THE legend of Casanova has been brought to life in Towneley Hall's historic surroundings for a new BBC costume drama.

And councillors are hoping the move will help boost tourism at the town's landmark building.

Film crews and actors descended on the Burnley Council-owned hall for three days to capture scenes in the Great Hall and the family dining room.

The programme will be broadcast to millions of viewers early next year on BBC3 as part of a three-part drama called Casanova, telling the tale of "the world's greatest lover."

Peter O'Toole, famous for his role as Lawrence of Arabia, and rising star David Tennant will play the legendary figure at various stages of his life.

The Irish actor, last seen in the epic blockbuster Troy, was not involved in the filming at Towneley Hall but Tennant was among the cast and crew, as was Nina Sosanya, who played Jenny Paige in Channel 4 hit Teachers.

The hall stayed open during filming - with visitors even able to catch a glimpse of the actors in action.

Coun Colette Bailey, the council's executive member responsible for Towneley Hall, said: "Local people know Towneley Hall is a wonderful asset to the borough, set in beautiful parkland just a few minutes from Burnley town centre.

"Now television audiences across the country will get the chance to see the historic hall in all its glory and hopefully help boost the number of people wanting to visit."

Ken Darwen, manager of the picturesque hall, said: "We recently updated the image collection held by the North West Film Archive, showing Towneley Hall in all its glory, and were approached by Red Productions after they saw the stunning pictures.

"The three days spent at Towneley were hectic to say the least but, with planning and assistance from the staff, we were able to keep the bulk of the rooms open to the public.

"I think the staff quite fancied the idea of possibly appearing in one or two scenes themselves but unfortunately that wasn't to be.

"But they did enjoy the excitement and buzz created during the three days."

And he added: "The hall has also been visited by a production crew for the Antiques Roadshow and has been added to its list of future locations."

Tennant plays the 18th Century character as a young man whose extraordinary life takes him from Venice across Europe - much of it as a fugitive, wanted for 'offences' against government and church. O'Toole will play Casanova as an older man as he relives his adventures to servant Edith alone in a castle in 1798 - and discovers new love.

Casanova was also filmed at locations in and around Manchester, and on location in Dubrovnik and Venice. It's set to hit screens early 2005.

Stuart Murphy, controller of BBC3, said: "Casanova is an extraordinarily inventive and inspired drama from one of British TV's best screen-writers. It crowns a string of new dramas for the channel."