AN adaptation of the bestselling Gothic novel The Thirteenth Tale which was filmed in North Yorkshire is being screened tonight.

Scenes for the production, adapted for the small screen by Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton and starring Vanessa Redgrave and Olivia Colman, were filmed at Duncombe Park in the summer.

The story follows ageing novelist Vida Winter (Redgrave), who enlists a young writer to finally tell the story of her life including her mysterious childhood spent in Angelfield House, which burned to the ground when she was a teenager.

Jake Duncombe, who runs the family estate, said: “We were first approached by the executive producer, Rosie Alison, who attended Queen Mary’s School as a boarder, when it was located at Duncombe Park.

“Rosie had written a novel called The Very Thought Of You, which deals with the experiences of a young wartime evacuee when sent to a large house in the country called Ashton Park – the model for this house is clearly Duncombe Park.”

“Attempts were made to fly a trained crow through the saloon, fake blood was spattered over fallen trees in the garden and made to ooze down the main house’s stone steps – I think it could be quite scary,” he said.

“We were asked not to cut any grass as soon as it started growing. At first, this was quite difficult – we couldn’t resist the temptation to mow – and we were told off for disobeying orders.

“Finally, the location manager relented in allowing us to mow any areas which were certain to be out of shot. We may have quite an impressive crop of dandelions next spring.”

The Thirteenth Tale is on BBC2 on Monday, December 30, at 9.30pm.