Demolition (TV series)

Demolition is a 2005 television series from Channel 4, which can be seen as being the reverse of the BBC's 2003 series Restoration. The public were encouraged to vote for buildings which they want demolished and replaced, with 12 buildings making The Dirty Dozen.

The show was shown on four days, 17 to 20 December 2005, with the "Dirty Dozen" covered along with other buildings which did not make the final 12, two of which were actually demolished either during or for filming. The show on the 20th dealt almost entirely with Cumbernauld town centre. The show was presented and narrated by Kevin McCloud, with a Demolition Troubleshooter of Janet Street-Porter, and a team of architectural and heritage exports.

The show builds on the concept of X-listing buildings, a proposed status that would be the opposite of a listed building; that is, one formally recognised as unprotected, rather than legally protected from demolition. One of the dirty dozen is Grade II* listed. Many of these buildings are either famous within the UK, or the world.

The "Dirty Dozen"

Lodge' supermarket

1. Cumbernauld town centre (in its entirety)
2. IMAX cinema, Bournemouth (now demolished) ^[1]
3. Northampton Greyfriars bus station (now demolished) ^{[2] [3]}
4. Crown House, Kidderminster
5. Park Hill, Sheffield (a listed building, planned for renovation)
6. Rugby cement works (The only industrial building nominated)
7. Trinity Centre Multi-Storey Car Park, Gateshead (featured in the film Get Carter, demolished)
8. The Scottish Parliament Building
9. The Colliers Wood Tower
10. Lodge's Supermarket, Holmfirth (was derelict, but has undergone major modernisation works and is now reopen)
11. Number One, Westminster Bridge (now demolished and a new "aparthotel" is being built in its place)
12. Westgate House, Newcastle upon Tyne (derelict, and now demolished)

Aftermath

Since the broadcasting of the TV series, a third of the buildings featured in the show have either been demolished or in the case of Lodge's Supermarket, completely renovated.

External links

• Demolition at Channel4.com
• Video nominations at Channel4.com (not all of which entered the "Dirty Dozen")