Only Fools and Horses is something which is bubbling and although collecting hasn’t really taken off yet it

“Only Fools and Horses is something which is bubbling and although collecting hasn’t really taken off yet, it will,” Cowdry adds. “I’d also go for anything that Ricky Gervais laid his hands on from the set of Extras or The Office as these would probably be a good investment.”At the popular end of the TV memorabilia market, toys are also an interesting play. “Every single year we think it is going to flatten out but TV-related toys are becoming more and more popular,” says Andrew Reed, a cataloguer at Vectis Auctions.”People who watched a show on TV can relate to the toy – plus there is a wide range of collectors, from people who remember programmes from the 1940s right through to those keen on the modern day. Star Trek phasers were going for £2,000 to £3,000 but now those from the original series have tripled in value.”

Original props and items associated with a production are always the best find for a collector, but these are often hard to locate in television.
Unlike films, which have a higher profile and often a bigger budget, many of the props and wardrobe items from popular shows of the past get recycled for other programmes or simply thrown away.Look out for items associated with cult series such as The Man From Uncle, Dr Who, The Professionals, The Sweeney, The Avengers and Thunderbirds. “Anything from Gerry Anderson is collectable – original puppets can sell for £30,000 or more,” adds Cowdry.”One factor that helps improve collectability is if a TV company starts repeating shows, which then generates interest again,” he says.

“It’s definitely expanding,” says Adrian Cowdry, a TV and film memorabilia consultant at the auction house Bonhams. “Nothing ever seems to go down in value – sometimes there’s a plateau but then there will be a resurgence in interest and prices. A jacket from the Prisoner series would have made £1,000 to £1,500 10 years ago, but now the same item would fetch £5,000 to £7,000. Television may be cinema’s less glamorous cousin, but for memorabilia collectors, it is an area that is worth considering. The Pend is the refurbished gatehouse of Whithorn monastery in Dumfries and Galloway; it also sleeps four and is priced at £570 for seven nights at the end of August.. Those in search of more space could opt for an imposing Victorian hunting lodge set in ample grounds at the foot of the Cairngorms about six miles from Newtonmore.

The property accommodates 16 and costs £1,600 for seven nights.Meanwhile the National Trust for Scotland (0131 243 9331; .uk) still had a few holiday property vacancies at the time of writing.Among them were Kennels Cottage, a charming stone property in the grounds of Craigievar Castle in Aberdeenshire, which sleeps four and costs £465 for the week. This secluded getaway sleeps four and costs just £370 for the week. As we went to press Mackays Agency (0870 429 5359; ) could offer literally hundreds of possibilities.Among the more dramatic properties available is Pier Cottage on privately owned Sanda Island off the Mull of Kintyre. The cottage sleeps four and is priced at £550 for a three-night stay including free use of the outdoor pool and other leisure facilities. Children are welcome and there is a dedicated play area for them.

HEAD NORTH OF THE BORDERIn Scotland, the Bank Holiday takes place on the first, rather than the last, Monday of the month. So having already had their time off, those north of the border have less demand for holiday property. In addition to 23 guest rooms within the manor house, there are 19 self-catering mews cottages, converted from a Victorian stable block.Among those still available to rent is Bluebell Cottage, a two-bed, two- bathroom property with a sitting room with French windows leading on to a little patio. The stately hotel, complete with Italianate gardens, is set among rolling countryside near Canterbury in Kent, and offers two restaurants, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, spa, all-weather tennis courts, petanque pitches, croquet lawns and more. Both names are said to conjure a nostalgic sense of the rural past that lingers in the collective subconscious. A quintessential Rose Cottage is offered by English Country Cottages (08700 781 100; ) in the village of Wark near Hexham in Northumbria.

Like the Yorkshire farmhouse, it offers several walking trails from the door. In addition, some of the best beaches and coastal walks in the South-west are a short drive away. Over the Bank Holiday The Granary costs £939 for a week, or £658 for three nights.OR A ROSE COTTAGE?According to a recent Halifax House names survey, “Rose Cottage” is the second most popular house name in Britain – after, somewhat unimaginatively, “The Cottage”. Over the Bank Holiday week the property costs £514 – just £64 per person.In south-west England, Toad Hall Cottages (08700 777345; ) specialises in unusual and rural properties. The property sleeps four, but is unsuitable for young families – children under seven are forbidden. It is available through Lakelovers (01539 488855; ) at a price of £465 per week, or £289 for three nights, including temporary membership of the local leisure club.CAN WE ALL FIT IN?In northern England, Dales Holiday Cottages is a good option for extended families. About a mile from Bentham in the Yorkshire Dales, Batty Farmhouse is set on a working dairy farm in wonderful, open country.