Dream builds

Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud discusses the show's enduring popularity and why it hinges on people rather than their projects

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When Grand Designs was first pitched to TV company Talkback Productions in the 1990s, Channel 4 bosses weren't convinced that Kevin McCloud was the right person to front it.

"They said, 'We don’t mind the format, don’t like the title and don't think the presenter’s right for Channel 4," he says. "But they did commit to it and we've been there ever since.”

That commitment has turned into a TV juggernaut. As Grand Designs heads towards its 30th anniversary in 2027 [it started filming in 1997 and premiered in April 1999], Kevin, 65, is still at the helm, guiding audiences through some of the most ambitious and unconventional home builds in the UK. The show's success has been a pleasant surprise for Kevin. “Longevity is a rare thing in telly," he says. "I still have a job. It's amazing after all this time.”