Millions make The Dales a TV hit
Published: 29 March 2011
New television series The Dales has taken the nation by storm after more than 4 million viewers tuned in to watch the first episode last night.
The Dales has even prompted backing from Foreign Secretary William Hague who tweeted about series to his 35,000 followers.
The MP for Richmond tweeted: "Watch The Dales from tonight on ITV1 to learn about the best part of England."
Welcome to Yorkshire has been pulling out all the stops in preparation for the 12-part series which it hopes will spark a boom in tourism to the Yorkshire Dales this summer.
Welcome to Yorkshire has created a website for the programme www.yorkshire.com/thedales which yesterday had 2,600 hits.
Yorkshire.com alone had 1,290 hits in just one hour, 375% higher than the day before.
There's also been a flurry of social media activity with more than 400 tweets throughout The Dales, singing its praises.
Bradford-born presenter Adrain Edmondson is a hit with viewers and one tweeter added: "Ade's show [is] making me want a weekend in posh hotel in The Dales."
Welcome to Yorkshire played a vital role during the making of the series, assisting the production team, and is hoping for a boom in national interest after it's aired.
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: "This is a phenomenal success with our stunning Yorkshire Dales being beamed into the homes of 4.4million viewers across the nation.
"We've created a special website for the programme which shows viewers who and where is featured in the programme. This saw a great spike in hits last night so we hope that will lead them to booking a holiday and coming to see our Yorkshire Dales first hand for themselves."
From the Wensleydale Railway to the Great Yorkshire Show, The Dales will give viewers a taste of some of Yorkshire's most treasured attractions.
It also follows the lives of people living in the Dales and showcases some of the communities.
Adrian Edmondson used to spend many of his childhood summers in the Yorkshire Dales.
The Dales is screened on Mondays from March 28 at 8pm on ITV1
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Images attached. Caption: Welcome to Yorkshire's chief executive Gary Verity with Amanda & Clive Owen of Swaledale and their five children Violet, Raven, Reuben, Miles and Edith
The Dales executive producer Mark Robinson and chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire Gary Verity
Editors' Notes:
• Welcome to Yorkshire is the official tourism agency for Yorkshire, working to grow the county's visitor economy.
• Welcome to Yorkshire is funded by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency charged with improving the Yorkshire and Humber economy.
• Key facts include:
• Tourism in Yorkshire is worth £7 billion annually
• The county's industry employs almost a quarter of a million people
• There are 216 million visits to Yorkshire each year
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For further information contact:
Dee Marshall - Head of Communications
Email: dmarshall@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 3223505
Mobile: 07950 325 901
Jo Francisco - Press Officer
Email: jfrancisco@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3563
Mobile: 07769257327