TVScope: Grand Designs Abroad, Channel 4, October 24th
It was a such a joyous discovery; a way to make my 15-year-old son stop flicking the remote control every 15 seconds or so. He has a strange penchant for people who sell up and move to an exotic location to build a home or new business. Forty minutes of uninterrupted TV, sometimes even an hour. Terrific at the end of a hectic day!
And there happens to be a rash of such programmes about at the moment. Moving from Manchester to set up a ski lodge in Switzerland; leaving Leeds to set up an organic farm at a French chateaux... you know the caper.
In the latest Channel 4 version, Kevin McCloud has been following ambitious, self-build projects from concept to completion at various locations around the world. He has witnessed the creation of stunning developments... up to last week, that is. Perhaps he saved the spectacular mishmash entry, or should I be more polite and say challenging pad, for the last episode. In it, he travelled to Spain to meet a South African couple who bought a plot of land near the Costa Blanca. They plan to build a modern, hexagonal "super villa", complete with Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Ten years living and working in London may help explain why Derek and Jen Ray chose Orihuela, inland of Alicante, as the place to build a home and raise their three children, Jenna, Eden and Linzi. The move was an attempt to start a new life with emphasis on the family, assisted by the sale of their mini-market in Wimbledon.
However, in their quest for a dream life, they took numerous risks. They did not speak Spanish and it took longer than anticipated to sell their business.
The family dynamic in the face of adversity was compelling. When the builders got to a part in the plans they did not understand or a change too many devised by Derek/Jen, they disappeared for a few days. Undeterred, the Rays continued, even the children mucked in to build walls.
The trauma triggered by numerous setbacks was obvious in the body language, and there were strong hints of simmering disagreement between the couple off camera. Yet growing resolve and unrelenting determination could be deciphered on their faces as the building took shape.
When desperation took hold as the builders become miffed with Derek's umpteenth change, better channels of communication were demanded if the villa was to be completed. Breakthrough came, it seemed, in the form of Derek acquiring workable Spanish.
Such was the Rays' closeness - facilitated in this case by the absence of their architect - they accommodated their sharply contrasting style preferences. The result was a house that is a combination of Jen's wish for a rustic Spanish farmhouse look and Derek's more modernist inclinations, and an element of the shopping mall on top. The result: an incomplete house come the August deadline, a lot of unquantified extras and, yes, one happy family.
