Channel 4’s property series Grand Designs is to expand with a new visual podcast Grand Designs: Deconstructed launching on Spotify, Channel 4 Homes YouTube and More4 on the 1st October.
Hosted by broadcaster and “self-confessed superfan”, Greg James, each episode will premiere on More4 directly after the weekly broadcast of the new Grand Designs series, which is due to launch at 9pm the same night on Channel 4.
Each week, Greg will sit down with Grand Designs host, Kevin McCloud to ask the questions viewers most want answered. Together, they’ll reflect on the episode and take a deeper look at the build, with an “informal and engaging exchange” that brings out the detail and decision-making behind each project.
There will be discussion of the challenges that shaped each build, personal reflections, and occasional contributions from the homeowners and designers themselves. With listener questions and behind-the-scenes stories woven in, the podcast will add fresh context and anecdotes to complement each new Grand Designs episode.
Kevin McCloud says: “Over the years, Grand Designs has built a passionate audience who care deeply about design and about the lives behind these projects. This podcast is a natural extension of that and an opportunity to continue the conversation and to share the hidden details, the challenges, and sometimes the sheer madness of the process. Working with Greg is fantastic and I hope listeners will enjoy hearing us explore these stories together.”
Greg James adds: “My ultimate comfort watch during the pandemic was Grand Designs. I wrote an article professing my love for the show and Kevin. Kevin then got in touch to say thank you. We chatted for 2 hours one night on zoom where we each drank a bottle of wine and I asked him why there wasn’t a Grand Designs podcast. Four years later, we’ve finally got round to it and I cannot wait to get behind the scenes access to one of the world’s greatest TV shows and show Kevin just how loved it is.”
John Comerford, Head of Naked West and Co-Executive Producer, says: “Grand Designs fans can never get enough of Kevin and the inspiring stories of homebuilders who bring their dreams to life. This new video podcast is the perfect way to extend that experience. After seeing the connection between Greg and Kevin at Channel 4’s 25th birthday event, we knew this collaboration would be something special.”
Ian Dunkley, Commissioning Editor Channel 4, adds: “The combination of Kevin and Greg was just too good an opportunity to pass up. I can’t wait to hear what they’ve got to say.”
Produced by Naked West, a Fremantle Label, the 7 x 30 podcast commission comes after the success of the show’s 25th anniversary in 2024 in which the series averaged two million viewers, with the show sustaining its success with the latest series attracting the same audience size.
Once broadcast on More4, the podcast will be available across major platforms including Spotify and Channel 4 Homes YouTube.
Commissioned by Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment, Ian Dunkley. The Executive Producers will be John Comerford, John Lonsdale and Will Foster for Naked West, a Fremantle label.
Jon Creamer
Share this story
