The night before Christmas...

Nicholas Ralph and Rachel Shenton on the magical effects of the most wonderful time of the year

- Caren Clark

When Channel 5’s revival of classic period drama All Creatures Great and Small made its debut this autumn, viewers were captivated once more by the heartwarming adventures of vet James Herriot in 1930s Yorkshire.

Now, all we want for Christmas is for lovely James (played by Nicholas Ralph) to find happiness with spirited farmer’s daughter Helen (Rachel Shenton). There’s just one major obstacle: Helen’s set to marry wealthy Hugh Hulton (Matthew Lewis) on 25 December.

However, there’s a glimmer of hope... During a Christmas Eve party at Skeldale House, James is called out to an emergency and Helen asks to accompany him.

Here, Nicholas, 30, and Rachel, who turns 33 on 21 December, tell TV Times more...

It must feel exciting to have the show’s first festive special…