ONE of the bulkier stars of the new Dad's Army film, who was born and bred in Ryedale, only required the lure of a cow to get him onto set.

Quest, a bull from Duggleby, near Settrington, features in an early scene in the rebooted film about the hapless home guardsmen.

Owner Ruth Russell said that all Quest's scenes were filmed in one day.

"We had a 6am pick-up with the chap who organised it. We took a cow so we could get him to follow. He behaved very well - he was very quiet and good, though they wanted him to look aggressive in the film," she said.

Although Quest appears alongside the actors in the film, Ms Russell says this is computer trickery.

"There was a reduced staff of about 30 crew with no actors that day. They were filmed completely separately. That was the only disappointing thing, that we didn't see any of the actors," she said.

It was also a good insight into the workings of a modern film set. "It took quite a few takes just to get everything right," she said.

Talking about one scene where the bull jumps through a hedge, Ms Russell added: "Quest went through a hedge over a dozen times. Afterwards, there wasn't much of a hedge left. It was fascinating to watch it being done - they said they could just cut in the hedge from an earlier shot."

It was also a new experience for the bull; filming Dad's Army was the first time Quest had left the farm.

"Quest was haltered and handled as a calf," Ms Russell said. "He has always been very good-natured and easy to handle."

Dad's Army was part filmed in Bridlington and North Yorkshire and will get its regional premiere at Bridlington Spa, two days ahead of its general release nationwide on February 5.