TOURIST chiefs hope a new television series about a Yorkshire veterinary practice will prove as popular as its predecessor, All Creatures Great and Small.

Filming has already started on the eight-part BBC drama The Chase.

The series is based in Otley, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.

It features former Coronation Street star Gaynor Faye, who also recently appeared in ITV's Dancing On Ice, and veteran actor Keith Barron.

The story of a practice run by a father and his daughters was written by Leeds-writer Kay Mellor, who wrote Fat Friends and Band of Gold.

All Creatures Great and Small ran for 12 years from 1978.

Even more than 15 years since the last episode was filmed, the show continues to attract visitors to the Dales.

Yesterday, David Andrews, the chief executive of the Yorkshire Tourist Board, welcomed news of the new series.

He said: "Time and again, positive television exposure has had a significant impact on tourism in Yorkshire.

"From Brideshead Revisited, through All Creatures Great and Small, to Emmerdale and Heartbeat, we have seen the benefits these hugely popular programmes have brought to the region.

"I' am not familiar with the specific plot line for The Chase, but if it features characters that people identify with, in settings they find attractive, past experience suggests that the effect will be considerable and a welcome boost to many businesses."

All Creatures Great and Small was based on a book by Thirsk vet James Herriot.

Herriot, whose real name was Alf Wight, practised in the town for decades.

He died in 1995 and his former surgery -Skeldale House in the books and screen versions -was turned into the World of James Herriot Centre.

In November, the centre will host its first Herriot convention.

It will include a trip round the visitor centre, guided tours of the Yorkshire Dales, a trip on Wensleydale Railway and a screening of the feature film It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet.

The Chase is due to be aired on BBC1 in the summer.