A Brighton couple got the shock of their lives when their children transformed their beloved home into a medieval fortress.

Sacha Maurice and his wife Shelley gave their three children free reign to decorate their home in Hollingbury as part of television series Home on Their Own, to be shown tonight.

Sam, 16, Jade, 15 and Jasmine, 11 constructed huge ivy-covered walls, complete with turrets on the outside of the building in Hurst Hill.

Their handy work continued inside the house, where they carried on the medieval theme.

In the living room the trio brought in a suit of armour, attached cobwebs to the walls, constructed fake swooping ravens and lay leaves on the floor.

The hallway was painted entirely black, with a red carpet fitted just two weeks earlier ripped up and replaced with black-and-white lino.

Throughout the property were placed 2ft-high chrome uplights, with fake silk flames and all the walls were painted in a shimmer-look coating, giving the impression they were wet.

In the kitchen a giant fridge-freezer with an alarm system was installed. Whenever the door was opened a speaker boomed: "Get away from the fridge fatso" as an incentive for Shelley to cut back on snacking.

Things did not get much better in Sacha and Shelley's bedroom, which was changed into a shrine to feet - one of Sacha's pet hates.

Shelley said: "It was literally my house of horrors. The children knew I hated anything scary and they used it against me."

The couple were sent away for three days in March while the work was done. When they returned home, they were blindfolded in front of their new castle.

Sacha said: "When the blindfold was taken off I was gob smacked. I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. We expected them to do something out of the ordinary, but never something on such a grand scale. I just could not find the words to express how I felt."

But despite their shock at seeing the house, the couple were not angry with their children.

Sacha said: "I thought it looked fantastic. If I had a larger house I would have kept the living room exactly as it was, because it would have been great for halloween parties. It was just like a film set."

Shelley admits she almost broke down while being filmed.

She said: "Standing on the steps with the blindfold on, I was petrified and my legs felt like jelly.

"When I saw what had happened I thought I would cry, but I knew I had to keep it together. I would do anything for my kids and this was a once in a life time opportunity for them.

"They had a terrific time and I don't feel any anger towards them. When you go on shows like this, you have to be ready to accept whatever happens."

The couple have pulled down the castle walls and thrown out the huge feet which formed their new double bed.

But, despite moving furniture around, they are keeping most of the other additions.

Sacha said: "It is memorabilia of the show, so why would we want to get rid of it?"

The show is being broadcast on ITV1 at 8.30pm tonight.