There was a lot of buzz in the village about the arrival of Alan and Amanda. It should be noted that not many Spanish people know who Alan and Amanda are, although they are very aware of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. Marco, our mayor, asked me on more than one occasion how famous they were and I’d simply reply, “VERY”. The BBC is, of course, very well known and I think most of our friends and neighbours appreciated how special this filming project was going to be.

We worked closely with the Voltage TV production team to make some suggestions for suitable filming scenes, and we were very keen to make sure that the villagers were involved as much as possible. In another blog post, we’ll go through some of the other locations used for filming across Andalucia, should you wish to visit any of them; they are all worth visiting!

In Moclín, the team filmed the castle, the village shop, the bar in the square and the Women’s Association and much more. The focus of the programme was always on the house and the village, and then there were forays into different corners of Andalucia with Alan and Amanda as they sourced inspiration and materials for the property restoration.

Some of our Moclín friends with Alan and Amanda

What are Alan and Amanda like?

This is the question that many people ask when we mention the summer’s activities and it may sound glib to reply that they are just normal people. They just happen to be very visible people who have careers in TV and Radio and are therefore known to vast swathes of the UK population. They are both lovely. Undoubtedly, there was something surreal about having these two well-known faces turning up at our door to have a shower, get changed and then rush out again to film another scene. I can also understand that there must be an ever-present concern that the people surrounding you, as a celebrity, may be a nuisance or may become too intrusive as there are, sadly, many people who think that celebrities are public property. This opens the debate surrounding privacy, and the belief in some minds that the viewers ultimately pay to keep their favourite stars in the pubic eye and therefore they should make themselves available all the time.

Celebrities, actors, presenters, models, all those who have a high public profile are just doing a job. It can be a strange job, being filmed chatting for a living, but it is a job and in many cases it can be all too fleeting and not very glamorous. I recall my own very humble days of trying to forge a path as ‘talent’ in front of the camera. On one occasion, I had to get up at 04:30 on a cold November morning to catch a train from London to Norwich where I filmed a TV commercial for Zenith Windows. Myself and Denise Waterman (former wife of record producer Pete Waterman and a member of the pop group Tight Fit), were ‘husband and wife in our house’, bemoaning the mountain of energy bills that dropped through our letterbox, and then realising that new Zenith Windows would save the day. We filmed all day with the windows of the house wide open; it was bloody freezing. Much of the day was spent sitting around while the crew set up each scene. We’d then be called to film a short segment (at one stage, my hand and index finger were filmed several times pushing the reset button on the central heating boiler) before we returned to await the next scene. My god, it was boring and cold. On another occasion, I had to stand on a beach on the Isle of Sheppey as one of the explorers who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun. I was in a linen suit and pith helmet gazing into the middle distance as an arctic blast penetrated every fibre of my being. The crew were all in huge Puffa jackets!

Amanda and Alan on the terrace of Casa Higueras

What we noticed about Amanda and Alan was the good humour with which they undertake the work in hand. The series was an idea that came to Amanda during lockdown, and Amanda and Alan have a very close friendship, so they both have a vested interest in the entire production. One of the things that so many people have said about the programme is that there is a deep affection for the connection between the two property restorers. There are many laughs along the way that are genuine and infectious. The format has been replicated and not always with the same success, as the connection between other pairs can seem contrived, forced or overdone. Alan and Amanda are always checking that what they have just filmed works, is good enough, funny enough or interesting enough; they genuinely care about the product they are helping to produce.

A house-warming gift to Amanda and Alan - Ian’s painting of the Alhambra

For us, that was always important as we do feel a sense of responsibility for introducing Voltage to the village. We didn’t want to be responsible for something that might reflect negatively on the area or our neighbours; that would have been unthinkably awful. We both believed that Moclín would be a star of the show, as would the villagers who appear in many scenes. We have every faith that everyone will agree, and that the programme will benefit the area for a long time to come.

We got to know Amanda, Alan and the production team more with every filming block and they were all great company. Ultimately, we wanted them to have a great time in Moclín, to fall in love with it in the same way we have done and to care about the impact that the programme will have on the lives of those who live here. We say with all sincerity that we hope all of them will return at some stage in the future, individually or together, and they all have an open invitation.

You can read earlier posts in this series by clicking on the links below:

Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 1
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 2
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 3
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 4
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 6
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 7

Follow us on Instagram:

Andrew @awatsonone
Ian @ianrutter
Casa Higueras @casahiguerasmoclin
Esperanza 9 @calleesperanza9
Granada Village and Country @granada_villageandcountry
Granada Cultural Holidays @granadaculturalholidays

‘Amanda and Alan’s Spanish Job’ is being shown on BBC One from 24th January 2025 and will be available on iPlayer.

For the programme, Amanda and Alan bought their property through our estate agency business, Granada Village & Country and we were instrumental in putting together the building teams who completed the renovation of the property.

The property will be available for sale through Granada Village & Country, and featured on Rightmove, at the end of the series.

Our other businesses as featured on the programme:

Casa Higueras Bed & Breakfast
Esperanza 9
Granada Cultural Holidays

With enormous thanks to Amanda, Alan and the entire team at Voltage TV for choosing Moclín and for your enthusiasm, love and consideration throughout the filming of the series. We loved having you all here!