All Creatures Great and Small spin-off show confirmed with beloved special guest

All Creatures Great and Small is to get a special behind-the-scenes spin-off fronted by a beloved face from another of 5's most popular ongoing programmes.

Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly presenter and professional dog trainer Graeme Hall is a fittingly animal-loving choice to host All Creatures Great and Small: Behind the Magic, an hour-long show due for broadcast later this year.

The programme will see Hall look around the set on which All Creatures is filmed as well as getting a guided tour of Grassington – the North Yorkshire town that doubles for fictional Darrowby – from none other than Tristan actor Callum Woodhouse.

Secrets from the production will also be unveiled, ranging from how those complex animal emergency sequences are filmed, and what exactly goes into the prop medicine bottles.

All this learning will culminate in Hall making a special guest appearance in the penultimate episode of season 6 – which airs tonight at 9pm on 5 – as a supporting artist in a single scene. Here's a sneak peek at his role:

Hall commented: "I've been a massive fan of Channel 5's hit show All Creatures Great and Small for donkey's years, so I was delighted – honoured – to be asked to make a cameo appearance on the show (scary acting debut!) and to take a TV crew along for the ride, behind the scenes.

"Join me and the cast of the show at the studio and in real-life Darrowby for a fascinating access-all-areas journey of discovery. Christmas in June…? Surely not!"

There's no confirmed premiere date for All Creatures Great and Small: Behind the Magic, but 5 has said that it will air in advance of this year's Christmas special, so we'll likely see it at some point in December.

All of the regular cast of the drama series are expected to appear in the special as themselves, including Samuel West (Siegfried), Anna Madeley (Mrs Hall), Nicholas Ralph (James), Rachel Shenton (Helen), Callum Woodhouse (Tristan) and Patricia Hodge (Mrs Pumphrey).

The synopsis, courtesy of 5, reads: "As the cast look back over six years of making 5's most popular drama series, Graeme enjoys becoming one of the family and appreciating all the detail that goes into the making of one of his favourite shows.

"This joyful festive treat is the perfect way to find out how the All Creatures magic is really made."

All Creatures Great and Small continues tonight at 9pm on 5. Behind the Magic is coming soon.

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