Rockingham Castle set to take centre stage in BBC Countryfile Christmas special

Rockingham Castle will be featuring on BBC Countryfile over the festive period

The inner workings of the castle will be brought to life on the small screen this festive period

Rockingham Castle will be the star of the Christmas small screen as it features on Countryfile.

The castle in Corby will be the focus of a Christmas Countryfile episode on December 18.

Presenters John Craven and Anita Rani will get into the Christmas spirit at Rockingham, which is celebrating its 950th anniversary.

Rev Richard Coles will speak to Sally Phillips about faith and Christmas

Anita discovers that Charles Dickens was a regular visitor during the festive season, and would perform plays not only for the Lords and Ladies but also the servants.

They then forage for greenery to make a Christmas wreath, and John joins a wildlife survey to discover what is making their Christmas home in the castle’s famous elephant yew hedge.

Chef and food writer Romy Gill is hard at work in Rockingham’s kitchen to create Christmas treats with the four young cooks she’s met on her travels, while Adam Henson is on the trail of rogue mistletoe. Tom Heap looks at social eating and how it might be the answer to food poverty, social isolation and food waste, while Charlotte Smith finds out how our farmers are getting a raw deal for the produce they put on our plates.

The BBC’s Christmas schedule will also feature specials of Motherland, Would I Lie to You?, Masterchef and The Wheel. For children, there’ll be a new adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s Smeds and the Smoos.

Local vicar Reverend Richard Coles, from Kettering, will also have a special episode of My Life At Christmas dedicated to exploring Christmas memories.