Kirstie and Phil reveal why Location, Location, Location has lasted 25 years

Location, Location, Location is celebrating it's 25th anniversary and to mark the special occasion we met up with property gurus and presenters Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer for an exclusive interview at Kirstie's home in West London.

"There is a whole evening of special shows planned to mark the milestone," says Kirstie.

As well as a new series of Location, Location, Location starting on Wednesday, May 14 at 8pm on Channel 4, fans of the show will be treated to three other specials.

Phil says, "We've got 25 Years Of Location, Location, Location (at 9pm) where Kirstie and I are looking at the major changes that have impacted the UK's property market over the years."

That will be followed by a fun show featuring a whole raft of never-seen-before outtakes with Kirstie & Phil: Bleeps, Bloops and Best Bits.

And then rounding off the evening at 10.30 pm is the chance to watch the first-ever episode of Location, which was broadcast on May 17, 2000.

With a whole night of anniversary specials in store, we asked Kirstie, 53 and Phil, 55, to take a trip down memory lane and share some of their highlights and reveal why they think their friendship and working relationship have stood the test of time!

How does it feel to be celebrating 25 years of Location, Location, Location?

PHIL: "I’m not usually big on birthdays or anniversaries but 25 years feels really special. TV can be so fluid, it’s a privilege to still be doing it after all this time. There is a lot to celebrate!"

KIRSTIE: "It makes me feel quite emotional thinking about 25 years because so much has happened, both in the world and to us personally."

Can you remember the very first episode you made back in 2000?

PHIL: "Yes, clearly! The property search was in Islington (North London) and Kirstie and I had no idea how TV programmes got made. We were cobbling it together as we went along. Months later, when I saw the final edit I remember giving the director a massive hug and saying, ‘I don’t know how you did that!’"

KIRSTIE: "We also did a pilot show, but it was non-transmittable. Phil thinks he may have just found a copy of that! When we started out it was all done very much on the hoof."

What were your first impressions of each other?

PHIL: "We met on a screen test. We were both working as property finders, me in South West London and Kirstie in West London when we were approached to make the show. My first impression was that she was great fun and a bit mad. I had massive respect for her professional opinion from day one."

KIRSTIE: "I made him nervous! I’ve never understood why people are scared of me. The question most people ask me is, ‘Is Phil as nice as he seems?’"

PHIL: "And the question I get asked is, ‘Is Kirstie as scary as she seems?’"

Why do you think your working relationship and friendship has endured so well?

KIRSTIE: "It’s because we have the same ambitions and share the same attitude to celebrity. Neither Phil nor I came into this wanting to be famous. If one of us was in it for the fame it would be a disaster! What I love most about working with Phil is there’s no insecurity with him, no backbiting."

PHIL: "We are genuinely great friends. What’s important to Kirstie is important to me. That’s the main reason we’ve done the show for so long. Kirsty is great fun, generous and kind-hearted. When she’s around it’s always lively and you never know what’s going to happen."

What are the biggest lessons you’ve learnt from one another?

PHIL: "I’d like to think I’ve learnt not to sulk. Kirstie never sulks. She might have a big blow up but two minutes later she’s fine and getting on with it."

KIRSTIE: "I’ve learnt from Phil how to breathe, how to be calm and take a minute. We both feel so passionately about housing, how it relates to relationships, education, health, all these really important things, I can get quite heated."

What questions do fans ask you most?

KIRSTIE: "They either want property advice, selfies or sometimes they just like to say hello. There was a guy the other day who wanted a selfie when I was at Euston Station. I was about to miss my train so I said, ‘Run with me and you can get a photo!’. I think people feel like they know us and they do to some extent, because the show is completely unscripted. What you see on screen is the real us."

After 25 years at the helm why do you still love making the show?

KIRSTIE: "It’s working with people at so many different stages of life. We've found properties for people who have just got divorced and were determined to move on, people changing jobs, people focused on a school catchment area, people caring for their aging parents or trying to move on from some kind of trauma, people with fertility problems. I’ve stood in houses with people crying, saying, ‘Why do I want an extra bedroom? I may never be able to fill it’. You see people’s real-life struggles."

PHIL: "It’s a TV show that changes people's lives, buying a house is a really huge thing and finding people their ideal property still gives us the biggest buzz. That's what keeps it interesting for us but most importantly, it's a real privilege to be in a position to have those conversations with people and to be trusted to help them."

The new series of Location, Location, Location starts on Wednesday 14 May at 8pm on C4.