Commissioning
How audience voices helped a successful lifestyle series evolve for new audiences
The Challenge
One of the UK's most successful lifestyle programmes already performs strongly with viewers and has built a loyal audience over a number of series.
However, the commissioning team recognised that there was definitely room to grow, but how best to attract new audiences without losing the qualities that existing viewers loved?
As part of a wider series review, the team wanted to hear directly from audiences about what they valued most about the programme, what resonated with them emotionally, and how the series could continue to evolve.
Our Approach
Alongside a piece of quantitative research, the team designed and facilitated two audience sessions featuring a mix of loyal viewers and opportunity audiences.
Commissioners and programme makers watched live as audiences discussed.
The presenters
The featured homes
The contributors
The makeovers themselves
The stories that stayed with them
What made them want to keep watching
The audience members also talked about their own hectic lives, personal decluttering challenges and the types of practical tips and advice that they found useful (without being patronising).
What We Heard
Whilst the programme is known for its impressive transformations, audiences repeatedly returned to one key thing - THE PEOPLE.
The respondents talked warmly about the families featured on the programme and the emotional journeys that underpin each makeover.
They were particularly drawn to:
Relatable families facing familiar challenges.
Contributors whose stories felt authentic and genuine.
Practical tips that they could use.
Homes that reflected real life (and their own houses) rather than ‘insta’ perfection.
Transformations that improved people's lives, not just their interiors.
The warmth and chemistry between the presenters and the people they were helping.
The conversations also highlighted opportunities to broaden representation by featuring a wider range of families, homes, experiences and life stages, helping more viewers see themselves reflected within the programme.
Stand Out Moments
One viewer described a memorable episode and - when asked what they remembered most - didn't talk about the makeover.
They talked about the family.
The individual family members, the circumstances that led to them needing help, and the warmth and banter between the contributors and the presenters.
It was a powerful reminder that audiences connect most strongly when transformation is rooted in relatable human stories.
“The makeover wasn’t just about giving somebody a nicer house, it was about giving the Dad a fresh start. When you heard what him and the kids had been through, you just wanted things to get better for them.”
“What I like is that they don’t just show you perfect houses. They show you things you can actually do yourself. I always come away with a few ideas and think, ‘I might have a go at that’.”
What Changed
The sessions provided a clearer understanding of the emotional drivers behind audience engagement and informed discussions about:
CONTRIBUTORS - featuring a broader range of families and life experiences.
STORYTELLING - giving greater prominence to the personal journeys behind each transformation.
RELATABLE PRESENTERS - protecting and strengthening the authentic connection between presenters and contributors that audiences valued so highly.
REPRESENTATION - identifying opportunities to engage viewers who had not traditionally seen their own lives reflected in programmes such as this.
““The sessions helped us move beyond assumptions and hear directly from the people we want to reach. Hearing audiences talk about the contributors, the stories and the moments that stayed with them gave us a much clearer understanding of what they value most about the programme.””