Good news for all the Aardman Studio animation fans: according to their webforum, this week principal photography finished on the new Wallace and Gromit short "A Matter of Loaf and Death", previously titled "Trouble at the Mill".

The first real Wallace & Gromit short since "A Close Shave" wayyyy back in 1995 (not counting those ultra-short "Contraption" films), "A Matter of Loaf and Death" puts the hapless inventor and his dog in an Agathy Christie-like murder mystery. Judging by the way Nick Park used genre conventions in the previous W&G outings this makes me very happy indeed and I can't wait to see where he'll go with this.

"Wallace & Gromit - A Matter of Loaf and Death" is expected to see its broadcasting premiere on the (British) BBC, which will announce the exact date in a few weeks although Christmas 2008 seems like the best bet. Worldwide premieres are expected from January onward.

Counting down till Christmas...