Village is star of the show

Tony and Annette Clarke, of Wakefield, feature in an episode of the house-hunting TV series, A Place In The Sun: Home Or Away? which airs tonight.

One of the homes they explore is a large barn conversion in Thornhill, which is owned by Russell Booth.

The programme-makers filmed the house at Park House Farm in August 2008, when Mr Booth had put the house on the market.

He said: “The programme’s researchers went to the estate agents to look for barn conversions in the area.

“House prices were making it difficult to sell, so we thought it would be great publicity for us.”

But even though Mr Booth and his wife Lorna were hoping that the show would be broadcast within three months, it is only being premiered tonight.

Since the filming, Mr and Mrs Booth have moved into a houseboat at Horbury Bridge, and rent out the four-bedroom property in Thornhill. The couple were not allowed to be featured in the programme, but Mr Booth is no stranger to the small screen, having acted in shows including Coronation Street, Emmerdale and A Touch Of Frost.

Mr Booth, who now runs a renewable energy company, said: “I’ve appeared on television quite a lot, but this time I was banned from appearing!”

Mr and Mrs Clarke, who star in tonight’s episode of A Place In The Sun, look at three properties in West Yorkshire, as Mrs Clarke wants to stay close to her family and friends in the area.

But her husband, a retired police officer, wants to retire to Portugal, though he is tempted by Thornhill’s traditional pubs.

With a budget of £300,000, they also look at a detached house near Wakefield city centre, a property in Ackworth village, near Pontefract, as well as several homes in Portugal.

A Place In The Sun: Home Or Away? will be shownon Channel Four at 8pm tonight.