ONE of television's top stars visited the Isle of Wight to film her latest series.
Dame Penelope Keith, star of The Good Life and To the Manor Born, visited Freshwater on Friday, October 6 to see the sights and chat to the locals for her Channel 4 show, Hidden Coastal Villages.
Armed with her beloved vintage Batsford travel books, it sees her travel to Britain's villages to discover what makes them special.
In the fourth series, Hidden Coastal Villages, to be broadcast in the spring, she heads to the seaside. In Freshwater, she explored its rich history and the way in which it has adapted in the modern world.
Among the residents Dame Penelope spoke to was Gail Middleton, who owns Mrs Middleton's Shop and the Rabbit Hole.
Gail said: "I met with her at Dimbola Lodge in Freshwater Bay and we discussed the history of the area.
"We went into what was the bedroom of Julia Margaret Cameron, who pioneered photography and we talked about how Freshwater Bay came to attract so many artistic people in the 1800's.
"Julia would look out of the window, see the villagers, and later take their portraits. She was a great friend of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who owned Farringford just up the road and he also posed for her.
"Tennyson's move to Freshwater Bay attracted many more writers and painters and that is still the case now because of its beauty. We have so many talented people here, as we had then."