Homes Under The Hammer: Celebrating 20 Years of TV Gold

Presenter Martin Roberts reveals the secret rule of the show

Standing outside a tatty-looking ground floor flat, Martin Roberts, presenter of the hit daytime show Homes Under The Hammer, insists on the No1 rule of the show: "Never, ever, ever look in the fridge!" With 20 years on the show, Roberts has seen it all, travelling hundreds of thousands of miles to inspect 2,000 properties bought at auction. The programme, watched by millions across the pond including A-list movie stars Meryl Streep and Mark Wahlberg, follows the transformation of these properties by their buyers.

From tatty flats to TV gold

Martin Roberts is still bursting with enthusiasm after two decades on the show. The worse the repair, the happier he is. The Celeb Report was invited on a Homes Under The Hammer shoot to mark the anniversary. The shoot took place in Taunton, Somerset, where a one-bedroom flat was sold at auction for £73,500. The property, to an untrained eye, could only be described as a dump. However, when Martin opens the door, he sees only TV gold.

From 39 cats to a brave buyer

During his time on the show, Martin has encountered some unforgettable properties. He recalls one house where the owner had kept 39 cats locked in an upstairs room for ten years. Another time, the crew thought they had found a dead body in a house in Cumbria, only to discover it was an old man who had been left behind by his family in a rush to leave. Martin is convinced that some of the houses he filmed in were haunted. Despite it all, many people are still eager to appear on the show, with one person even buying a property at auction just so they could be on it.

20 years of success

When Homes Under The Hammer first aired in 2003, no one knew it would become such a success. Now, 1,475 episodes and 20 years later, the show has built up a devoted following. It has featured all types of buildings, turning them into homes. The show now boasts five presenters and even has celebrity fans like Meryl Streep and Sir Paul McCartney. To celebrate the anniversary, special episodes will air next Friday with celebrity guests Alex Jones and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen joining the regular presenters, Martin Roberts and Martel Maxwell.

The future of Homes Under The Hammer

Martin Roberts has no plans of leaving the show anytime soon. As long as his plumbing holds up and he can keep renovating, he will continue to be a part of the show that has captivated audiences for two decades.