He’s the BBC’s hottest male property, the foundation stone behind the hugely popular DIY SOS and a true celebrity heart-throb to boot – despite the fact that he refuses to wear make up! Nick Knowles talks exclusively to at home.

Did you always want to work in TV?
Not at all. In fact, I worked in many jobs before I got into TV. I had spells as an actor, in computers and in the Ministry of Defence. But I always loved TV as a kid and watched it loads as a form of escapism on the estate where
I grew up.

What was your first media job?
I was a news reporter on a TV station in Australia – in a place called Wollongong, near Sydney. I suppose you could say I went from reporting local stuff to being a mainstream news anchor.

How did DIY SOS come about?
It was the year that Changing Rooms was a big hit on TV and home improvement was very sexy. Everyone was spending cash on their homes.

I think the world needed another DIY programme like a hole in the head. But I’d worked on many building sites around the world and I thought that if you could bring that humour to TV – in a sort of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet kind of way – we could have a new format that might just take off.

And I’m happy to say that it has! The show is the BBC’s most successful factual programme and has spent eight brilliant years at the top. It’s unscripted and has a huge cult following. It’s rude, funny and full of British Carry On type innuendo… So much fun to make, really.

What do you think are the key reasons for the show’s success?
Humour, hard work, honesty and alcohol – like any group of builders, the team likes a drink in the bar. Everyone on the show is just very down to earth and I think people relate to that.

What’s wrong with DIY SOS’s Billy?
He’s from a bygone era – really old school. He’s a throw back to when the Unions ran the country. He is actually a brilliant electrician, even though he has given us all electric shocks at various times. He is genuinely very funny.

Mission Africa was a great TV success. What was the inspiration for the programme?
I suppose you could say it was down to ex-SAS officer, Major Ken Hames. He was the expedition leader on the show and knew these dangerous frontier lands in Northern Kenya well from his time in the special forces. The Samburu people had helped him out in the past when things got tough for him – without going into detail – and he wanted to do something for them, put something back into their community in a very real way that would improve their lives.

Working side by side with the local people, our building trainees from the UK had just six weeks to build an eco-lodge, dig boreholes for water and help the local wildlife experts repopulate the area with animals. Needless to say, the team of rookie builders, electricians, plumbers and architects had no experience of surviving and working in the unforgiving African bush.

The goal was to get the build completed while satisfying the needs of the local Samburu tribal leaders, who needed water for their domestic stock, as well as the wildlife they have pledged to protect.

What were the highlights of making Mission Africa?
Practically all of it was amazing. Seeing these young people grow and develop. They were different people, in a way, when they got back. They were all stars and there were some amazing personalities amongst them – like Sheara Singh, a former rugby player from Bradford, Lorraine Deacon, a mum of two from Folkestone and Bhavna Solanki from Loughborough – but they were all great and very hardworking. Bringing fresh water to the local tribes and their livestock was immensely gratifying, as was helping to protect endangered species. The list of highlights is endless.

You badly damaged your shoulder on the show. How did it happen and how is it now?
I fainted and fell off a truck! At times it was 520C. You’re supposed to drink eight litres of water a day but I hadn’t drunk nearly enough. We had also just transported five giraffes to a new location, which was rewarding but traumatic for us – let alone them – and we were working 16 hour days to get everything done.

I shattered my shoulder, hurt my neck and skull and was unconscious. When I woke up Danny Kane, a former paratrooper, was standing over me giving me the ‘twitch test’ – that’s when you pull hairs out of the leg to see if there is nerve damage. I was finally airlifted back to the UK and, although I am pretty much better, I still have some pain and stiffness.

What wildlife did you see up close and personal?
Rhino, elephant, zebra, giraffe, hyenas, jackals – and loads of insects. There was a male lion outside my tent at night that used to literally part my
hair when he breathed through the canvas. We were told we were safe enough as long as we were inside! It was a buttock-clenching moment.

Are you into eco-friendly living and what ‘green’ stuff do you do?
I drive a hybrid car that is half electric and half fuel powered. I gave up my 4X4 Range Rover. My house is properly thermally insulated, which saves a load of energy. In my next house I’ll put in a ground-source heat pump that taps into the soil’s ability to trap heat at 10ºC about a metre down. In Nordic countries they use these systems and we can cut both our carbon emissions and our bills by following suit.

What are your fave hobbies?
Motorbiking – I have a Honda 600RR. I also love to read loads and, of course, rugby union is a passion.

Do you support a football team?
I do – Spurs. And it’s mainly because my older brother loves Arsenal and it’s therefore a great wind up to support Martin Jol’s men.

What are your top three holiday destinations?
Italy. New Zealand. And Devon.

Did you enjoy making Departure Lounge and do you enjoy travelling a lot?
I love travelling. I am a natural born gypsy and I’ve only spent six nights at home in the last six months. I’ve pretty much spent the last 18 years on the road. There is nothing better than meeting new people and seeing amazing new places.

Departure Lounge is over for now, as a TV series, but I loved making it as it’s all about seeing the world – and that’s got to be one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Where would you least like to go?
Jamaica. It has been resting on its laurels for far too long. I said so on TV and got into trouble. Even my Jamaican friends agree that standards have slipped badly. It’d be a much better idea to head to Harbour Island in the Bahamas.

What annoys you most about travelling abroad?
Homeland security in America. If you’re going to New Zealand, don’t go via the States – the waiting times and check-in procedures are madness.

What are your must-haves when you’re travelling?
My DVD player for those boring hours when you’re waiting in airports, a camera phone to send pictures to the kids, my Akubra hat from Australia that has been around the planet with me, a director who knows what they’re doing – if I’m working, of course – and, hidden in a sock, shoe or belt, US dollars that you never use, unless it’s an emergency. In some parts of the world, it’s amazing what you can get people to do for some American dollars when you find yourself in a spot of trouble.

Is there a lady in your life?
All I’ll say is that I’m dating but single.

Do you like being seen as a bit of a heart-throb?
Am I? It’s very nice of people to think so, but I won’t get carried away. It’s nice when people find you attractive. Perhaps it’s because I am a blokey-bloke – I smoke, I don’t wear TV make-up, I’m 6ft 2in and maybe all of that helps…

Do you have a secret celebrity crush at all?
I honestly don’t. I’m as likely to fall in love with a girl who serves me a bag of chips as I am a high profile celebrity. If I like someone I’ll try and arrange to meet her, but it doesn’t occur to me to ask what she does as a way of selecting a date.

By the way, I hate it when a TV personality says how they are in love like never before and have never had better sex. It’s so insulting to former partners. Also, if you don’t want to be snapped out and about, don’t go to The Ivy. Go out in Watford or Wrexham. I’ve been out loads and there’s rarely a photographer in sight.

What TV shows do you like?
I was obsessed with The West Wing and thought Green Wing was pretty funny. I love history programmes and sport – mainly rugby and athletics. I’m actually sponsoring one of the UK’s hottest young athletes – she’s called Jo Safe and I think she’ll be on everyone’s radar for a medal at the 2012 Olympics. I love to see someone fulfil his or her potential – no matter what walk of life they’re from and if I can help, I will.

What is your favourite restaurant in London?
Gordon Ramsay on Royal Hospital Road and The Embassy Club in Old Burlington Street in London – Gary Hollihead, the chef, is brilliant.

Where do you like to stay when you are in London?
I always stay at Home House.

Do you sing in the shower?
Yes, I do – but I’d prefer to have a bath.

Is it true you are a big fan of legendary rock group, AC/DC?
Sort of! I did see them when I was 15 at the Hammersmith Apollo! If you look in my car today you’ll find CDs by The Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, [Russian composer] Rachmaninoff and the soundtrack from Gladiator. Pretty diverse eh?

What is it like being a dad?
I have three kids and it’s the best job in the world. I love them heaps.

If you were the PM, what would you like to change?
I’d make all traffic wardens into policemen and I’d put real security cameras outside schools, instead of speed cameras that are just money-making machines.

I’d try to give inner city kids and kids from tough backgrounds more self-belief and opportunities. I’d tell them what they can do and not what they can’t. I’d make sure that children’s hospices are state funded and don’t rely on charitable funds.

And, anyone who puts himself or herself up for power should be excluded from running for office. If you are asked to serve then you won’t sell out your values or compromise to impress.

Did you ever think the show would still be running today?
We were surprised to get a second series and amazed to get a third! It got wackier as time went on and less and less like a proper DIY show. I honestly see these guys as family. We spend time together and meet for birthdays, christenings, weddings and a beer whenever we can. Like any family we argue, but then make up – usually! I think that closeness means people like to watch the show.

What is the TV programme, Saving Planet Earth, all about?
It’s really about pointing out all the endangered species on the planet – do we want to preserve them and their environments?

We are down, for example, to the last few hundred Ethiopian wolves, as man encroaches further into their habitats. However, the programme stresses that we can’t save animals at the expense of harming humans, so we have to get the balance right. My film is about the orangutans of Borneo and how the rainforests where they live are being destroyed to make palm oil, used in products from shampoo to cakes. We only have between six and eight years before they vanish – we are losing some 5,000 a year and there are only 30,000 left. The thing is, there is enough rainforest producing palm oil already – so now its up to us as consumers to put pressure on supermarkets to only sell ‘orangutan friendly’ palm oil products. We also need to raise money to build new orangutan orphanages, as they are hugely overcrowded as it is.

What is your next show, The Big Day, all about?
We get the families of the bride and groom to come together to plan the big day and set the couple free from all the stress, strain and decision-making.

The average UK wedding costs £18,000 and many just can’t afford that kind of money. But, if you focus on what the couple really wants – on who they are and their personalities – you can create an amazing wedding without having to spend a fortune.

It was very emotional and entertaining making the series. Yes, there is a degree of risk involved, but no one knows the couple better than their nearest and dearest. In almost every case, the whole thing was a tremendous success – and the families actually got to know one another instead of sitting down to dinner having never met.

We had one lady who really didn’t like her wedding dress but, true to my promise to make sure no bride would get married in a distressed state, with one hour to go, we fixed the problem! You’ll have to watch to see how.

One highlight for me was when we looked up all the members of a brass band that the groom used to play in as a young man and, as a surprise, got them to play at the wedding. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.