FILMING is underway in Ryedale on a new BBC adaption of JB Priestley’s classic play An Inspector Calls.

Stars of the drama are expected to be at Scampston Hall for the next month before the production team moves to various locations in Malton, including the former Green Man Hotel in Market Place.

An Inspector Calls will be shown on BBC 1 later this year.

David Thewlis, who appeared in Harry Potter, will play the Inspector, with Ken Stott, star of Rebus, playing Arthur Birling and Miranda Richardson seen recently in Mapp and Lucia, will play his wife, Sybil.

Anne Ainsley, from Scampston Hall, said the crew was expected to be there for about a month.

“Scampston Hall fits in well for the period of the drama and most of the filming has been inside the hall itself,” she said.

“It is very exciting and also very good for the area in general to come under the spotlight.”

An Inspector Calls is a mysterious detective thriller, set in 1912 and written by English dramatist JB Priestley.

Following the suicide of a young woman from the local town, an inspector calls unexpectedly to interrogate the wealthy Birling family.

As their world unravels, each member of the family is revealed to have unwittingly played a part in her demise.

Set at a time when society was transforming and women’s lives were about to change forever, An Inspector Calls is considered to be one of the classics of 20th century theatre.

Thewlis said: “An Inspector Calls is a British classic and I am thrilled to be working on this beautiful screen adaptation with Aisling Walsh.”

Greg Brenman, managing director and executive producer of Drama Republic, said: “It’s an incredible honour to be working with such a dream cast and director on this timeless classic, revered by generations all over the world.”

Lucy Richer, commissioning editor for BBC drama, said: “The mysterious and elusive Inspector Goole has fascinated audiences for generations and David Thewlis is the perfect actor to bring him to life.

“We’re delighted that he, Ken Stott and Miranda Richardson are heading up this stellar cast to bring one of the nation’s favourite stories to BBC One.”