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Grand Designs

Grand Designs

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Summary

Property programme that finds Kevin McCloud following the progress of various self-build projects. Far from being ordinary homes, the projects are usually based on ambitious bespoke designs.

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Episode 1: Grand Designs: 25 Years & Counting

Summary

Kevin McCloud looks back at some of the most incredible projects Grand Designs has followed in celebration of the show's 25th anniversary. He takes a look at the most experimental projects, the largest and the smallest, the longest and the shortest, the most agonising and the most emotional projects, as well as the greenest and those that have been genuinely life-changing. He celebrates the triumphs, commiserates the disasters and enjoys some of the funniest scenes, as well as giving an exclusive behind-the-scenes insight into the filming of some of the most iconic moments in Grand Designs history

Review

Jane Rackham

Do you remember the Worcestershire rock house Kevin McCloud visited in 2015? The house built under an arch of 25,000 tiles that he described as an “act of lunacy”? Or the show’s very first self-build, a timber-frame house near Newhaven, that was erected at glacial speed?

McCloud reminds us of all these as he delves into the GD archives to explore the wisdom (or folly) of building your own home. This is more than simply a selection of enjoyable revisits though. Amusing snippets showing the presenter using sweets to demonstrate building techniques or arriving at the site by odd means of transport, reside next to clips of constructions, disasters and emotional reactions.

But whether super high-tech projects, eco-builds, big plans or tiny plots, they were all astonishing. However, most memorable was surely Edward Short’s Devonshire clifftop home. It was stunning when it was finished (11 years after he’d started), but tragically he ended up with massive debts, never lived in it and it destroyed his marriage.

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rolenameDirectorNed WilliamsExecutive producerJohn ComerfordExecutive producerJohn Lonsdale

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There are no live broadcasts scheduled for this show. But it is available via the streaming provider below.

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