Phil steam ahead
The Location, Location, Location host on plans for the show’s 20th anniversary, his love for Glasgow and hillwalking in Scotland and pride at helping the homeless
LIKE any friends they have rows but they haven’t had many and make up quickly.
If you are looking for the secret of the 18-year partnership between Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp, it’s a trusting relationship and appreciation of each other’s talents.
The pair have fronted Location, Location, Location since the first episode in May 2000 and have become the UK’s barometers for all things property.
And while there are always some who wonder if they are a little bit more than friends Phil, 48, insisted: “We’re friends – we’re firm friends.
“The show is not scripted, and so what happens, happens. It’s all there on screen.
“I could probably count the number of ding-dongs we’ve had on one hand – and it’s always been about something silly.
“Kirstie isn’t one to sulk, we’ll have it out and that will be it. We’ve got a really good, platonic relationship.”
Currently in Bolton filming the new series of Location, Phil confessed that he didn’t think it would survive for as long as it has and hopes viewers stick with it a while longer.
“I would love the programme to get to 20 years,” he said. “It would be a great milestone. If people keep watching it, we’ll keep making it. I didn’t think it would last as long.
“But as we were the first property programme, we had our pick of the format and chose one that works.
“Making a programme which follows people through the intense and emotional decision-making process that people go through in their lives makes it really watchable and intriguing for viewers.”
As well as their friendship, another constant has been Glasgow, where Phil and Kirstie have put together every series of Location.
Phil said: “I love Glasgow. Every programme I’ve ever made has been produced and edited in Glasgow.
“I love seeing how Glasgow has changed over the years. It has a great vibe and atmosphere.”
As he prepares to offer his advice at the Ideal Home Show Scotland, which starts on Thursday at the SEC, Phil looked back proudly on his 18-year connection to the city.
He and Kirstie set up their own independent TV company, Raise the Roof, in Glasgow eight years ago.
They make Love It or List It and solo programmes such as his Secret Agent and her Homemade shows.
Earlier this month, Raise the Roof won a Royal Television Society Award for Phil’s documentary Find Me a Home, which saw him looking for homes for low income families.
He said: “This was a very big moment for me. I was really pleased to make the programme and to raise awareness of the housing crisis – and for it to win an award made the whole thing even more special.”
The presenter was in his Glasgow home-from-home to accept the award but didn’t celebrate too hard.
He said: “I was actually on a flight at 7am the following morning so it wasn’t a late one for me but my friends celebrated!”
Maybe he should just live here? “Glasgow is a great place to invest so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility,” he insisted although since he moved from London to Hampshire two years ago after more than a decade in the same house, we aren’t holding our breath.
But the keen hillwalker is already planning his next trip – to Arran.
He said: “Scotland is beautiful and I’ve still so much more to explore.
“Architecturally, it’s stunning but I also love the outdoors. I’ve been on many walking holidays in Scotland. The more I see, the more I want to see.
“I love Inverness and I’d like to go skiing in Scotland.
“I’d really like to see more of the islands – I’ve been to Islay, and Arran is definitely next on my hit list. People refer to it as ‘Scotland in miniature,’ so I’m really intrigued. I’d also love to visit Harris – it’s got some stunning beaches.”
Despite a career showing people four walls, Phil is the outdoor type. At the start of the year, he did the Everest in the Alps challenge.
He said: “I climbed the height of Everest in four days in the Alps.
“It was extremely physically demanding but I really wanted to prove to myself that I was fit enough, and I could do it.
“Now the challenge is just to keep my fitness there.”
He’s relishing approaching 50 rather than being worried. I’m actually quite comfortable with it,” he insisted.
“My 30s were really hard work – establishing a career, having children, getting married. I was pleased to be 40 but my 40s have been a blur, they’ve gone by so fast.” He and wife Fiona and their sons Jake, 11 and Ben, nine, are enjoying an idyllic countryside life after leaving their London home, which had a garden with plastic grass. He said: “We have chickens, bees, dogs, ponies, sheep. We also have a greenhouse where we grow our own vegetables. “I’m a farmer’s son so having a life in the countryside has always been something I’ve aspired to.” But before he turns into Richard Briers in The Good Life, he will be in Scotland next week for the Ideal Home Show Scotland. Right now, he said, people are putting their money into extending or upgrading their homes. He said: “There’s lot of uncertainty in Scotland just now and so people are understandably cautious. “But things will settle. People continue with their lives – they get married, have children, grow old – we all keep moving. “People will undoubtedly always keep moving.” Phil will be appearing at the Ideal Home Show Scotland from Thursday to next Sunday at the SEC in Glasgow. Visit www.idealhome showscotland.co.uk