Behind the Scenes RESTORATION HOME


How rebuilding homes helped revamp a format


The Restoration strand has itself been renovated, says Annette Clarke, with no public money or viewer vote, and more focus on the human stories


Annette Clarke Executive producer


restoring historic buildings to turn them into their dream 21st century homes. But this time there would be no voting and no public money to help their restoration projects. From the start, it was designed so


I


t was an interesting challenge: make a vibrant and exciting, primetime BBC series from what


was, on the face of it, not the most promising of raw materials. Most of the varied selection of ancient, crum- bling buildings had been empty and unloved for decades. The main players in our drama were leaky roofs, tumbledown brickwork, rotten timbers, and the challenge of getting permissions on listed buildings, which mean it can take up to two years just to change a light bulb in one of the many historical buildings to be fea- tured in the series. It is not the fi rst Restoration project


in which I have been involved. However, over the years of working on such shows, I realised that I was changing from an architectural virgin to an architectural geek; the sort of woman who notices whether a build- ing has pilasters or quoins, is late Georgian or Queen Anne in style… A worrying sign, perhaps, that I, and the format, might have outstayed their architectural welcome. And yet the restoration concept has


proved to be a rare television format popular with the viewers. Where could it go next? The aim was for Restoration Home


to be a new take on the restoration theme that would build on the original series’ popularity. The new format would feature families lovingly


32 | Broadcast | 1 July 2011


as not to alienate loyal viewers, while bringing in new faces, new music, new special effects, new camera styles and additional human stories behind the façade of each building. It was to be a detective drama, with


the team uncovering the history of each building and the stories of fami- lies who had lived there through the generations. The true tales of the six buildings, chosen after searching the length and breadth of the country, would let each sorely neglected pile of bricks and mortar add to the rich- ness of Britain’s architectural and social history. What we did not know at the start


was that the shows themselves would become unscripted and compelling mini-dramas as the problems inherent in any major building project began to emerge. There were sleepless nights for the small but highly committed team as the great British weather did its worst, producing a snowy winter that played havoc with both house- building and fi lming schedules. In addition, we quickly learned that unlike TV schedules, some complex restoration projects could have shift- ing goalposts for budgets and comple- tion dates. Joff Wilson, who series produced,


directed and self-shot almost the whole series, and Katharine Phillips, our assistant producer, spent many weeks either wearing hard hats and wellies amid the dirt and dust of


‘Unlike TV schedules, complex restoration projects have shifting goalposts for budgets and


completion’ Annette Clarke


RESTORATION HOME Production company Remarkable Television (Endemol) TX 5 July, BBC2, 8pm BBC commissioning editor Alison Kirkham BBC executive producer Lisa Edwards Executive producer Annette Clarke Director Joff Wilson Series producer Joff Wilson Assistant producer Katharine Phillips Post house Crow TV Summary The Restoration strand returns in a new format, focusing on six private homes and the work being done to renovate them.


Annette Clarke My tricks of the trade


 Go for the most skilled people the budget can afford – penny-pinching just causes problems down the line  Having a few production meetings in the local pub is always a good idea  Don’t lock your presenter in the car  Time spent on recces is never wasted


 Get release forms and clearances signed, sealed and settled as soon as possible


 Keep commissioning editors constantly in the loop www.broadcastnow.co.uk


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