We know him best from British TV’s Location, Location, Location and Love It or List It - now Phil Spencer is set to host NZ’s Best Homes with Phil Spencer , filmed right here in Aotearoa. Ahead of the show’s premiere, Spencer reveals what to expect and what Kiwis get right about building homes. Phil Spencer doesn’t think of himself as an “architectural buff”.
“I’m not Kevin McCloud ,” he says with a smile for his fellow Brit and host of Grand Designs . At the time, McCloud had just wrapped up the New Zealand leg of his speaking tour, Home Truths, dishing out anecdotes, advice and tips on home design to Kiwi audiences. Spencer has arguably just as much experience with all things real estate, having hosted Location, Location, Location in the UK for 25 years and the British version of Love It or List It since 2015 alongside Kirstie Allsopp.
However, the difference might be that he still sees himself as an amateur in the industry in the original sense of the word - he’s in it for the love of it. That’s clear from the opening scenes of his brand-new series NZ’s Best Homes , filmed in New Zealand earlier this year and set to air on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+ from June 9. Speaking to the NZ Herald amid a break in his summer filming schedule earlier this year, the TV host couldn’t be more excited to be in New Zealand.
“It’s a beautiful time to be away from England, it’s currently snowing,” he says. “And an equally beautiful time to be over here, with the sun .