Residents of homes made famous by television programmes describe how fan tourism can disrupt everyday life, with visitors taking photographs, entering properties and sometimes behaving intrusively. The article shows that television’s cultural reach can turn private homes into unofficial attractions, forcing owners to balance public interest with privacy and security.

Examples include an Emmerdale house in Esholt, West Yorkshire, where visitors have peered through windows or opened the front door, and the Breaking Bad house in Albuquerque, where fans have thrown pizzas and attempted to climb a fence. The owner of Carrie Bradshaw’s Sex and the City apartment installed a gate after persistent late-night crowds, while Glenda Kenyon, whose Barry home appeared in Gavin and Stacey, instead began welcoming visitors and created a show-themed attraction; she says it has changed her life.