A PLUMBER has spent six months building a Roman villa for a TV documentary.

Kevin Fail, from Woodland, near Barnard Castle, was one of six contractors who took part in the challenge for Channel 4 documentary Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day.

He likened the experience to watching Eighties comedy Auf Wiedersehen Pet, about builders from Newcastle working abroad.

The first episode of the sixpart series aired last night.

They worked with traditional Roman materials, tools and techniques from plans created by Roman engineer Vitruvius in 25BC to create the villa at Wroxeter, Shropshire.

Mr Fail, who signed up for the project after he saw it on a building jobs website, said getting to know his fellow builders had been almost as challenging as building the villa.

The challenge included moving 35 tonnes of oak and making bricks out of 150 tonnes of sandstone.

Mr Fail, a bathroom fitter, said: “Anyone thinking it will just be a documentary or history programme will be surprised – it was more like the Roman Auf Wiedersehen Pet.

“It was funny, but was also challenging.”

The 52-year-old father-oftwo said the project allowed him to test his skills as a bathroom fitter while fuelling his passion for history.

He said: “Where we had six of us and six months, Roman soldiers would have taken two years to build it.

“It has been an emotional journey, we visited several ruins from the past and I thought ‘how did they do that?’.

“I felt like we had something in common with the men who built it 2,000 years ago, except at the end of the day we could go home, shower and watch TV.”

His 24-year-old daughter, Morgan, who is studying for an archaeology degree, also helped Mr Fail, a former army engineer, build a mosaic.

Other features of the villa include underfloor heating, a plunge pool and frescos.

A spokesman for Channel 4 said the series offered an insight into how the Romans built and lived.

Dr Simon Thurley, the chief executive of English Heritage, said it was a remarkable replica that highlighted the ingenuity of the Roman Empire.

Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day will be aired every Thursday at 9pm. Episodes can also be seen at channel4.com