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Why The Block doesn’t renovate beyond Melbourne and Sydney

The Block's exec producer answers that nagging location question...

2014-06-19_2327If the rumours are true, The Block will soon begin work on its next premises in South Yarra.

The speculation follows the Nine reality show nearing completion on its ‘Glasshouse’ building in High Street, Prahran.

The 2015 series will bring the tally of Melbourne residences to 5, with another 4 located in Sydney -leaving many viewers to ponder: is there life outside of Melbourne and Sydney?

Executive Producer Justin Sturzaker declined to confirm overwhelming evidence of the South Yarra address.

“That’s what it says in the papers and on TV Tonight! I’m sure the network will come out with an official statement at some time,” he said.

But he was more forthcoming about what makes a good Block location, and whether the show would ever consider more northerly or westerly addresses.

“There are a lot of locations we’d love to look at.  It’s important with the investment we make in The Block that we feel we can sell those properties again quickly,” he told TV Tonight.

“If it’s a bluechip suburb anywhere in the country and the building is interesting, we’d love to go and take it to other places.

“The #1 priority from my perspective is the buildings that we have been renovating in the most recent series have become their own character within themselves.”

Since the show’s debut in 2003 it has undergone a number of changes, not just in hosts and its output, but also in the show’s own storytelling style.

“In the first series its was about the couples simply renovating against each other. Now they’re renovating something that’s quite spectacular, and Melbourne has a lot of those buildings and opportunities that present themselves –more than other parts of the country,”  Sturzaker explained.

“But we’d certainly be open to it. It would be great.”

The Block: Glasshouse will air on Nine later this year.

13 Responses

  1. This is why this show is boring and predictable same old same old .another melbourne block. Booooooring .tv is all about melbourne and sydney ratings thats why I stopped watching .

  2. This is a tiresome situation. 3 – 4 million people live in Sydney. 18 million don’t. Yet it gets shoved culturally down our throats at every turn. They (Nein) are just being tight arses and saving money by making everything within 200 yards of Willoughby – and with rules that allow this then it really is the government who need to look long and hard at our media laws. It’s time that a percentage of prime time (non news) programming be made to come from the city/location of the transmitter – works well in the UK… This is a protected industry – nobody is allowed to open a TV station in competition to these broadcasters. Time to impose some local production requirements before all our little cultural differences disappear completely.

  3. …’another 4 in Sydney’. Is that just the tally they’ve had in Sydney or do they know the places that they are going to do the next 5 seasons in?? 5 being the one in South Yarra after the glasshouse, then the other 4 in Sydney. Though its prob just the tally of ones in Sydney.

    I reckon Block will be on shortly, have seen a few promos for it. BB will be on later in the year as usual.

  4. Channel Nine always only seems to talk about places on the east coast, however this time they are missing Queensland. How many times do you see statistics on the news or current affair and once it gets past the big three states then all the other states and territories are ignored.

    As for the block it is not my cup of tea or is The Voice and Big Brother so basically Channel Nine isn’t watched in this household in Prime time much. I didn’t mind the bake off last year but due to low ratings I am sure it won’t be repeated.

  5. I’d like to see them renovate in a housing commission area like Mt Druitt. That would take them out thier shells. Would be worth watching instead of these high class boring suburbs.

  6. They’d also have to renegotiate a few commercial arrangements. E.g. I think they used Beaumont Tiles for the Block, but that relationship wouldn’t be able to continue if they did a series in Perth, because there’s no local presence for the contestants to use.

  7. I think in the early days of the block, then the apartments/houses were affordable it would have been ok in another City. but now that they’re looking for 2 mil for each one…. the only place there is a market for that is Melb.

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