Entertainment
Changing Rooms star Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen admits he’s glad Carol Smillie has not returned for reboot
Laurence was initially reluctant to return to Changing Rooms. (Picture: Jon Cottam)
Changing Rooms star Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has admitted he’s glad former presenter Carol Smillie has not returned for the highly-anticipated reboot, saying that the revival ‘wouldn’t have worked if it had been Jurassic Park’.
17 years after its final episode aired, Changing Rooms is back on Channel 4 with a brand new look, with interior design expert Laurence being the only former cast member to return.
He is joined by presenter Anna Richardson, designers Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead and carpenter Tibby Singh as the team set about creating stunning room makeovers in the home swap show.
Carol presented the programme from 1996 to 2003, before Changing Rooms designer Laurence took over as presenter from 2003 to 2004.
In a new interview, Laurence said that in his view, the creators of the reboot have been ‘very clever’ to rejig the series in the way that they have.
When he was asked whether he would have liked Carol to return as the host, he told The Sun: ‘No, and hand on heart, what the producers and what Channel 4 have done is actually very clever.
Carol presented Changing Rooms for seven years (Picture: BBC)
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‘They have moved on and it wouldn’t have worked if it had been Jurassic Park – it had to be a reinvention.’
Laurence added that he ‘resisted it for a long time’, saying that he ‘was very keen that they really should look at finding possibilities with other people’.
‘Otherwise, it would just be a revival, actually it always needed to be a reboot,’ he said.
More: Channel 4
The new trailer for Changing Rooms, which premieres next week, shows a sneak peek at some of the home makeovers that are in store, including a room decorated with a bold flamingo artwork and another featuring elegant, old-fashioned furniture.
At one point, one of the homeowners appears overcome with emotion, crying as she says: ‘This is amazing.’
Changing Rooms begins on Wednesday August 18 at 8pm on Channel 4 and All 4.
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