Laurence Llewelyn-bowen
Interiors expert Laurence Llewelyn-bowen on enjoying some downtime with his family and whether he would be up for doing a Changing Rooms reboot
Laurence Llewelyn-bowen is used to jetting around the world filming his popular makeover shows, but when we speak to the flamboyant and charming star on the phone, he’s been enjoying some much needed time off in his Cotswolds home.
He tells he’s spent the last few weeks holed up with his wife of 30 years Jackie, 55, his daughters Cecile, 25, and Hermione, 22, Cecile’s hubby Dan, Hermione’s fiancé Drew and his three-year-old grandson Albie.
But while the family have been bonding over boxsets and gin, the interiors guru, 55, tells us he nearly didn’t make it home in time when lockdown restrictions were put in place back in March.
“I was filming the latest series of House Rules in Australia and I was playing chicken with lockdown,” he says.
“Everything was closing down in Australia state by state, everything was closing here and the flights were being cancelled one by one. It was quite nerve-wracking. By the time I got home I was extremely relieved, because I had a vision of being stuck in Australia for the duration.” Blimey!
Since finding fame back in 1998 when he starred on BBC home makeover show Changing Rooms, Laurence has remained in the industry and now appears on Netflix shows House Rules and
Instant Hotel in Australia, as well as makeover competition show
The Apartment in Asia.
Here, the eccentric star talks to us about irritating his family, his relationship with his wife and making a comeback to
British TV…
Hi Laurence! You’re always so busy. How have you found this downtime?
Jackie being Jackie, she’s organised everything absolutely brilliantly. We’ve had both girls, both their husbands and our grandson under one roof. We’ve spent most of the time feeling lucky and privileged that we are together. We’ve got it easy compared to a lot of people. That doesn’t mean we don’t fight and drink too much gin now and then.
Have you enjoyed being able to spend time with your daughters and grandson?
It’s been wonderful. We’ve been quite rigid about things, and watching TV shows like The Great British Sewing Bee and Killing Eve have become incredibly important. We’ve got a timetable about everyone sharing the cooking apart from me – I’m rubbish and just do the dishwasher. It’s been a bit like perpetual Christmas.
So you and Jackie haven’t had any rows?
No, we’re really good. After 30 years of marriage and being together for 36 years we know how each other works. We get frustrated and tired and we’re not as young as we used to be, but I’m a great believer in that you should work very hard to make situations positive. Most of my family want to strangle me most of the time because I’m so upbeat and skippy.
Nothing wrong with that! What’s the secret to your long and happy marriage then?
I think gin plays a very important part! That takes the edge off everything. We’re really lucky that we’re such firm friends and we’ve got so much in common. I’ve not been home for this long since the children have been tiny, so I’m loving every minute of it. I think they’re all desperate for me to get back to work.
You’re always filming something. Did you have any work cancelled because of the pandemic?
Not cancelled thank goodness, but shunted! I’m about to start a huge 15-part series for Discovery US. We’re looking to start in August, then the Australian series is starting again in September and there’s another big concept coming through, which should be this year. There’s no let-up, so having this wonderful, idyllic existence in my Cotswolds garden and time with my family I’m using to recharge my batteries.
Sounds like a good plan! We’re huge fans of Instant Hotel, the Airbnb competition show you co-host. Will there be another series?
I hope so! Instant Hotel is very much on the agenda and it’s always been the intention to make it bigger. To make it not just about Australia, but in Singapore, Hong Kong and New Zealand. But I’m now firmly based at home. I said to someone the other day, this is the longest I’ve spent away from the lounge at Dubai airport. I’m sure it’s missing me!
Would you like to see a Changing Roomsstyle show come back in the UK?
It’s long overdue! The energy that really made Changing Rooms so popular has been missing from a lot of the interiors shows on UK television.
Would you do it if you were asked?
I don’t know when I’d schedule it in, but UK broadcasters should look at some of the stuff I’ve done in Asia. The Apartment ’s concept is strong, as well as House Rules in Australia. There’s such a huge hunger for people to watch different ways of doing things at home and for making it entertaining.
You’ve also been busy creating your new Youtube show School Of Flock. Tell us about it…
The joys of being in lockdown with two Met Film School graduates – my daughter Cecile and her husband Dan – is that they were very keen to do something creative with the time. I thought it would be a great opportunity, because there’s been an enormous spike in people wanting to do stuff at home. We’ve redecorated our kitchen and the dining room, so rather than do a Youtube Changing Rooms-style show, I thought it would be more useful to tell people where a lot of their decorating decisions come from. Like the history of certain colours and why wallpaper was such an important part of the British identity. It’s like pub quiz trivia on the stuff that surrounds us.
Sounds interesting. Is this a time people should take up new hobbies like decorating?
I think it’s a very good idea. It’s points like this when we understand how incredibly important our homes are to us – they’re not just a financial investment. They are the framework to our lives. It really is my mission to get people to decorate their homes in a way that is personal. All the way through my programmes it’s about trying to help you improve your personal style.
Watch Laurence Llewelyn-bowen’s School Of Flock on Youtube, new episodes every Sunday