The first programme joins the 12th duke and duchess as the house is being prepared to open to the public. It is the busiest time of year for the house staff and everyone has a role to play - even the duke and duchess, as they join the annual litter pick around the estate. 2011 sees the six month probation period of the youngest and very first female head guide, Heather Redmond. Will she win over the 60-strong guide team, some of whom have worked at Chatsworth since before she was born, and get the job for keeps? Chatsworth's award-winning farm shop is presided over by manager Andre Birkett. Man and boy he has worked for the family, starting in the kitchens of the house. He is now responsible for 120 staff and an annual turnover of over five million pounds. But there are always new challenges for Andre, and it is a first for him as he has to deal with a pair of discarded underpants in the cistern of the farm shop toilets. As winter turns to spring it is lambing season on the estate's 62 farms, and farm manager Ian Turner, who has 32 years service under his belt, takes us on a tour of the farm, where we get to see first-hand a sheep adopting a rejected lamb. For four and a half centuries Chatsworth has been owned by one family, and for one year we have been there to bring you an exclusive insight into the real-life Downton Abbey.
This episode follows the duchess at the highlight of her social calendar, Chatsworth International Horse Trials. This year there is extra pressure on the duchess and course designer, Ian Stark, as the event is an official qualifier for the London Olympics, and everything must meet the governing body's exacting standards. The 2011 season sees the third annual Chatsworth flower festival, Florabundance. But there is a problem blooming in the gardens as the unseasonably warm spring weather is making the tulips flower ahead of schedule, leaving floral designer Jonathan Moseley 5,000 blooms short just days ahead of the grand opening. Chatsworth is one of the country's leading tourist destinations, which is a source of pride for the duke, duchess and their 700 staff. It is their attention to detail that pays dividends, but there are some serious problems that need ironing out when the public start complaining about the table setting in the grand dining room. For four and a half centuries Chatsworth has been owned by one family and for one year we've been there to bring you an exclusive insight into the real life Downton Abbey.
Summer arrives, bringing with it wedding season at Chatsworth, but there is a veil hanging over proceedings and it does not belong to the bride. For the entire 2011 season, the famous south and west wings have been covered in scaffolding as part of a massive renovation; but it could spell disaster for their burgeoning wedding business and the all-important wedding photographs. However, ever-resourceful events manager Kay Rotchford has some Photoshop magic up her sleeve. And after a year of being hidden behind scaffolding, Chatsworth's 14 million pound renovation is finally revealed, and the great old house is ready to face the future. We meet 23-year-old Lewis Leybourne, up from London and starting to climb the career ladder. He's a newly appointed trainee catering supervisor, but is thrown completely out of his comfort zone when he has to model as Mr Bingley in Chatsworth's very own version of Pride and Prejudice for their 2011 wedding brochure. A passionate patron of the arts, the duke's taste is brought into question when the visitors take exception to his latest exhibit - a Damien Hirst sculpture of the flailed St Bartholomew currently residing in the Chapel. And after a year of being hidden behind scaffolding, Chatsworth's 14 million pound renovation is finally revealed, and the great old house is ready to face the future.
