Home shows go through the roof

The housing market is spiralling out of control – but only on television. Never have the schedules been so dominated by one genre of programming. And it's spreading.

In an effort to capitalise on the phenomenal success of series such as House Doctor and Location, Location, Location, programme-makers have devised more weird and wonderful new property shows.

Gardening, renovation and even housework are among the subjects to be covered in a glut of formats designed to show viewers how to maximise the value of their homes.

Though the property boom may be waning, producers are confident their latest shows will be recession-proof. By focusing on home improvement, rather than buying and selling, they hope to appeal to people with no intention of moving, as well as those who need to extract every ounce of value from their sales in a more depressed market.

And the most aspirational property series, Relocation Relocation – in which city-based professionals sell up and buy two new homes elsewhere – is to focus on less affluent house-hunters in its next series.

Kirsty Allsopp, who presents the Channel 4 show and its sister series, Location, Location, Location, says property programmes are being forced to adapt to the changing concerns caused by fluctuating house prices. But she believes viewers will always want to "snoop" around other people's homes – no matter how far the market plummets.

"We are a nation unlike any other obsessed with purchasing, decorating and improving our homes," she said. "I'm amazed there haven't been property programmes long before now. If the market dips, I don't think it will make so much of a difference. People will just become armchair traders."

Ms Allsopp, who runs Garrington Home Finders with her co-presenter, Phil Spencer, says the second series of Relocation Relocation will reflect the fact that not all sellers are left with £500,000 to spend. While many Londoners have seen the value of their homes soar over the past 10 years, large numbers of people are currently priced out of the market in the South-east.

"I remember when I bought my first home for £72,000 in Battersea 10 years ago," she said. "Now it's worth £240,000 and there's no way someone in the job I was in then would ever be able to afford it."

She added that a fall in house prices would arguably make some property shows more popular – by appealing to those on lower incomes who now felt able to consider buying their own homes for the first time.

The makers of most of the new shows seem to be following Ms Allsopp's advice. Put Your Money Where Your House Is will offer practical tips on how to spruce up every inch of a house or flat, while Weed It and Reap It will focus on the value of well-kept gardens.

How Clean is Your House? will tackle the age-old bugbear that is most guaranteed to put off potential buyers: mess. The programme will humiliate homeowners who wallow amid piles of dirty dishes and unwashed clothing.

Not all of the new shows will be quite so mundane, however. The success of Channel 4's recent series A Place in France has encouraged the station to commission three follow-ups, which are set in Spain, Italy and Greece.

The top five property shows

Location, Location, Location (Channel 4)

What is it? House-hunters seek domestic bliss – but strictly within a budget

Who presents it? Jolly hockey sticks gal (Kirsty Allsopp) meets eulogising hand-waver (Phil Spencer)

Who watches it? Up to 4.7 million viewers, mainly aspiring 30-somethings with less to spend than they'd like

What's the top tip? If you can't afford to move to your ideal spot, try next door

What's it worth? Can be tens of thousands. Phil and Kirsty do the negotiating for you

House Doctor (Channel 5)

What is it? How buyers can be put off by colour and clutter

Who presents it? Pushy American (Ann Maurice)

Who watches it? 2.4 million viewers, many C2s and Ds

What's the top tip? Put personal stuff in storage

What's it worth? A few thousand for a few tins of paint and a bit of a tidy-up

Home Front (BBC2)

What is it? A renovation programme to spruce up the blandest interior – with a lavish budget and lurid paint

Who presents it? Suburban dandy (Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen) and twinkle-eyed Irishman (Diarmuid Gavin)

Who watches it? Three million regulars – 60 per cent of them women

What's the top tip? There's no room that can't be transformed with a few purple drapes and some chipboard

What's it worth? Wacky designs are more likely to knock money off house price

Property Ladder (Channel 4)

What is it? First-time property developers shown how to buy up, do up and move on

Who presents it? Business-like professional (Sarah Beeny)

Who watches it? Up to 4.6 million, mainly ambitious middle-class media types

What's the top tip? Stick to your budget and leave your own taste out of it

What's it worth? Career as a millionaire property developer

A Place in the Sun (Channel 4)

What is it? Advice for the Ikea generation on moving or buying second homes abroad.

Who presents it? Homely suburbanite (Amanda Lamb)

Who watches it? 4.2 million, a mix of professionals and nouveaux riches

What's the top tip? Think villa with 100 acres in Tuscany

What's it worth? A free house-hunting trip abroad