Christmas at Longleat

-The magnificent 900-acre Longleat estate -- home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Bath.

Once a year, it's transformed into one of the UK's biggest and most extravagant Christmas wonderlands.

-Yeah, this house and this hall have seen a lot of Christmases.

-Now we're going behind the scenes with exclusive access to see how the other half do it at Longleat's grand Christmas.

From lavish decorations, 9 trees, 500 feet of garlands, 1,150 Christmas baubles... -That's it, whoo-hoo.

-There you go.

-...and 400 feet of lights... to the ground's huge outdoor light festival.

So spectacular, you can probably see it from space.

-The lights are magical.

But actually, to be doing it at Longleat, what a stage, what a canvas.

-So, grab your favorite festive jumper and maybe a glass of mulled wine as 200 staff, tens of thousands of minced pies and a naughty owl called Bella... -Oh!

Oi!

-...bring you Christmas at Longleat.

[ Bells jingling ] It's autumn at Longleat.

But preparations for Christmas always start early... ...which means curator at Longleat House, James Ford, has a busy few months ahead of him.

-This year, we're opening both floors of the house -- so the ground and the first floor, so there's a lot of rooms to decorate.

We're going to have nine trees in the house, which is the most Christmas trees we've ever had.

So, it's going to be quite a lot of hard work and a few long days to try and get the house looking as good as it can for our visitors over the Christmas period.

-Christmases at Longleat have been celebrated for over 400 years and the pice de rsistance is the huge 6-meter Christmas tree in the Great Hall, chosen from the estate's Christmas plantation.

-As you can imagine, bringing a large 6-meter-tall tree into a house such as Longleat is a bit of a military operation.

So, I always do get a little bit nervy when it happens, but I have every faith in the team that this year they'll be able to bring it in safely.

-Heading up that team is experiences director, Daisy Mercedes, and it's not just the massive Christmas tree on her mind.

She's responsible for all of Christmas at Longleat, including the enormous Festival of Light.

-So the Festival of Light is a lantern festival, which is very large illuminated structures which tell a story.

This year we are focusing on treasured tales.

We're going to be seeing some really loved fairy tales come to life in lantern form.

We partner with a team of artists from China.

There's over 50 of them this year.

It's a huge event.

If we're not designing it, we're building it.

I'm feeling incredibly excited about this year but a lot of pressure because it is bigger than ever.

It's going to be better than ever.

But we've obviously got to make that happen and that's always a bit of a journey.

-Today Daisy is meeting up with the bosses -- Lord and Lady Bath -- to talk them through some of the details and fingers crossed, they'll approve.

-Hello!

-Hi, Daisy.

-How are you?

-Good to see you!

-You too.

I've had an amazing session with James Ford in the archives and been hugely inspired about treasured tales.

And one of those that has really jumped out is Narnia, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

I thought we could do a lovely scene next to Longleat House and actually have Longleat House right next to the wardrobe, which we actually walk through and then some of those real key hero moments with the Lamp-post, Mr. Tumnus, The White Witch.

For the first time ever this year, you'll be able to walk through a full environment.

So cool.

Definitely one of my favorite stories is "Wind in the Willows."

-I love that one.

-And I thought we could capture a really lovely moment from the book with Ratty and Moley in the riverboat, Toad in his car.

Obviously!

-Of course.

And Mr. Toad...

So Emma says that I drive like him.

-[ Laughs ] Yeah, my mum used to read it to me.

I love it so much and the boys love it.

-I think my favorite fairy tale was actually "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

But for our boys, it'll be "Peter Pan" for sure.

-Yes.

[ Laughs ] -Anything with a pirate theme.

-Big pirate fans forever.

-Yeah.

-And Christmas wouldn't be anything without the North Pole.

-Yes.

-[ Laughs ] So...

So actually at the end of this new enchanted forest, you'll come through to the North Pole.

As well as seeing some of the elves in action, you'll then be surrounded with the tree.

-Fantastic, Daisy.

I mean, from Roald Dahl last year to C.S.

Lewis and Narnia this year, We're doing -- we're doing pretty well.

-It's so impressive.

I always invite people to come because you really can't explain it.

Trying to articulate this is impossible.

You just have to see it.

-You have to see it to believe it.

-I think it's going to be a triumph, Daisy.

-I think, if you're happy, I think we'll go in this direction.

-Thanks so much.

See you.

See you later.

-Bye!

-See you.

Bye.

-Bye.

-Bye.

-That went really, really well.

It's always nerve-wracking, you know, sharing your ideas, sharing some of the crazy thoughts and designs that you may have had with the Lord and Lady.

But now we've got the seal of approval, it's about time we got the boots on, got the high-vis on, got the radio back and actually start to build again.

-The Festival of Light is just one part of Longleat's Christmas.

Center stage is always the giant Christmas tree in the Great Hall.

Last year's was festooned with 350 baubles and 100 feet of lights.

At 22 feet tall and almost touching the ceiling, it was the highest the hall could accommodate.

For comparison, that's still a full 4 feet taller than the average Longleat giraffe.

This year, the person tasked with finding an equally impressive tree is head forester Jim.

-Yeah, welcome to the Christmas tree plantation.

What we're looking for today is the Longleat House Christmas tree.

Probably that's about 24 foot.

Nice form to it, good thick needles.

-With hundreds of trees to choose from, Jim is not going to be short of candidates.

-Really we're looking for a tree something like that one.

This is a nice tree, too.

But let's have a look down here, see what we can find.

Longleat forest is amazing.

It's about 1,500 hectares, about 4,000 acres, and it surrounds the parkland and the house.

So people sometimes ask, "How long does it take to grow a Christmas tree?"

It's about that much a year.

If we were to look at, for example, this tree over here, you can see every year on conifers, they grow one whirl.

That is a year's growth.

And these are intermediates.

But once it's started to get its roots in the ground and starts to mature, you can really start to see it opening up.

So about, uh... a meter a year.

This tree here would be one that I would probably select.

So, I'm just going to mark this tree, in the hope that maybe this one is the chosen tree for Longleat House this year.

And we just leave this as a biodegradable material, but we'll see that when we come down here in the autumn and maybe this will be one that we use.

I think that this tree is probably about 30 feet.

And so we will need to lose about 6 foot off that to get it into the hall.

So it gives you an idea of how great the hall is.

This one here has been selected and is going to Salisbury Cathedral this Christmas.

Now this one... has just got a bit more body to it.

Yeah, it's a nice tree.

I like this one.

This is the forester's choice.

That's another good one there, you see?

You can't walk past that one.

34 years in historic houses and trees, there's not a lot I haven't done with a tree.

I hug trees, I lean on trees.

You can eat them, you can make a cup of tea with the needles.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to Christmas.

It's hard to say when the sun is shining, I know.

I often think about Christmas trees on the hottest day of the year.

It's the beginning of the Christmas season.

-It's now September, and the coach carrying the artists and engineers from China who will be building the light display has arrived at Longleat.

The festival opens to the public on the 10th of November, which gives them 9 weeks to weld and erect 75 buildings and structures, wrap them in 4,000 feet of silk and screw in 27,000 light bulbs.

Time to get the show on the road.

-Events one to marketing.

Just to confirm, is that them coming down the hill?

Today's the day the team are arriving.

They're on their way.

We've just had the 5-minute call, and we are eagerly awaiting their arrival.

We are all feeling incredibly excited.

Oh, that's them here.

That's them here.

Copy that, on our way to the top.

Let's go to the top and get them offloaded.

Yep, around the back of the warehouse and straight up towards the caravans if you pull into the left.

Ni hao, hello.

Hi, Grace!

How are you?

-Nice to meet you again.

-Yeah, welcome back.

-Thank you.

-Hello, ni hao!

Hello!

Hi, guys!

If we could just first of all just say to everyone, a huge welcome.

For those that I've not met before, I'm Daisy.

For those that are back, welcome back.

The accommodation is ready and obviously, there are agreed rooms, so let's find the areas you are going to check into.

And then we can get you down to the barn where we can get some food ready for everyone.

So, the team seem settled.

A few things just to sort, resolve, little bits of equipment to get ahead of getting site inducted and the work starting tomorrow.

-Coming up, work begins on the light show... -This is the riverbank starting to be formed.

-...Jim picks the Great Hall tree.

-What do we think?

This is the one through there?

It is a beauty.

-But will Lord and Lady Bath like it?

And the elves arrive at Longleat.

-Oh, I'm so excited.

-Bye, train.

-It's the morning after the artists from China arrived at Longleat and after a good night's sleep, they're starting on the mammoth task of painting and decorating the enormous Christmas light-show pieces.

Across the park, meanwhile, 21-year-old Georgia is reporting for elf duty.

-[ Knock on door ] -Come in!

-Georgia will be one of eight elves helping Santa at the Longleat grotto.

-Hello.

Don't be shy, come forward.

-Sorry.

-Melissa.

-Hello.

-Hello, nice to meet you.

-And Kezia, and this is Georgia.

So, first day, guys.

Costumes.

Do you want costumes?

-Yes!

-Yes?

Wonderful.

-Head of grotto ops is Jess.

-Kezia... -Thank you.

-Georgia... -Thanks!

-Melissa.

So costumes -- New and improved costumes this year.

Going away from the dresses and something that's a bit warmer and easier to move around in and bits and pieces like that.

-I like it, I'm ready, ready to be an elf.

-It will be Georgia's first year with us at the grotto and it will be Kezia and Melissa's second season with us at the grotto.

Tell each other your elf names.

-Oh, yeah, so I'm going to be Fizzy.

-My elf name is Juggles.

-My elf name is Prezzy.

-Alright, guys, do you want to try on your costumes, and we'll wait for you to come back?

-Okay.

-Thank you.

Wowza, you guys look amazing.

-[ Laughter ] -Let's go.

-With their outfits sorted, Juggles, Fizzy and Prezzy head off on the commute to their new office.

-Mind your heads.

-[ Train horn honks ] -Yay!

-There we go.

-How amazing.

-Next stop, Santa's Grotto.

All across the park, the Festival of Light is gearing up.

Some of the artists are beginning to string up the outdoor lights whilst others are hard at work welding and building the giant lanterns.

It's precise and highly skilled.

Work has begun on this year's centerpiece -- Narnia, based on "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

And this morning, the first container of prefabricated figurines is arriving from China.

Somewhere inside are fiberglass carvings of the story's main characters -- Aslan, the lion, Mr. Tumnus, the fawn, and The Wicked White Witch and her sled.

-I'm really intrigued of what parts of Narnia we have got.

-Hopefully most of it.

[ Laughs ] -Ideally.

It's almost surreal before it becomes real, so there's this -- this anticipation, which is very much along the lines of going, "Okay, I think that might be that."

It's a bit of a guessing game.

"What's that?"

And then suddenly you see something that's a really distinct shape, and you go, "Yes, that is definitely that."

And then when you start unwrapping them, it's the reality.

-Why The White Witch is blue?

-She's cold.

-Yeah, blue witch.

-It's the White Witch.

-It's blue witch.

-[ Laughs ] His claws are in.

Just so the kids don't get scared.

Grace, what have you done with Mr. Tumnus?

-Should be here?

Should be here.

-Just unwrapping them... best part.

Because then you get to see all of the amazing things come to life.

Ah!

I think it's Mr. Tumnus!

I think I found Mr. Tumnus.

Mr. Tumnus is one of the best characters in Narnia.

Oh, my God.

Mr. Tumnus -- I don't remember him being such a hunk.

-Let's find his tail.

-Yeah.

Right.

-Let's find his tail.

Oh!

-Do you think he's attractive?

-Uh...without the beard.

-Oh, okay.

We now know Grace's type is without beard.

[ Both laughing ] -I'm happy you are happy.

You are happy, so I'm happy.

The team will be happy.

-We're all happy.

[ Birds chirping ] -Right, let's go!

-Fizzy, Prezzy and Juggles have arrived at the grotto.

-Oh, I'm so excited.

-Bye, train.

-And they're ready for a first peek at the big man's crib.

-So we are just about to enter Santa's grotto and so the children and stuff will be greeted by an elf.

And then when Santa is ready, they will be taken through to be sat down with Santa.

-Ahhh.

-[ Laughs ] -Oh, so cute.

-It's so cozy in here.

-It smells so good as well.

-It smells so Christmas-y in here.

-It smells, like, warm and, like... -Orange and, like, cinnamon... -Yeah, like mince pies in here.

-Yeah.

-It smells so nice.

-I'll sit on -- I'll be the little child.

-Ring his bell.

-Oh, yeah.

-[ Bell ringing ] -That's cute.

-So, any advice from Prezzy and Juggles for rookie elf Fizzy?

-It's definitely thinking on your feet 'cause some children come up with some wacky questions that you would never think of and, obviously, we are elves from the North Pole and we need to answer these questions.

We should definitely know the answers of these questions.

Like, why don't we have our elf ears?

Like, I got that one last year, and it's because I'm an elf in training.

I'm not a full elf, so I haven't grown my ears yet.

But that one, I had to think off my feet.

-I can't wait to, like, actually get going.

I think once the snow comes down, it's going to, like, really bring it all together, and then it's going to be, like, the magical month and a half.

I can't wait.

I'm so excited.

-With the opening of the Christmas wonderland just two weeks away, over at the plantation, it's a landmark day for Jim and his forestry team.

-Right.

It's that time of year again.

Today is that special day where we go out and we get the Christmas tree for the Great Hall.

There is always a bit of anxiety.

Have you chosen the right one?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This one here is a nice tree, it's got the perfect shape, but it's quite bushy.

Or there's this other one up there.

There's a bit of a more narrow symmetry.

-Easier getting it in.

-It'll be easier getting it in through the door.

Shall we go have a look at that one as well?

What about this one here?

Slimmer, lighter top, so you got one, two, three to choose from.

If there were no choices, it would be easy.

You just go for that one.

But, uh, you can't see the trees for the trees.

-Decisions, decisions.

The Great Hall tree has to be just perfect.

Perfect height, perfect spread, perfectly capable of being dressed in all those dazzling baubles and lights.

So what is the decision?

-So, what do we think, the one through there?

I mean, it is a beauty.

-Yeah, I think that is the one.

-Tree number 1 it is.

But will it fit?

-What are we at now then?

-Just over 21 foot.

-Yes.

-21.4.

-22 is the ideal tree.

24 is a bit of a squeeze around the corner.

It just makes me feel so anxious every year making sure.

It's only when it's actually up in the house that you realize that it's the right tree.

[ Chain-saw motor revving ] Hey!

No, I'm really pleased with that.

It's come out really, really well.

It's 24 foot, which is the most that the tree can be to go around the corner in the house.

The question is will the boss be happy with that?

Well... Look how wonderful it is.

It's a beautiful tree.

-Time to get the tree back to the house.

-First present wrapped up for Christmas.

Whoa, look at that.

Just close enough.

There's always that apprehension, isn't there, of will it, won't it, is it too wide for the door, too tall for the ceilings?

But it's well worth the effort.

It's so magnificent.

-As the tractor makes its way back with the tree, Jim and his team hightail it to the house ready to greet them when they arrive.

-So here he comes all the way from Hollywood.

Well, I think a tree this size, it's probably gonna take at least 12-14 people and will be the annual squeeze the Christmas tree through the door.

I can't watch that bit.

It gives me terrible anxiety.

Whoa!

Ahh... -Oh, dear, the crane driver has dropped the tree on its head.

-Oh, dear, that didn't go well.

No, it's gone.

It snapped.

It's okay, put it back on, we'll just go and cut another one.

-The bit where the angel is supposed to sit has snapped off.

-Oh, okay.

Put that one in the bloopers.

-Hey-ho, back to the forest we go.

Coming up... erecting a Christmas display on the lake comes with a health warning.

-There is hippos in this lake and if the hippo wants to come and investigate, then we have to evacuate the lake.

-There's a threat of tree-mageddon part 2.

-This is the big squeeze.

Oh, hang on.

Slowly.

-[ Gasps ] -Oh, wow.

-And Daisy reveals a magical festive surprise... but how on earth do they do it?

-That was amazing.

-It's early November and the park is properly gearing up for the opening of its glamorous Christmas extravaganza, including its enormous Festival of Light.

This year's theme is treasured childhood tales and its 1,500 lanterns feature everything from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" to "Alice in Wonderland."

Since Longleat introduced the impressive light display to its Christmas festivities, one of the main attractions has been Britain's biggest singing Christmas tree.

For 10 months of the year, the enchanted tree lives in a warehouse on the estate, but come the festive season, its eight sections are dusted down and it takes nine people and two cranes to put it together.

At 15 meters tall, it's the height of two and a half Longleat giraffes and its all-singing, all-flashing display is powered by 88,000 twinkling lights.

Over at the lake meanwhile, a brand-new feature is being installed as part of the Christmas display -- a giant water screen that projects 3D images.

Believe it or not, the fella in the dingy could be in serious danger.

Somewhere in this water is a creature weighing 1 1/2 tons and when she's angry, it's best not to get in her way.

-So there are hippos and sea lions in this lake.

So when we are setting up, we have to have hippo watch, which involves one of the boats running and a spotter on the boat and a spotter on the bank.

And if the hippo wants to come and investigate what's going on, then we have to evacuate the lake and the hippo takes priority and then start again once he's gone to a safe distance.

-Fortunately for dingy man, the hippo had gone AWOL and he got to finish his job in peace.

And after nightfall, Daisy and her team arrive for a run-through.

And it's astonishing.

-[ Gasps ] -Oh, wow.

-So what do you think?

-I don't really know how it's working.

-[ Laughs ] Right.

-How is it working?

-That is a water screen.

So that is a 25-meter water screen with a projector onto it, so this is currently in its holding state.

-Okay.

-So that's not actually the show yet, but I'm glad you're impressed by it.

-This is it, I'm sold.

Get me a ticket.

-Yes, so this is -- this will be the holding sequence.

And then every three minutes -- It just started to fade, so we get to see.

-That's cute.

That's so sweet.

-It's really cute, isn't it?

-That was amazing.

I still don't know how it was done.

[ Laughter ] A bit of light magic there.

-Magic.

-That was wicked, though.

-But there's no time to rest on her laurels.

There's one more task tonight for Daisy and her team -- to test the 88,000 lights are working on the singing Christmas tree.

-Right.

Right leg in.

Only head in.

[ Laughs ] Left leg in.

So this is the brain, guys.

So this is the big moment.

We're going to turn the system on and hope that once we get the green light, the lights will come on.

We're going to turn the power on first.

It will flash a few times just to allow it to obviously go from stand by.

After that has activated, the tree will slightly change in its green and then we're ready to hit start.

So I think it's the big moment.

Are you both comfortable with that?

-I think so.

-I'll give it a go?

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-I think we're all good for that.

-Right, let's have a look.

Okay, the big moment.

System power on.

Looking good.

And let's start the show.

-Ho!

Ho!

Ho!

Welcome to our magical Christmas at Longleat.

-That is show live.

Well done, boys.

-From a digital tree to the real deal, having accidentally decapitated the last Christmas tree, head forester Jim and his team have secured a replacement -- a beautiful 22-foot Nordmann fir.

-Right, lovely, so off we go.

Oh, hang on.

Slowly.

-Now all they need to do is squeeze it through the doors and into the Great Hall.

-So we're going to try and pivot the tree now so it comes through this archway bottom first.

-It's alright, Bob, if you can't get through, just drop it.

-Lovely.

Okay, into the stand or just one foot even.

-In.

-Yeah, we're there.

There's always a bit of guesswork as to what the angle of the dangle, so to speak, is.

-Nordmann firs make popular Christmas trees because they are renowned for retaining their needles... which is just as well because this one will remain in the hall for two months.

-Yay.

Well done, everybody.

Yes, stand back here looking through here at the tree, it really is a picture.

I'm very, very happy.

I'm gonna sleep very well tonight.

-The grand Longleat Christmas opening is now just 10 days away and Daisy and her crew are really starting to pick up the pace.

-We actually have a little sneak peek of "Wind in the Willows," so this is the riverbank starting to be formed, which will end up with Rat and Moley and the sights of the Toad, which are taking place.

The ladies here, they are doing silking, which is the first layer of actually start seeing some of those metal structures come to life with a bit of character.

And then the next phase will be with Tom the artist, who will actually paint the silk.

So this is the first base, this is the canvas, what we would call, and then it will go on to the next level, which will be the paint and all that detail you'll start to see come to life in the lanterns.

Behind me is Captain Hook's ship.

So this will be part of the "Peter Pan" scene.

So you've got the first sneak peek.

So there will be a battle commencing on top.

We'll have some waves at the bottom to take you away from being in a field in Wiltshire, So hopefully a lot of memories for people who are big fans of "Peter Pan."

-Over at Santa's grotto, it's snow time.

Thousands of liters of fake snow made out of plant-based fibers are being sprayed across the site for that guaranteed Christmas-y feel.

Although nothing, nothing is more Christmas-y than decorating the tree.

And as it's Longleat, it's got to be glamorous.

Staff members Mel and Katie have been tasked with this and for reasons that will soon become apparent, they're doing it in hard hats.

-This year the tree is getting a makeover.

So we've got some very huge balls to go on it this year, which we're quite happy about.

These are all the old ones.

But there's not very many of those.

Some years I've put beads on, but it's just really hard on a tree that size, so we keep this one quite simple.

Obviously with a historic floor.

The floor is really uneven, so every time we move the scaffolding, it needs to be leveled.

So safety first.

It doesn't feel wobbly, does it?

-Think it's okay.

So we're just about to put the first string of lights on the top of the tree.

This is sort of the moment of truth because we're having to loop across over that top branch using a pole.

So we're trying to get it in a bit of a sort of spiral pattern.

We don't want it to look perfect.

We're never going to get it perfect, but we do want it to look nice.

-Once the 30 meters of Christmas lights are in place, it's time to move on to the Christmas baubles.

-Nice.

-Ta-da!

-The first one.

[ Both laugh ] -First of many.

-First of 350 to be precise.

This might take some time.

Meanwhile in the state dining room, head housekeeper Tracy and her team are re-creating a typical Victorian Longleat Christmas table.

-Usually we have flat napkins on there, so we've done some Christmas-y ones.

We've put some crackers out and we're going to add some lovely silver from the vault just to give it that sparkle and pizzazz.

It's also nice for the people to see the silver because usually it's not on display, so we try and rotate it and get some nice pieces out every year.

And it just makes the table and the room look really Christmas-y, you know, with the garlands and the silver and things.

Well, the serviette fold we've used this year, I try and challenge myself every year by doing a different fold on the serviettes because people actually really do like them and people actually ask how we do fold them because they like to do them on their Christmas tables.

It's one of the most questions that we get asked actually.

I don't like tinsel.

I know hundreds of people, thousands of people love tinsel.

Tinsel has its place, but I don't -- I don't like it.

Not in here.

-Not in classy Longleat, no.

-3, 2, 1... Yay.

-Yay!

-Back in the Great Hall, after a marathon 2-day decorating session, the Christmas tree is finally ready.

-Coffee?

-Yeah, coffee, that would be nice.

Coffee.

Coffee, coffee.

-[ Laughter ] -It's not gonna work.

-The centerpiece of this year's Christmas festival is the children's classic "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

But before it gets its full nighttime lights reveal, Daisy wants to show the boss, Lord Bath, how things are looking.

-Hello.

-Hi, Daisy.

-How are you?

-I'm good, thanks.

-Good, good.

-I'm excited to be taken to Narnia.

-Absolutely.

First person to get a sneak peek.

-Yes.

So this is the wardrobe.

-This is the wardrobe.

-The portal to Narnia.

-Absolutely.

Childhood dream.

-Yeah.

Fantastic.

-Actually getting to walk through the wardrobe... into Narnia.

-Amazing.

-So still a bit to do.

We'll have music to really sort of create that enchanting feeling of wonderland.

And then you'll reveal to the first scene, which actually will be... in this place, the iconic Lamp post.

-Fantastic.

-And what better to follow... than the man himself, who is quite dashing.

I must say.

-Yes!

-Mr. Tumnus.

So... -Fantastic.

And, of course, what people can't tell looking at this in the daylight when it's not illuminated is that this is a completely different experience in the dark with illumination.

-Yes.

-It's a totally different aesthetic entirely.

-Absolutely.

-So it gets a bit treacherous here.

As ever, Daisy, I'm not wearing appropriate footwear.

-So we're coming to The White Witch castle now.

-Yes.

-With the characters, the frozen soldiers in all of their glory.

We'll have the real sort of SFX, sound effects of the cracking ice and the glimmer and the sparkle.

And then the grand photo opportunity with a hint of Narnia in the distance.

The White Witch castle and, of course, the White Witch's wolves in the background.

-Massive progress.

There's still a lot to do, but launch night is looming.

How are you feeling about it?

-Feeling excited from the anticipation.

Not stressed because I don't think we'll get there, but definitely -- -You never get stressed, Daisy.

-Never stressed.

-Never stressed.

-It's just slightly on the edge of the seat that if the weather doesn't behave itself... Hopefully we don't get much snow.

-Only our...snow.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Coming up... -Wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

-...Bella the owl gets everyone in a flap.

-No.

Here!

-Shall we start the countdown?

-And will the Longleat extravaganza go off without a hitch?

-5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

-Lights on.

-The big day has finally arrived.

It's the launch of the magnificent Longleat Christmas wonderland.

With just a few hours until the big switch-on, there's time for a magical train ride to Santa's grotto, where rookie elf Fizzy is raring to welcome visitors to the North Pole.

-I'm feeling so elf-y.

It's the first day of Christmas, so I will take my first family in to see Santa.

You're gonna meet Santa soon, I think.

-Fizzy's in charge of pre-Santa pep talks.

-And then you'll have to tell him that you've been nice instead of naughty.

-And it must be working because everyone's all smiles after meeting the big man.

The Festival of Light might be the centerpiece of Christmas at Longleat, but here they do everything on a grand scale and before this evening's kick-off, there's time for a run-through of another festival favorite -- the owl-tastic festival of flight.

-Careful.

Door closed quick.

We've got owls in flight.

Thank you.

-There's one particular owl more flighty than the rest.

-Now wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

No, Bella.

Behave yourself.

Behave, it's not time yet, alright?

-Handling Bella or at least attempting to is Falconer Alan.

-Eagle owls are known for being very, very stubborn.

She looks at me and it's like she's saying no.

And then looks the other way when I'm calling her.

Yeah, she's a bit of a madam.

-As well as Bella, Alan has two other birds to handle during the show.

-Arch over here is an amazing hawk.

Casper is a little male barn owl, but he's a little star, this one.

-But it's naughty Bella Alan is worried about.

-There's so much riding on it when you think of all the work that involved, setting it all up.

And it all relies on my birds behaving themselves, so it's quite a bit of pressure.

No, here!

You land on Tabby.

-Bella just landed on the throne, which is where Tabby, the storyteller, will be.

If Bella lands on Tabby, Tabby may not survive.

[ Laughs ] -Maybe Tabby should grab herself a hard hat.

[ Owl screeches ] After his earlier tree mishap... -Whoa!

Oh, dear.

That didn't go well.

-...forester Jim has brought his family along to experience some Longleat Christmas glamor.

-So who's going to open the door?

-Naturally pride of place is to be found in the Great Hall.

-Oh, my God.

-It's quite something, isn't it?

-Wow.

-It's so bright.

-Is it bigger or smaller than you thought?

-It's massive.

-To see the tree like this, it's really a warm experience for me.

We see these trees, we grow them throughout the year, we see them in the summer, but to come into the house and see it dressed, it's a real warming experience.

-But with Jim, there's always a surprise.

-Of course, the big giveaway about our Christmas tree is that it's a plastic Christmas tree.

[ Laughs ] Each year, I ask the children, "Should we get a real tree?"

And we get this plastic tree out of the loft, so it's the forester's secret.

Ruin everybody's expectations.

-Not very Longleat, Jim.

Not very Longleat.

Just a couple of hours to go before the big switch on and Daisy is giving the enchanted forest one last once-over.

-This is where the largest lanterns are going to be.

You know, Rapunzel's tower is standing at 15 meters, Cinderella's castle at 15 meters, and Peter Pan's ship, which is our biggest lantern this year, creeping up towards 20 meters tall with its sails and the Jolly Roger.

-Each of these giant installations not only lights up but there's a musical soundtrack and narration.

Most of it done by Daisy herself.

-So with some of those sounds that come to life, actually getting to voice the characters is really fun.

The most fun has got to be the old witch from Hansel and Gretel, who comes to life with a "nibble, nibble, noar."

I loved "Wind in the Willows" as a child.

"I-I've never been in a boat before."

"You -- Sorry?

You've never...?

Well, you've never lived."

The enchanted forest just does not come to life without Winnie the Pooh.

"Oh, Pooh.

When you go after the honey with a balloon, the great thing is to not let the bees know you're coming."

-With over 40 characters in this year's Christmas lights show, it's a wonder Daisy's still got her voice left.

The sun is setting and the big moment is almost here -- hitting the switch on the Longleat Festival of Light.

The crowds are heading towards the manor house.

Daisy is looking, uh, confident?

Just one last thing to check.

Are there enough coins in the meter?

[ Engine turns on ] -We've got power.

-Daisy to Tickle.

-Yeah?

-Volume up 5 DB.

-We're all set.

Over to Lord Bath.

-All that is needed now is for Lord and Lady Bath to officially launch the Longleat Christmas festival.

-Events 1 to all radios.

Radio silence.

Speech is about to begin.

-Good evening, everybody.

-Good evening!

-Well, thank you all for coming to our 8th Festival of Light here at Longleat.

-Shall we start the countdown with some special helpers?

[ Laughs ] Ready?

-5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

-Lights on.

-35,000 light bulbs... 25 miles of silk... ...Britain's biggest singing Christmas tree.

And over the festive season, up to a quarter of a million visitors will enjoy the spectacular extravaganza of Christmas at Longleat.

-Christmas has officially started.

What better location to do something like this in.

The lights are magical, but actually, what a stage, what a canvas.

I think that makes it all the more special and all the more amazing.

-And the wow is not just outside.

Inside Longleat's grand house, it's all opulence and glamor.

For those venturing beyond the glorious Great Hall Christmas tree, further festive treats await.

Garlands upon garlands... family silver and gold for a Victorian-style Christmas, and eight further themed Christmas trees.

The tree in the state dining room celebrates Longleat's indigenous wildlife, including otters and beavers.

There's a music tree in the music room and in the grand entrance, a safari tree.

And down at the lake, it's Daisy's brand-new feature -- the 25-meter 3D screen bringing Longleat's animals to life that is thrilling the crowds.

Wonder what Spot the hippo makes of it.

-It's our first time.

We've never been before.

We've had a lovely time so far.

Really enjoying it.

-My favorite thing would probably be the "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" part.

-Owl-eys.

Twit-too.

-Did you like the owl show?

-And one was cheeky.

-I just like seeing all the lights and getting excited for Christmas.

-Really tall, tall, tall one.

That one right there.

That's amazing.

-Merry Christmas!

-After 15 months of planning and designing and nine weeks of building, Daisy and her team have done it and this year's Christmas festival is brighter, bigger and better than ever before.

-Very proud of what the team has accomplished.

Incredibly happy with the guest reaction, which was the main thing.

The dream has become a reality, and there is only one thing I can do now.

Start thinking about next year.