Sarah Beeny: "I’m a massive Prince Charles fan"
The property guru talks housing tips, voiceovers and how she doesn't care if people tune in for her boobs
Is it true that you were spotted to be on TV at a hen party?
Yes! Someone asked me what I did for a living and I said that I had a property company. Then I got a call asking if I wanted to go for a screen test for Channel 4’s Property Ladder.
Are friends always asking for your opinion on their homes?
I’ve been asked random questions like should I paint the kitchen yellow or blue, but a lot of the time it’s about how to make space work well. People also want to understand the building process and the financial side of things.
With so many property programmes on TV, how do you make sure viewers don’t get bored?
You need a combination of luck, a great team and creative ideas. I’ve got a series coming up later this autumn called Clicks and Mortar about selling your house with an online estate agent.
It’s an emerging sector, which is really exciting because normally television follows the market, but we’re covering something really current.
What are you watching at the moment?
I rarely watch television, but I do enjoy Mock the Week. I like really good history documentaries as well. People’s social history fascinates me, which is maybe why I’ve always been in property.
Who controls the remote?
My husband [Graham Swift, an artist and business partner]. We have an appointment to view on Friday when we sit down with the boys [Billy, ten; Charlie, 8; Rafferty, 6; and Laurie, 4] and watch a film. The last one was Marvel’s Avengers – it was fantastic.
Do you listen to the radio?
I love The News Quiz on Radio 4 with Sandi Toksvig, but other than that there’s so much noise in our house already. We all try to play the piano, but no one’s good enough.
Who do you admire?
I’m a massive Prince Charles fan. He was talking about saving the planet 40 years ago – before anyone knew the word “green” – and he has this amazing regeneration trust, which takes important buildings and finds new uses for them. I don’t know why people are so mean about him. Government policy should be based on what he sees because he has a very clear perspective.
Any unfulfilled ambitions?
I’d really like to do a voiceover in a children’s film because that would give me a lot of street cred with the boys! Something like How to Train Your Dragon 3.
You once said that although you’d rather people watched your shows for the properties, it was “fine” if they tuned in “because of my boobs”. Do you still stand by that?
[Laughs] I don’t really care. I’ve been pregnant quite a lot on telly and I filmed just after having babies, so they’re going to be there. My hair’s more of a problem. It’s mad and I don’t look in the mirror enough.
Sarah Beeny’s Double Your House for Half the Money is on Channel 4 tonight at 8.00pm
