Exclusive: All Creatures Great and Small star Rachel Shenton gets candid about this season's most challenging part

Speaking to HELLO! and other press ahead of the new season, Rachel admitted that the role has given her a new appreciation for rural life – and just how much farmers juggle behind the scenes.

"I guess it's learning about farmers and their lives and how, especially on a small holding, one cow or one bull can make the difference between it being a good month and a bad month," she explained. "It's stretched, it's tight, it's tough."

Rachel also revealed she recently discovered the huge pride Yorkshire farmers take in the iconic dry-stone walls surrounding their land. She recalled filming a scene near one, where the farmer immediately began carefully restoring the wall afterwards.

"We were saying, 'Oh, don't worry, you don't need to put it back too much. We're back here tomorrow,' and he said, 'I've got to put it back, otherwise I'll be a laughing stock to everybody.' No one even walks past that farm – there's no footfall – but there's such a pride in these walls," Rachel said. "The idea that somebody would notice that, you know, this wasn't quite perfect, was a massive deal."

This season also brings a big change for Helen who, along with husband James (Nicholas Ralph), is now raising two children. 

"We've jumped forward in time, and when we pick up this year, Helen and the children are at Heston Grange, helping out Richard Alderson and Jenny," Rachel revealed. 

"They've got a bit more space, rather than being cramped in a bedsit. She's happy, she's content, she's incredibly present and practical – and she gets on with it. So I think there's nothing that she's lacking from her life, which is nice."

Working with the younger cast members has also been a highlight. Rachel laughed as she recalled filming with the young actor playing her on-screen son, Jimmy. 

"In real life, he's seven and playing four – and he likes to tell you that he's seven and playing four! He's super confident and keeps me on my toes. If I do a take that's slightly different each time, he'll certainly tell me about that, so it keeps me on my toes."

Fans hoping for more lighthearted moments between Helen and James will be pleased to hear that their relationship hasn't lost its spark. "We do see pockets of that," Rachel teased. 

"Their relationship matures every season, which is gorgeous, but now they're a family of four, so there's a lot of like navigating life that comes with this season – 'you take this child, I'll take that one, let's meet in the middle.' 

And in that, there's a lot of fun. It's less about sneaking off together and more about making this unit work."