George Clarke breaks down in tears as he helps couple transform their ‘poky’ kitchen into dream living space in memory of wife’s late father

George Clarke broke down in tears after helping a couple renovate their home in the brand new series of George Clarke’s Kitchen vs Garden last night.

The architect and TV presenter, known for his work on Amazing Spaces and Old House New Home, was brought to tears while transforming the home of a couple living in Essex.

Gemma and Scott, who live in a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Essex,  with their young son Jake, brought their home after getting an inheritance from Gemma’s father.

However, shortly after they moved in, the couple discovered cracks above their windows on the ground floor that crept up to the first floor and it became evident the house was suffering from subsidence, which took 10 years to fix.

It also quickly becomes apparent that their kitchen and garden spaces are a source of frustration.

Their small galley kitchen is dark and so narrow that the family can’t move around comfortably in it, while their separate dining area is ‘poky’ and was doubling as Gemma’s office for her remote job.

With just one door in the kitchen allowing access to the garden, which is large but unwieldy, with a curved wall that creates an awkward space, the family feel their indoor space is too cramped and stops them from hosting friends and family. 

But the house’s connection to her father, as well as the fact it is the couple’s first family home, means they have a strong emotional attachment to it and want to make it ‘what Gemma’s dad would’ve intended’.

George Clarke became visibly emotional while listening to Gemma and Scott’s story during the first episode of his new series, Kitchen vs Garden

The architect wiped away tears after Gemma thanked him for creating a kitchen her late father would have been ‘over the moon’ for 

George tells the pair: ‘Hand on heart, I haven’t come across a project for a long time where I’ve realised that the kitchen and garden are absolutely vital to your life change.’ 

Working with garden designer Luke Millard to design a dream scheme for both the kitchen and the garden, George determines that the space would work better for the whole family if the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room came down.

The pair must design the spaces with the couple’s £90,000 budget in mind. George’s design takes up two-thirds of the budget, while Luke’s is on the high end of their limit.

As George shows Gemma and Scott his plans for their kitchen, it’s clear they are blown away.

‘I love it. I never expected it to be that good. I know you’re George Clarke, but I never expected it to be that good,’ Gemma said, making all three of them laugh.

‘You’ve surpassed yourself, give yourself a pat on the back,’ Scott added jokingly.

 But while watching the 3D rendering of what their kitchen might end up looking like, Gemma tears up – setting George off as well.

‘My dad would think that is so good. Thank you,’ Gemma says, clearly getting choked up at the thought of how their kitchen would be transformed.

Gemma and Scott reviewed George’s plans for their kitchen renovation, which moved Gemma to tears at the thought of what it could be

Gemma’s tears ‘set [George] off’ and he gave her a comforting hug after explaining what he wanted to change for them

George’s new Channel 4 series will see him visiting people’s houses to revamp either their kitchen or garden

The architect stars alongside garden designer Luke Millard to redesign and renovate the spaces according to their client’s taste and budget

Husband and wife Gemma (middle) and Scott (right) were very emotionally attached to their home, bought with inheritance money left to Gemma from her late father, but were frustrated by their kitchen and garden spaces

After the renovation, Gemma and Scott’s kitchen was unrecognisable, as knocking the wall between the kitchen and dining area down gave them loads more space

George created a new open plan space with hosting in mind, as Gemma and Scott said they wanted to be able to have friends over

Luke also created a new outdoor cooking area so the couple can enjoy hosting outdoors in the summer

The new outdoor patio also had a seated dining area and overlooked the rest of the garden, with Gemma’s new garden office at the far end

‘Don’t, you’re going to set me off. You have set me off. It’s only a kitchen!’ George replies and reaches out to give Gemma a hug.

‘Honestly, the plans blew me away but to see that, to visualise what could be coming and know what it means for us as a family… I never get emotional,’ Gemma continues.

‘People say, it’s a house, it’s just bricks and mortar, but it’s our home, it’s our family home and we’ve waited so long to be able to do this.’

George appears red-eyed and uses his T-shirt to cover his face when the camera pans to him, adding: ‘Don’t look at me, I’m hiding.’

The couple are also shown Luke’s design for the garden – which includes a huge water feature that complements their curved wall, a large seated area and a garden office for Gemma – but they eventually decide on renovating the kitchen.

However, they are able to use what’s left of the budget to cover a scaled-back redesign of the garden that includes an outdoor cooking area and a new version of the garden office.

Once the major kitchen renovation of knocking down the interior wall and relocating doorways is finished, George consults kitchen designer Lisa Palmer on paint colours for the cabinetry and walls, and the marble-effect countertops.

Meanwhile, the family decide to live on-site during the renovations, although this proves to be a ‘turbulent’ time for them as they battle dust and even less living space for several months.

The outdoor dining area will let the couple host many friends and family in the coming years

Meanwhile, Gemma, who works from home, is looking forward to enjoying her new garden office that will help her separate work from home

Luke incorporated a bold pink and green colour scheme to brighten up the space

The redesigned garden also has water features, something Luke wanted to incorporate on a bigger scale but had to scale down due to budget constraints

Gemma and Scott, pictured here with George, said they were ‘blown away’ by the transformation of their home

George Clarke said he hadn’t ‘come across a project for a long time where I’ve realised that the kitchen and garden are absolutely vital to your life change’

However, once the transformation is done, both kitchen and garden are unrecognisable and Gemma describes the renovation as ‘life-changing’.

The kitchen is now U-shaped to give them more counter space and a bigger cooking area, as well as plenty of storage and the ability to move around without constantly bumping into one another.

Knocking down the wall between the kitchen and dining rooms created an open plan area, giving them full access between the two spaces, which now leads seamlessly to the garden.

The garden is now fully equipped with an outdoor cooking area, including a barbecue and a seated dining area.

At the end of the garden is Gemma’s beautiful new office with a Western red cedar cladding that is weather-resistant and ‘should last decades’, and a bold pink and green colour scheme inside.

Reflecting on what it was like to live in their new kitchen and garden, Gemma said she and Scott were ‘blown away’.

‘My dad would be over the moon. I lost my dad at the most important time in my life, when Jake was coming, and if anything, he’d be like, ‘I’ve gone in order to give you this house,’ she said.

‘For us as a family, we don’t have to sell the house now, so thank you.’

George appears visibly moved by Gemma’s words and wipes away a tear as he says: ‘You’ve got me going now. I’m chuffed to bits for both of you.’

Once the kitchen and garden tours are finished, George, Luke, Gemma and Scott pop a bottle of champagne in their new outdoor space.

George welcomed the couple to their new kitchen and garden, adding: ‘If you don’t mind, can I just raise a little glass to your Dad? Cheers.’

‘To Dad,’ Gemma says quietly before taking a sip of champagne.

George Clarke’s Kitchen vs Garden airs at 8pm on Wednesdays on Channel 4.