Actress Penelope Keith has visited scores of rural communities in her Hidden Villages series for Channel 4. Now she is taking on her biggest challenge yet – to scour the length and breadth of Britain to crown one village Village of the Year 2017.

From stunning coastal fishing villages to hillside farming communities and from outlandish artist colonies to the most traditional chocolate box villages, Village of the Year 2017 with Penelope Keith will celebrate all that is great about our rural communities.

The 24 x 60 series, produced by Reef Television will air across both daytime and peak.

Penelope will preside over heats, semi-finals and final, with a panel of expert judges deciding which villages will progress through the rounds before revealing their winner, based on the following criteria: Appearance; History & Heritage; Village Events; Activities; and Visitor Experience.

They will award their chosen village with the accolade of Village of the Year and £10,000 to be used for a worthwhile community project.

For more information and to find out how to take part visit www.channel4.com/takepart

Or www.villageoftheyear.co.uk

Richard Farmbrough, CEO of Reef Television said: “Once more Reef is delighted to be working with Penelope Keith on this new series for Channel 4. Penelope is the perfect host to help us celebrate all that is best about British villages and this series will shine a spotlight on not just the places, but also the people that make up Britain’s best villages.”

Village of the Year 2017 with Penelope Keith is a Reef Television production. Commissioning Editors at Channel 4 are David Sayer and Lizi Wootton.

Notes to Editors
Part of the Zinc Media Group, Reef Television is an award-winning independent television production company with an international reputation for innovative content. The company has made many hundreds of hours of factual programmes for a wide range of broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Discovery, Food Network and UKTV. Reef’s credits include Paul Hollywood City Bakes (Food Network), Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages, French Collection and Selling Houses with Amanda Lamb (More4 and Channel 4). Now That’s What I Call Music (ITV); prime-time arts series Britain’s Hidden Heritage (BBC One) as well as BBC Daytime’s popular returning brand Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. Other credits include the BBC Two landmark music films Leningrad and the Orchestra that Defied Hitler and the award-winning drama-documentary Messiah at the Foundling Hospital. The company’s programmes and formats have been sold all around the world.