DIY SOS

Launched in 1999, after audience figures showed interest in other home makeover shows such as Changing Rooms, DIY SOS was a weekly full builder and designer level renovation of a section of a viewer's home, taken on by a team of professionals after a viewer's DIY project had gone wrong and not been finished. It is the longest running show of its format having been shown for 21 years and has an active dedicated forum.

Launched with presenter Nick Knowles, the format consisted of a main project, and a small project initially headed by Lowri Turner (but after Turner left the show, a number of subsequent presenters were used for the smaller segment), and a viewer call-in vote format voting for one of three families who have made short video pitches for their projects to be addressed in the following programme.

An episode filmed in June 2009 was not broadcast after a domestic incident where a man held his wife hostage at gunpoint before shooting himself, the week before the intended broadcast. The episode is believed to have included the fitting of a new kitchen into the couple's semi-detached home.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8700636.stm|title= DIY SOS participant found dead in Watford home|website=BBC|date= 24 May 2010|access-date=2010-05-24}}

• Nick Knowles (1999–2010)
• Lowri Turner (1999–2006)
• Brigid Calderhead (2002–2006)
• Kate McIntyre (2003)

• Brigid Calderhead (2002–2006)
• Claire Rendall (2005)
• Deborah Drew (2003–2007)
• Julia Kendell (2008–2012)
• Laurence Llewelyn Bowen
• Gabrielle Blackman

• Julian Perryman – Builder (1999–2010)
• Chris Frediani – Plasterer (1999–2010)
• Mark Millar – Carpenter (2006–2010)
• Billy Byrne – Electrician (1999–2010)
• Ian Soo – Builder (1999–2006)
• Dawn Bayley – Decorator (1999–2006)
• Garfield Caven – Builder (1999–2006)
• Steve Fallowfield – Builder (1999–2006)
• Chris Young – Builder (1999–2006)
• Kyle Dwnt – Builder (1999–2006)
• Warren Furman – Builder (1999–2006)
• Bob Grose – Builder (1999–2006)
• Mat Skelton – Builder (2008–2010)
• Genie – Fitted the chair lifts (2000–2010)
• Herbie – Fed the cats (1999–2010)

{{Main|List of DIY SOS episodes}}

In 2010, following the success of a pilot under the same name, the show was reformatted into an hour-long series titled DIY SOS: The Big Build, where the team now enlists the help of local tradesmen, suppliers and the larger community to help deserving families. As the title suggests, the projects often involve "ambitious" construction work such as building a loft conversion or extension. In October 2015, The Big Build{{'s}} "Veterans Village" special achieved a 34% audience share (with viewing figures of 9.6{{spaces}}million), the biggest in the series' history.

In June 2023, the BBC put the series up for tender as part of the company's "competitive tender" policy.{{Cite web|title=DIY SOS and See Hear to be put out to competitive tender|url=https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/diy-sos-see-hear-to-tender/|access-date=12 January 2025|website=www.bbc.com|language=en}} In May 2024, it was announced that the Welsh-based South Shore had won the bid to produce the series.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/outcome-competitive-bid-diy-sos|title=Outcome of the competitive bid to produce DIY SOS}}

• Nick Knowles (2010–)
• Rhod Gilbert (one episode in 2021)

• Julian Perryman – Builder (2010–)
• Chris Frediani – Plasterer (2010–)
• Mark Millar – Carpenter (2010–2021){{cite tweet|number=1513092507072147456|user=MrNickKnowles|title=@dr_screener @CBFA2020 Sadly he moved on to other things & we all wish him the best of luck @Bonjourmillar came to…|date=10 April 2022}}
• Billy Byrne – Electrician (2010–)
• Mat Skelton – Builder (2010–2013)

During The Big Build, the following designers appear in an alternating recurring capacity.

• Charlie Luxton
• Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
• Oliver Heath
• Hannah Huggins
• Nina Campbell
• Gabrielle Blackman
• Julia Kendell
• Naomi Cleaver
• Sophie Robinson

{{Main|List of DIY SOS episodes}}

Following the transition to the Big Build format, according to Stuart Heritage of The Guardian, the show is now a "big hitter", explaining that "Pound for pound [it] offers far more emotional heft than almost anything else on television". In its previous format, the show had, in his view, merely "burbled along pointlessly", lacking ambition or an emotional connection with viewers.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/aug/28/diy-sos-new-series-nick-knowles|title=DIY SOS is back is this the most emotional show on TV|website=The Guardian|date=28 August 2014|access-date=28 August 2014|last1=Heritage|first1=Stuart}}

On 7 July 2003, the BBC announced a sister show to DIY SOS, to be called Garden SOS. Running for only one series, it was first broadcast on BBC One from 4 September to 21 October 2003. Using the same format as DIY SOS, it was to tackle gardens instead of houses. Described by a reviewer as a hybrid between DIY SOS and Ground Force, the show featured a red and blue team of experts sent to work on different projects.

It was presented by television presenter Andy Collins and garden designer Ann-Marie Powell. As with DIY SOS, viewers were given the chance via a telephone vote to select the projects in each subsequent episode. Reviewing the first episode for the Radio Times, David Butcher described the series as "all good fun", but lacking in gardening related content, and suggested this was one garden makeover series too many in an increasingly saturated market. There were six episodes in total.

The format was sold to RTÉ in Ireland in 2019, with episodes to be presented by Baz Ashmawy expected to air in 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishnews.com/magazine/entertainment/2019/10/09/news/presenter-unveiled-for-irish-version-of-diy-sos-the-big-build-1734401/|title=Presenter unveiled for Irish version of DIY SOS:The Big Build|date=9 October 2019|website=Irish News}}

In May 2021, it was reported that Nick Knowles was holding crisis talks with the BBC regarding his job as the main host of DIY SOS due to his appearance in a Shreddies TV advert, which violated BBC's commercial agreements and guidelines.{{cite web|url=https://www.entertainmentdaily.co.uk/tv/nick-knowles-shreddies-advert-star-in-talks-with-bbc-as-he-faces-axe/|title=Nick Knowles 'holding crisis talks with the BBC as he faces axe'|date=20 May 2021|via=www.entertainmentdaily.co.uk}} A week later, the BBC announced that they have resolved the issue and Knowles will return to his DIY SOS role with filming to resume in the coming months and he was expected to be back on screens in 2022.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-57252829|title=Nick Knowles to return to DIY SOS role despite Shreddies advert|work=BBC News |date=26 May 2021}}

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Category:1999 British television series debuts

Category:2000s British television series

Category:2010s British television series

Category:2020s British television series

Category:BBC high definition shows

Category:BBC One original programming

Category:Television series by BBC Studios

Category:Home renovation television series

Category:British English-language television shows