C4’s documentary Britain’s Most Expensive Home: Building for a Billionaire follows the £65m refurbishment of former Phones 4u boss John Caudwell’s mansion
If you thought you'd known building stress, then you may have to think again after you've seen C4 documentary Britain’ s Most Expensive Home: Building for a Billionaire.
John Caudwell knows all about it.
The self-made billionaire and philanthropist, who sold Phones 4u in 2006 for just under £1.5 billion, splashed out £87 million on a mansion in London’s Mayfair.
When the work is finished, it is estimated to be worth over £250 million.
‘It was incredibly ostentatious,’ says John, 67.
‘But it had some phenomenal features so I bought it.
‘I was only looking for a little pad in London!’
John employed a team of builders and interior designers to refurbish the 43,000 square-foot living space, and this documentary shows the challenges they faced in the latter stages of the development, especially when it goes over budget and behind schedule.
‘I’m very demanding,’ says John, who grew up on a council estate in Stoke-on-Trent.
‘As a kid, with no money whatsoever, I had a burning desire to be rich and successful.’
No expense is spared in the refurbishment of the Mayfair house, which includes a spa, nightclub, games room, cinema, mechanical car stacker and a river with live fish.
‘I’m delighted,’ he says.
‘To come from the back streets of Stoke-on-Trent to this is extraordinary.’
For full listings, see our TV Guide.
TV Times rating: ***
