{"id":850114,"date":"2026-03-25T21:07:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T21:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/850114\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T21:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T21:07:19","slug":"alan-carr-gives-four-word-reason-for-buying-3-5m-castle-and-insists-its-not-a-gimmick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/850114\/","title":{"rendered":"Alan Carr gives four-word reason for buying \u00a33.5m castle and insists it&#8217;s not a gimmick"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Alan Carr, who won The Celebrity Traitors, is rumoured to have spent around \u00a33.5 million on his very own castle and has signed up to star in brand new show Castle Man for Disney+<\/p>\n<p>19:19, 25 Mar 2026Updated 19:20, 25 Mar 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Alan Carr is rumoured to have spent around \u00a33.5 million on Ayton Castle, a 17 bedroom fortress on the Scottish borders. He says: \u201cI watch a lot of property porn. I did go castle shopping on Rightmove. It was on the turret section and I wanted two, three or four.\u201d\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1_542692TITLEThe-Celebrity-Traitors.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Alan Carr is rumoured to have spent around \u00a33.5 million on Ayton Castle, a 17 bedroom fortress on the Scottish borders. He says: \u201cI watch a lot of property porn. I did go castle shopping on Rightmove. It was on the turret section and I wanted two, three or four.\u201d\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Alan Carr is rumoured to have spent around \u00a33.5 million on Ayton Castle, a 17 bedroom fortress on the Scottish borders. He says: \u201cI watch a lot of property porn. I did go castle shopping on Rightmove. It was on the turret section and I wanted two, three or four.\u201d(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC\/Studio Lambert\/Paul Chappells)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Turrets may not be your average Rightmove search term, but Alan Carr is hardly your typical buyer. Hanging out in Andross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, which played <a aria-label=\"home to The Celebrity TraitorsLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/3am\/celebrity-news\/celebrity-traitors-ruth-codd-hits-36906131\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">home to The Celebrity Traitors<\/a> gave Alan, 49, a taste for baronial grandeur that he couldn\u2019t shake off. Now rumoured to have <a aria-label=\"spent around \u00a33.5 million on Ayton Castle, a 17 bedroom fortress on the Scottish bordersLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/tv\/tv-news\/alan-carr-gift-himself-castle-36592540\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">spent around \u00a33.5 million on Ayton Castle, a 17 bedroom fortress on the Scottish borders<\/a>, he says: \u201cI watch a lot of property porn. I did go castle shopping on Rightmove. It was on the turret section and I wanted two, three or four.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Now signed up to star in Castle Man for Disney+, the show will see him attempting to run the castle, which comes with the potential title of \u2018Laird of Ayton &#8211; a 700-year-old barony title, Alan says: \u201cI just wanted one [a castle].\u201d Despite attempts to resist falling for the 175-year-old property &#8211; which replaced a mansion that burnt down in 1834 &#8211; he says: \u201cWhen I put an offer in, I went up the drive and thought \u2018don\u2019t fall in love.\u2019 And then I just fell in love with it.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36779671\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/3am\/celebrity-news\/joe-marler-traitors-andrew-tate-36779671\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Joe Marler&#8217;s rare insight into life with 4 kids after cutting ties with own parents<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;You sound like a w***er when you say you have got a castle. But I want to do community based things. I want to give something back like with animals. That is what excites me more. I will have fetes, dog shows there; comedy at the castle and the best vegetable competition. I will be there to judge the biggest courgette in the village.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Home sweet home... Ayton Castle, Alan Carr's new abode in the Scottish borders\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0_wpbee8cd2a_05_06.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Home sweet home... Ayton Castle, Alan Carr's new abode in the Scottish borders\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Home sweet home&#8230; Ayton Castle, Alan Carr&#8217;s new abode in the Scottish borders<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Refuting claims that he\u2019s used Disney+ money to buy the castle purely for the purposes of the show, Alan says: \u201cNo \u2026 I have bought the castle. I am selling up. I am moving up there. It is genuine. \u201cI am moving up to <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/scotland\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Scotland<\/a> and it is not for work. When you watch the show the penny will drop and people will want to come on the journey with me. I am 50 [this year] and I won&#8217;t be doing this at 60. It\u2019s now or never. It is not a gimmick.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Explaining how he fell in love with <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/\/the-traitors\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">the Traitors<\/a>\u2019 castle Alan, who has been living in a bachelor pad in trendy Crouch End, north London, following his divorce from husband Paul Drayton in 2022, says: \u201cI loved it in The Traitors. \u201cYou have a lot of down time. I was mincing around there and sitting in the library and thought \u2018this is amazing.\u2019 It did make me think \u2018I want a castle.\u2019 I mean I am entering my turret era. I am 50 this year and I know it seems I am having a mid life crisis. I don\u2019t know what came over me!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A Category A listed building, there are restrictions on altering Alan\u2019s castle. He says: \u201cSomeone heard I was turning it into a spa that gifted me a jacuzzi. I have no idea what I am going to do with it. It is just me hitting the ground running.\u201d But he hopes to bring some of the interior design skills he learned working with <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/amanda-holden\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Amanda Holden<\/a>, restoring a dilapidated villa in Corfu on the <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/bbc\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">BBC<\/a> show Amanda &amp; Alan\u2019s Greek Job, and before that a crumbling townhouse in Amanda &amp; Alan\u2019s Spanish Job to his refurb.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Alan says of his winning Traitors performance: \u201cI have never had a reaction like it. It was insane. I have been offered loads of stuff after The Traitors.\u201d \" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0_537686TITLEThe-Celebrity-Traitors.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Alan says of his winning Traitors performance: \u201cI have never had a reaction like it. It was insane. I have been offered loads of stuff after The Traitors.\u201d \" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Alan says of his winning Traitors performance: \u201cI have never had a reaction like it. It was insane. I have been offered loads of stuff after The Traitors.\u201d (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC\/Studio Lambert\/Euan Cherry)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Speaking at Advertising Week Europe, he says: \u201cThis is the first time I have taken part in a reality series which is so personal. Hopefully, people will see a side of me that they don&#8217;t normally see.\u201d While there is no release date yet for the Disney+ show, Alan is hoping it will get people talking as much as The Celebrity Traitors did.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He says of his winning Traitors performance: \u201cI have never had a reaction like it. It was insane. I have been offered loads of stuff after The Traitors.\u201d Of Castle Man, he continues: \u201dThere will be bad things said, but there will be good things said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cI want my show to be authentic, as in this AI <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">world<\/a> now you don&#8217;t know what is real or not. \u201cWe want proper authentic reality. I cry so much on camera now since Traitors. Was it authentic? You did not see the onions. It was awful! But it is great to be stopped in the street. When TV is done well it has that power. It is good to have that connection where you say \u2018did you see that last night?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Comparing himself to the genie in Disney\u2019s Aladdin, he laughs: \u201cI am cheeky, funny, and if you rub me the right way \u2026 that&#8217;s a bit creepy!\u201d. When it comes to turning a profit, he is hoping he will show more business acumen than he did when he was on Celebrity Apprentice in 2009 &#8211; a special show for <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/comic-relief\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Comic Relief<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Alan with co-host Amanda Holden on Amanda &amp; Alan's Greek Job\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0_546423TITLEAmanda-Alans-Greek-Job.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Alan with co-host Amanda Holden on Amanda &amp; Alan's Greek Job\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Alan with co-host Amanda Holden on Amanda &amp; Alan&#8217;s Greek Job(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC\/Voltage TV\/Zak Walton)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He says: \u201cI was the first celebrity to be fired from The Apprentice. <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/alan-sugar\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Alan Sugar<\/a> pointed at me and said \u2018tell me why I should not fire you?\u2019 I was like \u2018I don\u2019t know.\u2019 I cried on The Apprentice after Alan fired me. I am going to show him now. The castle loses money every year, so I have got to try and turn that around.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;I have not got the keys yet and I need to get up there. When I get there I will try to make it a dream instead of a nightmare.\u201d Asked for three words to sum up his castle purchase, Alan says: \u201cI would say debt, mortgage, bankrupt. No it will be magical, enchanting, beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36816211\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/3am\/celebrity-news\/sian-williams-anxiety-superpower-psychologist-36816211\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BBC star Sian Williams on how &#8216;monster&#8217; anxiety has become her superpower<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alan Carr, who won The Celebrity Traitors, is rumoured to have spent around \u00a33.5 million on his very&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":850115,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3940],"tags":[11951,1950,4080,158528,92215,77,242694,16,15],"class_list":["post-850114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-alan-carr","tag-amanda-holden","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrity-traitors","tag-comic-relief","tag-entertainment","tag-paul-drayton","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116291859333282974","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/850115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}