House Doctor
- House Doctor is off air
- Remind me
House Doctor: Heading for the ER?
She's been on British TV for nine years, the House Doctor is in its seventh series and she's finally taking America by storm. But is being the House Doctor losing its appeal? Is it time for that final makeover? Ann Maurice reveals all in an exclusive interview with UKTV Style.
With the increase in gritty lifestyle television shows, such as How Clean Is Your House and Extreme Makeover, House Doctor now feels a little quaint. Like other classic makeover programmes, it could be fast approaching its sell-by-date. As the House Doctor admits - "everything has a shelf-life".
Perhaps that's why the new series of House Doctor has a slightly different format. It's twice as long, running to a full hour, and focuses on the front and back gardens as well as the interior of the house. They've dropped Alistair Appleton - Ann presents the show herself - and they've tried to pack it with more information and more tips. But are these changes enough to keep Ann on board?
"It's probably innate in my DNA never to let the moss grow. I don't think doing anything for too long is very creative. I'm the type of person who really likes a lot of change and a lot of challenge. I, at a certain point, would like a change. How many times do you repeat yourself in one lifetime?"
One way she's branching out is with a new series called House Doctor: Designs For Living, which will be on Channel 5 in November. Not about selling homes, it's "more of a design programme, it's for people who actually live in their homes, helping them decide how to make those homes work for them both aesthetically and functionally, so that's a whole different side of the coin and I think that's the way forward for me to be honest. I mean there are so many other programmes that have copied House Doctor."
Ann Maurice started out in real estate, but after 13 years got frustrated with it. Inspired by a psychic, she realised she should be doing something more creative and followed the psychic's advice to learn about interior design. A TV career followed and home staging as we now know it was born. So has she asked the psychics what she should do next?
"I have my advisors," she admits. Does she mean psychics? "I'm not saying, but I do consult with other planes." And the latest advice from these 'other planes'? "That's between me and them isn't it! You're not going to get that one out of me!"
If Ann does decide to quit the show and House Doctor is no more, it'll be sadly missed. Her co-host on the latest series of House Doctor, gardener Sven Wombwell, sums it up. "There's a lot more to it than just a makeover series, it's almost like a documentary into the people's lives and what they go through. Tears and whatever. I think it's got a bit of everything. It's like why people are watching soap operas for example - it's because it's very voyeuristic and you can see into other people's lives and into their houses. And everyone loves a bit of that."
Perhaps that's why the new series of House Doctor has a slightly different format. It's twice as long, running to a full hour, and focuses on the front and back gardens as well as the interior of the house. They've dropped Alistair Appleton - Ann presents the show herself - and they've tried to pack it with more information and more tips. But are these changes enough to keep Ann on board?
"It's probably innate in my DNA never to let the moss grow. I don't think doing anything for too long is very creative. I'm the type of person who really likes a lot of change and a lot of challenge. I, at a certain point, would like a change. How many times do you repeat yourself in one lifetime?"
One way she's branching out is with a new series called House Doctor: Designs For Living, which will be on Channel 5 in November. Not about selling homes, it's "more of a design programme, it's for people who actually live in their homes, helping them decide how to make those homes work for them both aesthetically and functionally, so that's a whole different side of the coin and I think that's the way forward for me to be honest. I mean there are so many other programmes that have copied House Doctor."
Ann Maurice started out in real estate, but after 13 years got frustrated with it. Inspired by a psychic, she realised she should be doing something more creative and followed the psychic's advice to learn about interior design. A TV career followed and home staging as we now know it was born. So has she asked the psychics what she should do next?
"I have my advisors," she admits. Does she mean psychics? "I'm not saying, but I do consult with other planes." And the latest advice from these 'other planes'? "That's between me and them isn't it! You're not going to get that one out of me!"
If Ann does decide to quit the show and House Doctor is no more, it'll be sadly missed. Her co-host on the latest series of House Doctor, gardener Sven Wombwell, sums it up. "There's a lot more to it than just a makeover series, it's almost like a documentary into the people's lives and what they go through. Tears and whatever. I think it's got a bit of everything. It's like why people are watching soap operas for example - it's because it's very voyeuristic and you can see into other people's lives and into their houses. And everyone loves a bit of that."
