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With a revered cast, that includes Maxine Peake and John Simm, the production has already gained rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.

But aside from the evident enjoyment the series brings to many households on a Sunday evening, the programme is providing more good news – especially in the Peak District.

As the series is filmed in locations across the Peak District and High Peak, including Edale Railway Station, tourists are already flocking to the area to visit the scenes used in their favourite drama.

Janette Sykes, of tourism board Visit Peaks, said: “We are so lucky in the Derbyshire Dales and Peak District to have such stunning scenery that film and television producers believe is an asset.

“And the increased tourism that such filming brings to the area is always a fantastic boost to the local economy – not only in the short-term, but in the long-term too.”

Throughout the series – which will air its fourth episode this weekend – the camera never leaves the village and its residents’ lives.

Births, deaths, love and betrayal, great political events, upheavals in national identity, ways of working, sex, religion, class, the shaping of modern memory are all refracted through the lives of the villagers, making the series a fascinating insight into a past era.

Jim Dixon, chief executive of the Peak District National Park Authority, said: “The Village has got off to a strong start with very capable acting performances, critical acclaim and good ratings. It has an ambitious objective of portraying the lives of people in rural areas throughout the last century.

“As people begin to get more involved in The Village I hope they will want to learn more about the landscapes and villages the series is set in, and thus come to enjoy the Peak District of today - rich in heritage, fantastic landscapes and great things to do.”

The Village is shown on BBC 1 at 9pm on Sunday. For anybody that has missed it visit the BBC iPlayer.