MASTERPIECE Studio

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Seven of the Third Season of All Creatures Great and Small. At the end of the third season of All Creatures Great and Small, World War II has finally come to the Yorkshire Dales. Series leads Rachel Shenton and Nicholas Ralph reflect on their characters’ first season as a married couple, and anticipate what the arrival of war will mean for the Dales — and for the Herriots themselves.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of the Third Season of Miss Scarlet and The Duke. As a title character in Miss Scarlet and The Duke, William ‘Duke’ Wellington has a remarkably poor crime solving rate when compared to his amateur friend and colleague, Eliza Scarlet. But Stuart Martin assures viewers that the Duke is solving 100% of the crimes you don’t see him investigate, just off screen — not including the mystery of his love life, that is.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of the Third Season of All Creatures Great and Small. The character of Mrs. Hall is knowing, and quick and quietly competent, but there’s much about her viewers still don’t know. Until this week, that is. In a gripping new episode, we learn the backstory of her long estrangement from her son, and Anna Madeley reveals how that story came to the screen.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of the Third Season of Miss Scarlet and the Duke. Ivy Woods is Eliza Scarlet’s surrogate mother, best friend and biggest critic. But thanks to Eliza, Ivy’s seen new possibilities for women in the Victorian Era, which is a thrilling journey for actor Cathy Belton to chart. Belton traces Ivy’s arc in the last three seasons, and looks ahead to what’s in store for the sharp-tongued housekeeper.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of the Third Season of Miss Scarlet and the Duke. Miss Scarlet and the Duke series creator, head writer and executive producer Rachael New has a new title to add to her hyphenated list of roles on the show — director! In this third episode of the third season, New stepped up and swept in to the director's chair in a charming jewel box of a bottle episode. New explains how she found the courage to take on the job, and what she learned from the process on set.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Two of the Third Season of All Creatures Great and Small*.* On any given episode of All Creatures Great and Small, a wide variety of animals pass through the scene with injured hooves or damaged snouts. It's up to animal handlers like Jill Clark, of 1st Choice Animals, to train those furry guest stars to sit still, lie down or play dead — which she does to great effect. Clark explains the hidden human touch required behind the scenes to bring a rural veterinary practice to raucous life...and reveals which cast member Tricki Woo loves best.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of the Third Season of All Creatures Great and Small. It took two seasons of television — and a lot more besides — but Nicholas Ralph’s James Herriot has finally tied the knot with Rachel Shenton’s Helen Alderson. It’s a real highlight of the third season, and one Ralph and his castmates cherished all the more with the presence of real-life James Herriot's children, Rosie and Jim.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of Magpie Murders. We’re of course bound to remind listeners not to listen to episodes like this until they watch all of the related Mystery! series — but after you do, you’ll definitely want to come back. Magpie Murders creator, writer and executive producer Anthony Horowitz and series star Lesley Manville return to the podcast to discuss the surprising finale, and perhaps even give Susan Ryeland and Atticus Pünd fans something to look forward to.

Warning: The episode contains spoilers for episode five of Magpie Murders. Actor Tim McMullan had worked with author and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz before, but never on a title as wild as the adaptation of his own Magpie Murders. As Atticus Pünd — a fictional detective who solves murders both real and imaginary — McMullan has great fun gently ribbing the classic whodunnit format.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of the First Season of Miss Scarlet and the Duke*.* This is an encore release of an earlier podcast episode. A female private detective in Victorian London seems anachronistic — but Eliza Scarlet more than holds her own on the grimy streets of the British capitol. Kate Phillips is a witty delight in the title role, and she brings that zest to the MASTERPIECE Studio podcast.