TELLY presenter Steve Jones’ new Channel 4 property show is like no other – and it’s even inspired him to move to the coast.
Perfect House, Secret Location sees Steve, 45, drive blindfolded families across the UK in the back of a van in a bid to find them a dream home.
The programme aims to show people how far their money can go in locations they wouldn’t normally consider and leaves them with a big decision: stay local or take a leap of faith and start a new life somewhere far away.
After driving hundreds of miles across the country over four hour-long episodes, Steve says it has “100 percent” inspired him and his wife of eight years Phylicia, 36, to consider a move of their own.
Currently living in a charming country home in Bray, Maidenhead, they are now discussing a big move to the seaside.
In an exclusive interview with The Celeb Report, he said: “Myself and my wife have talked a lot about living on the coast and there are a couple of coastal properties we looked at and I thought ‘do you know what? I really could see myself here. This is a lovely part of the world.’
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“I don’t want to say exactly where because it might ruin the reveal in the show. It definitely inspired me, which I think bodes well because that’s what the show’s about. It’s about inspiring the viewer as well to embrace what could be a different way of looking for your future property.”
His first foray into the world of property programming pushed Steve out of his comfort zone, but he was drawn to the bonkers idea of shuttling people around with no idea where they’re going.
“It’s very unusual blindfolding people and sticking them in the back of a blacked out van,” he said. “It’s pretty extreme [laughs]. Filming it lived up to what I imagined it would be. It was a great experience.
“I was driving for hours and hours and hours, which again is a very nice aspect of the show because I really get to know our house hunters, our families. We become quite close over the space of five days in total where we’re all together.”
Unsurprisingly, there were a few teething issues with such a novel concept, the most problematic of which was car sickness.
Steve said: “Turns out people need to see the outside world otherwise they feel like they want to vomit. Be aware of that if you’re going to be on the show in the future, bring a bucket with you.
“We put blindfolds on them, ferry them into whatever services in the country we were at, take them by the hand and lead them to the gents and ladies.
“People were like ‘what the hell is going on here’. It’s such a weird vision to behold, people kept their distance from us. They probably thought it was a kidnapping, let’s not get involved.”
While Steve has the utmost respect for other well-known property hosts – even labelling Homes Under The Hammer presenter Martin Roberts “a god” – he was determined to do things his own way.
He said: “Martin is one of a kind. I’m just me on TV, I don’t mimic other presenters. If you’re lucky enough to host something and be a presenter then you’ve been hired to be you. Unless you’re an a**ehole, don’t be yourself, then fake it [laughs].”
And he was determined to keep things fun and civil during the house hunting progress, and largely achieved it, with the couples avoiding major rows.
He said: “There’s a couple of here and there, where a husband and wife have a disagreement – I remember one of our house hunters saying to their husband, ‘you’ve thrown me under the bus there’, which is kind of extreme, but we don’t really focus on that kind of behaviour on the show. It’s not about that, it’s lighthearted fun. I try not to stoke division between our families.
“There were healthy discussions about what they’re wanting from a property as opposed to out and out arguments. I want them to enjoy themselves, I don’t want to put them into extreme situations and have people pulling their hair out.”
Perfect House, Secret Location airs tonight at 8pm on Channel 4
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