George Clarke's hidden talent, famous pals and kids who love to rip him
From Amazing Spaces to Remarkable Renovations, property guru George Clarke has presented his fair share of popular television programmes - but it's highly unlikely fans will ever see him swap his walking boots for dancing shoes.
The 49-year-old architect has his sights set firmly on beautiful buildings and unusual staycations, and has shutdown any chance of taking part in popular reality shows, like I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here.
Talking to the Mirror about the possibility, George said: "I would never go on Strictly Come Dancing. I don't watch reality television so I'm not bothered about it. It's just not me - I'm an architect, designer, campaigner and TV presenter, but doing a reality show is my worst nightmare.
The property expert has shutdown any chance of taking part in Strictly Come Dancing - despite secretly being a top dancer (Channel4)"I used to watch Big Brother back in the day, but I don't take a lot of satisfaction out of people making a fool out of themselves - and a lot of them do. I like to live a relatively quiet life and I'm not really in the public eye outside of my job.
"So, why would I want to be hungry in the jungle, eating cockroaches and hanging out with a lot of people, for weeks and weeks, that I might not like? That doesn't make any sense to me.
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"I get really grumpy when I'm hungry, so I think it would bring out the worst in me. I'm a big bloke and I like my food and I'm very northern. I'd probably vote myself out at the end of the first week.
"Honestly, I've been approached for many reality shows - not I'm A Celebrity - but I'm not bothered about them. Ant and Dec are actually mates of mine. We used to drink in the same pub and we've got mutual friends, and I think they're lovely lads and super talented.
"I can see why they present the show, because it's great TV. But personally, I just wouldn't want to put myself through any of that." As well as being pals with the duo, George revealed that he's close with musician and comedian Bill Bailey, who ironically came first place in Strictly 2020.
"Bill has become a really good friend of mine over the last few years and I think people don't realise just how close I am to him," he said. "He's a really lovely guy, very funny and ridiculously talented - almost in an annoying way. He can play practically every instrument you put in his hand. And then he went on Strictly and won that."
Next year, George has two new shows coming out and another season of Amazing Spaces (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Jag)
He's good pals with Ant and Dec and has a close friendship with comedian Bill Bailey (Future Publishing via Getty Images)Although, it's not just Bill that has a talent for dancing - George admits that he can hold his own on the dancefloor too. "Something that nobody knows about me - apart from close friends and my agent - is that I'm not a bad dancer," he chuckled.
"I'm surprisingly a decent dancer for somebody who is 6ft2 and not the most flexible bloke in the world. It doesn't sound very modest and I feel embarrassed talking about it, but I can throw a few shapes."
While we most definitely won't be watching George shake his hips for the Glitterball, there is a lot that viewers can expect to see from him in the next year. "Old House, New Home is on now and I'm making another season of Amazing Spaces for the new year," he revealed.
"I've just finished making a really exciting architectural travelogue about America's buildings and design. And I'm making a brand new series, with the working title Going Home, which is about people moving back to their birthplace - that'll be out next year."
Numerous different presenting jobs like these come and go, but the dad-of-two's firm favourite will always be Amazing Spaces. "It's the longest-running and biggest programme I've worked on. We're 11 years and 12 series in," he said.
"There's nothing like it on TV and it's a bit more eccentric than you typical property shows. It could be treehouses, campervans, underground houses, airplane conversions - there's no limit to people's adventures."
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George, pictured with daughter Iona, said watching himself on TV is 'just weird' and his kids would take the mick out of him (mrgeorgeclarke / Instagram)But despite how much he enjoys filming, it's unlikely George will ever watch his episodes back. "Watching yourself on TV is just weird. If my kids caught me doing it, they'd have something to say," he chuckled.
He added: "It's a fantastic job and a privilege to do it. It's genuinely an honour to get paid to go travelling and see architecture and talk about buildings, with cameramen who are now friends of mine. It's brilliant."
Though the highs come with lows, and George isn't a fan of the fame. "The world would be a better place if social media didn't exist tomorrow," he said. "I'm of a different generation and I'm very familiar with a world before the internet.
"Unfortunately, I see more negatives than positives online these days. I don't think it's good for anyone's mental health to be bombarded with so much negativity. It worries me about the affect that it has on young people today. It can be pretty dangerous and toxic, and there's so many lies out there."
Still, every now and then, online campaigns come around that really connect with George in a positive way. At the moment, he's part of the judging panel for Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub's Time After Time fund, which will give half a million pounds to tackle e-waste and help people in need to access tech.
"I'm passionate about the environment and sustainability. It's a fantastic initiative both tackling the nation's growing e-waste problem and helping those in need," George explained. "So, I'm really looking forward to seeing the brilliant and inspiring ideas the applicants come up with."
Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub join forces with TV’s George Clarke on the Time After Time fund to award £500,000 to the UK’s best eco projects.
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