Seeking out our best village
BARBARA HODGSON GOES ALL RURAL AS SHE LOOKS AHEAD TO A FORTHCOMING CHANNEL 4 PROGRAMME FEATURING A NORTHUMBERLAND GEM
A CHANNEL 4 series will be turning the spotlight on the North East coast in February as TV favourite Penelope Keith seeks out the UK’s’s best village.
And when The Village of the Year Competition 2017 turns its attention to Northumberland, local viewers are set to be glued to the box – not only so they can spot familiar landmarks but also because there’s prestige and a cash prize at stake.
The series began this week, on January 15, with Keith and a team of three expert judges seen embarking upon their travels around the country in search of a worthy winner of the title which brings with it a £10,000 prize.
Working from a shortlist of more than 400 applicants, the 24 hour-long episodes of the series – which has a mix of day-time and prime-time slots – will follow the team to each location as they celebrate the best of villages ranging from fishing and hillside farming communities to artist colonies and traditional chocolate box beauty spots.
During their visits they will attend everything from village fetes to scarecrow championships and meet local characters; examine architecture and learn about rural pastimes, traditions; skills and home-grown specialities.
And during the upcoming February 5 episode, Bamburgh will get a chance to showcase its many attractions.
Filming for the series took place in Bamburgh Village last year with judges assessing the likes of appearance, and how this is enhanced by its residents, as well as history and heritage – which Bamburgh, of course, has in spades.
Other criteria included looking at available activities, community events and how well the village caters for visitors.
While most locals will be familiar with its beautiful castle and miles of white sandy beaches, its attractions also include Grace Darling Museum, St Aidan’s Church and golf course alongside its range of shops and restaurants.
The north episode is also set to reveal some little-known local gems.
The series is made for C4 by award-winning independent production company Reef Television, which also made Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages.
Its chief executive officer Richard Farmbrough said: “Penelope is the perfect host to help us celebrate all that is best about British villages and this series will shine a spotlight on not just the places but also the people that make up Britain’s best villages.”
Its scope is to be wider than a traditional ‘best kept village’ competition because the judges are interested in places ‘that have soul as well as beauty.’
Viewers will see Keith preside over heats – shown weekdays at 3pm – and then semi-finals as her team of expert judges – Alex Langlands, Juliet Sargeant and Patrick Grant – decide which villages will progress through the rounds.
The series is running Monday to Friday at 3pm and then a ‘peak show’ airs every Saturday at 8pm.
The ‘northern zone’ semi-final will be screened on February 9, and then the series will culminate in a grand final on February 10 at 8pm which will see the winner crowned Village of the Year.
And besides that title, the prize will be £10,000 to be used for a worthwhile community project.
A statement on the C4 website said that, in a country that’s home to thousands of wonderful villages, the programme will be ‘joyous, celebratory, fun and fascinating – but with an added competitive twist.’
The future hope is for a second series and, if given the go-ahead, production would start as early as March.
Interested applicants from across the UK are welcome to put forward a village (which is defined as being larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town). See here: www.channel4.com/takepart