Two BBC property shows in major revamp as celebrity spin-off show launches

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Two BBC property shows in major revamp as celebrity spin-off show launches
Two BBC property shows in major revamp as celebrity spin-off show launches

Two BBC property shows Homes Under the Hammer and Escape to the Country have had a major revamp as the celebrity version of the show launched earlier this week.

For the first time on Homes Under The Hammer, a host of names from Strictly Come Dancing, The Chase and The One Show, will be guided by experts each day throughout the spin-off series, while hunting property investors. The celebrities will facilitate prospective home owners while they have the chance to haggle during the auction. Martin Roberts, Dion Dublin and Martel Maxwell will also be offering their expert knowledge as they assist celebrities in taking charge of the series for the week.

Stars including The One Show's Alex Jones as well as BBC weather reporter Owain Wyn Evans, will be joined by The Traitors star Amanda Lovett and eighties pop star Toyah Wilcox. Meanwhile, Escape To The Country will see celebrities in charge of house hunting for the first time.

Two BBC property shows in major revamp as celebrity spin-off show launches qhiqqkikrirkinvHome Under the Hammer has major revamp in Celebrity special (BBC/Lion Television Scotland/Sam Postlethwaite)
Two BBC property shows in major revamp as celebrity spin-off show launchesCelebrities undertake new tasks for the spin-off series (BBC/Lion Television Scotland/Di Evans)

Strictly professional dancers Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec, I'm A Celebrity star Christopher Biggins, Bucks Fizz singer Cheryl Baker, Doctor Ranj Singh, and The Chase's Jenny Ryan, will undertake the new task. All stars will be scoping tranquil landscapes and lifestyles of the Home Counties, such as Cheshire, the Peak District, Lancashire, Kent and Sussex. The show, which first launched in 2002 gives viewers a look in to rural Britain's property market.

Guided by the property experts on hand, buyers have to decide whether to take the leap of swapping their urban lifestyle for the idyllic life of the countryside. Homes Under the Hammer will air the celebrity version daily from 11:15am on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Meanwhile, Escape To The Country will air Ranj and Jenny's episodes at 3pm this week before airing further episodes over the festive period.

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John Comerford, Head of Naked West production company for Celebrity Escape To The Country, said: "We love helping prospective rural dwellers find their dream homes and we're delighted the BBC have commissioned this special series giving us all an insight into our favourite celebrities' lives as they look to swap the city for a new home in the country."

Julie Shaw, Commissioning Editor of BBC Daytime and Factual, added: "Escape to the Country has been a staple in the BBC daytime schedule for 21 years. Audiences love this programme and watching the journeys the house-hunters go on, so it was about time we got to go house hunting with some famous faces. I can't wait for this to land in the schedules."

Escape to the Country presenter Jules Hudson recently shared that he hoped to be part of the show for as long as he can, amid the uncertain future of the show. Back in August, he told The Express: "I hope to do Escape to the Country for as long as I'm able and for as long as the show will have me."

The star, who has worked on the programme for nearly 17 years, added: "For me, country life is absolutely who I am and it's who I was before I came to present Escape to the Country. It's a massive step for lots of people, so having the chance to share that, that experience, those tips and tricks, it's very much a way of life for me. I absolutely love it, it's a show I'm incredibly fond of. It's very dear to me."

Lucretia Munro

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