National Trust: My Historic Home, Courtesy of Yeti Television
Multi award-winning indie Yeti Television has announced its commission from Channel 4, for the upcoming documentary National Trust: My Historic Home (1×60’) which will air on 23rd February. Opening the door to some of the National Trust’s most remarkable homes, the 60-minute documentary explores the stories of the ordinary people living in these homes.
More than 500 properties in the UK are in the safekeeping of the National Trust, and over 50,000 people work to look after them, with a lucky few able to call them home. Set over 6 months, the documentary takes a behind the scenes look at three properties and the professionals taking care of them. From ghosts, fruit flies and floods through to jaw-dropping vistas and priceless portraits, the documentary follows the trials and tribulations of the unique job, uncovering the responsibilities of taking care of millions of pounds worth of property and antiques.
In County Down, Northern Ireland, the documentary visits Castle Ward, an ancient estate made famous by Game of Thrones and has also been home to Collection and House Manager Neil and his partner Kris for three years. After completely renovating the castle, the couple are now moving on and getting the house ready for its new custodian with one huge last clean. In Herefordshire, viewers are taken inside Croft Castle, which for the past 17 years has been home to Ian, his wife and kids, who have had to manage a busy family life whilst also overseeing the logistics of over 600 daily visitors. Finally, the documentary takes audiences to Eryri National Park, North Wales to visit Castell Penrhyn – a vast neo-Norman Castle from the 1800s, where collections assistant Emily lives with her dog Willow. She oversees the specialist cleaning of the precious artefacts in the house, whilst grappling with the less than savoury elements of the historical owners’ politics – which includes slavery and a less than sympathetic attitude to worker’s rights.
The documentary, which is narrated by Eve Myles, will air on Friday 23rd February at 8pm on Channel 4. The programme was commissioned for Channel 4 by Clemency Green, Senior Commissioning Editor, Daytime & Features and Jo Street, Head of Daytime & Features. The producer/director is Nia Dryhurst and the executive producer for Yeti is Andrew O’Connell.
Sian Price, Creative Director at Yeti says “Yeti love nothing more than taking people into spaces you don’t often get to see. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with the National Trust and of course the wonderful custodians of some of their stunning properties, to take a privileged peak at what it takes to live in and care for a historic property”.
