Kevin McCloud, 60, is a designer, writer and television presenter. He has presented Channel 4’s architecture homebuilding show Grand Designs since its launch in 1999. Over nineteen series, 198 episodes have been broadcast and tonight the 20th anniversary edition of the show will air.
Kevin McCloud made his first appearance on television as a guest presenter on BBC Two’s Homefront.
In 1999, he joined Grand Designs as the presenter – a show which showcases out of the box and elaborate architectural home building projects.
Mr McCloud’s iconic role in the show showcases his scepticism of the designs while he continuously hopes for a house to be designed which adheres to the schedule properly and does not exceed the planned budget.
However, despite his popularity, Mr McCloud has sworn to never partake in any celebrity shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, he said: “It’s only recently that I’ve come to accept that I’m in the TV business at all.”
“For years, I thought I was just a designer who happened to be doing a TV show. I’m still uneasy with it all. You’ll never catch me doing the jungle thing, or that dancing show.”
Many would be shocked to learn that Mr McCloud would likely be a strong performer on a celebrity singing show as he studied opera in Italy during his twenties.
However, he decided to opt for a career in design and television instead.
The Grand Designs presenter admits to feeling annoyed if participants on the show sell their homes after being featured.
He told the Daily Mail: “I can think of only about four that have been sold.
“One went on the market not long after we’d transmitted the series and I felt really bad about that one, like we’d been taken for a ride.
“I felt we’d been duped into being television estate agents for them.”
Mr McCloud’s own home is in Frome in Somerset, where he lives with his wife Suzanna and their four children.
But while many expect the designer’s home to be an ode to Zen living and architectural sophistication, in fact he says his home is far from the Grand Designs ideal.
He told the Daily Mail: “How shall I put this, the house is “not resolved.
“I’m aware that some of the buildings I’ve filmed are glossy and sweet and ordered, and that appeals to my fastidious side.
“But my life is not lived like that, nor are most people’s.
“I mean, there are some who do live the sort of life straight out of an architectural magazine, but they tend to have eight homes and staff.
“The rest of us live in one house and everything has to happen in that house: children, mess, objects, books, homework. It’s just how life goes.”
And it is that everyday normal person that Mr McCloud hopes enjoy Grand Designs – making architecture accessible to a mainstream audience.
You can watch Kevin McCloud on a special 20th anniversary episode of Grand Designs, where he will take a look at his top five builds over the 20 years of filming, airing tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm.
