He is a star (again) of the hit TV show Salvage Hunters, but Frome character Karl Horler has been sworn to secrecy about whether, and what, the hunters found.

But he was willing to tell us about his successful business, how he has many famous clients. About his quickest ever sale and why he would like to crack the Russian market.

In this latest UP CLOSE, Frome Nub News talked to Frome's famous with a K, Karl Horler whose emporium is down by the station, but has worldwide appeal. Forty nine year old Karl will be on the television again after a whistle stop from the TV crew to Frome Reclamation last week.

He told Nub News: " They rang me Saturday morning and they came in on the Wednesday. I am not allowed to say what they bought until it goes on the telly. You have to wait. It is all a big secret. "

What is not a secret is how hard the family, born and bred in Frome, work. The business was started by Karl's dad in 1987.

" My dad was a builder but he was also a wheeler dealer. He was a milk man in the mornings, then a builder and then in the evenings, a taxi driver. On his milk rounds he would be full up with pine furniture and all the bits of pieces to deliver. I remember as a kid stacking bricks and tiles, so this is how I grew up.

" We have been offered lots of money over the years to sell up, but we are not going to retire. My sister is part of the business now, and my eldest son works here too. I love the business even if it does take over my life, I am on the phone until 11 o'clock at night most nights, but that's my fault. I have customers all over the world and they send me messages at goodness knows what time, midnight, one in the morning, they don't care."

So where does Karl do most trading?

" We do stacks of trade with America. This year alone we have sent over four or five containers, we have sent to Texas, California, Alabama, Mississippi Michigan ... all over. It is certainly one of our biggest markets."

And his clients we love some name dropping so who are some of Karl's famous customers?

" Sean Bean, Richard E Grant, Eddie Redmayne who came in about a year ago and has a hideaway home in the West Country. His agents were buying stuff for him and then he came in himself and bought a fireplace.

"But Nicholas Cage has never been in. I have sold him bits and pieces indirectly and I would love to meet him.

" Marco Pierre White is a regular and Aaaron Johnson buys a lot of stuff. Years ago I sold a lot of stuff via an agent and that ended up in Brad Pitt's place. I sold George Clooney stuff via agents to his house up in Henley on Thames. The last film set we did was selling galvanised trunks to 1917. We supplied all them and all the crates and wood. "

So with two warehouses over around two acres of architectural salvage for sale, does Karl know what he has in store?

" Yes I do, it is all catalogued so interiors, furniture, retro props in one area floorings, chimney pots and bricks all the heavy stuff, then outside all the statues, planters and things. I know exactly what we have here. It comes from all over Britain although we do get a lot from the West Country, We disperse it everywhere. And since we have re-opened in June (after lockdown) we have sent to New Zealand, South Korea, Germany, Norway. I have had people come in from Holland, get on the Eurotunnel and then drive directly here to buy stuff."

Last time he was on the TV programme in 2017 the next day he had customers who arrived from oversees having seen him.

" I had people who had come from Hawaii come to see me after seeing me on the television last time saying I saw you on the TV last night. But we don't advertise at all any more, I sell directly off Instagram. I put something on there once and sold it in nine seconds. We do well in London and it is all direct so we are really busy. We run our own four trucks but we also use couriers every day. "

So a hugely successful global enterprise, but is there anywhere where Karl HASN'T sold to?

" I tell you what we have done Malaysia, South Africa, let me think. There is one place I would still like to have customers from. I would like to sell to Russia, there is just something about Russia. I do get some enquiries from there already so hopefully I will get something sold. Then I would like to go there just to see it."