All Creatures Great and Small Season 4: Nicholas Ralph and Rachel Shenton on working with goats - and new characters Richard Carmody and Miss Harbottle

Called Carpe Diem, the episode introduces Miss Harbottle (Neve McIntosh), the experienced bookkeeper that Siegfried (Samuel West) has the bright idea of bringing in to help balance the books more efficiently.

“That episode is a lot of fun,” said Nicholas, who plays James Herriot. “We open with a couple of goats tearing through Skeldale House, and then Miss Harbottle comes in as well.”

“They are brilliant. Very well trained. They do exactly what they need to do, and they’ve got quite a lot to do, so they are lovely.”

Filming took place in the Dales over summer. The interior filming for the scenes took place in the Summerbridge studio. Nick explained that the goats managed to get up on to the scullery table, which will not please Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley). “They started off in the operating rooms, so that’s a big old track round a lot of the set to get to the scullery, and they did it every time. It was brilliant. We filmed that quite early on this year and it felt like, alright, we’re back now – this is All Creatures Great and Small.”

Rachel, who plays Helen Harriot, said: “They did the same tricky bit of choreography again and again and again, and then got on the table at the end. They were brilliant, no real mess made.”

Nicholas, clearly fascinated by the process, added: “They train them really well. They use a buzzer and some food, and they started about a metre away and slowly got further and further ... to the point where they were really quite far away and then they did it on set, around this elaborate set with us positioned in certain areas, with a buzzer, and the goats would do this long tour to get to the food at the end. They did a sterling job, and it was a long day for them.”

Series four will see trainee vet Richard Carmody, played by newcomer James Anthony-Rose, arrive to help, following the departure of Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) to join the RAF. Rachel and Nicholas told the Yorkshire Post how were missing both Tristan and Callum.

Behind the scenes, this was “a little bit of art imitating life”, says Nicholas. “I could give Jamie little pointers here and there about the animal stuff, so there was that veterinary mentor role slightly, and with him being new, like I was, to the world of television, I could give him the odd little pointer here and there as well.

“He comes in with this wonderful new energy, everything is exciting, he’s slotted in so well, he really didn’t miss a beat. It felt like he had been there for a lot longer than he had, and Neve was just brilliant as well as Miss Harbottle.”

Rachel said Neve and James were “two great additions to the show, very much bringing a different dynamic”, adding: “Neve comes in and ruffles feathers. Nobody really knows what to make of her, and it’s good fun - it’s like another injection of energy. It feels fresh.”