Big Design Adventure
Big Design Adventure

Big Design Adventure

Tim Ross & Kevin McCloud

Overview
Episodes

Details

Two mates, Tim Ross — comedian, broadcaster, and self-described design nerd — and Kevin McCloud — pundit, writer and celebrated host of Grand Designs — have teamed up for a new podcast: Tim and Kev’s Big Design Adventure.   In this audio escapade, the architectural enthusiasts embark on a rollicking (and occasionally shambolic) journey, sharing their love of design by visiting buildings that inspire them, meeting the people who create or inhabit them, and diving deep into the places that shape and spark their imaginations.

Recent Episodes

S2 Ep 10 - Alright Governor?
APR 7, 2026
S2 Ep 10 - Alright Governor?
What’s the most impressive thing you can do for an overseas visitor? Wrangle them an invite to the official residence of the Governor-General? That’s exactly what Tim managed to do for Kevin. In this very special episode, they take a tour of Admiralty House and sit down with the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC. The conversation is a relaxed one, a testament to Sam’s vision to modernise the role of the Governor-General and her desire to open the residence to as many Australians as possible. Which well-known Australian randomly turned up in the garden? This, and many other questions, are answered in a conversation full of optimism, a celebration of kindness, and the enduring warmth of the Australian spirit. To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventureAnd be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected] someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure. Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by Space Furniture (@spacefurniture), the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation).   Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloudGuest: Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Her Excellency theHonourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC (@gg_australia)Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.Executive Producer: Shelley KempAudio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk MediaMusic: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst) Please note this podcast is not currently available in the UK or Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
play-circle icon
54 MIN
S2 Ep 9 - Marsala House Iwan Iwanoff
MAR 31, 2026
S2 Ep 9 - Marsala House Iwan Iwanoff
Kevin on the dance floor? The ultimate 1970s party house is on the menu as Tim and Kev hit the Perth suburb of Dianella to visit one of the city’s most talked-about homes. Designed by Bulgarian-born architect Iwan Iwanoff in 1976, the Marsala House is a sculptural, concrete-block Brutalist wonderland that boasts a Saturday Night Fever-style dance floor. The current owner, Greg, flings open the doors to reveal the stories of this iconic house. Iwan Iwanoff (1919–1986) was a Bulgarian-born architect who trained in Munich before emigrating to Western Australia in 1950, where he worked with Krantz & Sheldon and later established his own practice in 1963. Known primarily for residential work, his early designs were influenced by post-war modernism, but from the mid-1960s he developed a distinctive, sculptural style using modelled concrete blockwork. Combining expressive forms with rational planning, his later houses - such as the Marsala and Tomich houses - read as bold works of architecture that verge on abstract sculpture. There’s a couple of great Iwanoff books:Perth born photographer Jack Lovel has documented many of his homes in this excellent publication – Catching Light – robinboyd.org.au/product/catching-light Warren Anderson definitive Iwanoff book is a must read – The Architecture of Iwan Iwanoff – crowbooks.com.au To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventureAnd be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected] someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure. Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by Space Furniture (@spacefurniture), the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation).   Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloudGuests: Greg Eastwood and Vespa EastwoodBig Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.Executive Producer: Shelley KempAudio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk MediaMusic: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst) Please note this podcast is not currently available in the UK or Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
play-circle icon
38 MIN
S2 Ep 8 - The Society Architect
MAR 24, 2026
S2 Ep 8 - The Society Architect
Enter stage left: Neil Clerehan, the Melbourne architect who helped bring modernism to the suburbs - and a handsome, charming raconteur who waltzed his way through Melbourne society. A talented writer, his wit found a regular home in newspapers for much of his life. In this very special conversation, Tim and Kevin head to the leafy inner-city suburb of South Yarra to sit down with Neil’s daughter, Esther. With inherited wit and razor-sharp precision, she shares the fantastical tales of his life with warmth, wonder and at times, good-natured, sheer disbelief. “In Australia, no one has continued to write in the popular press in the way that Clerehan has, where he has been able to recall - always with the brevity and wicked humour of Waugh or Wilde - the zenith and nadir of professional and popular tastes of successive generations.” Phillip Goad. To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventureAnd be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected] someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure. Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by Space Furniture (@spacefurniture), the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation).   Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloudGuest: Esther ClerehanBig Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.Executive Producer: Shelley KempAudio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk MediaMusic: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst) Please note this podcast is not currently available in the UK or Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
play-circle icon
43 MIN
S2 Ep 7 - Patty Hopkins
MAR 17, 2026
S2 Ep 7 - Patty Hopkins
What happens when two young architects build their own home with little money but plenty of ideas? Tim and Kev head to London’s Hampstead to visit Patty Hopkins, one of Britain’s most influentialarchitects and the co-founder of Hopkins Architects, the practice she started with her late husbandMichael in 1976. For this very special interview she opens the doors to the iconic glass and steel home the pair designed for themselves that same year. It remains one of the most compelling residential examples of High-Tech architecture, a style that celebrates technology by exposing structural elements like steel frames, ducts and services as part of the design. In 1994 Patty became only the third woman to receive the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture from theRoyal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and in this intimate conversation she shares the story of herradical house, the practice she built with Michael, and the quiet wisdom that comes from a life inarchitecture.  You can read more about the house here – hopkins.co.uk Here’s a great new book about High Tech British architecture: High Tech Britian – c20society.org.uk And the video Tim and Kevin talk about by Ned featuring Nick Grimshaw can be found via this link: Vimeo To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventureAnd be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected] someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure. Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by Space Furniture (@spacefurniture), the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation).   Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloudGuest: Patty Hopkins (@hopkinsarchitects)Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.Executive Producer: Shelley KempAudio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk MediaMusic: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst) Please note this podcast is not currently available in the UK or Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
play-circle icon
44 MIN
S2 Ep 6 - The Queenslander
MAR 10, 2026
S2 Ep 6 - The Queenslander
Tim and Kev head to Brisbane to meet architect John Ellway, who has quietly built a reputation fortransforming one of Australia’s most iconic house types - the Queenslander. Working almost entirely in his own neighbourhood, John carefully adapts these classic timber-and-tinhomes so they can handle contemporary living while still embracing the subtropical climate that shaped them. Recorded in his own inventive house, John is one of a number of local architects responsible for some of the most exciting Australian architecture of recent years. In a typically laid-back Brisbane manner, he unpacks the thinking behind his work and explains why relationships with clients are central to hispractice. Follow John Ellway on Instagram @jellway and more details on his website jellway.com Other Brisbane architects doing interesting work include:Vokes and Peters – vokesandpeters.comRussell & Co – russelwith.coOwen Architecture – owenarchitecture.com.au To view images from this episode, head to our Instagram page - @big_design_adventureAnd be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1)We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on [email protected] someone who would love this podcast? Please help us share this exciting new adventure. Big Design Adventure is proudly sponsored by Space Furniture (@spacefurniture), the Australian Institute of Architects (@institute_architects_aus) and is produced with the support of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (@alastairswaynfoundation).   Hosts: Tim Ross and Kevin McCloudGuest: John EllwayBig Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia.Executive Producer: Shelley KempAudio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk MediaMusic: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst) Please note this podcast is not currently available in the UK or Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
play-circle icon
39 MIN