The visitors, four each from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, won the chance to see the series' locations as part of a competition organised by Norfolk County Council, Norfolk Tourism and international television channel Hallmark.

Swaffham, under its guise of Market Shipborough, is the main location for Kingdom and the cast and production team will be back in the town during July and August filming the third series.

Half the Scandinavian group toured the Swaffham buildings which regularly feature early on Saturday morning, accompanied by Town Mayor Shirley Matthews and county council business development manager David Dukes, and the other half later that day.

Oakleigh House (solicitor Peter Kingdom's offices), the Greyhound Inn (Startled Duck pub), the Buttercross, the parish church and the Pedlar sign, all in the Market Place, were among the sites visited on the guided tour.

Martin Hickey, chairman of Swaffham and District Tourism Association, joined the 12 Scandinavians for dinner at the town's George Hotel on Saturday night.

He said they had a conducted tour of Castle Acre by official guide Helen Paterson on Saturday afternoon, and all received gifts of Kingdom cards and sticks of Market Shipborough rock from Swaffham to take back with them.

"They had a great time and were very impressed with everything they saw. It was a good promotion of Swaffham and its surrounding area and the Kingdom programme," he said.