Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr

BBC2/iPlayer

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WINDOW treatments, colour palettes, statement pieces, accent vases, feature walls – it can only be the return of Interior Design Masters, this time with new host Alan “trendy bifold doors” Carr replacing Fearne “avocado bathroom suite” Cotton.

As a bonus, the new eight-part series that began last night had a gripping Scotland-England clash, this one involving a tussle over a joiner rather than anything constitutional.

Barbara Romani, a mother from Glasgow, was one of ten amateur decorators competing for a paid contract to refurbish a hotel in the Lake District.

In they came from all walks of life – former doctor, architect, upholsterer, retailer – to be given swish things to do by head judge Michelle Ogundehin. Assisting her was guest judge/Regency fop Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, resplendent in a purple suit.

The task was to decorate a living room or a bedroom in a £1 million show home in Oxford. The ten were split into groups of two, with each team having to share the assorted painters, chippies, and electricians on hand.

Barbara wanted to divide her room with a slatted wooden structure, but teammate Charlotte, from London, thought that would take too long.

“I’ve voiced my concerns so that’s all I can do,” said Charlotte, who went on to monopolise their shared joiner on the first of a two day task. Carr was on the tension like dog hairs on a velvet couch. “Has there been a problem with sharing the workmen?” he asked not so innocently.

Joiner wars were just the half of it. Each hiccup was a disaster with exclamation mark attached. Mona’s panelling needed an undercoat! Amy’s pink was too pink! Barbara was running out of time with her room divider!

Like Barbara, several contestants declared themselves to be “pushing the boundaries”, despite being told these were show homes and had to appeal to the middle ground.

Peter opted to paint his curtains. “Have you seen anyone do that before?” asked Carr.

Mona decided she didn’t want curtains in her bedroom at all. It was a risk, she acknowledged, but a person had to be true to herself.

Time up, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen toured the rooms with Ogundehin. He hated Barbara’s room divider, comparing the assembled planks of wood to a rickety gallows. But he loved Jon’s white and gold feature wall. “Hello 1980s, I’ve missed you!” he cried.

Barbara found herself fighting for a place in the next round with Charlotte (deemed to have not done enough), Siobhan (room too personalised) and Mona.

Come the end many tears were falling, but it would only be one woman who paid the price for following her heart in matters of design. Yes, it was curtains for Mona.