "It's been half a decade, so it's a long time and what an absolute treat it's been. We've definitely got a shorthand sometimes and inside jokes, maybe to the annoyance of people around us or the directors!"
