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8.27am.  The Alhambra Palace.  We’ve been here since dawn. We have one more piece to camera to shoot, and in three minutes the gates will open and the public will pour in.

Outside, they’re getting restless. Visitors from all over the world have forked out 50 euros a piece for a tour of Granada’s stunning 14th century Islamic palace. They are in no mood to have their enjoyment marred by a British film crew.

Two and a half million people come here every year. Not all on the same day of course, but this is still one of the most popular destinations on the planet.

"Stand by", I say, just as the first wave of tourists comes round the corner, through the massive carved entrance way, arriving in their hundreds in the Room of the Two Doors. This is one of the many ante-rooms to the main part of the palace, currently littered with film crew, presenter, lights, camera, boxes of lenses and filters, and general filming gunk.

This group is French, they’ve been queuing for hours, and they are in no mood to wait.

"Silence sur le plateau" I plead. "All quiet on set". The French stop, as one. I hear a low murmuring. "Qu-est ce qui se passe?" "What’s happening?"

It’s now or never.

"Action!" I yell, and the man in the white Panama hat strides up to the right hand door, which towers over him, turns to the camera and explains that this, contrary to appearances, is not actually a door. It's a fake.  

And the reason is the Nasrids, the last Moslem dynasty in Spain and the architects of the Alhambra, feared attack so much, they created false doors and passageways leading nowhere, to confuse and repel their enemies.

The final line to camera is expertly delivered: "This tells you all you need to know about the paranoia, fear and duplicity in the Alhambra palace." 

"Cut!" I yell, and that’s a wrap.  We start to gather up our things. Finally, breakfast awaits. The French, as one, applaud. "Bravo!" This is better than any guided tour, they tell each other. Our presenter smiles modestly, and waves at his newfound Gallic army of fans. Just another day on location with Simon Sebag Montefiore.

Blood and Gold – The Making of Spain was my first experience of working with Simon Sebag Montefiore and what fun, and how informative it turned out to be.

There are not many presenters who so cleverly and entertainingly combine tales of preposterous popinjays with stories of beautiful concubines and scheming, venal, bloodthirsty barons.  It’s like filming with the most erudite and charming of teachers and guides.

Spain was the perfect setting for the latest in Simon’s epic historical television tours, following on from Jerusalem, Istanbul and Rome.

This time the formula was opened out to encompass a country, and Spain was the ideal choice. The first two programmes are set in Andalusia. They cover the conquest of the peninsula by the Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths and Moslems and then the re-conquest by the Christian Kings, with Spain united under Ferdinand and Isabella and the Jewish and Moslem population expelled.  The final programme focuses on nationhood. Shot mainly in Madrid it tells the story from Philip II to the present day.

What makes Spain so interesting is that, as Simon explains so vividly, it is part of Europe and yet in many ways it is so very different. It’s almost entirely surrounded by water. It’s only 14km from Africa, and its position at the gateway to the Mediterranean means through its early history Spain was subject to repeated waves of invasion. Those influences live on, in the architecture, in the language, which is infused with Arabic words, in the music, in the food and in the culture.

Spain is the most visited destination of all by British travellers, though not many venture too far from the Mediterranean coast. I hope this series persuades them to explore further and soak up the incredible atmosphere of Spain’s southern cities of Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada and Seville, and of course to travel further north to Madrid.

We all learnt so much filming this series. Incredible to think there is so much history, and such exotic stories, just a short plane ride away. Who knew the story of Spain would prove to be so thrilling.

Marion Milne is Series Prodcer/ Director, Blood and Gold: The Making of Spain with Simon Sebag Montefiore