"As I'm an old man living on my own, having lost my wife, I have a very strict rule that I do not sit and drink on my own at home until late in the evening, certainly not before 8pm," he says.

Escape to the Country has been a mainstay of BBC programming since its debut in 2002. However, for many viewers at home, the behind-the-scenes workings of the show remain somewhat of an enigma.

Amanda Holden has reportedly been warned by BBC bosses after breaching the broadcaster's commercial guidelines by wearing her "Handy Mandy" boilersuit from Amanda & Alan's Spanish Job in a promotional ...