Dani's Castle

Did You Know?

• The show was filmed entirely on location at Killyleagh Castle in Killyleagh, County Down.
• The first, second and third series were filmed in the summers of 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively.
• It was produced by Raymond Lau.

Plot

After the cancellation of the fictional medical drama McHurtie's Hospital, Dani re-evaluates her life. Her fortunes change when Great-Aunt Marjorie dies and leaves her Bogmoor Castle. Dani arrives full of optimism but finds the castle has been voted the No.1 Worst Tourist Attraction for ten years, with crumbling towers and an overgrown garden. She meets two 250-year-old ghosts, Gabe and Esme, and a troublesome unknown cousin who breaks things. Great-Aunt Marjorie also left a large stack of debts and unpaid bills. In the new series, Dani has become a Hollywood star but still cares for the castle's residents via webcam. She leaves the castle in the hands of cousins Rich and Jimmy, ghosts Gabe and Esme, best friend Kait, and Rich's little brother Dylan. A growing relationship develops between Kait and Rich. Rich starts a radio station called Bogmoor FM.

Reception

Series 1 performed well, with most episodes in the CBBC Weekly Top 10. Executive producer Elaine Sperber stated that Dani Harmer is one of the most exciting and successful young actresses on television and that the new project would showcase her comedy talents. Harry Venning of The Stage disliked the laugh track, calling it an abomination and saying the show was genuinely funny and should trust its young audience to find it so unaided.