HOLLYWOOD stars will be seen in Yorkshire in coming months as the new Dad's Army cast begin filming.

The all-star cast for the remake of the much-loved 1970s sitcom was officially announced yesterday, and includes Harry Potter stars Toby Jones and Michael Gambon as Captain Mainwaring and Private Godfrey, Love Actually and Shaun of the Dead star Bill Nighy as Wilson, and Catherine Zeta Jones in a newly-created role as a writer named Rose Winters.

Joining them are Billy Liar star Tom Courtenay as Corporal Jones, Ashes To Ashes and Atonement star Danny Mays as spiv Private Walker, Bill Paterson as Private Fraser, and The Inbetweeners star Blake Harrison as Private Pike, while Sarah Lancashire, Alison Steadman, Mark Gatiss and Annette Crosbie also take on supporting roles.

The Press has previously reported that filming for the big-budget adaptation will be taking place in Bridlington, with Pickering, Filey and Whitby also investigated by location scouts. In a statement yesterday Universal announced "shooting commences in October entirely on location in Yorkshire".

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: "Yorkshire has been the backdrop to many iconic films and we're delighted, thanks to Screen Yorkshire, that what looks set to be a huge hit will be filmed here. We look forward to welcoming Dad's Army and the stellar cast to the region - we'll make sure they are given a warm Yorkshire welcome."

The announcement by Universal Pictures also included some hints to the plot of the film, which will see the Home Guard of Walmington-on-Sea visited by a glamorous journalist (Zeta-Jones), whose attention to the troop is "setting the pulses racing and putting the local women on red alert", before MI5 discovers a spy is on the loose, and "it falls to our unlikely heroes to stand up and be counted".

Sally Joynson, chief executive of Screen Yorkshire, which helped secure the film for the area, said: "We are very excited to be announcing this news and it doesn't get much better than this – a truly iconic series, a fabulous cast with some the cream of Britain’s acting talent – and all set in the stunning landscapes of Yorkshire. This is great news for Yorkshire and for Screen Yorkshire - the culmination of months of work and our investment has played a critical part. It’s a fitting finale to an already fabulous year for the region."