Kirstie Allsopp Instagram – This is my Dad’s extraordinary house is Dorset. I wasn’t brought up here, my parents moved on the day Location, Location, Location was commissioned. I was driving down to help with the move and I got a call to say the show was wanted by @channel4. So for the last 24 years I have criss crossed the UK learning an extraordinary amount about my country, my fellow citizens and the houses that have been built, and are being built, in the UK. I’ve probably seen more homes in more places than anyone else. Loads of people in the industry have seen lots of houses in their area, or a variety of areas but the number of lived in properties that Phil and I have seen across the country would be hard to beat, especially as we spend at least 2 hours in each one. My view that many modern so called “detached” houses don’t deserve the description, given the small distance between the houses and the poor build quality is entirely valid. I have seen many semi detached and terraced homes which have better sized gardens, larger & lighter rooms and have better sound & heat insulation than some modern detached homes. They also make far better use of available land and their layout is more conducive to community cohesion. We need to have a more open debate about what we build and where we build it. Unfortunately our national newspapers have no interest in any of this; What they want is clicks, with a side order of spite & devision. So instead of acknowledging that my experience of homes across the UK means my views should at least be examined, they instead say “she lives in a detached house but says other shouldn’t” this pathetic approach is something that holds us back in the UK. People don’t speak up for fear of this type of rubbish. Luckily I’m not one of them. 🙄😘