Blacksmith shows his mettle in soap and on foreign shores

Mr Tyas was asked by the producers of the ITV series to provide lamps and fireside irons for the television pub, which has recently been refurbished in the programme.

But his other customers include a chain of shoe shops and a castle in Copenhagen, while he receives orders from around the globe through an internet site.

Mr Tyas set up his company 11 years ago after he lost his job as an engineering blacksmith starting off in a tiny garage in Penistone, Barnsley.

It has grown gradually over the years and now employs 10 people at a forge in Bullhouse Mill, near Penistone, and Mr Tyas said he has just had his best year ever despite the recession.

He added: “We want to keep alive a traditional way of making ironwork and keep an old craft going in this country.

“Manufacturing in China would probably be cheaper, but doing it this way maintains the tradition and means we keep control of the quality.

“It’s about ethics and things like helping the local economy. Where possible we use the local post office to send out our orders and buy as much as we can locally.”