The winner will receive £10,000 and the accolade as the best village in the country in the show Channel 4 programme.

Sidmouth Herald: Beer Choir will be featured on the show. Picture: Channel 4 TelevisionBeer Choir will be featured on the show. Picture: Channel 4 Television (Image: (Channel 4 images must not be altered or manipulated in any way) CHANNEL 4 PICTURE PUBLICITY 124 HORSEFERRY ROAD LONDON SW1P 2TX)

Beer is in with a chance of being named ‘Village of the Year’ and winning £10,000 in a new television show.

Actress Penelope Keith is hosting Channel 4’s new programme to find out the very best of what village life has to offer.

She has been joined by a panel of judges including archaeologist and village historian Alex Langlands, Chelsea Flower Show gold award winner and garden designer Juliet Sergeant and fashion designer and presenter of The Great British Sewing Bee Patrick Grant.

Each episode will see villages from different parts of the country compete against each other in the hope of reaching the semi-final at the end of the week.

Beer resident Ursula Makepeace submitted the village’s application to the show. She said: “I felt Beer deserved to be recognised UK-wide. What I love most about Beer is it is beautiful, with beautiful surroundings and the most delightful community. The community spirit here is absolutely second-to-none.

“We have an exciting environment from Beer Caves to the Jurassic Coast and to be selected from more than 400 applications that itself is an achievement.”

Beer’s heat will be screened at 3pm on Friday, January 19, featuring familiar faces sharing what they love about the village.

A spokesman for Reef Television, the production programme behind the programme, said: “Village of the Year is joyous, celebratory, fun and fascinating – but with an added competitive twist. Penny and her judges tour the country in order to enjoy everything about our amazing villages, before the judges convene to make the tough decisions. With the hard work done, the series will culminate in a grand final where one amazing British village will be crowned Village of the Year.”

Village of the Year will be screened on Channel 4 on weekdays at 3pm from Monday, January 15, with the semi-final screened on Saturday evening at 8pm.