New Pets & Patients

(cheerful music) (hooves thumping) - Siegfried!

(glass shattering) - James, what are you- (goat bleating) - [James] Ladies, outta there!

(goat bleating) - We have two gorgeous goats.

- They were just brilliant, it was just so much fun, that was.

They've got to career around the whole house and... (lamp crashing) (cheerful music continues) - It was one of those days where art echoed life, where the goats caused chaos in the storyline around Skeldale House and they caused chaos in real life.

We were chasing them around, having to block exits because (laughing) they would disappear wherever they could get out.

(goat bleating) - They were trained so well, this elaborate route through the set, and it worked every time, (goat bell clanging) careering around Skeldale, up on the scullery table and into Mrs. Hall's pantry.

(goat bleating) - [Helen] No!

- No, no, no, Annette!

- Not in my pantry!

(cheerful music continues) - It was really, really impressive and just a lot of fun.

- Do you know that rats are as intelligent as dogs?

There's more of my lovely rat Volonel, who I adore, who has found a new hiding place this series, which is just in the top of my waistcoat.

(cheerful music continues) - [Mrs. Hall] You could could use an extra pair of hands.

- We'll finally have a new assistant.

- There's a tortoise called Bernard, who was the first animal that I got to work with.

- Oh, Uncle Herriot, (Cedric barking) thank goodness!

Cedric is my new foster.

- Cedric's a character and quite a boisterous boy.

(laughing) (Cedric flapping) (cheerful music continues) - [Mrs. Pumphrey] I'm afraid he's proving to be something of a handful.

- And of course there's, there's Tricki.

(Tricki panting) (cheerful music continues) - Dash makes a return from the end of last season.

- Now, a lovely feature of Skeldale House- - Jess, Dash, c'mon!

(paws scrambling) - They've taken up residence together in the same basket, which I love.

- Dash is being played by a new dog actor who is just an absolute delight, she's so lovely.

She's just got this intense eye contact and all she wants to do is snuggle up to you and be stroked so you can't make eye contact with her because as soon as you do she goes, "Great", and then she comes up to you.

(laughing) (Dash panting) (paws thumping) - I really enjoyed actually working with Teasel, played by a beautiful horse called Amy.

She was so professional, a complete joy to work with.

- We have our first above the title ferret.

- Hello.

(upbeat music continues) - It was the first time I'd met one, and they're very soft and very lovely.

- We had to chase it across our Darrowby, across the square in Grassington.

We come out and one time it's, shoo, over that way, next time over that way, (laughing) but eventually we did, we did get it.

That was a lot of fun.

(footsteps thumping) (cheerful music continues)