As seen on TV

How did you get involved with the series?

Channel 4 contacted the CIOB, as they needed some input on project management. The CIOB gave my name as a contact. I had a look around for some PMs, but in the end Channel 4 wanted me do it. I was a bit paranoid to start with, but I knew they wouldn't edit it to make us look bad as Sarah Beeny was the PM as well.

What was Sarah Beeny like?

Fabulous. A delightful lady, very open, no airs or graces. The first thing she said to me was: "I'm not a builder, how do you do this?" She was fascinated by it all. She knew what she wanted, and she compromised with the punters. I even offered her a job!

Was it easy work?

No, it was full on, 100% after hours, after work. And weekends. I'd get there in the evening, the punters would be tired and ratty and they'd lose it a couple of times. Or they'd go off and have a beer. I was getting back home at 11.30pm. At the weekends some of the neighbours wouldn't help out, because they'd want a day off. Don't be seduced by TV, it's not glamorous. There's also footage of me bricklaying. The guys at Mace thought it was hilarious.

The neighbours looked annoyed

The researchers did their job well. As well as finding a street that needed work done to it and willing people, they found some characters, and there was usually some history between the neighbours.

The More London site we’re working on is a breeze compared with working with some of those people

How did the projects compare with what you're used to?

The More London site we're working on is a breeze compared with working with some of those people. For the pilot episode in Walthamstow there were no drawings, no cost planning. It made good TV, but it was seat of your pants stuff. There were a lot of tantrums. It was a learning process for them, so for the next one we hired an architect, got storyboards done. The first one was the best episode though, as all that conflict made good TV.

Television is diametrically opposed to how construction should be - you don't want conflict in construction, everything should be planned. Television though wants conflict, wants that buzz of reality.

Were you on budget?

For the pilot the budget was £10k - but we spent £30k. The five other shows went OK.

Any more TV shows planned?

No, I'd shy away from any more. But the production company, TalkBack, were great. I'd like them to commission a proper documentary on a London site, or a mega project somewhere. There's blood, sweat and tears with these sites. But you'd need 18 months of filming and that's a risk for a production company. And afterwards you'd have no control of the editing, so I can't see the architect or the client agreeing to that. I think a TV series could help the massive skills shortage problem. How about getting the BBC involved, or the CIOB as a sponsor, to make a series that shows what's really going on?