What did you miss?
Grand Designs was branded an “uncomfortable” watch as a couple’s build went £200,000 over budget and took four years, while one ended up in hospital and the other was diagnosed with cancer.
Tony and Ara had come up with a plan to build a special, environmentally-friendly home with a focus on health and wellbeing because Ara was suffering from autoimmune issues. The pair had a budget of £800,000 and were building on the site of Tony’s mum and dad’s former home.
However, it soon became apparent that the project might be too ambitious, and even presenter Kevin McCloud, the host of the Channel 4 show, said he had “serious doubts” about whether it would ever be done.
What, how and why?
In the programme, which aired on Wednesday 16 October, Tony and Ara explained that they wanted to create a home on their woodland plot where stress could be reduced.
They had Tony’s family home in Oxfordshire torn down to get the build under way but soon ran into problems, with the workload proving to be massive and the couple parting company with their architect.
Read more: Grand Designs
At one point, Tony fell off a trolley on the building site and fractured his tailbone. He also cut himself badly and needed stitches.
He returned to work just weeks later but they then had more bad news when Ara was diagnosed with cancer.
What did viewers say?
Viewers were moved by the couple’s struggles, saying the episode made for tough viewing. “God this is fast becoming a very uncomfortable watch,” one said on X.
Another posted: “This is quite the rollercoaster.” Someone else said it was “more stressful than my A-level exams”.
“This is sad ngl,” another viewer wrote. “This is actually hard to watch,” remarked another.
What happened?
McCloud caught up with Tony and Ara four years after they started the build, and was surprised to see that they had managed to complete it. Both said they had learned a lot from the project, which Ara said was “the hardest thing I have ever done”.
Tony got upset as he shared his regrets and said the house was meant to take away Ara’s stress but had done the opposite. However, Ara said she felt they had created a piece “of heaven”, adding: “So now the path is to do peace and contentment and gratitude.”
McCloud fought back tears himself as he told them: “I’m in awe of the pair of you.”
Grand Designs airs on Channel 4 on Wednesdays.
