Nick Knowles’ is back for a big house clearout

It’s a good week for fans of home makeovers. Not only is the daddy of the genre, Changing Rooms, making a comeback on Channel 4 on August 18, but Nick Knowles is bringing his Big House Clearout to Channel 5.

It’s one of two new home-improvement themed series that the DIY SOS host has been commissioned to present for the channel, and it seems he doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that there’s a new demand for shows about transforming our living spaces.

Over the past year, many of us have spent more time stuck indoors than ever before, which has got some of us thinking about what works in our properties – and what doesn’t.

Nick says: “I think people will love the series which will be useful, inspirational and be in tune with how people are feeling about their homes coming out of lockdown. We are determined it will be a lot of fun too.”

And just in case anyone is worried that his new projects will take him away from DIY SOS, the BBC has confirmed that he will be back with new editions.

In the meantime though, we’re getting our first taste of Big House Clearout, which finds Nick meeting up with families across Britain who have fallen out of love with their homes, mainly because they can’t see the property’s potential for their mounds of clutter.

So, to give them a chance to remember why they moved there in the first place, Nick and his team will be stripping the homes bare, so they can see just how much space their really is.

Their belongings are then reconstructed room by room in Clutter HQ, where Nick will offer the family a potentially life-changing deal – ditch half your stuff and your home will be given a stunning makeover. To further sweeten the deal, the clans will also get a chance to raise some extra cash from their unwanted possessions.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be visiting a beautiful four-bed that’s become a shrine to Liverpool FC and Take That, and meeting a single mum whose workspace is taking over the entire property.

First up though, Nick is travelling to Marlow, Buckinghamshire, to meet a family of four who admit that housework has never been at the top of the priority list.

Mum Vicky took up crafting while recovering from an operation, but it has significantly added to the amount of stuff that’s currently swamping their once spacious home. In fact, it’s got so bad that teenagers James and Jess admit they are mortified to bring friends round.

So, it’s time for the house to get a little TLC – and for the owners to tackle the three lorry loads of stuff that Nick’s team has cleared out of it.

In theory, the items will be sorted into three piles – one for keeping, one for donating to charity and one for anything unsalvageable that is only fit for the skip. However, saying goodbye to a lifetime’s worth of belongings is not going to be easy.

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