I felt the weight of playing this role

Rachel Shenton talks performance pressure and geese wrangling

In the dramatic Christmas special of All Creatures Great and Small, fans saw Rachel Shenton’s character Helen back out of her wedding to Hugh Hulton (Matthew Lewis) and turn to James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph).

Despite being well aware of their feelings for one another, the pair chose to remain friends for the time being.

Three months later and James is back in Glasgow with his family and Helen has retreated from Darrowby, throwing herself into her work on the Aldersons’ family farm.

But could they have a future together?

Here, we chat to Rachel about what’s coming up for Helen in the Dales…

How did you feel coming back for a second series?

We were all absolutely thrilled to come back. It was quite emotional as this story and these characters are loved by so many people. I guess I felt the weight of it.

It must have been lovely seeing everyone after the effects of the pandemic…

We hadn’t seen each other for such a long time. It took a second to acclimatise to being back at work, I don’t think I’d put jeans on for a year. But you get back into things really quickly.

Where does Helen’s story take her this season?

At the start, Helen has retreated. She’s at home with her sister and her dad, looking after the farm. It’s her safe place and she takes on her role there with a smile. I love the journey in series two. We really see her emerging as herself.

Helen gets stuck into everything that’s thrown at her. Would you say you’re similar?

Yeah, I’d like to think so. I’m from Stoke. There’s no moaning in Stoke. I love being outdoors like Helen as well. My school walk was through a field that had cows in it and we’d take our bikes out on the weekends and go on walks. Nature has always been a part of my life.

There’s a spark between her and James but things aren’t all smooth sailing…

There is a little conflict between James and Helen surrounding one of the farming families and they don’t see eye to eye on something.

How did you develop their love story with Nick?

Nick and I worked on those ‘moments’ within James and Helen’s relationship in this series. I like the trajectory they take together. It’s a real love story that evolves over time.

We hear that there are some new animals on screen this year…

In the Alderson House, we have a new pet called Scruff, real name Bobby. She’s a little working cocker spaniel who was just a pup when she joined us, so super lively. Safe to say Bobby didn’t always stick to the script and follow cues.

Did you learn any new skills while filming this latest series?

Geese wrangling. They can be quite vicious but ours were pretty placid. The key is not to move your arms too much. If you need anyone for the job… I’m your girl.