‘Davina broke my heart’
The ever-entertaining Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, 57, on bringing back one of the greatest shows of the noughties…
How keen were you on the idea of a reboot? I was literally trying to run as fast as I could away from it at every single opportunity. Anyone coming anywhere near me with a Changing Rooms- shaped contract, I would be on a plane to Australia as quickly as I could. I found the whole idea quite weird – but then lockdown happened, so the other shows I was doing got cancelled. And the minute I said, ‘What on earth would ever inspire me to squeeze myself into a pair of leather trousers?’ I knew I had to do it.
Does it feel good to be back?
The last time I was on Changing Rooms, I was 37. I am now 57 and you can see the ravages of all these years of showbusiness on me. Hello, wonderful world! What can we expect?
Even 25 years ago, Changing Rooms had that cheeky twinkle. There was no re-taking, no re-powdering of noses.
Obviously, it’s important to maintain that, but the big draw for me is the commitment that Channel 4, and the main sponsors Dulux, have made to creating the rooms properly.
In what way?
Often, Changing Rooms was like a Crossroads set. With the best will in the world, you couldn’t lean on any of it or it would go sideways. Actually, the problem now is if you don’t like the rooms, you can’t get rid of them because they’re so incredibly well-built. You literally need to drop a nuclear bomb to destroy them, so the tip is – like the room!
Is there a budget?
To stop every now and again to say, “Oh dear, we’ve overspent slightly” doesn’t really capture the joie de vivre of what we’re doing, which suits me because show me a budget and I’ll thoroughly ignore it!
What’s Anna Richardson’s role? The audience have to feel that Anna is them in the room, asking the contributors about what they’re worried about. It’s about the immediacy of it, but also the naughtiness as well – and Anna’s got all of that. She’s like a beautifully carved figurehead on the HMS Changing Rooms. Also, she looks incandescently glamorous in a boiler suit.
Anna replaced Davina McCall? Davina broke my heart. She is someone I’ve known for an incredibly long time, and she felt perfect for the role, but she left me for Jonathan Ross [to do The Masked Singer]. She seems to feel that it’s far more important for her career to watch celebs with traffic cones on their heads. But you know, my door is never closed – although it’s more of a bead curtain...
What’s the worst interior design faux pas that people commit?
It’s the grey-naissance. Grey is the most incredibly good colour for your rooms, but it’s about bone structure. Don’t just stop there, put in a bit of raspberry or emerald, even banana. Just bring in something that will actually bring it to life.
Finally, can you still squeeze into those leather trousers?
The original pair? I can get them just beyond my knees, though I’ve discovered baby powder... The whole leather thing started as a practical solution – cover yourself in emulsion and you can scratch it off! The funny thing about this time around is that, thanks to Bridgerton,
I’m now back in fashion. It’s like being a stopped watch, who knew…?