Homes Under The Hammer programme turns 20 today
PRESENTER Martin Roberts said he “reckons” a total of 3,000 properties have been visited by him for Homes Under The Hammer as the BBC show marks 20 years.
The popular property series, which will air two of its celebrity specials on Friday for the two decades-long anniversary, first began on BBC One on November 17 2003.
Property expert Roberts said:
“Who would have thought... back in 2003 when I uttered those immortal lines ‘let’s find out what happened when it went under the hammer’ for the first time, that I’d still be saying them... 20 years, 28 series, around 1,700 programmes and I reckon 3,000 properties I’ve personally visited, later but I am.”
He also said he would “carry on until my plumbing fails, massive cracks appear and I’m no longer fit for refurbishment”.
Roberts presents the programme alongside Martel Maxwell, Jacqui Joseph and footballer turned pundit Dion Dublin.
New special episodes will see a celebrity host, a new property and a memorable moment from the archive.
Friday’s editions will see Roberts joined by Changing Rooms host Laurence Llewelyn-bowen, who will offer advice on recycling a retro avocado bathroom suite, in Bristol and Maxwell joined by broadcaster Alex Jones in London.
Maxwell said: “I’m proud to work on a show that means so much to so many. Seven years of filming hundreds of properties results in daily supermarket conversations like this, ‘What about that one in Wales? You know the one - the buyer had a fringe; the semi was riddled with damp?’. People love the show and the fondness around it is palpable.”
Homes Under The Hammer airs weekdays at 11.15am on BBC One.