CASTLE Howard is to host BBC Countryfile Live’s first Northern show next year.

The Countryfile Live event, linked to the BBC’s flagship rural affairs programme, has attracted more than 250,000 people since 2016 at its regular Blenheim Palace site.

Now producers of the show are hoping that they will be able to reach an even wider audience of Countryfile fans by staging a second show, a fortnight after the Blenheim Palace event, at Castle Howard, from August 15 to 18, 2019.

Nicholas Howard, of Castle Howard, said he was delighted to be opening up the grounds to Countryfile Live visitors.

“Countryfile Live celebrates the great outdoors, and with 10,000 acres in the estate and unrivalled views across the Howardian Hills – an area of outstanding natural beauty – we’re very much looking forward to sharing this with Countryfile Live visitors,” he said.

Castle Howard’s chief executive officer John Hoy added that this was a unique opportunity for rural tourism in Ryedale.

“This part of North Yorkshire is quite a remarkable destination, and we hope that visitors to Countryfile Live will take the opportunity to stay a little longer to explore,” he said.