Red carpet rolled out for stars of The Dales
Published: 21 February 2012
More than two hundred people walked the red carpet at the premiere of a new television series about the Yorkshire Dales last night.
Stars of the new show were joined by the cast from series one at Skipton's Plaza Cinema to have a sneak preview of the first two episodes ahead of the show's return to the nation's screens on February 27 at 8pm on ITV 1.
Welcome to Yorkshire - who supported the production of the new series - hosted the event to celebrate the series' return, after the first pulled in an average of 4m viewers a night.
The show, again presented by Bradford-born Ade Edmondson, sees him revisit Dales farmers Clive and Amanda Owen and their five children as they face another eventful summer on their remote farm in Swaledale, and he pops in on mother and son farmers Carol and Philip Mellin who have set up a sheepdog training enterprise on their farm near Keighley.
Ade meets community choir the Buckden Singers and joins in their rehearsals as they prepare for their annual summer concert. He's also interviewed by Drystone Radio's ten year old DJ Daisy Watkiss - perhaps the youngest DJ in the country.
Check out some photos from the night
During the course of the series, Ade also sees the Yorkshire Dales from above - in a thrilling helicopter ride - and from below as he explores one of its many caves.
The presenter said: "I think it's just a completely different world compared to where a lot of us live. The appeal lies in the families we follow, their lifestyles, the scenery and the remoteness. It's such a massive area and it's surprising the time it takes to get around it. I still haven't seen it all, and I even got lost a couple of times making this new series."
The first series, which aired in late March 2011, had a positive impact on business across the Yorkshire Dales. Self-catering holidays in the Dales was up 10% in April 2011 year-on-year, and up 20% in May 2011 on the previous year.
Visitor numbers to attractions in the Yorkshire Dales and Harrogate also shot up a massive 35% in April 2011, compared to the same time the previous year.
Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: "Having the premiere at the Plaza was a fitting testament to this show, which has become something of a phenomenon. We worked hard to encourage the series to be made because we knew how popular it would prove. We're sure this new series will not only attract new viewers, but help raise the profile of The Dales as one of the nation's greatest tourist destinations."
For the latest information on the show and the Yorkshire Dales, see www.yorkshire.com/thedales
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Editors' Notes:
• Welcome to Yorkshire is the official destination management organisation 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, and Welcome to Yorkshire's members.
• 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:
Graham Poucher - Press Officer
Email: gpoucher@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3578
Mobile: 07805 958728
Andy Denton - Press Officer
Email: adenton@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3537
Mobile: 0785 5812094