Would Chez Kate pass the TV test?

A story spotted last week had my friends and I in a real tizzy.
Kate LivingstoneKate Livingstone
Kate Livingstone

It seems, dear reader, that there is money to be made from having your home used as a location for adverts and TV shows!

Can you imagine, Chez Kate adorning the pages of Homes and Gardens or more likely as one of my so-called friends suggested, used as a backdrop for a crime drama.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I’m not sure if she means that it is so untidy that it looks like I’ve been burgled but I did think that was a bit uncalled for – especially as I’ve seen the wine bottle stash that she has in her kitchen, I at least put mine in the black box provided by the council and stored outside! But perhaps she was hoping it could be used if they ever made another series of Absolutely Fabulous ...

And when I’m talking money for having your home used as a location, I mean serious cash. Up to £1000 a day just for allowing a TV crew to take over for a few hours. That’s a lot of money it they are there the entire week.

Okay there will probably be disruption and I can imagine the neighbours complaining if there were lots of vans for the crew’s equipment parked in the street, but hey, it sounds like something I would be happy to put up with.

Imagine what I could do with that unexpected windfall. In fact, I could probably go on an exotic holiday with all the cash I could be making.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But that prompted another friend to query whether I would be happy to leave my house unoccupied while strangers were in it?

Sister, if the cash was right I could probably afford a housekeeper!

Can you imagine if you were sitting watching TV and suddenly your home appears and some hunky actor is in your very kitchen.

Put that holiday on hold, of course, I’m going to hang around! You never know George Clooney might show up or some other suitably attractive man.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But then we had a serious think and realised that it’s more likely to be homes in and around London that are used.

However, another of our group said that they filmed Outlander in Central Scotland so I suggested that they might want to use my garden as a suitable backdrop for the Highland scenery. There I said it before anyone else had a chance to comment on my little horticultural wilderness.

It seems no-one is falling for my story about developing a cottage garden.

But on reflection, the idea of having to clean the house from top to bottom before any film crew could use it seems far too much like hard work so think I’ll just forget the idea, however lucrative it might be.