The New Zealand Home

Kevin McCloud follows households as they embark on an epic mission to construct their own homes, creating brand-new streets in Britain's biggest self-build project

Master carpenter Simon Parfett and his team help families, couples and retirees cash in on untapped, income-generating potential in their unused or underused spaces by creating their own unique B&B.

Retrace some of NZ's darkest days to reveal the stories, secrets and lessons learnt from our most famous disasters. 

The islands of New Zealand are home to an entirely unique menagerie of creatures. It is a place where the normal rules don't apply - the birds can't fly, a small, ancient lizard is a top predator, parrots play in snowy mountain meadows and penguins roam the streets. Seals battle on the beaches, albatrosses soar on the air currents and a monster movie plays out in miniature among the dense undergrowth of this lush, vital land.

Under the leadership of architect Samppa Lappalainen, we follow the passion projects of house builders from the beginning, from the design table through construction stages and challenges to the finished dream home. Where did the old dreams start and what kind of work must be done to fulfill the dreams? And was all the hard work worth it?

The series Houses of Art takes viewers to places where great artists lived, worked, and found inspiration. It is in these settings that masterpieces were created and personal dramas unfolded—offering a cinematic journey of discovery through the landmarks of European art history. Far from the bustle of the world, artists found creative momentum in homes that still bear the imprint of their genius today, attracting visitors from all corners of the globe.

Mad Mike Whiddett is addicted to building cars and his latest passion is converting a Lamborghini Huracan into a drift supercar. Will he have it ready for the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed?

They are some of the world’s all-time greatest building projects. Most have stood the test of time, but with today’s technology, could they be duplicated and done better?

British television series which features unusual and often elaborate architectural homebuilding projects.

Kevin McCloud follows an innovative community-led regeneration scheme in Castleford.

Exactly 100 years ago, the world of the British manor house was at its height. It was a life of luxury and indolence for a wealthy few supported by the labor of hundreds of servants toiling ceaselessly "below stairs" to make the lives of their lords and ladies run as smoothly as possible. It is a world that has provided a majestic backdrop to a range of movies and popular costume dramas to this day, including PBS' "Downton Abbey." But what was really going on behind these stately walls? "Secrets of the Manor House" looks beyond the fiction to the truth of what life was like in these British houses of yesteryear. They were communities where two separate worlds existed side by side: the poor worked as domestic servants, while the nation’s wealthiest families enjoyed a lifestyle of luxury, and aristocrats ruled over their servants as they had done for a thousand years.

proStory

Billy Connolly is back with the fourth in his massively popular World Tour series. This time Billy journey's to the other side of the globe to New Zealand, a country he has been visiting since the 1970s and of which he is immensely fond. Billy's extraordinary journey covers the length and breadth of New Zealand and is mixed with the best of his comedy from sell-out shows around the country.Filmed in 2004 during the first leg of his Too Old To Die Young Tour this series is a stunning journey around New Zealand's two islands from the Southern-most tip to the far north where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific. Along the way Billy takes in Maori traditions, sand paintings, whale-watching, a 90 mile beach and much more to give us a fascinating insight into the spectacular scenery, culture and people of this amazing country.

A follow-up to the 1990 Radio 4 series in which the late Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine travelled around the world in search of endangered species. 20 years later Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine go back to see what has become of the animals in two decades, and to discover what has affected their fortunes.

Une Maison, Un Artiste

History is taking to the seas and walking in the footsteps of Captain James Cook. 250 years after Cook began his epic exploration of the Pacific, Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, The Piano) journeys in his wake uncovering stories that resonate from those times on both sides of the beach. Sam begins with a disclaimer – he is merely an actor – but the story of Cook, and the impact he has had on the Pacific in the 250 years since his first voyage, has always fascinated him.

Hosted by Suzanne Whang, the show takes viewers behind the scenes as individuals, couples and families learn what to look for and decide whether or not a home is meant for them. Focusing on the emotional experience of finding and purchasing a new home, each episode follows a prospective buyer and real estate agent through the home-buying process, from start to finish.

Nachhaltige Architektur

Design expert Kevin McCloud secures breathtaking vantage points from which to view impressive feats of architecture as he scales some of Britain's highest structures.

Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse meets people who know and care about architecture, real estate and design, and finds out what guided their choices in the design and construction of their homes.