Australian-born Banjo has had a whirlwind since winning 2022’s Interior Design Masters, the home-makeover TV show hosted by Alan Carr. Six-part series, Designing The Hebrides, will see the expert and his team of tradespeople doing up unique spaces, from a family-owned fish shop in Tobermory to a bookshop on Skye. And Banjo said his favourite part of the process was the people they encountered. I'm kind of hoping I can find that perfect balance. Doing the winner's project, [to transform a self-catering beach retreat in Watergate Bay in Cornwall], taught me a lot. I was almost an apprentice. After turning something around in two days on the show, it was quite different to do a four-month project, with an entire production team and a hefty budget. I'm really pleased with the result – it's just a space that's Banjo, sustainable and natural and reflective of the environment. Fresh from the success of his TV series, Mull’s best-known interior designer Banjo Beale will be there to launch his first book. In Designing The Hebrides, interior designer Banjo Beale and his friendly team of tradespeople travel across the Scottish islands using their craft skills, energy and creativity to bring Banjo’s Hebridean design dreams to life.

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Steve Allen, Commissioning Editor, BBC Scotland, says: “Banjo’s passion for design, and his love of island life really does shine through in Designing The Hebrides, as he breathes new life into properties across the Islands.” From a family-owned fish shop in Tobermory, a bothy on the remote island of Ulva to a bookshop and café on Skye, Banjo and the team rise to the Hebridean make-over challenge. The second episode of the six-part series features, which airs on Monday evening, sees Banjo heading to the small Inner Hebrides island of Ulva to take on the crumbling bothy that locals want to rent out to visitors. But he said locals in Mull, where he lives with cheesemaker and cafe owner husband Rohan Christopher, were entirely underwhelmed by his new-found stardom.After eight weeks of decisions, dramas and driving thousands of miles to secure those very special reclaimed and second-hand items to make his super-stylish schemes stand out, Australian-born cheesemaker, marketeer and stylist Banjo Beale, 35, who lives with his partner Ro on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, has been crowned the winner of Interior Design Masters 2022. BBC/Darlow Smithson Productions Doing two storeys of a Soho bar – some challenge! How did you even start to come up with an idea for a scheme? It’s about community and connection and stopping and being really grounded. And once you’re on [the Isle of Mull], you can’t get off. You’ve got to get a ferry and it’s a logistical challenge. When you’re there everything washes away and it’s just magic.’ Located on small Inner Hebrides island of Ulva with a two-hour walk from the nearest road, locals enlisted interior designer Banjo Beale and a team of tradespeople to help give the property a much-needed makeover.

Banjo Beale Wikipedia, Partner, Husband, TV Show, Age, House Banjo Beale Wikipedia, Partner, Husband, TV Show, Age, House

Banjo’s passion for design, and his love of island life really does shine through in Designing The Hebrides, as he breathes new life into properties across the Islands,” says Steve Allen, commissioning editor for BBC Scotland. Well, at the time, it was the most terrifying thing in the entire world. But I think that’s for all of us because it means so much to us. And genuinely, you know, that Michelle just wants you to do the best. And she knows our potential. So, it’s her job to make it uncomfortable and for us to stretch ourselves.Banjo says: “My hometown of Tobermory is one of the most colourful in the UK but on the inside, some of the spaces are crying out for character. Thankfully, some brave locals are handing me the keys to their places, from a bothy two hours walk from the nearest road to a remote lighthouse, castle turret and beloved community rugby club. They’re dream properties to design but logistical nightmares to deliver.

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No, I think I’m inspired by literature, by film, by my own imagination and by nature. When I was on Interior Design Masters, I used to create a character for all of my designs. Because it’s boring when you’re doing it for yourself, but on the island, the locals are the characters. I turned cowbells into light pendants at a farm because they had no money. Also, some of the spaces are inaccessible, I had to take a boat, full of stuff out to a lighthouse we were designing, and I had to walk two hours to one space. On an island logistics are a big part of it. Clare Mottershead, Lead Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment and Events, adds: ‘Banjo’s originality, warmth and wit made him a favourite with our Interior Design Masters audience so it’s great to be able to share the next chapter of his story as he brings his infectious passion for design to his adopted Hebridean home.” It doesn’t matter whether you’re living in London or the Hebrides, I think we can just decide to actually make a conscious effort not to run out to these big stores and buy flat things. ‘Because part of the adventure is just getting the free stuff, isn’t it? I love going and meeting the person that I’m getting it off and going into their living room and you’ve got a story then immediately where it’s from.

Banjo combines unique finds with clever design to create sustainable, characterful and collected spaces for his interior design clients and TV projects.