Chorlton To Beat Didsbury (Rochdale and Blackburn)?

CHORLTON Architect Lisa Raynes will battle with Didsbury Arthouse's Laura Mayall for the title of 'best house' for a Lancashire episode of the daytime TV show.

"The other girls didn't bite their tongues as we toured," says Lisa. "The claws really came out - and they didn't need any prompting by the crew. 

Alongside Rochdale’s Kate Lomax and Blackburn’s Emma Metcalf, Lisa and Laura compete in the competition in the series finale of ITVs ‘May the Best House Win’ (MTBHW) to be aired on 23 December, for the ‘Come Dine with Me’ style competition.

Over two days the women welcomed their three fellow contestants into their homes to be rated on style, comfort and hospitality.

“I was delighted to show my home on ITV's daytime programme, but now it's getting nearer the airing I'm petrified with how I'll come across,” says Lisa.

“I would describe my house as Chorlton boho eclectic. People always think we’ve had an extension as the space in our house is so cleverly designed. But all I've done is maximise space and built in vintage and discoveries from all over the world. As an architect I respect people's individual style. Let's see how that comes across in the filming - I might just appear boring”.

Lisa entered the competition for a bit of fun.

“It’s my day job as an architect to look around people’s houses and help them make the most of them, whether it’s re-planning, letting light in, extending or even building from scratch. It’s the bit about my job that I love, talking to people and finding out what makes them and their house tick. I also wanted to show what can be achieved with a terraced property like mine.”

Lisa had to learn all about the filming process during the production of the programme.

“Filming was done in two batches,” she says. “Firstly the crew came to film me and my house, and two weeks later there was the competition filming. When they arrived for the first TV interview I was micc-ed up and then they left me whilst they were filming round the house, within seconds I forgot about the mic - it happens so quickly... my first mistake?”

“Then I tried to make friends with the crew, I figured that if I charmed them I was less likely to be given a rum deal in the editing. I think it gave me a false sense of security. As the interview questions started I had voiceover man’s catty comments going on in my head. I’d had the questions previously but I didn’t want to be over rehearsed... second mistake?"

Soon it was time to meet the other contestants.

“The first house was owned by former model Laura Mayall, a large Victorian semi in Didsbury," says Lisa. "This was not so dissimilar to my house on paper. After an initial introduction by our host, Laura was sent out of her own home to stand in the garden in the rain. 

"My fellow contestants were Kate and Emma. Kate was dressed in one of those playsuits with beads, cardie and gladiator sandels, bang on trend at the time, and she was mad as a hatter in a lovely way with an infectious laugh and a comment on every thing. Emma had a self professed OCD tendency."

Lisa soon found out that without the host the bile emerged.

"The other girls didn't bite their tongues as we toured without Laura," says Lisa. "The claws really came out - and they didn't need any prompting by the crew. There were a couple of issues - one with the quotes in the artwork and the other in the level of cleanliness ( I got right on the phone to husband and asked our house to have another going over- in fact I'd sent the kids packing for the night so they wouldn't mess it up once it was clean.).

"Then we were all brought back together and the hostess provided entertainment with Andy Burgess, brother of Tim Burgess from the Charlatans, who used a chainsaw to carve wood right before our eyes and poet Mike Garry, with his controversial poem ‘God is a Manc’ to accompany the art works in her house.

"Then it was interview time, where one by one, we were individually filmed for our thoughts and scoring. That’s when the crew really started pushing my buttons to get a negative response."

"The second house was Emma's the OCD girl in Blackburn. The crew asked ‘a what do you think it will be like’ before we arrived- I got it pretty bob on with my thoughts. Internally the housekeeping was up to 5 star hotel standard.  I likened it to my mother in laws house, although the way it came out was a bit bitchy."

Finally it was Lisa's turn to be domestically examined.

"My house was filmed on the second day," she says. "I shopped In Chorlton’s local independent shops for high quality ingredients for my hospitality with smoked salmon and samphire from Out of the Blue fish shop and gluten free products from Unicorn. My guests and the film crew adored it, or so they told me to my face, and provided unusual entertainment in the form of .... Well you'll just have to watch to find out.

“The last house was Kate’s in Rochdale. Her house was completely bonkers -  a seventies bungalow that had been overextended and the entrance relocated, which was really confusing. The main entrance was via the kitchen and the internal hall had no daylight at all. However Kate had gone to town with the internal decoration, which has to be seen to be believed. Kate was a lovely host and a good time was had by all."

So has she done enough to triumph?

"It’s wait and see time," says Lisa. "Will I win? I should I reckon – but I would say that wouldn’t I?”

May the Best House Win is running daily weekdays, on ITV1 at 2 pm. The current series ends on 23 December. 

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