Soap stars are heading to the Dales! Coronation Street legend Chris Gascoyne and Hollyoaks star Lucy-Jo Hudson are among the latest big-name additions to All Creatures Great and Small, joining the cast for the show’s sixth series this autumn.

Chris, best known for playing Peter Barlow on Corrie since the early 2000s, is stepping into a very different world after leaving Weatherfield behind in 2023.

He’ll be trading bar brawls and broken hearts for the gentler rhythms of rural 1945, as the Channel 5 drama returns to the Yorkshire Dales just as the Second World War comes to an end.

Chris’ character Peter Barlow was at the heart of some of Corrie’s biggest storylines for over 20 years, from battling alcoholism and surviving a tram crash, to complicated romances, especially with Carla Barlow and dramatic family feuds in the Barlow clan.

Also making her debut in Darrowby is Lucy-Jo Hudson, who soap fans will recognise from her roles as troubled teen Katy Harris in Coronation Street and more recently as Donna-Marie Quinn in Hollyoaks.

The actress took to Instagram to share her excitement, writing: ‘So remember when I got a job I was beyond excited about earlier this year? Well, this was it… All Creatures Great and Small. And I have been stepping into a world of countryside charm and storytelling magic.’

Philip Martin Brown, another familiar face from British telly, is also joining the cast. He played Grantly Budgen, the sarcastic teacher with a soft side, in Waterloo Road for nearly a decade, and now brings his experience to the picturesque hills of Yorkshire alongside these other seasoned soap stars.

The long-running period drama, based on James Herriot’s much-loved books, has been a hit with audiences in both the UK and the US since its 2020 reboot.

Season six promises more of the show’s signature warmth, as the residents of Skeldale House return to a changing world. The new episodes are set in 1945, capturing the moment the war in Europe ends, and with it, a wave of change, veterinary innovation, growing families, and hope of a more peaceful future.

Returning to their roles are Nicholas Ralph as kind-hearted vet James Herriot, Samuel West as the brilliant but unpredictable Siegfried Farnon, Anna Madeley as the steadfast Mrs Hall, Rachel Shenton as Helen Herriot, and Callum Woodhouse as the ever-mischievous Tristan, still serving with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. Patricia Hodge is back as the glamorous Mrs Pumphrey, along with her pampered pooch Tricki Woo.

Gascoyne, Hudson, and Brown are joined by even more new faces, including Gaia Wise (The Dead of Winter, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim), Jonathan Hyde (Titanic, The Brutalist), and returning guest stars like Mollie Winnard, Conor Deane, Cat Simmons and Lamin Touray.

With a blend of familiar talent and fresh faces, the new season looks set to be another heartwarming hit, and with some of the UK’s most recognisable soap stars in the mix, it’s safe to say the Dales just got a whole lot more dramatic.