Alan Carr has barely had a moment to rest since winning The Celebrity Traitors last autumn, with a flood of work offers and the purchase of a castle keeping him busy. Among the projects is an Amazon Prime comedy travelogue series, The F***It List, which he has just finished making, in which he and three other comedians road-test classic bucket-list experiences.
New Projects and a Castle Purchase
Other commitments include a Disney documentary series, Castle Man, about his move to his grand Scottish pad, and a new role on ITV's The Masked Singer, announced last week. Now Alan, who turned 50 in June, is juggling his new life at the £3.2million Ayton Castle, situated in the Borders halfway between Edinburgh and Newcastle, with all his filming commitments.
"This year, after Traitors, is just insane," he laughed. "The castle is brilliant. Everyone thinks it's a gimmick - that's the problem - but I am living there! I love it up there. It's got dog-friendly beaches, the people are lovely. It's so nice."
Community Plans and Renovations
Alan's plans for the Category A listed baronial mansion include a range of community activities, all filmed for the series, while a section of the sprawling 160-acre grounds is being turned into a glamping site for a few weeks. So while the 17 bedrooms and nine bathrooms are all for Alan, the public will be free to enjoy nights in the castle's parkland under canvas from later this month.
Having bought the castle in February, Alan is still getting used to living in such a grand stately home, after growing up on an estate in the suburbs of Northampton. "It's so funny being in there, coming down the stairs and whatnot," he said. "Sometimes I have to pinch myself."
In order to renovate the lavish property, he is selling his former home in West Sussex, which he shared with ex-husband Paul Drayton before their divorce in 2022. He said: "I've got to wait for the house to sell and then I'll have some money to spend on it."
Busy Schedule and Returning Shows
Alan is also trying to keep up with his returning TV series, which include Picture Slam and Interior Design Masters for the BBC, his Changing Ends drama for ITV and Channel 4's Secret Genius. However, one popular show that's been paused for this year is the hit BBC1 renovation series he makes with close friend Amanda Holden, which launched with two series of The Italian Job, followed by The Spanish Job and The Greek Job.
"We will definitely do more," he said. "We love it... But it's just been so busy. Amanda was the first person who came to visit me in the castle, she was like, 'I wanna see it!'"
But in case she had any ideas about decorating it herself, he had to lay down the law. "I said to her, 'No disco balls please - this is classy!'" With both of them now old hands when it comes to big renovation projects, Alan said he also had to rule himself out of getting stuck in at the castle. "Me with my sledgehammer?" he grinned. "I don't think so!"
