THE legacy of ongoing tourism, bequeathed to Blenheim Palace by the late 11th Duke of Marlborough, is set to receive yet another boost after the location was used in Wednesday’s edition of TV hit series The Apprentice.

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Blenheim Palace

Teams on the BBC favourite chose the stunning Woodstock location – opened up to visitors and film companies as a business venture by John Spencer Churchill, who died last month, aged 88 – as their venue for tourists wanting to expreience the best of what Britain has to offer.

And it was the show’s Team Tenacity that took victory with their plans for the World Heritage Site.

Woodstock mayor Julian Cooper said: “Getting publicity for your home patch is always a good thing and it gave a good feel for the palace.

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“I hope it brings some extra tourist numbers here.”

Rival teams on the business-orientated entrepreneurial reality programme, Tenacity and Summit, were challenged to tempt tourists out of London.

Show host Lord Alan Sugar was impressed with the detail Team Tenacity tour guide Lauren Riley, 28, provided on the Woodstock palace.

Filmed before the 11th Duke’s death last month, the tourists were shown around its grounds and inside the 18th century palace, including the 183ft long library, Great Hall, saloon and bedroom where Sir Winston Churchill was born.

Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth, who represents the Woodstock division, said: “It’s always good to highlight Oxfordshire locations for people across the country.

“It brings tourism into the county economy and reminds people what a fantastic place Blenheim Palace is.”

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Sir Alan Sugar

But Chris Baylis, chairman of traders group Wake up to Woodstock, doubted whether the exposure would benefit the town as well as the palace.

He said: “I was very pleased to see the palace on the show, but I would have loved to have seen a mention of Woodstock.

“I suspect it won’t have that much impact and it focuses the debate about the sharing of visitors between Blenheim Palace and Woodstock.

“The palace is very good at keeping people within its grounds so the town may not see much benefit.”

Taking charge of a boat trip along the Thames, contestant Felipe Alviar-Baquero, an Oxford graduate, tried to promote the county by saying there are “more pigs than people” in Oxfordshire.

Mr Hudspeth added: “I can’t deny that statement because there’s about 800,000 pigs and 650,000 people in Oxfordshire, as well as about 1.3 million chickens. It just shows what a fantastic rural location we are, although it’s also a centre of learning and culture.”


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