A CONVERTED barn at Thorndon Cross is due to play the starring role in the first episode of a new BBC series next week.

When Yvette Martin-Flemming and her husband Bob put their home on the market earlier this year, they never dreamt it would end up being shown on prime-time TV, in the new series of Escape to the Country.

Yvette, who was due to move to the couple?s new home in Sticklepath today (Thursday), said: ?When the company contacted us, we just thought it would be a bit of fun!?

Their converted barn home was one of three properties viewed by Sharon and Michael Newton, who come from West Byfleet in Surrey.

Yvette said she and Bob were ?very surprised? when the couple decided the barn was their dream home.

?They were very keen when the film crew was here, but they couldn?t talk to us really, they had very limited time.

?They came back the next day and the day after that they put in the offer, which we accepted,? said Yvette.

Sharon said she and her husband viewed around 80 houses during the last year.

?We had found a property but it fell through. The girls at work told me to ring the BBC about this programme ? we did, they interviewed us and it just happened from there,? said Sharon.

Sharon said the barn, converted by Bob Flemming, was ?just beautiful?.

?It fitted all our criteria. We didn?t want to be on a main road, we didn?t want anything run of the mill and this house is quite exceptional,? said Sharon, who said she and Michael were looking forward to the peace and quiet of West Devon, particularly since they have been ?camping out? with friends in Torrington for five weeks, waiting for their purchase to complete.

Living close to the M25 was something the couple were not going to miss, Sharon said.

?They?ve widened it to four lanes now ? it was our biggest bugbear.?

She said being part of the programme was ?fun at first? but became tiring.

?We were at this house five hours and then we had to go off and do exactly the same thing at the other houses, when really we?d decided this was the one we wanted.

?We?re just very pleased with our decision ? and looking forward to sitting in our own house with a cup of tea!? she said.

Escape to the Countryside can be seen on BBC 2 at 8pm on July 8.