TV home show makes charity cash

McAllister and Ryan say the project was "immeasurably stressful"

Surprise BBC hit series The Million Pound Property Experiment has made £267,679 for charity Children in Need.

The show, described by critics as "must-watch, car-crash-TV" and "camper than Butlins, cattier than Bagpuss" finished on Tuesday.

Presenters Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan started off by redeveloping a £100k house in Birmingham.

Three years and seven homes later their final property development in London went for £1.15m.

A lot of the time when I thought I was being confident, I was actually being really arrogant Justin Ryan

The episode on BBC Two last Wednesday which saw them hit the £1m mark was watched by 4.7m viewers.

The real-life couple have said they are glad they did the project, even though the stress of it left them in tears at times.

They admitted the project had put "almost immeasurable" stress on their relationship and their relationships with friends and family.

Ill-judged renovations

They struggled at the start of the series, when some ill-judged renovations led to properties staying on the market for months and making little money.

McAllister said the difficulties they experienced had made the programme the success it was.

"We'd had highs and lows throughout the experiment, but it just made it more realistic, the audience really came with us on that journey," he told BBC One's Breakfast.

"We made some mistakes in the experiment, and we'll hold our hands up and admit that - those mistakes are valuable for our viewers because it shows them what not to do."

One episode saw Ryan burst into tears after a deal to sell a house fell through, and he argued so much with property developer Nigel Leck that he left the project.

Ryan told to the Sunday Herald newspaper at the weekend he had learned a lot about himself by watching the programme back.

"A lot of the time when I thought I was being confident, I was actually being really arrogant," he said.

"I'm glad it's happened because it will keep me in check for future, I will become a better person."