Back in the early 1990s, a man named Ken Lowe got the idea to create a home renovation and gardening cable TV network.  That idea came to fruition in 1994 as HGTV, and it started slow, but a few years later,  the decorating genre exploded in the cable market. Like most other aspects of television programming, once schedulers sense a new trend to exploit, there is no holding back. At one time, it seemed like this was all there was to watch! Like when Mary Berry kicked off her baking show, and within months, the whole world seemed to want to ape her success.

Our British editor claims that back in the UK, they do at least continue to re-imagine these tropes, as they developed a more unique take on home renovation with shows like ESCAPE TO THE  (French) CHATEAU to restore it back to its 19th-century regal glory; GRAND DESIGNS, which showcases elaborate designs across the country; ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY  an extremely charming watch that follows prospective buyers as they plan to leave behind city life for the peace and nature of the quintessential British countryside etc, etc.

Then seemingly out of the blue, we discovered what we are bold enough to claim is the very best of them all. Banjo & Ro’s Grand Island Hotel, is a BBC TV series about a disarmingly charming Australian queer couple chronicling their ambitious project to renovate a derelict mansion on the Scottish Isle of Ulva into a boutique hotel, blending design, island life, and community revitalization. This odd-looking middle-aged pair share both a passion for each other and this Herculean task they have launched into on one of the most remote islands  in the Hebrides off the West Coast of Scotland  

The odds may seem to be against them. This 17 Century Manor House has been abandoned for the past 10 years in  a wild, untamed landscape. No road access. No running water. Barely any electricity. They have a budget of some £150K which looks like it could be eaten up by the drastic roof repairs alone, but by the time you are  watching episode two, you are so captivated by the pair of them, that you know somehow they will suceed.