As the ultimate Traitor, he famously plotted, schemed and connived his way to beating 18 of his fellow competitors to become celebrity king of the castle.
Comedian Alan Carr’s winning performance last year during the first ever Celebrity Traitors at spectacular Ardross Castle in the Highlands saw his career spiral and won him a new army of fans throughout the world.
But now The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Traitor Alan is set to turn Faithful as he prepares to collect the keys to his very own £3.25 million Scottish castle near the picturesque Berwickshire village of Ayton (population, 600).
He is seeking God’s help to win over locals living near Ayton Castle, which is soon to be his home – and the location for a Hollywood-style documentary series starring the ‘Chatty Man’.
Last month, film-makers had to call off a public meeting to lay out their plans after it became clear the local bowling club would not be big enough to accommodate all those interested.
Instead, agents for Disney+ have approached the session clerk at Ayton Parish Church to see if it could host the gathering. And she said ‘yes’.
‘It’s intriguing,’ said Susan Patterson at the 19th Century kirk.
‘I watched The Celebrity Traitors and really enjoyed it. When speculation began that Alan Carr was buying a Scottish castle, I automatically assumed it would be somewhere up north.’
That’s because the UK and US versions of Traitors are filmed at Ardross Castle, near Alness.
Instead, after becoming the winning ‘Traitor’ last November, Carr, 49, plumped for Ayton and its nine bathrooms, eight public rooms and a staggering total of 17 bedrooms.
It’s rumoured the comedian fell in love with the Gothic Revival- themed pile as he passed it on the main East Coast railway line on his way to Edinburgh, where he spends each Hogmanay in the company of TV friend Amanda Holden.
News of the sale immediately sparked concern among those living closest to the castle, especially the dog walkers and country strollers accustomed to wandering freely through 160 acres of picture-perfect grounds.
Current castle owners Richard Syred and partner Brian Parsons made a tradition of hosting glittering carol singing nights at Christmas as well as arts and crafts fairs and fun trips for local children on a miniature narrow-gauge railway through the estate.
Would the Chatty Man be just as accommodating?
Ms Patterson added: ‘You’ve got to remember this is a little place. Everybody knows what everybody else is up to.
‘Locals were very supportive of the previous owners. They opened up the castle and grounds to the local community.
‘The worry at first was that Alan Carr might close down some paths within the castle grounds but I don’t think he will.
‘I think people are mostly intrigued. They are viewing it positively. Put it this way, I don’t expect folk will be climbing the fence to check up on him.
‘If he says hello to people, they will say hello back and leave him be. All things being equal, I think locals will be very welcoming towards Alan Carr.’
Disney+ plans to follow Alan’s plush property ‘journey’ – from seeking out his perfect castle, to ambitious renovation through to running it as a working stately home.
Produced by Expectation, the award-winning production company behind Clarkson’s Farm, it has already been given the working title ‘Castle Man’.
Executive producer Ben Wicks said: ‘What an incredible project – Alan Carr looking to buy a castle befitting his status as comedy royalty and a national treasure, and soon finding himself responsible for the very real, right royal pain of making it all work.
‘We’re delighted to be following Alan’s dramatic – and undoubtedly hilarious – journey and doing so with Disney who thankfully have a great deal more history with castles.’
While not confirming the ecclesiastical setting for the public meeting, a Disney+ spokesman said: ‘We’re continuing to engage with the local community, and remain committed to maintaining open, positive communication.’
The Chatty Man himself said: ‘Some men when they have a midlife crisis buy a Lamborghini or grow a ponytail. But me, I want my very own castle.
‘Since I was a boy in Northamptonshire, I’ve always dreamt big, and have always been enchanted with the history and romance of a stately home.
‘As I turn 50, I feel it’s time. All I want is a turret to call my own – get me over that drawbridge.’
There’s no need to scatter showbiz stardust on the paths and parkland at Ayton Castle to make them more attractive; approached through the South Lodge sandstone gate house, they offer a vision of bucolic heaven with horses grazing lazily in fields, birds singing in the spring sunshine and giant Scots pine trees towering above.
Over the Eye Water, the little river bubbling through the castle estate, sits an ancient wooden bridge once used by the laird to walk to the parish church each Sunday. The 1867 kirk itself has a ‘laird’s loft’ on the elevated east end, reserved for the exclusive use of the castle owner.
Doubtless there will be many more outsiders fetching up here in the coming months as Disney+ painstakingly records a major renovation project.
Ayton’s A-listed status means that the local council and officials from Historic Environment Scotland will be deeply involved, keen to ensure the castle’s heritage and identity remain unchanged by a US TV director’s outlandish list of demands.
There will be jobs for locals and contracts for craftsmen such as decorators, carpenters, stonemasons and gardeners in a multi-million boost to the economy in this corner of Berwickshire.
Even Ayton Parish Church stands to benefit. Due to the dwindling congregation, Sunday services are held just twice a month and even then before only 20 or 30 worshippers.
If session clerk Ms Patterson can maintain the film-makers’ initial interest, perhaps one episode could include the revival of this peaceful place of worship and how it managed to attract new ‘Faithfuls’.
There is enough fascinating history at the castle to fill many more episodes. The Fordyce family, which previously owned the estate, had only completed the construction of a mansion house on the site when it burned down in 1834.
The tragedy forced the family to move abroad, retaining the legal right to buy Ayton back at a future date. Could one show feature an international search for the family’s descendants to see if they want to reclaim their birthright?
The castle as it exists today was completed in 1846 to the design of noted Scottish architect James Gillespie Graham, who also fashioned some notable streets in Edinburgh’s New Town as well as Taymouth Castle in Perthshire and Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran.
One local, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘There’s nothing negative about Alan in the village. At first, you wondered if he was going to turn it into Disneyland. But I think he just wants somewhere nice to live – and he could not have chosen anywhere nicer.
‘I went down to the shop the other day and it took me an hour to buy two rolls. So many people stopped me, wanting a chat. It’s so friendly.’
A Latin motto is inscribed above the front door at Ayton Castle, ‘Deo Favente’. Its meaning is described thus: ‘With God’s Favour’.
It would seem with a little celestial help, the Chatty Man is about to create a little bit of Heaven deep in the Scottish countryside.
