WEBVTT - Julian Cress - THE BLOCK - Executive Producer 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:01.760 It's in the news today, but it was actually on 0:00:01.840 --> 0:00:04.560 TV Reload the podcast last week. They might welcome back 0:00:04.559 --> 0:00:07.200 guys to TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris and 0:00:07.240 --> 0:00:09.799 this is your podcast to get all the inside goss 0:00:09.840 --> 0:00:12.280 on the popular TV shows you may be watching from 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:15.200 around the world. Underniably, our TV sets are a major 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:18.040 part of our home entertainment, and yet very little is 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:20.880 known about how our favorite shows get made. So each 0:00:20.880 --> 0:00:23.480 episode I've been finding guests that want to dive just 0:00:23.560 --> 0:00:25.880 a little bit deeper to the shows they're currently making, 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:28.520 so that you can hear all their exclusive stories and 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:31.479 gain access to the biggest names in Australian television. I 0:00:31.520 --> 0:00:33.919 want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to this 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:36.919 podcast however you've found me. I love hearing your feedback, 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:38.960 so make sure you leave a review or a comment 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:42.479 on your chosen podcast platform. On today's podcast, I have 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:46.200 Julian Crest, the executive producer of The Block Australia, which 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:49.240 starts Sunday week on Channel nine. The Block is a 0:00:49.320 --> 0:00:51.960 huge show for Channel nine and it's the cornerstone of 0:00:52.040 --> 0:00:55.280 their lineup every year. This season is set in the 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.960 family friendly Melbourne suburb of Hampton East. The new series 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:01.760 features five house is designed and built in the nineteen 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:05.960 fifties and located in the Aptlee name Charming Street. Julian 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:08.560 is one of my favorite TV producers in the country 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:11.600 and this season he's been told by Channel nine that yes, 0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:14.920 it's the most explosive season yet in terms of drama. 0:01:15.040 --> 0:01:17.360 I've been told it's a little bit like the nineties 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:21.560 Aarn Spelling series Melro's Place, which for me, I think 0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:24.959 sounds pretty amazing. We will find out how the houses 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:28.039 are chosen, how the cast was chosen, and why they 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:31.360 have decided to build these five houses so close together. 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:34.400 Julian will tease us with his thoughts on the cast, 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:36.880 and we will find out who is Queen B and 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:40.280 why that might change as the series goes on. Plus, 0:01:40.319 --> 0:01:42.839 we will get plenty of exclusives from behind the scenes 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:45.600 of The Block Australia, which premiere is on Sunday, the 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:48.200 sixth of July at seven thirty on Channel nine, and 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:50.960 then you'll be able to catch up on nine. Now anyway, 0:01:51.040 --> 0:01:53.360 let's bring Julian into the podcast and I hope you 0:01:53.440 --> 0:01:56.560 really enjoy this very revealing look at the Block for 0:01:56.640 --> 0:02:00.000 twenty twenty three. Hey, Jules, how are you? 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:02.680 I am great, thank you, excited to be here. 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:05.720 I am so ready for this season of the block. 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:09.480 I feel like in Australia as it gets colder, we 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:12.600 need to be warmed back up by this show. Because 0:02:12.639 --> 0:02:15.920 it's been on television for twenty years. That familiarity is 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:18.519 really important to us as viewers. It's nostalgic. 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:21.280 Yeah, it's kind of you to say that. I must 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:24.480 say that I'm as surprised as anybody that we're still 0:02:24.520 --> 0:02:29.040 doing this show after twenty years. It's quite extraordinary really, 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:31.880 but we're thrilled to be bringing this series to the 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:35.280 screends soon because it really has been one of my 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:36.440 favorite shows to make. 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:39.160 I kind of imagine every year how you make the 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:42.320 decisions to change locations. I mean last year was the 0:02:42.360 --> 0:02:45.720 tree change and then this year coming back to Hampton. 0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:48.000 What sort of decisions get made? Is that something that 0:02:48.240 --> 0:02:51.040 Channel nine decides? Is that something that you decide? Do 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:53.880 you have a team of people who chooses these locations. 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:57.480 I work really closely with one of my oldest friends, 0:02:57.560 --> 0:03:01.680 Julian Brenchley, who is our architect. He's instrumental in finding 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:05.040 property for us through a network of contacts. We also 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:08.200 have people just randomly send us properties that they think 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:10.480 you could be suitable for the block, so we do 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:14.360 get to look at quite a few possibilities each year. 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:18.760 I think the thing that we're looking for is something 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:22.000 that sparks our interest because we haven't done it before, 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:24.360 you know. I think that's part of the secret to 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:27.320 the success. The longevity of the block and the fact 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:30.639 that we're still even here twenty years later is very 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:34.120 much because each and every series is so different from 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:37.120 the last, or anything that we've done. For example, just 0:03:37.240 --> 0:03:40.920 going back over the last couple of series, as you mentioned, 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:43.840 last year was a tree Change series, which we did 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:48.200 because we felt and I think we were right that 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:53.560 people were generally talking about a tree change. You know, 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:57.240 before we brought that show to air, Australians were in 0:03:57.280 --> 0:04:00.760 the wake of the pandemic talking about either doing a 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:04.360 tree change or at least discussing the kind of romance 0:04:04.400 --> 0:04:06.680 of what that could look like for them if they 0:04:06.680 --> 0:04:08.560 were to do it. The Block came on at the 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:11.320 right time to give them a chance to see what 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:14.000 that might look like. And I think that the reason 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:17.800 why we've pivoted back to what we're about to put 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:21.719 to air now with this new series is because of 0:04:21.760 --> 0:04:24.280 all the properties we looked at, this one kind of 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:28.200 sparked our interest creatively because we think it taps into 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:31.840 another conversation that's happening now. It's the example I would 0:04:31.920 --> 0:04:35.880 use is the couple who may have just renovated their 0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:40.800 apartment in North Fitzroy or in Surrey Hills or Alexandria, 0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:44.200 and now they've got two young children and they can't 0:04:44.240 --> 0:04:46.880 live there anymore. They are looking to the suburbs. They're 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:50.280 looking to somewhere where are good schools, but they can't 0:04:50.279 --> 0:04:54.719 afford to buy a renovated house. So they buy an old, 0:04:55.080 --> 0:05:02.080 unrenovated nineteen fifties home that needs a full renovation, complete 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:05.720 makeover to turn it into a modern family house. And 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:09.040 they are going to then extend themselves to buy it. 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:11.280 And then they're going to roll up these sleeves and 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:13.560 they're going to start pulling it apart and pulling it 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:16.280 back together again with all of their blood, sweat and 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:20.480 tears into creating something special for themselves and their family. 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:23.400 And that's a story that just plays out across Australia 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:27.800 every day. People who are aspiring to do that or 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:30.000 in the middle of it, or who have done it 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:33.440 themselves and now want to watch a bunch of young, 0:05:33.600 --> 0:05:36.600 hopeful people have a crack at it in a competition. 0:05:37.520 --> 0:05:41.000 I think is something that will resonate with an audience, 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:44.080 and so that's what we're hoping for with this current series. 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:47.680 It's so bizarre because you're right, these are conversations we're 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:49.479 having every day. I spoke to one of my best 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:52.680 friends just before and they've just had a newborn and 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:55.520 they've realized that they're no longer can fit into their 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:58.719 apartment in Elwood, and can they buy a house in Elwood? 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:02.360 Not really the climate that it is now, but they 0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:04.720 could look Corefield East, or they could look a little 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:07.040 bit further out and find some of those homes that 0:06:07.160 --> 0:06:10.200 maybe our grandparents used to live in a good block 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:13.000 and a good location, but need to be done up. 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:14.960 I mean, this was a conversation I had today. So 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:16.320 you're on top of it. 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:16.880 Yeah, I hope. 0:06:16.920 --> 0:06:17.000 So. 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:20.720 I mean, it's something that I've done a few times myself, 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:24.760 so I know what it's like. And walking into these 0:06:24.880 --> 0:06:28.080 houses was just I knew immediately that this is where 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:31.480 we should make the block. The houses were literally untouched 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:35.440 it felt like Nana just passed on. They were still 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:39.320 decorated in the nineteen fifties, and I just thought, Wow, 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:42.800 this would be incredible for blockheads to come in. And 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:46.520 we did something that we haven't done before. We usually 0:06:47.080 --> 0:06:50.680 spend a few months pulling these houses apart and getting 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:53.320 them ready for the renovation that will take place when 0:06:53.360 --> 0:06:56.720 the contestants arrived, you know, doing structural works and that 0:06:56.800 --> 0:06:59.320 kind of thing. These houses were so incredible to walk 0:06:59.360 --> 0:07:01.719 through when we first found them that we made the 0:07:01.800 --> 0:07:06.520 decision not to do anything to throw the entire renovation 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:11.080 onto the contestants and our builders in the twelve week 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:14.600 period from day one, so we didn't do any preparation 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:18.680 work that created this kind of full time walk vibe. 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:22.160 So the contestants don't walk into houses that present as 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:25.680 a building site, which is what you've often seen in 0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:29.200 the history of our show. They walk into them exactly 0:07:29.240 --> 0:07:32.040 like they were when I walked into them, and then 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:34.760 they have to kick off and start from there. And 0:07:34.920 --> 0:07:39.040 that created a whole new level of content for the 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:40.880 show that's really exciting. 0:07:41.080 --> 0:07:43.160 Another thing that you do very well is the cast. 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:45.800 And you know I because I'm talking television all the time. 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:48.720 I'm always talking to people who love television, who want 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:51.200 to be on television, and they asked me for tips, 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:53.760 and after we chat it last year, I kind of 0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:55.560 tell you how many people wrote to me and said, 0:07:55.640 --> 0:07:57.240 how do I get onto the block? Next time you 0:07:57.280 --> 0:07:59.000 speak to Juliane, tell me what it is that I 0:07:59.080 --> 0:08:00.960 need to do. I mean, you're not supposed to tell 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:03.440 people what to do. I always just say, be yourself. 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:06.120 What are some of those things that you're looking for 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:08.840 when people are sending in their videos? What kind of 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:10.600 personality types you're looking for? 0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:14.400 Yeah, I think casting is just a really interesting subject 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:18.040 and it's endlessly fascinating to me because I know that 0:08:18.080 --> 0:08:21.600 we've got it right often. But I can't tell you how. 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:23.760 I can tell you that we've got one of the 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:28.600 great casting directors working intelligent in Lucky Price, who is 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:32.040 also series producer on the show, so he is intimately 0:08:32.080 --> 0:08:35.800 involved with what needs to happen. I mean, he's going 0:08:35.840 --> 0:08:39.000 to be responsible for this cast. But he doesn't just 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:41.679 deliver them to us and walk away. He delivers them 0:08:41.720 --> 0:08:44.280 to us and then comes to work to produce the show. 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:47.120 So he really can't afford to get it wrong because 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:49.880 it will make his day job a complete nightmare. But 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:53.000 I honestly, you know, while I give him enormous credit 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:56.840 for the choices that he makes in going through tens 0:08:56.920 --> 0:09:01.079 of thousands of applications every year, I think that there's 0:09:01.160 --> 0:09:04.600 a pure, definable science to it. I think it's a 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:07.200 bit of a gut feeling, you know when you've got 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:10.640 it right in casting. And I'll give you an example. 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:12.760 You know, the hottest film in the world right now 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:16.200 is Barbie, and people are lining up around the block 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:18.080 to see it, and a lot of that's to do 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:22.400 with Margo Robbie and Ryan Gosling and the chemistry between them. Now, 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:26.360 you could have chosen any number of great actors, even 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:30.000 Academy Award winners. You could have put Kathy Bates and 0:09:30.040 --> 0:09:32.920 Gary Oldman in those roles. They're great actors, but that 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:35.920 film would have tanked. You just need to know, you 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:38.440 need to have a sense of who's right for the role. 0:09:38.840 --> 0:09:41.480 And with the block, I think it's important to remember 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:43.960 that it's not a show about trade. He's going to work. 0:09:44.200 --> 0:09:46.760 I mean, yes, we've had trades people in the show, 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:50.959 but we often pitch them against others who have little 0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:55.000 to no renovating experience just aspire to doing it. It 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:58.400 resonates with people who are watching the show who have 0:09:58.440 --> 0:10:02.360 no renovating experience to see people like Fill and Amity, 0:10:02.840 --> 0:10:05.280 you know, have a crack at it, and I think 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:08.520 that that's part of the reason for the success. There's 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:11.600 always a couple doing the show that are a touch 0:10:11.640 --> 0:10:14.400 stowne to somebody who's watching it. What we're looking for 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:21.839 is willpower, energy, enthusiasm, and a real competitive streak. We 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:25.120 are now in the fortunate position where we're often casting 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:27.840 people who have applied for the show many, many times 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:30.520 and not gotten on it. There's a couple in this 0:10:30.640 --> 0:10:34.400 year's series, Kylin Lesley from Memory. I think they were 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:38.360 on their eighth and final application for the show and 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:43.480 finally got on. It's torture, right, But we're lucky enough 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:45.840 to have people like that who are applying for the 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:49.160 show over and over again, and eventually we go, well, 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:51.880 if these people have taken the time and effort to 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:55.320 apply to be on the block eight times, then they 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:59.640 must have something of a competitive spirit that they will 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:02.640 bring to this that will really help us make a 0:11:02.720 --> 0:11:06.320 great program. And so we're like, all right, let's give 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:08.360 them a shot. Apart from the fact that when they 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:12.800 first applied, I think their children were babies, and now 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:17.040 their kids are in the application video literally begging us 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:19.280 to cast their parents so that they will stop making 0:11:19.320 --> 0:11:24.160 these damn videos. So that worked for us too, but 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:27.280 we also mixed it up this year. One of our 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:30.600 contestants for the first time is an architect, and that's 0:11:30.640 --> 0:11:35.280 a fascinating story. A young architect just sort of starting out, 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:39.800 but architects, people who study architecture, formed some pretty strong 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:42.920 views about what they think should work and what's right. 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:47.520 And of course this young architect came up against our 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:50.439 architect who'd already made some decisions and had some pretty 0:11:50.440 --> 0:11:53.400 strong views about what it should be, and that made 0:11:53.480 --> 0:11:56.920 for some great television as well over twelve weeks, as 0:11:56.920 --> 0:12:00.079 you can imagine. And then, of course we've got two 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:05.520 young sisters from Melbourne, both single, who live together, share 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:09.840 a flat and have no renovating experience and no idea. 0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:12.880 I've watched episode one spoiler alert, and I just thought 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:14.640 that was so funny when they both turned up and 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:18.600 they were like, we have no experience whatsoever. And then 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:20.959 even in the first challenge you can see that they 0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:23.720 have no experience but that really speaks to my heart 0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:24.880 because that would be me. 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:27.920 Yeah, and a lot of people, well you know, the 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:31.160 trolls will tell me when the episode goes on air, 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:33.959 how dare you put these people in this terrible position? 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:37.200 They're going to just fall flat on their face. But 0:12:37.320 --> 0:12:40.120 let me ask you this, when you watched episode one, 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:45.600 were you interested to think about what might happen over 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:49.320 the next twelve weeks with these young women and how 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:51.319 they would respond to Absolutely. 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:53.440 I Again, I'm going to be really honest about this. 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:55.280 When I saw them turn up, I was like, I 0:12:55.320 --> 0:12:56.960 can think of all of these people that live and 0:12:57.040 --> 0:13:00.400 breathe building homes, and they're going to spew when these 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:04.079 women say this. However, in episode one, I was the 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:08.080 most interested and the most engaged with those two women, 0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:11.120 and that would be because I relate to them. Not 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:13.319 everyone might relate to them, but I related to the 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:16.640 struggles that they were going through, and they were the 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:17.439 most engaging. 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:22.480 They're wonderful people. They really do have great personality and 0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:26.360 a great competitive spirit, and not just they're not there 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:29.240 for the money. I mean that's the people who applied 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:32.120 to be on this series of the blog didn't do 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:35.480 it because They thought it was a chance to make 0:13:35.520 --> 0:13:39.920 a lot of money because they watched really gifted renovators 0:13:40.160 --> 0:13:43.560 in Tom and Sarah Jane last year make twenty grand, 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:45.800 and then they applied to be on the blog this year. 0:13:46.000 --> 0:13:49.079 So of course, you know, i'mar and Oz made one 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:51.920 point seven million, so you know, of course there's a 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:54.760 chance of making life changing money. But I don't think 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:57.280 that's the reason why Elijah and Liberty wanted to be 0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:01.240 on the block. They wanted to test them to see 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:03.600 if they could renovate, to see if they could build 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:06.360 a house, because they'd never done anything like that before 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:12.200 in their lives. They wanted to have a genuinely life 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:17.800 affirming situation thrust upon them as sisters and see how 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:20.880 they manage under that pressure. And that's the reason why 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:23.840 we put them on the show, because we were fascinated 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:27.040 to see how they would respond under those you know, 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:32.040 that enormous challenge of building a house from scratch. And 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:34.880 that's what was fascinating to me when we were filming 0:14:34.880 --> 0:14:37.120 in those first few days in the episode that you saw, 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:39.800 and I was lucky enough to spend the next twelve 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:42.880 weeks you know, with them, watching to see how they 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:46.680 responded week in, week out, and the results are nothing 0:14:46.720 --> 0:14:49.920 short of astonishing. And you will get to see all 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:52.600 that unfold in the coming months as well, And I 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:56.840 think it's incredibly exciting to watch. And yeah, I'm thrilled 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:58.240 with the way the series has turned out. 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:01.200 I always wonder what the effects of previous season does, 0:15:01.440 --> 0:15:03.680 you know? And it's very interesting that you're talking about 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:07.280 how people saw that Tom and Sarah Jane didn't make 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:09.880 anything more than twenty K. What does that do? Do 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:13.040 you think that the viewers get frustrated and that you'll 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:17.200 change the reserves? The reserves? My god, you know, what 0:15:17.680 --> 0:15:20.360 can you do? Like as in, because some viewers were 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:22.240 so upset about that last year, does that mean that 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:24.840 the reserves are going to be lower this year? Like? 0:15:24.880 --> 0:15:27.000 Can you change that kind of stuff? Like how does 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:27.440 that work? 0:15:27.560 --> 0:15:30.400 Well? Yeah, people say the reserves weren't right last year 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:33.400 because Tom and Sarah Jane made twenty but Amar and 0:15:33.400 --> 0:15:36.120 I was made one point seven with the same reserve. 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:40.160 So that's real estate, right. I mean, I think that's 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:45.200 another reason that the show remains successful is because the 0:15:45.320 --> 0:15:50.560 audience do understand that we have no control. You know, 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:53.760 this isn't a show that's been spoon fed to them 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:59.200 by producers who are manipulating everything behind the scenes. We've 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:02.360 got no bloody idea how it's going to turn out. 0:16:01.840 --> 0:16:06.240 You look at Scott cam on auction day, you look 0:16:06.240 --> 0:16:10.560 at his face, you can tell that he is petrified. 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:16.400 He gets physically ill, as do I, as do the 0:16:16.440 --> 0:16:19.600 other uses on the day of the auction. And it's 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:23.680 not because we're worried about our jobs. We know when 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:26.240 we turn up on auction day that the show that 0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:30.080 we're making on that day for tomorrow night is probably 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:31.640 going to be one of the highest rating shows of 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:34.400 the year. So our jobs are secure. So why are 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:37.760 we so nervous. We're nervous for the contestants because we 0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:40.000 don't know how it's going to turn out, and we 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:42.880 have to stand right there with them. And these people 0:16:42.920 --> 0:16:45.600 have become really important to us over three months of 0:16:45.680 --> 0:16:48.800 working together. We just want them to do well because 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:52.120 we feel like they deserve a big reward for all 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:55.360 of their hard work. And when that doesn't happen, I 0:16:55.520 --> 0:17:00.160 completely understand the audience saying, well, that's not fair, you 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:04.240 set the reserves to high. I'd get that because I 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:07.320 feel that at that time, as well, but when I'm 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:10.600 standing there watching one couple walk in and take one 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:14.520 point seven million dollars in cash above their reserve price, 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:17.920 and then the next couple only make twenty, I can't 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:19.520 really blame the reserve price. 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:21.800 And you know what I want you to know, because 0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:24.119 I'll never forget being in my lunge room with the 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:26.440 amount of screaming that was happening. We had a room 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:29.879 full of people different ages that it invested in this show, 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:32.520 and I can't think of any other television that we 0:17:32.560 --> 0:17:35.360 have at the moment that's appointment television like this, where 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:39.520 an audience literally feels like they're involved, like it's magical 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:40.000 in a way. 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:43.360 Yeah, I think that's right. I mean the other element 0:17:43.560 --> 0:17:45.919 to the Block that makes it different, apart from the 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:52.040 fact that the endgame is impossible to manipulate, is that 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:55.600 we don't eliminate contestants. Put the Block up against every 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:57.800 other reality show that you can think of, you know, 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:02.760 Big Rather survivor the you know Everything. They eliminate, so 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:06.879 people that you really like or come to like and 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:10.919 enjoy watching aren't there next week because the judges have 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:16.879 decided that their kremberula wasn't quite up to par and 0:18:16.880 --> 0:18:19.840 they're gone, and you're like, oh, that's a shame. I 0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:22.639 really liked Ben and you know, I like watching him, 0:18:22.920 --> 0:18:26.679 but with the block, which is why, you know, we 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:29.560 really do have to kind of get casting right. We 0:18:29.640 --> 0:18:33.080 need to choose people who the audience wants to watch 0:18:33.080 --> 0:18:34.879 for three months. But the reason why all those people 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:37.199 in that room at the end, we're you know, watching 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:40.159 the show with you were finding it were so engaged 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:43.560 was that they had spent three months watching Tom and 0:18:43.600 --> 0:18:46.720 Sarah Jane build that house and they loved them. They 0:18:46.760 --> 0:18:49.879 love Tom and Sarah Jane as I do. They're beautiful 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:52.680 people who deserve to make a million dollars and they 0:18:52.680 --> 0:18:57.320 made twenty grand and they were so graceful about it 0:18:57.760 --> 0:19:01.280 that it brought a tear to all of their eyes, 0:19:02.280 --> 0:19:04.040 not only on the day but when the show went 0:19:04.080 --> 0:19:08.240 to air and ever since, despite that experience, Tom and 0:19:08.280 --> 0:19:11.320 Sarah Jane remained very close friends of all of ours. 0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:15.720 And Tom was happy to come back, and he's a 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:18.119 significant part of this new series as well. 0:19:18.280 --> 0:19:20.480 I'm obsessed with the two of them. I remember I 0:19:20.520 --> 0:19:23.480 went for a set visit to the houses last year 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:26.639 and met them both and they were just as delightful 0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:29.480 in real life as they were on camera, because you 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:32.520 do show people for who they are. I was devastated 0:19:32.520 --> 0:19:34.840 when they didn't get to get all the money, but 0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:37.840 I just thought, what an amazing couple to show that 0:19:37.880 --> 0:19:40.280 they didn't let her get to them. And then what 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:43.119 then happened was the reward is they've been given a 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:45.200 job on the next season of the Block. Magnificent. 0:19:45.320 --> 0:19:49.399 Yeah, no, they are bloody awesome and I think people 0:19:49.400 --> 0:19:52.119 will be thrilled to see Tom by his trade in 0:19:52.160 --> 0:19:52.919 this new series. 0:19:53.119 --> 0:19:55.879 I also love that the houses are back closer together, 0:19:56.280 --> 0:19:59.399 no offense to the tree change. Loved it. But with 0:19:59.520 --> 0:20:01.880 the houses so far away, it wasn't like you could 0:20:01.920 --> 0:20:03.720 just walk over to the other house and have a 0:20:03.720 --> 0:20:05.840 guernsey and have a bit of a barney like. They 0:20:05.880 --> 0:20:08.680 were so far away that sort of stopped that from happening. 0:20:08.840 --> 0:20:10.800 Did you decide in a new way to bring them 0:20:11.000 --> 0:20:14.359 much closer together so that it would escalate some of 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:16.080 the drama that we're used to seeing. 0:20:16.240 --> 0:20:21.359 Yeah, very much so. These five houses, but they go 0:20:21.480 --> 0:20:25.720 round a corner, and that meant that we were able 0:20:25.760 --> 0:20:29.240 to pull down all of the fences in the backyards 0:20:29.480 --> 0:20:33.600 and create one single backyard that they all had to share, 0:20:33.880 --> 0:20:38.680 and the idea concept behind that was that it might 0:20:38.800 --> 0:20:42.959 lead to know, to more interaction with the contestants and 0:20:43.040 --> 0:20:47.840 therefore more dramatic moments in the show. But I could 0:20:47.880 --> 0:20:51.040 never have predicted how much drama we would get out 0:20:51.040 --> 0:20:51.320 of that. 0:20:52.359 --> 0:20:53.879 You is, Julian, and I couldn't. 0:20:53.920 --> 0:20:54.159 It is. 0:20:54.760 --> 0:20:59.399 The show melrose Place was about these young people that 0:20:59.440 --> 0:21:02.040 were incredible. They were living in a very close space 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:04.280 and I felt like as soon as I have turned 0:21:04.359 --> 0:21:06.840 up on the set of the twenty twenty three series 0:21:06.840 --> 0:21:09.159 of the show, I was like, oh my god, this 0:21:09.280 --> 0:21:11.399 is going to be like Melro's Place. There's going to 0:21:11.400 --> 0:21:12.440