Catch up TV

Series 6: 3. When You Find Out You Have 468 Wax Melts

Stacey and the team are in the Midlands to help dads Craig and Craig transform their three-bedroom semi. ‘Big Craig’, a hair salon owner, and ‘Little Craig’, a call centre operative, became fathers when they adopted their now five-year-old daughter. The two Craigs and their families have showered her with love – and a lot of toys. But it’s not just toys from well-meaning relatives, as self-confessed sentimentalist Big Craig has kept absolutely everything their daughter has ever owned, for fear of letting go of something that is part of her childhood and could be sentimental for her as she grows up.\n\nWith Stacey and the team’s help, the family begin by packing all their possessions into boxes, stripping every item from their home to reveal the hidden potential beneath the chaos. Throughout the process, we get to know Big Craig, who not only keeps everything of his daughter’s, but has also built up a huge gin bottle collection over the last ten years. Little Craig, who is naturally more organised, harbours a love of crafting which has resulted in craft supplies being squirrelled away all over the house but little space to actually craft. The team learn about the joys and challenges of the adoption process, the fathers' unadulterated love for their daughter and their desire to get on top of the clutter so that they can potentially adopt again in the future.\n\nOnce the house is packed, the family’s belongings are displayed in a vast warehouse – a striking art installation of their lives. Among the 400 boxes unpacked from the two Craigs’ home, the team find 195 pairs of shoes, 63 brushes and combs, 208 gin bottles... and 400 tampons which Little Craig was collecting for the homeless but had never got round to donating!\n\nEmotional moments unfold as Big Craig sorts through old toys, recalling the story of El being taken into care with just an armful of belongings, and the couple reflect on their desire to adopt again so that El can have a sibling. Big Craig also talks about his love of collecting, which came from his beloved grandad – a father figure and role model. Big Craig hopes to find his grandad’s old pipe, which he is sure he put somewhere safe but is nowhere to be found.\n\nBack in the Craigs' home, carpenter Rob faces the challenge of converting El’s bedroom into a bed-and-elevated play area, with built-in storage, in order to double her space for fun and games. Rob also plans to transform the garden room to give Big Craig a place to cut hair and Little Craig a place to craft with El... plus a gin bar for relaxing.\n\nAfter two long days at the warehouse, with the most treasured and essential items carefully chosen, Stacey and the team pack everything back into the house, transforming it into a functional home with a spare room that makes expanding the family a real possibility for the first time. Iwan spring-cleans, and Dilly uses her organisational expertise to ensure the very best systems are put in place for the family. It’s a race against the clock to complete the makeover before the family returns.\n\nWill the team’s efforts to declutter bring about the organised home that the Craigs have been dreaming of?

Source: BBC 2