A Place in the Sun has become required viewing for those who dream of having a holiday home in an exotic location. And fans often envy the show's househunters, who look to be enjoying a free holiday, the Liverpool Echo reports.
The show's hosts take turns to show property hunters around apartments, duplexes and villas in idyllic locations from the Caribbean to the Costas. And filming goes on almost year round - 48 weeks a year, with about 120 episodes filmed in any 12 months.
But to the dismay of the producers, the programme comes in for some stick from viewers who claim that some of the buyers don't appear serious about their property search. They speculate on who pays for their flights and accommodation, and whether it is just a free holiday.
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The Channel 4 programme's managing director Andy Bridge said: "Occasionally I see comments on social media where people have watched an episode and somebody hasn't bought, and the sort of criticism of, 'Were they serious?' But the truth is there's an awful lot of work and preparation has gone on to qualify those people as serious buyers, it just hasn't happened to work out in that particular week."
Speaking about the filming process, producer Lydia Bradley explained: "Filming starts about 8.30am, until about 5pm. Often in 30C, 35C heat.
"It's a long day. It's not a full week, there are a couple of afternoons that the househunters will take off while the crew do area shots, things like that, but it is hard. You're not there to lie on a beach and swim in a pool, we're on a pretty tight schedule."
Co-producer Siobhan O'Gorman added: "We look after people pretty well, but one guy [who was due to appear on the show] was upset when he got his flight tickets and they weren't business class, and he wasn't staying in a five-star hotel. Well, we have a Channel 4 daytime budget."
To find out more about applying to be on A Place in the Sun, click here
A Place in the Sun airs weekdays at 3pm on Channel 4 and All 4
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