LIGHTS, CAMERA...NATIONAL TRUST

Europe's largest conservation charity has become one of the major stars of the big and small screens, as scores of productions are shot at historic properties every year, attracting thousands of so-called 'set-jetters' and helping fund vital restoration work

- Matt Nixson

THREE decades after a young Colin Firth emerged dripping from a pond, his white shirt clinging to his body after a spot of wild swimming in the BBC's blockbuster adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, the location is still enjoying a near million-pound boost. The National Trust's glorious Lyme Park stately home and estate in Cheshire, the scene of Firth's dip as Jane Austen's Mr Darcy, has benefitted from a remarkable £900,000 in extra annual visitor revenues since the show was broadcast, one report found. And it's likely to be higher this year as fans flock to Britain for the 250th anniversary of the author's birth. But Lyme Park isn't alone. It's become the norm to film in authentic locations, especially period dramas and historical documentaries, and no one has access to more historic properties than the National Trust, which has just celebrated its 130th anniversary. More recent shows such as Game of Thrones, Bridgerton and Wolf Hall have all had an equally impressive impact.

Harvey Edgington, the Trust's senior film and location manager, explains: "The monies we make always goes back to the property that hosted the filming and most have conservation projects sitting on a backburner waiting for funding. So when you get a swift injection of cash, that work can start - so there are real, tangible benefits.

"We also get visitors off the back of the locations once the films have gone out. On Game of Thrones, Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland stood in for Winterfell in the first two seasons. I think at the peak, we were getting about 2,000 extra visitors a week coming solely because of the Game of Thrones connection."

The phenomenon of visiting TV locations, says Harvey, is known as "set-jetting", and, as its name suggests, it can involve a lot of overseas visitors - bringing money not only to the trust but to wider local economies.