By way of a conclusion to this series of blog posts, we will let the programme speak for itself and we hope that you have enjoyed seeing Moclin, Granada and Andalucia in all their TV glory! Ultimately, Andrew and I hope that it will be nothing but a good thing for the area, shining a light on the history, culture, people and landscapes that we so love. We hope that it will generate new investment for the municipality of Moclin and that opportunities are created for more young people who might be looking for a future here. That was always our aim and the coming two years will be very interesting, as we handle whatever the impact of the programme might be. Finally, I hope our friends and neighbours in the village will be proud of what has been done, and how the village might be perceived. It would also be lovely to see many more visitors coming to the area, enjoying everything that there is here to enjoy.

What have been our personal highlights of the past year with Amanda and Alan?

I would say that we both enjoyed the entire process, and it was both exciting and exhausting to be involved in the machinery of putting together a TV production. As we mentioned in an earlier post, we did everything we could to ensure that the team, and Alan and Amanda, fell in love with this area of Spain and that they enjoyed the shoot. This meant that we had to do a fair amount of leg-work before filming began: ensuring that there was a team of builders and sub-contractors to restore the house; connecting electricity and water to the property; suggesting locations and people that may be good to include; recommending suppliers and providers. We love a project, and this was certainly a project that took up a huge amount of time and energy, but it was new and interesting and hugely fulfilling.

We made some very good friends. The production team were, without exception, lovely and some of our most memorable evenings were spent on our terrace having prepared a dinner for the crew. Getting insights into the slightly surreal world of TV is fascinating, and it was great to be included. We got to know the main series producers well, as they invariably stayed at one of our properties - Casa Higueras and Esperanza 9. During those weeks of filming, and leading up to filming, there was something very warm and comfortable about having members of the team in our home, eating with us or enjoying a glass of wine and having a gossip about the events of the day.

I mentioned the word surreal, and there certainly was something surreal about having Amanda and Alan suddenly appear at our home to get changed, or have a shower before whizzing off to film another scene in their hectic schedule. Their wardrobe was located in our studio, so it was inevitable that they’d pitch up every now and again between scenes to make the most of the shortest of breaks. As people going about their business they were entertaining and charming, always, and very good company.

We managed to get our business ventures on screen, of course! Esperanza 9, as inspiration for the restoration of the BBC house; our Flamenco course; and Moclin itself, where all our ventures are based. Somehow, we also managed to find ourselves involved in some of the scenes in and around the village. I won’t go into detail here, because you will have seen us crop up from time to time, on screen, twittering on incoherently with Alan and Amanda. One particular scene stands out in my mind, shown in Episode 4. I was supposed to go, with Alan, to a factory that makes plaster moulded panels similar to the ornate carvings found in the Alhambra. I didn’t even know this factory existed so had no idea what we would be expected to do there. I assumed that we'd be going to actually make an intricate panel that would be used in the house, and that the owner of the factory would have been briefed to that effect.

In these scenes, part of our function was to act as translator between Alan or Amanda and the Spanish craftspeople. I know bugger all about intricate plasterwork, or the techniques, so had to wing it massively! It transpired that the factory owner wasn’t keen on anyone getting too involved in his trade, so there was a lot of faffing on camera as I tried to ask if we could get our hands stuck into the bucket of plaster, being rebuffed at every turn. I felt decidedly awkward, staring into a swirling mix of plaster, not knowing quite where to go next, and watching it be poured into a giant mould to set, without getting our hands dirty. However, we had always been told that the editors perform magic. When I expressed my own disappointment in this scene with the Line Producer, Fiona, she told us that this ended up being one of the funniest scenes in the programme. I waited until I saw the programme before I made up my own mind!

Marco, our mayor, proved to be a natural on camera and we looked forward immensely to seeing the scenes in which he was involved. There was a running joke involving Marco and Alan, and you will have seen how that came across on screen. Suffice to say, Marco was a sport and threw himself into anything he was asked to do. All the villagers, in fact, were delighted to be involved as and when they were asked. The performance at the end of our Flamenco course was another highlight, as the village came out in force and the atmosphere was fabulous. We were also very lucky to have course guests who put on an incredible show and were happy to be filmed doing a Rumba with Alan and Amanda on stage.

There were many highs; the summer was like a series of parties with hangover gaps in between each filming block! We did whatever we could to get the people of the village involved in some way, as they are the life of the village and without them there would be very little here. This always brings us back to the fundamental reason for getting involved in the project: ensuring that the village has a future and that traditions and customs are preserved for generations to come.

OUR PERSONAL THANKS

The house restored by Amanda and Alan. We could not be more proud and delighted by this group of people, as they went above and beyond to get the house restored on time and within budget:

Antonio and Jose Miguel Suarez and their incredible team of builders;
’Primo Sergio’ and his team for the work they did on the casita;
Sergio, - electrician;
Miguel, - carpenter;
Victor, - plumber;
Rafa, as always, for his unfailing enthusiasm, help and support;

Paloma Baquero, our amazing architect. SERRANO + BAQUERO

The village, for being supportive, excited, committed and lovely:

Marco, the mayor of Los Pueblos de Moclin;

All the councillors, local mayors and the team in the town hall who took such a great interest in the project, and who helped every step of the way;

Mario, Charlie, Mari-Carmen and the team at Bar la Plaza;

Anabel and all the women of the Asociación de Mujeres Moclin;

Nono, Paco and everyone in the Grupo de Jubilados;

Montse and Ramon from the Cultural Association;

Vanessa and Fernando;

ALL our neighbours and friends in the village who were always keen to do whatever they could, either on camera or off.

Natalie de la Eva, for her expert Flamenco tuition and for helping put on a great Flamenco show, and our Flamenco guests for just being amazing.

Claire, Tom, Fiona and the entire team from Voltage TV, and to Alan and Amanda for coming to Moclin, to Granada and to Andalucia and for being such fun. We loved having you all here!

There are many more people involved across Andalucia, but our thanks go to those people with whom we worked most closely, and without whom we could not have done what we managed to do throughout the summer. We worked as a team, and Andrew and I both hope that you all enjoy everything that the programme might bring as we head deeper into 2025. Thank you!

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 5
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 6
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 7
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 8
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 9

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. The final episode of this series will be shown on BBC One on Friday 14th March at 20:30.

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 exclusively for sale through Granada Village & Country, and featured on Rightmove, from 14th March 2025. You can register for details on our website.

Our other businesses as featured on the programme:

Casa Higueras Bed & Breakfast
Esperanza 9
Granada Cultural Holidays

We’ll see you at Christmas!