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Christmas at Leeds Castle: A Winter Wonderland (2025)
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00:00Floating on a lake in the Kent countryside stands the enchanting Leeds Castle.
00:08Inside these gates lie 900 years of rich regal history.
00:14And every Christmas, a magical transformation begins.
00:20They're really pushing me, Nicole. 30 seconds.
00:24Staff and volunteers have just two weeks.
00:29It's all about making it as magical as possible.
00:31To turn imagination into reality.
00:34The pressure is always on.
00:36Oh, oh my God.
00:38As entire worlds take shape.
00:40Oh, I think they're going to fly.
00:43They're going to fly, yeah.
00:45Oh my goodness.
00:47Oh, it all comes to life. This is incredible.
00:50Behind age-old doors.
00:52Oh, wow.
00:55And the castle grounds are brought to life with dazzling winter spectacle.
00:59We really are at the mercy of the elements.
01:01Sometimes we get lucky and sometimes we don't.
01:04This is the castle's most ambitious makeover yet.
01:07Actually, it feels like the start of Christmas.
01:09Yes, I like it!
01:11As you can imagine, we're very rushed at the moment.
01:16Switch on the Christmas lights outside.
01:18Welcome to Christmas at Leeds Castle.
01:34Leeds Castle has been a home to extravagance for nearly a thousand years.
01:38A fortress, a palace, a prison and a sanctuary for some of England's most remarkable queens and dignitaries.
01:51Generation after generation has left its mark on these walls.
01:54But this Christmas, today's castle custodians are attempting a reinvention like never before.
02:08They're planning to create Neverland, straight out of the pages of the Peter Pan storybooks.
02:13Let's go.
02:23Up we go.
02:26For head of PR and marketing Nicole Moore and events manager Sarah Moraghan, creating Christmas here is their greatest challenge yet.
02:35Got to get so much in in quick time so we can get moving.
02:40This is my fourth Christmas.
02:41We've transformed the castle into a magical land really.
02:48So we've got our maintenance team coming over to deliver lots of trees and lots of different parts.
02:54Our floristry team has arrived delivering everything for different sets.
02:58We've got Christmas lights within the grounds all taking place.
03:02Gosh, we've got lots moving, lots of different parts.
03:04It's a bit of a chaotic morning.
03:06Everyone's kind of jumping in and then we'll start to kind of see where things go and how to bring it to life.
03:11Take that one.
03:20In the boxes are the big Christmas tree that's going in the courtyard.
03:24And our lovely volunteers are going to help fluff them, create them and bring them to life, which is really exciting.
03:30Everyone's feeling the pressure, the pressure, the pressure.
03:38It could be next Christmas this is up.
03:49With just two weeks to go before the grand opening, it's all hands on decks for volunteers Dan and Sally and castle storyteller Sophie.
03:58This is for the huge, huge Christmas tree in the courtyard there.
04:03The basic framework is up and now we need to just start decorating it, getting all the branches on, the baubles and the tinsel and huge amounts of glitter I'm sure on this tree.
04:12It's a real work of art and it's a real wow factor for when people come in.
04:16There's a lot of work just on one item and then it's all over the castle.
04:23It's a true British big event.
04:27That's what it's all about, making it as magical as possible.
04:29It just brings everyone together.
04:31In the castle grounds, a 50 strong crew is tasked with building a magical light trail,
04:38an eye-popping installation of 45,000 bulbs and illuminations designed to wow the crowds.
04:45Hiya, are you winning?
04:51For giving a mile-long trail its festive sparkle is a logistical beast and production manager Sam House is right at the heart of it.
05:01Some of the challenges that people don't necessarily think about are squirrels eating cables, ducks eating cables, swans intimidating members of staff.
05:11Having so much nature on site, it means that you just have to kind of coexist with them and that's fine.
05:18Yeah, the weather and the wildlife, basically.
05:22Overseeing operations is associate producer Alicia Sargent, who has to run a tight ship whatever the weather.
05:29We really are at the mercy of the elements and sometimes we get lucky and sometimes we don't.
05:34See, I've worked here before and I knew how beautiful this would be for a light trail and, you know, nothing says Christmas more than light.
05:44But Alicia and the team aren't the only ones who've played a part in lighting up Leeds Castle.
05:49Nearly a century ago, one woman set about transforming it into one of the most dazzling homes in the country.
05:55Keeping her legacy alive today is curator Catherine Pell.
06:01Olive Lady Bailey was an extremely wealthy Anglo-American heiress who bought Leeds Castle with her second husband
06:08in 1926 and set about turning it into her 20th century country retreat for herself, her family and her friends to enjoy.
06:20Hollywood royalty stayed at Leeds Castle, so Noel Coward, David Niven, Errol Flynn, as well as Charlie Chaplin.
06:26Christmas was a big event here at Leeds Castle. Its parties were famous. People from across the
06:34estate who worked very hard for Lady Bailey were invited into the castle.
06:41Well here we are in the salon here at Leeds Castle and a key entertaining site during Lady Bailey's heyday.
06:48Lady Bailey hosted every year a very big event designed for the children and this is where they got their presents.
06:55Gift giving for Christmas was a very serious affair and in our archive we have the names of the individual
07:03children, their ages, the gift they're given for Christmas and how much was spent.
07:11This is the private dining room at Leeds Castle. This is very likely where her family enjoyed their Christmas meal.
07:17In our archive we have menus that date for the 1920s and 1930s. Turkey with truffle,
07:26quail for evening and then there's the petit four later on.
07:34When Lady Bailey died in 1974, she left the castle and grounds to a specially created charity
07:41to preserve the estate for future generations to enjoy.
07:47And bringing that joy to life for Christmas are Nicole and Sarah who are contending with the
07:52arrival of a larger than life Neverland prop.
07:58It's a lot bigger than what I was expecting.
08:00So this is Nana's dog kennel. So it's a darling children's nursemaid, which is a dog. So we're taking
08:10it into the servants hall. Probably not going to be able to, but maybe.
08:20The centuries-old doorframe is too narrow for the huge kennel.
08:24So there's always something every year. You don't know what it's going to be. And at the moment,
08:32it's Nana's house. You can get it through once the roof is off.
08:35Give us, um, half an hour. We'll have, we'll have a plan in action, I'm sure.
08:42Yay!
08:43All right, can I get out now, please?
08:45Be careful, be careful, be careful, be careful.
08:47Coming up, eight meters of festive magic takes shape in the castle courtyard.
08:57Well, guys, that's absolutely phenomenal progress. Well done.
09:00Priceless artifacts need relocating.
09:03It's a jaunty angle. It is a jaunty angle.
09:06And it's lights, cameras and hopefully action as Neverland edges closer to completion.
09:12We haven't fixed the projector. Our director's coming round in about 17 minutes.
09:30In just over a week, over 100,000 people will be flooding through Leeds Castle's doors,
09:36hoping to see the spectacle of the year.
09:38Thanks, Jen. Thank you.
09:40But transforming this place into Peter Pan's Neverland began in the height of summer.
09:47For the event teams, Nicole and Sarah.
09:53Sorry, I'm being dramatic here, because...
09:58It feels a bit strange talking and doing Christmas in August.
10:01How do I look? No, that doesn't fit. The ears are too big.
10:11The goal and the purpose of today really is to create a Neverland experience teaser.
10:17We want to kind of really showcase what the event will be for our visitors,
10:20for our big Christmas in the castle experience.
10:23Yeah, not giving too much away, are we?
10:25Our dynamic is work besties with, like, a slither of sisterhood.
10:32Obviously, it's August, it's hot, it's not snowy, so we're just trying to figure out what the best
10:38scene is, how, really how to kind of bring it to life.
10:45I think I just smashed one.
10:46I like to call it joyfully chaotic, because it's such a lovely experience working on Christmas,
11:00but you never really know what's going to happen.
11:04It might be summertime, but the team need to create the visuals for their Neverland marketing campaign.
11:11This is like the calm before the storm doing the photo shoot. We get to test Christmas without the
11:15time pressure.
11:21Oh, you look amazing.
11:26Oh, my goodness. Oh, it all comes to life. This is incredible.
11:37What I want to do is get Peter on the stepladder so it looks like he's flying from behind.
11:44Then we'll throw snow on them, just so it feels like they're in London.
11:52But with tourists arriving by the busload, the team need to finish up fast.
11:56The tour is coming, guys. We need to wrap it up.
12:0030 seconds.
12:0130 seconds.
12:02You're really pushing me, Nicole.
12:0330 seconds.
12:0430 seconds.
12:0430 seconds.
12:05Done.
12:08Yeah, beautiful. That's good.
12:11Can we go in?
12:12You can go in, yeah. Just be careful on the way in.
12:1430 seconds.
12:16Every year.
12:1730 seconds.
12:1830 seconds.
12:26With launch night fast approaching, the castle has closed its doors to the public for three days,
12:32giving curator Katherine and her team a small window to make sure Christmas can enter the castle
12:37while keeping the precious artifacts undamaged.
12:40Right now, we're moving quite a lot of furniture along this corridor into a temporary store.
12:47And what we don't want to do is we don't want to cross over with visitors. So if we just mind
12:50out a little bit to give Barley the space. Thank you. Thanks, guys. We don't want the collection
12:56to be at risk, though it's moved safely to one side or out of the room completely.
13:00So just mind the height.
13:08It's a jaunty angle, isn't it?
13:10It is a jaunty angle.
13:12And for head curator Sue Pritchard, it's a chance to reflect on the 900 years of history gone by.
13:20One of the favorite things about my job is always being able to walk beyond the red rope barrier.
13:24It's really exciting this time of year to see the rooms emptied because it gives you a new perspective
13:36on the castle and its interiors. It also gives you a sensibility of what a medieval castle would have
13:41looked like. Lee's castle has been shaped by remarkable women since the Middle Ages,
13:48beginning with a structural overhaul in the 13th century.
13:51So Eleanor Castile is the first female owner of Lee's castle, and she's responsible basically for
13:59the castle looking the way it does today in terms of the Gloriette. She was a phenomenal businesswoman.
14:05Her ownership of the castle basically sets the tone for subsequent medieval queens,
14:11which is why it's known as the Queen's Castle.
14:13A century after Eleanor of Castile transformed the stone fortress into a lavish royal residence,
14:22along came a fearless yet fortunate future queen.
14:26So Anne of Bohemia traveled from Prague to marry Richard II, and she has a terrible crossing of the
14:33channel. She arrives at Dover. As she disembarks her ship, it's actually destroyed in an enormous wave
14:42against the harbor, and then she eventually arrives at Lee's castle. She's about to marry a man that
14:49she's never met before, and she's spending her first Christmas away from her home, away from her family.
14:56And Anne brings with her all the trappings and experience of a cosmopolitan European court.
15:03She has a significant impact in terms of fashion, literature, and visual culture.
15:24And when it came to culinary culture, our medieval queens enjoyed some festive traditions that still exist
15:29today, including a precursor to Christmas pudding known as frumenti. Sue is joining
15:35fellow curator Catherine to rustle up a version from a castle cookbook commissioned by Richard II.
15:40This is a type of frumenti that you would have on a fasting day. So basically you would have this
15:46during Advent when you're paying penance before the festive season.
15:50Bulger wheat, stock, milk, egg, and saffron are complemented by a medieval speciality.
15:58Frumenti would have been flavored with fish, and when I say fish, that includes things like
16:03porpoise and whale. So we don't have that with us today. We're making a more basic version. But
16:08luckily we do have some very nice spices and some fruits and so on. Well, that's the beauty of
16:14frumenti because it can actually be a sweet dish or a savoury dish. So as we understand it, frumenti
16:20evolved into plum pudding and Christmas pudding today. And there are similarities, aren't there?
16:24There are, absolutely. It is the addition of those, you know, dried fruits, the spices,
16:32where you kind of really get the sense that actually you are preparing for Christmas.
16:35Oh, it's sweet. It's really sweet. I wouldn't say no. I'm enjoying it.
16:50It was one of my courses at Christmas.
17:00Over at the castle's gift shop, retail and admissions manager Louise Ashton and supervisor
17:05Lynne Jones are excited about some sweet treats of their own.
17:10Hi, Lynne. Can you believe it? It's finally arrived. So this is our Neverland range.
17:15Neverland mugs, fridge magnets and notebooks are among the goodies that will add to the seasonal
17:20offerings. That looks so nice, doesn't it? With a cut of every sale going to support Great Ormond
17:27Street Hospital for Children, Leeds Castle's charity partner this year. Second to the right and straight
17:33until morning. These are good. Oh, I think they're going to fly. They're going to fly. Yeah, they're gorgeous.
17:47The world of Peter Pan was created by author J.M. Barry, whose lasting legacy was to donate the proceeds
17:53of its success to the Children's Hospital in 1929. To learn more, Nicole is heading to London to meet
18:03Liz Tate, the charity's director of fundraising. This was the original letter that J.M. Barry sent to us,
18:13and this was him very politely declining to join the hospital committee, but saying in a future time he
18:20might find a way to support us. He probably didn't know then the longevity and the size of the gift that
18:28would become.
18:37We can't wait to see how Neverland develops at Leeds Castle and indeed how you bring the characters
18:44to life. So exciting and I really hope we do you proud.
18:48And the funds raised from this year's Peter Pan experience will help families like Elle and her
18:56daughter Ruby. You've gone all shy. Yay! Ruby lives with a rare disease that affects her internal organs
19:05and the hospital has supported them through both of her Christmases here.
19:11First Christmas she was here because it was before we got her diagnosis so she was very little.
19:17And then last Christmas she was an inpatient but we did get home leave.
19:22We are just so unbelievably grateful because it sure has been instrumental in her development as it's come along.
19:32Visiting the hospital has been very emotional.
19:37It just brings a lot more purpose as to why we're doing what we're doing and
19:41making us really proud to be able to support as much as we can.
19:47Back at the castle the eight meter tree is taking shape thanks to the help of over 130 volunteers like Ian.
20:02I've been to Leeds Castle for 20 plus years. It's totally my escape. I mean my husband always knows
20:07when I'm coming in to volunteer because I'm always smiling. It makes you feel good coming in.
20:10I've experienced Christmas here as a visitor for many years but this will be my first time
20:16helping out and seeing how it all gets put together so it's great.
20:18Are we ready for these? I think we are. And with the final branches put in place.
20:28Well guys that's absolutely phenomenal progress well done.
20:32The castle's courtyard centerpiece is finally complete.
20:47But inside there's still a long way to go.
20:50High up in her turret seamstress Michelle Sheehan and her helpers are busy creating the magical set
21:03designs that will transform the castle into Neverland. To the left.
21:08So we're going to find the lost boy room. Yep. Not the lost seamstress room.
21:20We might have to ask directions. If we lay that out and we'll just see what's gonna go where.
21:25Oh yeah. Michelle's plan to finish off the lost boy's room has been waylaid.
21:38The call came from events. We've got a huge nano dog. We've got a kennel that's huge.
21:44Can you make some cushions and some curtains for that?
21:49The impact's just thrown the whole plans in my head that I had today.
21:55Do you fit in there? All right. Oh my goodness. Here's my bottom.
22:01Oh my word.
22:05If it's good enough for me it's good enough for Nana.
22:08Maybe you could make this your new sewing room.
22:12I've done two major Christmases and it literally I've been sweeping out the room
22:19as guests are coming around. It's just yeah it's just part of the corner.
22:24But it won't only be me doing last minute things. Everybody will be running around.
22:30With two days to go Nicole and Sarah are preparing for directors Mark and Lucy's first inspection.
22:37This is like the entrance to Neverland. It needs to be amazing.
22:41It will be. The pressure is always on to get everything perfect.
22:47Once completed the room will showcase an image of Peter Pan flying using a projector.
22:53If they can get it to work.
22:55I actually don't think this control is working.
22:59Is there like something magical that's meant to happen straight away?
23:05Oh my god. Oh my god.
23:07I feel a bit nervous about this Sarah. Can you just hold on to it then?
23:14How? Get into the trunk.
23:16Oh god. This is not cursed.
23:21Sorry can I just giggle for a moment?
23:24Have you got a radio? Can you call on call maintenance?
23:27Marketing to maintenance.
23:28Proceed.
23:30Hi. Can we get some urgent help from the servants hall? One of the trees is about to collapse and die.
23:36Oh Dave we really need your help please.
23:39Watch. It falls.
23:42That's issue number one but issue number two is this is the projector from the salon and we just can't get it to work.
23:47I would say issue number one's the main issue right now.
23:49Okay.
23:50You just go to head home as it happens.
23:51You're not anymore.
23:54Skipping like the red light of death.
23:58Are we straight?
24:00I mean I think as long as it's not falling down it's a win.
24:07Dan you're a hero.
24:09I don't know what's happened to this tree but it's very wonky.
24:12We haven't fixed the projector.
24:19Our director's coming round in about 17 minutes to see the finished product.
24:30Coming up, imaginations run wild when chef Taz presents a Neverland themed afternoon tea.
24:38In the north.
24:38Oh thank you.
24:40Oh my goodness.
24:41Oh my goodness.
24:42The lights team battle the weather as the big event draws near.
24:46We really are at the mercy of the elements.
24:48And it's events director Mark's inspection but will the Peter Pan rooms impress?
24:53Mark you're not overly.
24:56I don't quite see it being you know the vision that I thought it was going to be.
25:07In Kent the clock is ticking for the staff and volunteers who are turning Leeds Castle into
25:19Neverland ready for Christmas.
25:25I'm not a perfectionist but just sometimes things catch my eye.
25:29Outside Alicia and the light trail team are working hard to ensure their luminescent winter
25:38wonderland is ready to wow guests on opening night.
25:45This is all pinned back so all of this swagging will come down.
25:49We'll kind of wade through it.
25:50It'll be really cool.
25:52It's taken loads of people to get this trail up and run in.
25:56We've just worked months and months on this.
25:59I think it's our strongest year yet.
26:06We're here for such a long time.
26:07We arrive in October and we leave in January.
26:13Sometimes I can be around here by myself late at night with everything turned on and I think
26:18gosh I'm so lucky.
26:19It's just fantastic.
26:26But it's a different story in the castle.
26:32Sarah and Nicole are about to receive marketing and events director Mark for the senior team's
26:37first inspection of Neverland.
26:40You know what will distract them?
26:41This little bauble.
26:42This tiny bauble here.
26:44So yesterday when I came in.
26:52Yeah.
26:53The tree was like that.
26:54Yeah.
26:56Now it's like that.
26:56So the tree actually drank a little bit and it just decided to tip.
27:02It just needs to untip and it'll be straight again.
27:06Okay.
27:06Anything damaged?
27:07Maybe a bauble but.
27:09All right we can get this solved, fixed in time.
27:13We've got two days Mark.
27:14Okay.
27:14We've got plenty of time.
27:16Don't you worry.
27:16I trust you guys.
27:17Ignoring that over there.
27:20Yeah.
27:20Yeah.
27:21It's only a slight issue.
27:23A wonky issue.
27:24Yeah.
27:25As the walk gets off to a slightly skew-wist start,
27:29it's not long before the big bosses are blown away by some Lost Boys magic.
27:37Oh, this is special.
27:41Oh, wow.
27:45Oh, wow.
27:47Look at this.
27:50This is absolutely incredible.
27:52This looks really good.
27:53Yeah.
27:54I'm really happy with it, I think.
27:56You should be really proud.
27:57I mean, it's just the detail, isn't it?
27:59It's incredible.
28:00A pair of furry pants as well.
28:04Who's of those?
28:04Yeah.
28:06But just as the grand tour starts to get warmed up,
28:09the Mermaid's Lagoon puts a dampener on things.
28:14Mark, you're giving energy that you're not overly...
28:18Energy?
28:19..a fan of this room?
28:21No.
28:22This room was always my favourite room in the sketches, in the designs.
28:26Mm-hmm.
28:26I think there's a bit more work to be done on it.
28:30I don't quite see it being, you know, the vision that I thought it was going to be.
28:34I trust them.
28:35I think we're going to get this.
28:36I think so, too.
28:37By the end of tomorrow.
28:43Creating magic inside these rooms has never been easy.
28:46But five centuries ago, King Henry VIII invested vast sums of money into renovating Leeds Castle for his first wife.
28:56Intellectual and influential, Catherine of Aragon was central to shaping Henry's early reign.
29:02The main player in our story is Catherine of Aragon, because she is a strong female role model,
29:09not only at the time, but also today. She helped forge his idea of kingship.
29:17While there's no record of Henry and Catherine spending Christmas at Leeds Castle,
29:22the union of the Tudor power couple left a lasting mark.
29:26So here you have the carved Tudor fireplace, and you've also got the Tudor rose.
29:31But I think more importantly, what you've got over here is Catherine of Aragon's coat of arms,
29:38Castle of Castile, which is where she was born and brought up, so in commissioning the fireplace.
29:44Henry is really symbolizing the importance of these two royal houses.
29:54Christmas was the perfect festival for both Henry and Catherine.
29:58For Catherine, because she is incredibly religious, and for Henry it gave him a chance to be the
30:04consummate performer, dressing up his gift given on a monumental, magnificent scale.
30:11Tudor Christmases were basically a sensory overload. You had had an enormous table of food,
30:17some of which we would recognize today. Henry VIII is recorded as the first monarch to indulge in the
30:24act of eating turkey at Christmas. And traditionally, peacock would have been served at the Tudor table,
30:32but turkey was considered more tasty, more succulent, and less stringy. So you would have seen a table
30:39grown in with extraordinary amounts of meat. So you would have had an amazing experience at the Tudor
30:46Christmas dinner. Preparing a lighter meal today is Leedscastle's food and beverage team,
30:54who are about to launch their Neverland-themed afternoon tea.
31:00I love my job because it's not just a restaurant for me, it's a home for me as well. Every day is
31:06a new challenge over here. With advanced bookings growing by the day, chef Taz Singh has been working
31:11closely with Francis Lai and the rest of the marketing team, and every sweet and savory treat
31:16has been inspired by J.M. Barry's iconic work. Have you ever read the book?
31:20No, I will not lie to you. I've never read the book, but just watched the movie.
31:25Since arriving at Leedscastle from India, Taz has fully embraced the British festive season.
31:30It's going to be my third Christmas. Obviously, it was a different thing for me,
31:33because Christmas in India is not a big thing. Being a part of that Christmas time is very lucky
31:38for me, where I can see where people are giving gifts to each other and what exactly Christmas is.
31:43But not all Christmases at Leedscastle were a celebratory, especially for one of its previous
31:54occupants. Joan of Navarre was imprisoned in Leedscastle from 1420 to 1422. She fell out spectacularly
32:03with her stepson, Henry V. He accused Joan of basically witchcraft. He confiscates her lands,
32:12her property and her money. She did have an allowance, and so her time at Leeds, although it was
32:21luxurious, it would have been very much underpinned by a sense of anxiety around her fate.
32:26So in front of us, we have possibly the most precious and indeed the oldest object in the
32:36Leedscastle archive. It's the wardrobe book of Joan of Navarre during her imprisonment at Leedscastle.
32:43The wardrobe book is basically an inventory of Joan of Navarre's expenditure during this period,
32:50and we know that she spent some of her allowance on fine linen from Fandus on a black satin gown
32:58trimmed with grey squirrel fur. The wardrobe book illustrates how Joan was using luxury goods to
33:06basically give us some sense of comfort, but what it doesn't give us is Joan's voice. We don't know how
33:14she was feeling. She would have had this awful potential sentence of death on accusation of
33:21witchcraft hanging over her through the two years that she was imprisoned here at Leeds.
33:29Once the threat of being burnt at the stake was lifted, Joan was freed and lived a quiet life in
33:34Nottingham with full run of the castle there. Today, the castle's custodians face a different kind of
33:47material challenge and seamstress Michelle has Tinkerbell creations coming out of her ears.
33:52I need 11 smaller tassels. What is 11? So 5 and 4 and 4. Or is that 13? I need some tassels.
34:0413, yeah. That's why I do sewing and not work in a bank.
34:09Right, so Tinkerbell skirt to do. I have still 16 metres of bunting to hang with tassels.
34:18Erm, gosh, time's cracking on. I'm sure, I'm sure it'll be done.
34:23And although her list is as long as the bunting she still has to sew, it's all worthwhile for Michelle.
34:31My dad, before he passed, he lived with me and I'd come home and tell him things that I was doing at
34:37the castle and he'd say, I'd be going, I did this at my castle and he's going, it's not your castle,
34:42but everything, oh, it's my castle and he used to tell everybody that this was my castle. It is a privilege
34:48to work here. Erm, and I'm not just saying that, I think that isn't genuinely true actually.
34:56Over in the restaurant, it's crunch time for Taz and Francis,
34:59as their Neverland themed afternoon tea is about to be taste tested by castle staff and volunteers.
35:05Exciting? Very much so. Are you nervous for them to see it? No, no fear.
35:18And imaginations are running wild in the dining area as to what delights are about to be served.
35:25What did you say? Alligator steak? Alligator steak, yeah. Crocodile steak sandwiches.
35:29Well, there's got to be a clock. No, I'm thinking fairy cakes, fairy cakes.
35:35Tinkerbell cakes. Tinkerbell cakes. We're going to call them tink cakes.
35:43Oh, thank you. Oh, my goodness. Oh, look at this.
35:47Oh, wow. Wow. I hope you enjoy it. Look at that.
35:50Oh, that looks amazing. Thank you so much.
35:54Is this, like, a little aquare? I think so.
35:57I'm definitely savoury, so my eyes are focused very much down here at the moment.
36:01Sounds good. Sounds great. Let's go quick.
36:07Oh, that's good. Is that a good one?
36:09That's so beautiful.
36:15As the room falls silent with preoccupied diners, it's time to reflect on the greater cause.
36:22To have that link and give proceeds to Great Ormond Street Hospital, and particularly for me,
36:26with my background as a nurse, it's really important that actually we do whatever we can
36:30to try and help these charities out there. I think the team's done a great job at bringing it to life
36:35through the tastes and the flavours and the theming of it. Absolutely smashed it.
36:41Done a great job for artists and Taz. Well done. Absolutely.
36:43Thank you. I'm so invigorated.
36:50Literally, final stretch now until we're all finished.
36:52Yeah. And then, yeah, roll on it.
36:54All opening up. And an opening.
36:56Yeah.
37:01Coming up, get ready for the big event as the team reveal their final creations.
37:07Oh, wow.
37:09Now it's got the X Factor.
37:12And thousands of hours of exhausting work.
37:15As you can imagine, very rushed at the moment.
37:17Please, can you switch on the Christmas lights outside?
37:21Culminate in a nerve-jangling moment of truth on Leeds Castle's biggest night of the year.
37:26After months of hard work and dedication, Christmas at Leeds Castle in Kent is just around the corner.
37:48As you can imagine, very rushed at the moment. Every day, it's full on.
37:53Retail supervisor Lynn Jones is preparing for the Christmas shoppers to descend.
37:58We have got 12,000 baubles on site right now.
38:02We need so many baubles because over the festive season, we will probably end up
38:06with about 130,000 people through the doors. Most people are going to be buying a bauble.
38:14I've already bought this one and I have done my tree. I know it's early, but I've already done it.
38:19It's just lovely, isn't it?
38:22With just a few hours to go, Nicole and Sarah are making their final tweaks to the Neverland rooms.
38:31Is that secure? Maybe.
38:33And director Mark wants one final peek before they open the doors.
38:39Oh, wow.
38:42Now it's got the X Factor.
38:45Oh, my God. This looks amazing.
38:48It looks good.
38:49You knew I was worried about this room. I just couldn't see it coming to life.
38:52But you pulled out the bag. It looks amazing.
38:55It looks pretty good.
38:56This is a wow moment.
38:57Yeah, and we'll finesse the lighting and things like that as well.
39:01Excellent. Well done.
39:02Yeah, I'm happy with this. I really think people are going to love this.
39:05For Sarah, the months of hard work are finally paying off.
39:09This is my baby. We've been working on it for so long.
39:16And me and the team, goosebumps at the minute and a bit of nerves coming through.
39:21But, yeah, I think the story's amazing.
39:24The link with Great Ormond Street Hospital is amazing.
39:26My team is absolutely amazing.
39:29And without any of them, we wouldn't have got through the last two months, really.
39:34So, just really excited to open now.
39:46At long last, Christmas at Leeds Castle is upon us.
39:49It's all coming together. We're nearly there. Nearly there.
40:00There you go, Nan and Dog, all done.
40:02Right, that is the last thing as long as I turn my phone off.
40:05It is the last thing.
40:07With 24 decorated trees, 1,600 shiny baubles, 500 feet of adorning fabric,
40:14and 12,000 fairy lights in the castle alone,
40:18as the sun goes down, it's time to amp the rest of the estate up.
40:23Events to production manager.
40:24Please, can you switch on the Christmas lights outside?
40:27Lots of happy people, happy families.
40:36The joy that people get out of it makes it all worthwhile.
40:53It is 100% worth it.
41:11We've done the castle, we've done the lights trail, we've had some lovely food.
41:15It's been really nice watching everybody having a lovely time.
41:19And the people involved in it should all be really proud of themselves.
41:33It's the first time I've actually been to Leeds Castle, and the effort that everyone must have put in,
41:42especially to the Neverland, is just awesome.
41:45I love the lights, I think the lights look really good.
41:49I like the flowers when you walked in.
41:50Despite the cold, it's definitely worth it.
41:53We love it, it's beautiful, it's a girl's night, everything is ticked in boxes.
42:00It's just something to do for everyone, like for children, for adults.
42:03It's just like a mini winter wonderland.
42:11Up at the castle, the delight continues.
42:13Yes, I like it!
42:15As the Neverland experience is well underway.
42:18Hi, hi, hello, hi.
42:48Oh, it's been really lovely just walking around, and a lot of this is I've genuinely just seen
42:58for the first time. At the start of the week, you just can't see it all coming together,
43:01but it's definitely working now. Actually, it feels like the start of Christmas.
43:06It is really special to see how it's all come together,
43:09and it's really brought in the Christmas spirit early this year.
43:12Thanks to JM Barrie's generous gesture almost 100 years ago,
43:18the gift of Neverland continues to give in more ways than one.
43:24We've been really enjoying today. It's really brought a festive season to our family.
43:29All the team at Leeds Castle have done a fantastic job taking all the ideas and the characters from
43:35Neverland. They've really brought it to life. We want to do everything we can and enable the hospital
43:42to bring that bit of Christmas magic to children and families when they really need it.
43:47Being able to support Great Orwell Street Hospital is beyond words, really. It gives you
43:52such a purpose to why you're doing it, and it makes it all the more important and all the more special.
43:57We can match the stores!
43:59It's just so nice to be able to actually help people within our jobs.
44:08As a successful Christmas launch draws to a close,
44:11the staff and volunteers at Leeds Castle can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
44:16We've been planning Neverland at Leeds Castle for well over a year.
44:20A few tears, but all the time and effort that we've put in has just come to fruition tonight,
44:24and everyone's really enjoyed it.
44:25We've gone through so much to get here today. I think there's always moments along the way where
44:31you think, gosh, is it going to happen? But the result is amazing at the end of it.
44:36I think this Christmas, it very might be one of the best yet.
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