‘I rented my house to Doctor Who and the Tardis was on my drive’

With the Oscars taking centre stage this week, Rightmove has shone a light on the little-known world of homeowners who rent their homes to TV and film crews.

Father-of-three Ivor Gwynne Davies, 61, a one-time actor who now works in land and property investment, has revealed how his family home played host to the 2014 Doctor Who Christmas special.

Vaendre Hall, a magnificent 19th Century Grade II listed stone-built country pile which has been in Ivor’s family since the late 1930s, explained how the opportunity arose – without a sonic screwdriver in sight.

He said: “I was contacted by one of the BBC’s location managers, who specialises in finding properties. I actually think he might’ve found it looking for properties for sale on Rightmove.

“We spoke to Peter Capaldi, he showed us around the set, and that was fantastic. He is a really charming man, a lovely gentleman. He couldn’t have done enough for us.

“It was very interesting to get a peek behind the magic curtain and get a real sense of what the production is like. It took away some of the mystique being able to see behind the scenes, but it was still a brilliant thing to be a part of.

“It’s incredible to see the level of detail that goes into these shows. They wanted a winter setting, as it was a Christmas special, and they hired a company to make it snow absolutely everywhere. It was quite something, what with it being a balmy day in September.”

Ivor, who himself played a gamekeeper in the 1986 Christmas special of Only Fools and Horses, said that his eight-bedroom property in South Wales was used by the production crew for around four weeks in September.

The stunning Victorian home, which boasts views of the Bristol Channel and Somerset coastline, was used to film intimate scenes in Jenna Coleman’s character Clara Oswald’s living room and bedroom.

Ivor also revealed that homeowners looking to rent their property to film crews should be contract-savvy.

“There are papers to sign and forms to fill out, so you can get certain clauses in writing. For example, that certain items are to be left alone, others are to be put back where they were found and so on.

“Also, it’s important to make sure that breakages are covered. They also provided honey wagons (porta loos) but despite us explaining we didn’t want anyone using the downstairs toilet, people still used it.

“And it wasn’t long before it was blocked up, which was quite frustrating. So little things like that, people should be aware of.

“People may want to think about what personal belongings they want on or off the site. But I have to say I was very impressed with the BBC. But some of the carpets were damaged, which we were a little bit miffed about.

“The payments came in stages. There is room to negotiate but we were originally offered £2,000 a week.

“The process could be quite intrusive at times. They are on your doorstep early in the morning. They were at the house between 8am and 8pm.

“They mainly filmed in the main hall and the landing upstairs and in one of the bedrooms. They were used as Jenna’ character’s living room and bedroom. The BBC used the master bedroom as the kind of production room with all the monitors.

“We were allowed to be around, but they were very sensitive about the script, that was locked down hard. It’s not easy being told where you can and can’t be in your own home.

“It was pretty obvious when they didn’t want us to be involved. But one day they told us to bring all our family down, for a full day of filming, and that was really special.

“We camped out on the lawn for a picnic and stayed there all day. We got to meet all the cast and spotted a Tardis on the driveway – it was such an amazing experience. We just enjoyed the moment.”

Rightmove property expert Miles Shipside added: “Living in and renting out a location house can be a lucrative business, particularly if homeowners are aware of industry trends. When people pour so much effort into creating their dream home, why not reap some of the rewards when they come knocking?”

Ivor’s property is listed for sale with Chewton Rose for £1.85 million.