FILM-MAKERS have been descending on one of the region's leading tourist attractions.

Castle Howard, in North Yorkshire, won worldwide fame in the award-winning TV series Brideshead Revisited in the early 1980s.

In the past month, the crews of two TV programmes and a drama-documentary have had their cameras at the stately home, near Malton.

A BBC Songs of Praise crew was there for more than a week filming different locations around the estate.

Last week, Channel 4's Time Team spent three days digging up the lawns searching for the lost village of Henderskelfe.

At the same time, the drama-documentary Casanova was being filmed inside the home by another Channel 4 crew.

A day later, a crew appeared to film a commercial for the British Tourist Authority aimed at re-attracting US visitors following concern over BSE, the foot-and-mouth epidemic and the September 11th terrorist attacks.

The Songs of Praise programme was broadcast on BBC 1 on Sunday.

Time Team will be shown next spring, while Casanova goes out at the end of this year.