A show that’s more flamboyant than Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s outfits

ALAN Carr was wearing a pale pink suit and trainers as he plonked himself down on a yellow sofa next to judge Michelle Ogundehin, who was wearing an electric blue outfit. Blue, pink and yellow? Darlings, what were you thinking?

Interior Design Masters With Alan Carr (BBC1) is nothing if not colourful. The only place you’ll find brighter and more flamboyant shades on display is Laurence LlewelynBowen’s wardrobe.

There are ten contestants lined up for this fifth series, and some of them were definitely dressed to make an impact. Teacher Francesca had a one-piece outfit that looked like it was on loan from Andy Pandy.

Lingerie maker Ben had apparently come straight from an artist’s garret in 19th-century Paris. He had a beret, a baggy white top, and a moustache that could have been built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It made Hercule Poirot look clean-shaven.

This week’s challenge took the contestants to a former convent in Norfolk, where their mission was to turn the nuns’ tiny bedrooms into stylish B& B accommodation.

It was clear from early on that Ben would be the star of the show. He turned his room into a replica of an 1870s railway carriage, and it was magnificent. ‘Oh my!’ said guest judge Abigail Ahern. ‘I’m blown away.’

Me too, although when Ben first explained his idea I misheard and thought he was recreating a 1970s railway carriage. Abigail would certainly have been less impressed. And it’s so difficult these days to source those British Rail sandwiches that curl so prettily at the edges.

Francesca’s room had peachy orange decor which Alan thought was the same shade as ‘David Dickinson on the first day of his holiday’. A new colour name for Farrow & Ball, perhaps.

Illustrator Domnall, remembering that he was in a former convent, went for a Sound Of Music theme — complete with a figure of Julie Andrews on the wall. How apt that the two judges named this as one of their favourite things.

It was clear early on who was going to be top designer and who would be going home. Ben’s Victorian carriage was streets ahead of everybody else. On hearing that he’d won, he burst into tears. Then there was Sheree. She also decided on a Sound Of Music theme, but not so that you’d notice.

Her idea was to use the blue and green colours of the film’s opening moments. Her curtains were decorated with dabs of paint, and looked like she’d lost interest halfway through. And while her rivals were rushing to finish, she was relaxing in the sun.

Almost inevitably, she was first to leave the series. She took it very well, perhaps because it came as no surprise. As she admitted, she was rather inexperienced in the world of design. Which is rather like a MasterChef contestant admitting that their signature dish is toast.