The BBC will follow the fortunes of budding gardeners from Wiltshire College restoring Avebury Manor’s walled garden in Wiltshire this winter.

The television series, likely to be entitled To the Manor Reborn, comprises four episodes and is expected to be broadcast before Christmas.

The show, which also includes the restoration of parts of the Manor House at Avebury, will be presented by Penelope Keith, famous for comedy roles in The Good Life and To the Manor Born and Seend-based Paul Martin, presenter of BBC2’s Flog It.

But the real stars of the show are Wiltshire College’s horticulture students and staff, based in Lackham.

Carl Gill, the curriculum manager for land at Lackham, said: “The opportunity to participate in this project was too good to miss, since it not only provided the chance for the students to put some of their skills into practice, but also enable further development and enhancement of those skills.”

The BBC project collaborated with the National Trust, requiring the participants to enthusiastically recreate a broadly-themed Victorian walled kitchen garden, including planting vegetables and re-digging paths.

The restored walled garden was formally opened at a ceremony attended by invited guests including the series’ presenters, volunteers, contributors, students and college staff Carl Gill, Aldetha Raymond, Stan Rawlings and Gemma Welton.

The guests were provided with refreshments throughout the occasion.

They looked around the walled garden as filming for the series continued and were interviewed for their views and comments.

It was acknowledged that, without the staff and students’ diligent work, as well as Lackham’s facilities, the project might not have been fulfilled as it was first imagined.

A BBC spokesman said: “The students were a credit to the college and a fine reflection of the excellent teaching standards.”