Does Room To Improve (RTÉ One, Sunday, 9.30pm) need a fresh lick of paint? Until its latest series, Dermot Bannon’s property makeover juggernaut lived a gilded existence, delivering spectacular ratings for RTÉ and turning its star architect into something adjacent to a national treasure.
But this year, RTÉ's most bulletproof brand has demonstrated signs of wear and tear. There was a (minor) controversy over a property developed without appropriate planning permission, which received a green light to retain the development three days before the relevant episode aired.
Is there also a feeling we’ve seen it all before? After 15 seasons, have we had our fill of passive-aggressive rows between Bannon and his clients over where best to put the kitchen island and if the windows need to be that big? (yes, they do, Bannon will invariably argue).
In that context, the series’ concluding instalment brings down the shutters in solid fashion. Bannon is in Santry, a suburb in north Dublin, where surgeon Ann Brannigan and husband David Mooney want to redesign their 1950s semi-D. It’s a big ask, and it quickly becomes apparent that their €400,000 budget isn’t adequate.
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They’re obviously keen to keep costs in check. But they also are determined to maintain roots in Santry. Brannigan grew up in the house, her sister lives next door, and her mother down the road. However, with the projected bill soaring towards €700,000, does their passion for Santry run too deep? “Is it possible to love a house too much?” wonders the narrator. That question is also posed by Bannon, who observes, “They’re going to pump so much into a house knowing they’re never going to get it back.”
What follows is Room To Improve on autopilot – but not in a bad way. There is a divergence of views over the kitchen island (Brannigan wants something minimalist, Bannon would like for it to have some gadgets). An 11th-hour request to install an external gym in the modest back garden frazzles Bannon’s brain. Sitting down in a coffee shop to review the blueprints, Ann and David are underwhelmed by Dermot’s minimalist sketches.
“They can’t make small decisions because they can’t see the big picture,” he laments.
Still, they get over the line in the end. It hopefully doesn’t count as a spoiler to reveal that when Bannon visits the finished extension, it is wonderfully understated, and everyone is happy. Happy and weepy in the case of an overwhelmed David. “He’s not an architect, he’s an artist,” he says of Bannon. “He’s not afraid, he cares.”
There will also be high emotion at RTÉ, which knows there is still lots of mileage left in one of its most popular shows. In another time and place, you can imagine someone pitching Room To Improve: The Musical, featuring singing granite tops and a routine where Bannon dances a tango with a vast window frame. That is presumably off the cards for now. But despite the occasional bump in the driveway, Room To Improve continues to power on. It refuses to change – and that, it turns out, is precisely what Ireland loves about it.
