Alan Carr new owner of £3.2m castle in Scottish Borders

The Traitors star Alan Carr has officially entered his “turret era” after buying a £3.25 million castle in the Scottish Borders.

The comedian who managed to lie his way to the final of the Celebrity Traitors splashed out on the A-listed Ayton Castle, described as one of Scotland’s finest baronial mansions.

The 49-year-old has signed a deal with Disney+ to document the major renovation he has planned for the property.

Ayton Castle dates back to the 19th century and was designed by James Gillespie Graham, Scotland’s leading Gothic revival architect of the time.

The castle boasts 17 bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a five-storey Great Tower, turrets, a private chapel and 106-acre listed gardens.

The previous owners, who bought the property in 2014, carried out substantial refurbishment.

This included building a 600m narrow‑gauge railway that runs through part of the grounds, which visitors to the castle can pay to ride.

Norman settlers were the first recorded owners of Ayton when the De Vesci family are understood to have built a small castle. Thereafter, little is known until the 18th century.