Lock up your teapots: Changing Rooms is returning to our screens.
Interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, notorious for his bold fashion choices and penchant for feature walls, will return for the rebooted series, which will air on Channel 4.
He’ll be joined by Davina McCall, who will replace former presenter Carol Smilie.
The original show aired on the BBC between 1996 and 2004, and saw two groups of homeowners renovate one room in the other’s house, with the help of a team of experts.
Llewelyn-Bowen (and his outré fashion sense) is making a comeback (BBC)
Llewelyn-Bowen was previously joined by other designers including Linda Barker and ‘Handy’ Andy Kane, best remembered for his love of MDF.
Channel 4 are yet to announce whether any other members of the original line-up will be taking part in the reboot.
“It’s taken quite a lot of coaxing to get me under the Changing Rooms banner once more,” Llewelyn-Bowen explained, adding: “But nothing like as much coaxing as it’s going to take for me to squeeze those leather trousers back on.”
McCall added: “I’m so excited to be presenting Changing Rooms. It’s the perfect time to bring it back. Everyone is going DIY and decor mad!
(BBC)
“I can’t wait to see all the amazing transformations. I might even get stuck in myself if I’m allowed to be let loose with a paint brush.”
Changing Rooms gave its designers free rein to transform participants’ homes - and it’s fair to say that the results were often mixed.
One memorable episode saw a woman reduced to tears when Llewelyn-Bowen transformed her dining room with a Queen Anne-inspired makeover, complete with portraits of her and her husband as Nell Gwyn and Samuel Pepys.
In another infamous instalment, Barker and Kane set up some free-hanging shelves to display a priceless porcelain teapot collection, only for it to go toppling to the ground, leaving the teapots in pieces.
Channel 4 is yet to confirm when production will begin on the series.
