Channel 4 has reportedly cancelled its home makeover series Renovation Rescue, despite backing from Reese Witherspoon’s production company and a presenting lineup featuring Stacey Solomon, Vogue Williams, and former Love Island contestant Luke Mabbott.
The move comes as British broadcasters re-evaluate property makeover programming, following news that the BBC’s DIY SOS, hosted by Nick Knowles, will be rested after 27 years.
Renovation Rescue launched in 2024 with 37-year-old Solomon hosting, before Williams, 41, and Mabbott, 31, took over for a second series earlier this year.
Speaking to The Sun, a television industry insider said: “Renovation Rescue had a lot going for it– with some big names fronting it and a big name backing it.”But it seems that home-improvement shows – even when helping people in dire need of assistance – are not quite what they were.”
The show followed homeowners whose building projects had gone wrong, sending in specialists to salvage troubled work and assist families in completing their homes.
Its reported end is notable due to the presence of Hello Sunshine, the production company established by Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, known for films such as Legally Blonde and Walk the Line, plus television series Big Little Lies and Apple TV+’s The Morning Show with Jennifer Aniston. The firm is recognized for female-led projects.
For Solomon, the project was another step into lifestyle programming after making her name on The X Factor, Loose Women, and the BBC’s Sort Your Life Out. She has gathered a large online audience by sharing domestic tips and home updates.
Williams, an I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! contestant in 2025, brought quantity surveying and construction design experience to the series, while Mabbott drew on his background as a qualified plumbing and heating engineer. Mabbott’s renovation of a disused 19th-century chapel in Cornwall featured in the second series, concluding with a September finale detailing its conversion into a modern home.
The decision follows Channel 4’s reboot of Changing Rooms, which returned in 2021 but ended after two series.
Meanwhile, the BBC confirmed DIY SOS will be rested in 2027 to reduce spending. The corporation stressed the show has not been permanently cancelled, introducing a spin-off, DIY SOS Rebuilt My Life, to revisit past families.
A BBC spokesperson stated: “In light of the BBC’s savings challenges we have taken the decision to rest DIY SOS in 2027 and commission a new spin-off show instead from producers South Shore.”
The step is part of a broader £500 million savings strategy that has also affected Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, and Live at the Apollo. Other makeover formats have evolved over time, including gardening show Ground Force, while Netflix’s Queer Eye is also reaching its final season.
