In George we trust

George Clarke on visiting some of our most beloved properties and places during lockdown

- Steven Perkins

While the nation went into lockdown earlier this year, George Clarke was hitting the road.

The architect and presenter was on a mission to explore 24 National Trust properties during the pandemic for C4’s six-part series George Clarke’s National Trust Unlocked, as the absence of visitors meant the charity’s income took a major hit.

George got unprecedented access to buildings closed to the public, seeing areas that are normally off-limits, and meeting the staff who are still at work maintaining the properties – single-handedly, in some cases.

In an exclusive chat, George, 46, tells TV Times what it was like to be the only guest at some of the nation’s most-visited properties…

How did the series come about?

In the most bizarre way! Lockdown kicked in, and I had to very quickly do a couple of reveals on Amazing Spaces to get four out of the eight episodes finished. C4 called me up and said, ‘Is there anything that you think you can make? We’ve been told by the government we’re allowed to film.’ That day, there was publicity about how the National Trust had to lock down its properties, furlough its staff and volunteers, and they were in danger of losing £200300m because of the pandemic. I thought to myself, ‘This is a great chance, during an unprecedented time, to make a series that’s never been made before.’

How did you film it under lockdown conditions?