In this first episode, it's spring, and Easter is the first big weekend of the Castle Howard calendar. The owners hope to capitalise on the house's use as a location in Bridgerton to offset the estate's £50 million deficit. Curator Eleanor and designer Adrian are charged with creating a Castle Howard On Screen exhibition.
In July, Nick Howard and Dave the caretaker dusting off and struggling to fire up the 1959 family Bentley for the first big event of the summer - a classic car show. The 2022 heatwave strikes North Yorkshire, driving visitors away from the baking-hot gardens, forcing the iconic Atlas fountain to run dry, and rendering the fire sprinklers protecting the priceless collection of antiquities in the main house useless.
September sees feverish activity as the estate prepares to host the International Sheepdog Trials, but when the Queen's death is announced, the castle must close for mourning.
The estate's fortunes hinge on a successful Christmas season, which is always a financial gamble. Theatrical designers Charlotte Lloyd Weber and Adrian Lillie create fairytale-inspired installations throughout the house, while the hunt is on for a Christmas tree large enough to fill the 70-foot domed ceiling of the great hall, The festive plans are further disrupted by two days of torrential rain and a leaking roof.
