Extras Property Ladder: Richmond Unseen

Date Published:

20/06/2008

Sneaking downstairs between takes I can now fully appreciate the open plan lounge-diner. The space is given a calming warm glow by stainless steel uplighters, while the solid oak flooring gives the entire space an ambience of grown up sophistication.

Between the lounge-diner and the currently out-of-bounds kitchen is a small cloakroom which continues the quality theme with Starke-alike washbowl furniture, and a not-quite finished-yet utilitarian charm.

Despite the constant interruptions by BA, Aeroflot et al, the sequence progresses, each successive take helping the dynamic flow of the question and answers until you can actually feel both presenter and interviewee fall into a natural, steady, broadcastable groove.

The director is beginning to smile, despite being pregnant, uncomfortably cramped, and sat in an unexplained puddle. Meanwhile, one assistant labels used cassettes, while the other catches forty winks on the tastefully minimal leather sofa after a long night's work ensuring the property was at its best to be filmed. Suddenly the main work of the scene is done, just pause for a few reaction shots, a close-up, a wide three-body shot, and then with all angles covered for the edit later, its time for lunch.

Despite some of Sarah's questions seeming characteristically challenging, all professional disagreement between developers and presenter-developer is set aside as everyone sits or stands around the same table over BLT’s and fizzy pop. There is much good-natured banter between the three-man technical crew, the assistants, director, subjects and of course the star of the show, Sarah Beeny.

Sarah is radiant today. She's dressed simply but effectively in the way that her legions of internet fanboys seem to adore - down to earth, strict but with a flash of something saucier going on underneath. In all other ways she seems incredibly unaffected by the fact that she now gets paid to dispense property wisdom and regularly has an enormous great camera being pointed at her. She can certainly deliver a jovial cuss with true building site gusto when her crew get out of hand.

After lunch the next set-up begins - this time in the lounge, leaving me to snap away in the kitchen. I click away in the direction of the quality granite worktops, Sieman's appliances, and very attractive stainless steel Belfast sink while chatting to the developers about their work in progress.

Brian Walden describes himself as the unemotional side of the partnership, content to take on a development for purely business reasons, even happy to let hairy arsed film crews crawl over the spiffy new flooring, while Joanna Stamatis who is Greek, adds the internal eye for details and her passion for quality. It's a good mix. This is their third project and they’re about to start a fourth. They know the area well, and they know exactly which market they're aiming for - even if Sarah does believe they might have been a little generous in doing so.

Despite initial planning problems, and a deep suspicion of the many estate agents who've darkened his doorstep and given such wildly fluctuating valuations, Brian is proud of the way he's turned round a pretty much derelict building and turned it into the latest of a line of shrewd investments.

What is never adequately highlighted of course is that developers, while clearly making profit through their endeavours, are often restoring some pretty dilapidated properties to the existing housing stock. In areas like this where all else is so characterful and closely themed - that's got to be a good thing.

And then it's over for the day. Scenes are shot. Happiness prevails. One more day of shooting and the third series of Property Ladder will be in the can. But it doesn't stop there. Soon, Property Ladder will be releasing its keen, eager, slightly malnourished young researchers to seek out ever more complex and challenging development projects with the promise of a whipping if they fail. Can you help them out?

If you have a property development project you'd like to feature on the programme, e-mail Talkback at propertyladder@talkbackthames.tv or phone the production office on 01494 733 610. (And please make sure you include a daytime phone number). For more details visit our Appear On TV page.