Latest news with #KirstieAllsopp
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Devon County Show 2025 breaks visitor record
A record number of visitors attended the Devon County Show (DCS) this year, organisers have said. DCS said 101,500 visitors attended the event over the course of the weekend, surpassing 2023, which drew 97,000 129th show ran from Thursday 15 until Saturday 17 May at Westpoint Arena, near manager Lisa Moore said the good weather "created the perfect atmosphere for record-breaking advance ticket sales." 'Deepest gratitude' Ms Moore said: "We are absolutely delighted with the outcome and, as always, extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to making this show the remarkable event that it is."We also want to thank each and every visitor who purchased a ticket. "As a charity, all profits from the show go directly toward supporting the rural community."The show featured more than 600 trade stands and various special guests including actor Martin Clunes, presenter Kirstie Allsopp and Clarkson's Farm's Kaleb Cooper, organisers also featured a visit from Show President, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, DCS added.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Location, Location, Location viewers left baffled by 'entitled' couple's response to spacious home in Surrey suburb
Location, Location, Location viewers have been left baffled by a young couple who dubbed spacious homes in leafy Surrey a 'compromise'. On tonight's episode of the Channel 4 series, Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer hoped to find Elise, Elliot and their three young children the perfect home. Having already sold their three-bedroom property, the couple had a healthy budget of £650,000 for four bedrooms and an open-plan downstairs. But, heavily emphasising that they weren't willing to compromise, Elise and Elliot were struggling to meet all their needs with the money available. As a result, they'd viewed countless properties and, despite having moved back in with Elliot's parents, were refusing to settle for something less than perfect. With Kirstie taking them round several properties, the couple either weren't 'sure' about the area, said the homes were 'too small', and even just 'didn't feel the love' for what they were seeing. Their indecision soon left viewers of the show baffled - as they failed to see anything wrong with the sought-after postcodes and spacious properties. People said: 'They are worried about the area?? Mate, you're in Epsom'; 'Watching a bit of Location, Location, Location for first time in years, and am reassured they still have the formula of one reasonable couple and one self-entitled tosspot couple who won't compromise on anything, and refuse to consider a house because the road name has an F in it.' However, others were more positive - and praised the 'excellent episode' with 'lovely couples'. Another wryly noted: 'They certainly like beige in Surrey.' However, their indecision was partly due to both wanting to be close to family in a nice area, and also wanting a spacious design - two requirements that seemed to be impossible. Kirstie kicked off the search with a four-bedroom home in the leafy market town of Epsom - nestled between London and the Surrey Hills. Unfortunately, Elliot, who works in animation, and stay at home mother Elise had already discarded the property when they saw it online - saying they weren't 'sure' about the location. But, seeing the potential, Kirstie warned 'there has to be a compromise somewhere' - and said it may have to be the location. Realising Epsom was a lost cause, Kirstie found them a selection of properties to view in Ewell, which was much closer to where Elliot's parents live. But despite one smart semi-detached home having three-bedrooms and a converted attic, the couple said it was 'too small'. Viewers were baffled that the couple were worried about the area - and one even implied they were 'entitled' 'The upstairs was much better than the downstairs and we want the downstairs to be the big space,' Elise explained. Moving on to what she thought was her 'last option' for them, Kirstie was once again met with disappointment when another home in Ewell had already been viewed by the couple. Despite being detached and a good size, with four bedrooms and an office, Kirstie said the two 'didn't feel the love' for the property. However, not all hope was to be lost, as eventually Elise and Elliot realised a property they'd previously viewed was the one for them. On the market for offers in excess of £700,000, they'd initially believed it was out of their budget but, with Kirstie's help, managed to get an offer accepted for £675,000. The delighted couple confessed at the end of the episode: 'We can't believe it, it's a bit of a fairytale, it's like a dream come true. 'It ticks so many of our boxes, more than we ever thought we could on our budget.' Elsewhere in the episode, Phil Spencer sought to find a home for Kim and Ralph who, with two children under five, were bursting out of Kim's two-bedroom starter flat. They desperately wanted a taste of the space they grew up with in Zimbabwe - but close to their extended family in Horley. Luckily, Phil had success from the get-go, as Kim and Ralph loved every property they saw, and even joked they would put an offer in on the first one. They too had a happy ending, and their offer of £470,000 for property two was accepted. Last week, Location, Location, Location viewers slammed a pair of Gen Z sisters for purchasing a 'pokey' London flat for an eye-watering £405,000 on Wednesday evening's episode. Amoke, a campaigner for a non-profit organisation, and Ines, who works in digital marketing, saved up enough money for a deposit for a flat in north London by continuing to live at their family home in Ipswich. The pair, who are in their mid-twenties and had some financial help from their brood, haven't had the best of luck in the capital city, where even the rental market is cut-throat. They began their search two-and-a-half years ago and have since viewed over 50 properties and even put in an offer for four - but they all fell through due to bizarre circumstances, which even shocked expert Kirstie Allsopp. Amoke, 25, said: 'One of them, somebody else already started their mortgage process, the other one we got beat out by another cash buyer. There was [also] a man who was quite elderly and quite unwell and his nephew had started selling the place before he died. 'Our lawyer was like "If you buy this, when you try and sell it I'm not even sure you'd own it". There was also someone living in it that didn't have a tenancy agreement. Ines, 23, revealed that their fourth offer was also outbid by the council, who offered the seller more money and all in cash. Kirstie said: 'I'm sorry! Jesus, Mary and Joseph! The council were buying back properties and you were outbid by the council? Oh my God, I've never even heard of that. I'm genuinely open-mouthed.' Their bad luck in the London property market only fuelled Kirstie's hunger to get them on the housing ladder and they ended up securing a property in north London for £405,000 - which was over their original budget of £5,000 - with fans of the Channel 4 show saying they should've 'moved to the suburbs instead'. Location, Location, Location airs Wednesdays at 8pm on Channel 4.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kirstie Allsopp reveals hilarious moment ex-Location, Location, Location househunter dialled her number while drunk
Kirstie Allsopp has revealed how she once received a random FaceTime from an ex-househunter she had helped on Location, Location, Location. The property broadcaster, 53, starred on 25 Years of Location, Location, Location with her co-host and longtime friend, Phil Spencer, 55, on Wednesday evening. The pair were discussing some of the couples they had helped since the Channel 4 programme first aired in 2000. In this time, Kirstie and Phil have carried out 469 searches, viewed 1,810 homes and been trusted with more than £176,000,000 of money from house hunters. Kirstie reflected on the episode where she attempted to find Ruth and Anna a flat the week after the Brexit result. The sisters ended up losing out on the property due to the level of uncertainty that came with leaving the European Union. However, Kirstie divulged that she actually negotiated the apartment they bought a year after they starred on the show, in 2017. She said: 'We lost out on the property we ended up bidding on, a year later I negotiated the purchase of the flat that they finally bought. I always remember that because I always say to everyone don't forget, we're always there for you.' Kirstie then revealed that every home buyer that goes on the show has hers and Phil's personal mobile number - and she once received an unexpected drunk call from a past Location, Location, Location participant. She said: 'Our househunters have our telephone number. I always say "Don't call when drunk!"' But being able to call the hosts at any time appears to get you brownie points in your friendship group - and one intoxicated ex-participant decided to put it to the test. Kirstie said: 'It doesn't always happen, but someone did call me once from the races, FaceTimed me [and said] "Look here I am I wanted to prove to everyone that I had your number'".' Reacting to the news that Kirstie had secretly helped Ruth and Anna get on the property ladder, Phil said: 'That's so nice, I didn't know that.' Elsewhere on the show, the mother-of-two admitted that she often doesn't remember the names of the hundreds of people they've assisted over the past two decades. She said: 'You know one of my great horrors is someone coming up to me in the street and saying "I was on your show" and me not knowing their name because you know I don't know names.' Phil added: 'Yeah you remember houses,' to which she responded: 'You could show me a picture of 20 houses and I would be able to tell you, pretty accurately, whether we'd ever seen them.' Channel 4 also ran an episode looking over Kirstie and Phil's 'Bleeps, Bloops and Best Bits' on television, where the pair answered a question that's been on everyone's lips over the past 25 years. 'Our relationship's lasted longer than most marriages,' Phil said to Kirstie. But the sentimental moment is brought to an abrupt end when Phil added, 'probably because we've never slept together' - a quip that sets the tone for 'Kirstie & Phil: Bleeps, Bloops & Best Bits'. His remark finally put paid to the question the pair are often asked. Kirstie then emphasised the point by saying they had never been a couple. Kirstie and Phil were 28 and 30 when the first episode of the show which we now know as Location, Location, Location aired on Channel 4. The two TV presenters agreed that their time together has actually been 'great fun' - but that's not to say it's been free from the faux pas that inevitably pepper any long partnership. In the amusing trip down memory lane, the pair also took great pleasure in revisiting the hilarious moments which landed on the 'cutting-room floor'. From sibling-like taunting to slapstick humour, including a very near miss with a hidden trapdoor, the 20-minute show revealed 'what happens when the wheels come off'. And, crucially, it also provided a definitive answer to the question that's been on the tip of viewers' tongues for the past two-and-a-half decades. 'We have never been an item - but we are very good friends, most of the time,' Kirstie declared.
Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
An existential howl of anguish: 25 years of Location Location Location
It would be easy to look at Channel 4's Location Location Location gala night and see a desperately cash-strapped broadcaster finding a way to put together an entire evening of cheap TV through the clever repackaging of 25 years worth of cheap TV it already owns. It would also be accurate, but it would still be a little bit unfair. Wednesday night's 25th-anniversary celebration of Location Location Location might have looked and felt like a very easy fix of warm bath television held together by the irresistible charm of Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer, but it was so much more than that. Anyone who actually sat down and watched the whole thing will know that what they were really seeing was a three-hour existential howl
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Location, Location, Location fans 'feeling ancient' after spotting detail in Channel 4 show
Location, Location, Location fans 'feeling ancient' after spotting detail in Channel 4 show Location, Location, Location: 25 Years and Counting saw viewers looking back at the average UK house price when the Channel 4 programme first aired in 2000 Location, Location, Locations viewers were left aghast after watching the milestone special of Channel 4's classic property show. Those tuning in to celebrate the series reaching 25 years on air were confronted by the skyrocketing cost of UK properties. The stark contrast was highlighted as the programme reminisced over the days when presenters Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer began matching prospective homeowners with their ideal properties in 2000, during which time the average house price was a mere £77,000. Fast forward to the anniversary year, viewers caught their breath as one pair sought to acquire a "pokey, tiny" flat priced at a staggering £400,000. Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer celebrated the 25th anniversary of the show- but viewers felt fury (Image: (Image: CHANNEL 4) ) The anniversary episode, 25 Years of Location, Location, Location, not only celebrated the successes but also illustrated the daunting realities of the current housing market – having massively surged over the last 25 years. Audiences were astounded as Kirstie recounted tales from Walthamstow where one couple had seen over 70 properties, bid on 20, and been outbid every single time. Article continues below The property hunt woes were widespread, exemplified by one wife and mother's admission: "I feel like we've looked at every single house in Warwickshire and still haven't found anywhere that has everything we want." Kirstie and Phil have experienced highs and lows during their years on the show (Image: (Image: Getty) ) By 2016, there had been an astronomical 154% rise in property prices since the start of the series, and the issue of affordability has only worsened over time, reports the Express. Stunned by the revelation, a viewer took to social media expressing disbelief: "Omg, house prices had risen 80% by 2004 since the start of #locationlocationlocation with more than 100% mortgages. A mental stat for 20 years ago." Another exclaimed: "Year 2000: No Rightmove, no mobiles, no websites, average house price of £77k. Anyone else feeling absolutely ancient right now? (And jealous of those who are 15 years older than me) #locationlocationlocation." Kirstie Allsopp delivered unwelcome truths on Location, Location, Location's 25th anniversary show (Image: (Image: GETTY) ) Viewers were taken aback when confronted with the current London property prices that first-time buyers face. "Why the f*** would anyone want to live in a pokey flat in London for £400,000?" one viewer questioned as they watched a couple haggle over a Wood Green property. Another exclaimed: "'No need for builders, no extra costs,' narrates Phil Spencer as young first-time buyers inspect a newbuild #leasehold money pit flat with an asking price of 400k!" After hearing Phil's stance, one fan wrote: "Nooo avoid new build flats! Cladding and service charge nightmare," the viewer warned, sharing their own harsh lessons. Article continues below Conversely, many continue to praise Kirstie and Phil's expertise, having charmed audiences for years with their property series, which has become a beloved fixture on British television. Location, Location, Location is available to watch on
