FORTY years ago Sir Richard Attenborough put Downham on the map and made a star of Hayley Mills with his highly-acclaimed directorial debut, Whistle Down the Wind.

As the first series of the BBC drama, Born and Bred, also filmed in the picturesque village, comes to a close, Ribble Valley reporter Theresa Robson discovers how villagers are enjoying their latest stint in the spotlight...

KATHERINE Swarbrick leans out of a window at the front of her cottage in Top Row, Downham, to see TV crewmen erecting scaffolding outside and says: "Anyone fancy a cuppa?"

At the Assheton Arms across the square, licensee David Busby and his wife Wendy are doing a roaring lunchtime trade and curious punters have come outside to watch the crewmen at work.

There's an air of excitement amid the quaint cottages and leafy ginnels of the picturesque Ribble Valley village as the BBC begins filming the second series of its hugely popular Sunday night drama, Born and Bred.

Katherine, whose husband, Bob, and granddaughters Hazel, nine, and Sarah, 11, are extras in the new series, was a young mum when Whistle Down the Wind was made.

The captivating story of schoolchildren who mistook an escaped convict for Jesus Christ was filmed in Downham and the surrounding area.

Katherine said: "It was hugely exciting and Richard Attenborough took the whole village to Burnley for a screening. He was a gentleman and the film deserved its huge success.

"Born and Bred looks set to be a huge hit, too. I've watched every episode and it's better than its rivals. Having the cast and crew here has been a real pleasure. They are extremely considerate and nothing is too much trouble for them."

Born and Bred, a story of a GP and his son, is based in the fictional village of Ormston in the 1950s. It stars "Likely Lad" James Bolam and former EastEnder Michael French, with guest stars Roger Lloyd Pack and Denise Welch.

It has attracted between seven and eight million viewers an episode, over a million more than its rival, ITV's Where The Heart Is.

Assheton Arms licensee David Busby, whose pub appears in the series as the Signalman's Arms, is not surprised.

"I have been watching it with great interest and think it's great Sunday night entertainment. It has generated a lot of interest in the village and having the cast and crew here has been great fun."

Clerk to the parish meeting Geoff Braithwaite said he had also enjoyed the show and having the cast and crew in the village had been a pleasure. "The actors have been particularly friendly and there is an air of excitement in the village of late. Born and Bred certainly gets the thumbs-up from me."

The arrival of the BBC cast and crew to Downham is said to have brought a breath of fresh air to the Ribble Valley after foot and mouth wreaked devastation in the area last year.

Downham forms part of the Assheton Estate of Lord and Lady Clitheroe, whose son Ralph appeared in the first episode of Born and Bred as the church organist.

He said: "The series has generated considerable interest and brought visitors to the village in the aftermath of foot and mouth. When filming started, it certainly took the minds of everyone affected off the outbreak. I have watched the series with interest and think it's great family viewing."

Estate worker Barbara Lewis also thought Born and Bred had stimulated interest in the village and encouraged tourism.

"I have watched every episode and thoroughly enjoyed it. As soon as you say you are from Downham, people know exactly where it is. It is just the lift the Ribble Valley needed after foot and mouth."

Susan Walmsley of the Tourist Information Centre in Clitheroe said inquiries about Downham had increased since Born and Bred's screening.

"After about the third episode, inquiries from prospective visitors to the area began to soar.

"This is great news for the Ribble Valley, as people are sure to visit other villages and sites of interest at the same time, and it's certainly a pick-me-up for the local countryside after the foot and mouth outbreak."

Local author Anne Musson, who was born and brought up in Downham, is also riding high thanks to the series.

Sales of her book, My Beloved Downham: A Childhood Memory, have shot up, with actor Michael French and numerous crew members buying copies.

She said: "I remember Whistle Down the Wind being made when I was a child.

"It is purely by coincidence that my book was published as the BBC started filming Born and Bred."

Lorraine Heggessey, drama controller at BBC1, said Born and Bred had consistently attracted more viewers than Where The Heart Is.

"We are absolutely delighted. Born and Bred is what family drama on BBC1 is all about."