Martin Roberts had nothing but praise for Ipswich after he visited with the film crew from BBC series, Homes Under The Hammer this week.

The daytime TV presenter came to Ipswich for the first time on Tuesday, November 13 – and said the town “offers the best of both worlds just an hour’s train ride away from London, and is a hidden gem”.

He added: “Being able to hop on a train up to London makes this an ideal location for commuters. I can’t believe I had never been here before.

“I will definitely be back to explore.”

In the show, Mr Roberts meets buyers looking for run-down properties at auction and follows their journey as they renovate them in the hope of generating a profit on their outlay, either by selling the newly-refurbished and often extended home on or by letting it out.

The presenter also starred in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2016.

During his trip to Suffolk the 55-year-old, who lives in Bath, visited two very different properties in Ipswich and Needham Market.

The property expert said: “Both properties have three bedrooms, one is a terraced affordable house in the town centre and the second is a quirky cottage with elm floor boards in Needham Market.

“Both are traditional brick built properties with fantastic potential – these types of renovations are the most exciting to see as they will be almost unrecognizable when we return.

“The new owners of the cottage gave up their jobs in IT and seemed really passionate about the project – they will be getting hands on and definitely aren’t afraid to get their fingers dirty.”

Mr Roberts, who has presented the hit show for more than 15 years, added: “Ipswich is a beautiful place, especially the older parts of the town – I wasn’t expecting it to be so nice.”

Despite this being Mr Roberts’ first visit to the town, the Homes Under The Hammer team and former footballer Dion Dublin came to take a look around a newly converted flat in London Road last April.

The two Suffolk houses in Needham Market and Ipswich are set to grace our screens in six to nine months, once work has progressed.