We've loved Grand Designs since it started airing on Channel 4 back in 1999. The show has had plenty of heartfelt moments throughout its time on-air, always focusing on the human stories behind the grand renovation projects. Despite this, when the show first aired, television was known to be "exploitative" with programmes like Eurotrash, The Word and Game for a Laugh, and in an interview with The Observer back in 2023, show host Kevin McCloud revealed that this was the sort of show that the presenter was attempting to avoid.
"Television was quite exploitative when Grand Designs started, but our idea was celebratory," he explained to the publication. "We thought the first series was going to be watched by one surveyor and his dog, but enough viewers watched to gain a recommission, even though the industry feedback was caustic. Insiders were suspicious that we were on the side of the viewers, but the key to the show's longevity is choosing human, original, exciting stories. We just have to keep finding the right mix."
However, the star also spoke about the cost of fame, joking to the publication that he no longer did late nights out. "I always leave the pub or a party before 9pm," he shared. "Alcohol turns people into different animals. If I left at 11pm you'd be seeing me pinned against the wall by some bloke with his head three inches from mine telling me about his roof conversion or what I need to do with my life that I'm currently not doing. The only place you'll find me these days at nine o'clock is on telly."
The show has also attracted a younger demographic during its time on-air, with Kevin confessing that while he loathes taking selfies, he was taken aback when a teenager asked him for an autograph. The father-of-four said of the moment: "A 15-year-old lad came up to me on the street in north London recently and said, 'Do you mind if I have an autograph?' It was such a rarity. I said yes."
Kevin's own home
The 66-year-old hasn't shared many glimpses inside his Herefordshire home, but speaking to HELLO! earlier this year, the star revealed: "My house is a confused blend of stuff I've inherited, stuff I've bought, and quite a bit of flatpack furniture. Also, beautiful things I've decided to invest in, stuff made by friends of mine who are craftspeople and quite a lot of prototypes from my own business that didn't quite work out but I ended up using. It's the usual. It's autobiographical."
He continued: "I'm a bit more of a hoarder. Some of my favourite things are my dad's engineering drawings from the 1950s, which I've had framed," he said. "Why would you get rid of stuff that means something, that triggers a memory or a good feeling? I think buildings are vessels for life. Just having books on shelves is something to be proud of. That's my kind of home."
The star also mused why he thought the show was so successful. He explained: "Grand Designs has a really broad spectrum audience that doesn't happen in television. Our programme appeals to all groups, and not just in small numbers. One of the most gratifying things about my job is when I go to Grand Designs Live, I get 33 year olds and 38 year olds coming up to me, saying, 'I started watching when I was a kid with my parents and I'm now an architect, or a surveyor or in engineering, because you were there for me along the way'."