EVEN a big city like London or Birmingham would give a lot to have 60 minutes on prime time television on one of the mainstream terrestrial channels.

Adrian Kibbler watched when Ludlow was the spotlight as part of a three part series Town on BBC 2.

If Ludlow had a six figure sum to commission a swanky film producer to make a programme about the town it could hardly have done better.

Nicholas Crane’s somewhat bookish style made it feel a bit like a school geography trip of a generation ago and the only thing missing was a bag of sweets and can of Tizer.

But the overall impression was very positive and I challenge anyone watching who had not been to Ludlow not to want to pay the town a visit.

As a journalist, the programme reminded me how fortunate I am to report the life of what Sir John Betjeman described as ‘the most beautiful town in England’ and the stunning shots of Ludlow did nothing to dispel this view.

In a nod towards balance Nicholas Crane visited Sandpits and I know that some people from the area felt let down by the depiction of where they live as the ‘poorer’ part of town.

The problem is that it is all relative and whilst Sandpits is a community where many good things are happening, including the building of a new boxing club, it was the best that the BBC could come up with when looking for a flip side to Ludlow’s magnificent heart.

In any case it does no harm to be reminded that even such a superb town as Ludlow has places where there is room for improvement.

Town on BBC2 will not threaten the position of Coronation Street or East Enders at the top of the rating charts but it has nevertheless provided an extremely positive impression of Ludlow to a national audience of at least several hundreds of thousands.

It can also be assured of numerous repeats with the proliferation of digital, cable and satellite channels for a long time to come.

The challenge for Ludlow is to find a way to grasp the opportunity and raise its game when it comes to marketing the town in order to secure an even bigger share of the tourist pound.

But it is not just about tourism because there is a need to pursued more potential employers of what a great place Ludlow and south Shropshire is to live and work.