Jamie Theakston TV show investigates Shropshire's links to Holy Grail

He was at Hawkstone Park for a new series called Forbidden Histories.

Bruce Burgess, who is directing and producing the series, said: "The Holy Grail is believed to be either the cup used by Jesus during the last supper or a Marian Chalice which Mary Magdalene used to catch the blood of Jesus on the cross."

According to local legend, a cup discovered at Hawkstone in the 1920s is in fact the grail, and Mr Theakston visited the park on Sunday to learn more about its story.

Local historian and author Graham Phillips recovered the cup in 1992 and wrote a book about his work called The Search for the Grail.

He is one of the interview subjects for the documentary, which is being made for the digital channel, Yesterday.

In the programme, Mr Theakston will investigate four "grail cups" that all claim to be the authentic one – the Hawkstone Cup, the Nanteos Cup in Wales, the Santo Caliz in Valencia, and the Antioch Chalice in New York City.

On Sunday, the crew filmed around the Red Castle in the grounds of Hawkstone Park, which was where a clue led to the discovery of the cup, and around the Grotto, which was where the cup was eventually found.

Mr Phillips said he hopes the series will bring new interest to Hawkstone Park's history.

He said: "All of my work was done back in 1992, since then it's pretty much been forgotten. Now they're doing all this for the TV show and I think it will put Hawkstone Park on the map."

Forbidden Histories will air in September or October. The Hawkstone Cup has also featured in a documentary by Time Team, called The Real Da Vinci Code.