Channel 4’s A Place in The Sun will return for a brand new series today (Monday 26th April), with presenters Laura Hamilton, Jasmine Harman, Jonnie Irwin and Scarlette Douglas making a comeback.
There’s also a new presenter in town in the form of property developer Lee Juggurnauth, who previously worked in the music industry.
Juggurnauth joins the show just after their 21st birthday, however, he almost appeared on the show two years ago, back when he first applied.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Juggurnauth reveals: “I actually auditioned for the show two years ago.”
He continues: “I got really far down to the final two and at the time they wanted a girl, so someone else got it. Obviously, at the time if you were to ask me, of course I was devastated. You get so far, so you can always kind of taste it. And then when you don’t get it you kind of think, ‘OK!’ My mum always tells me everything does happen for a reason and nothing that is meant for you will pass. And obviously, sometimes you have to learn the hard way!”
Luckily, Lee kept in touch with producers of the show and two years later he got the call he’d been waiting for.
So, how does it feel to be joining A Place in The Sun?
“I’m very honoured and shocked because this is my first real big gig on TV,” he says. “And it just so happens to be on Channel 4. I love property, I love interiors and it’s something that I’ve kind of taught myself in the last 10 years. So, being able to help other people on the show is great.”
Lee is hoping young children of colour will be inspired by seeing him on the Channel 4 series, as this is something he says he didn’t see much of growing up.
“It means so much more to me that I get to be part of this show because for me when I was growing up, I’m a person of colour so there was nobody that looked like me on TV,” he explains.
“It’s a great show to be part of. They just celebrated their 21st birthday, so to be considered as part of that is really a privilege, and it’s just even more special that it happens to be on Channel 4. I think Channel 4, out of all the networks out there, really does celebrate diversity. They’re so committed to making a change, which is one of the reasons why I’ve always wanted to do this job: to help younger people see themselves in me!”
For his first assignment, Juggurnauth headed to the vibrant city of Gandia in Spain to help Davi and Debi find a home abroad.
Although he didn’t have any worries about giving advice about property and interiors, he did have some first episode jitters.
He says: “There’s so many options that people want for their holiday homes. Some people live there for the whole year, but some people only go for two months of the year. So, they want to know that they’re making the right investment, and if they can rent this out, or if it’s local to certain places. So for me, I was always confident about delivering that knowledge, but then you also have the added thing where they really don’t like the five homes you’ve shown them and it’s not great!
“So, I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t nervous because I was, but above the nerves I think there was just excitement because the couple I had Davi and Debbie were so excited.”
Speaking of the couple, who will feature in the upcoming series, he adds: “From our initial meeting you could see how much finding a home meant to them. It wasn’t just for them; it was for their family as well. So you kind of get engulfed in that whole excitement and it become a nice ride to be a part of.”
New episodes of A Place in the Sun start on this afternoon at 3pm on Channel 4. To find out what else is on TV, check out our TV Guide or visit our hub for more Entertainment news.
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