Destroyed homes, troll hell and ‘toxic’ carpenter IMPRISONED for fraud… DIY SOS scandals after Nick Knowles’ ‘Munter’ mockery

IT’S an uplifting home makeover show where families build their dream home, but it’s also not without its share of controversies.

The BBC show has been hit with explosive complaints and scandals over the years, with the latest involving presenter Nick Knowles.

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The 33-year-old charity worker claims the Strictly star said North East women were “munters” and looked at her breasts while filming DIY SOS.

The young woman said that in 2018, Nick interviewed her for an episode of the show about renovating a house for a family with a disabled child.

He claims he came home late after drinking the night before and then drove into the van.

Nick was said to be hungover, looking worse for wear and smelling of stale alcohol and cigarettes after partying at North Shields Fish Quay.

When the then-26-year-old dropped the microphone down her blouse, the star allegedly said, “I wish it was a camera.”

Recalling his big night out, he claims he called the North Shields women “munters” and said she was the “first good-looking woman he had seen” while in the North East.

The mother of one said: “I was embarrassed. He humiliated me in a very personal way in front of the entire crew. It was offensive. He was in his late fifties. He behaved inappropriately and I felt humiliated.

“I was looking forward to meeting him and he ruined the whole experience for me.”

Over 32 series since 1999, Nick and the family’s favorite show have made a huge difference to the lives of countless ordinary Britons.

But there were some strange hammer blows along the way, as we reveal…

“30,000 worth of damage. pounds”

Last year, a family claimed that the DIY SOS team had destroyed their home and begged the BBC not to broadcast the episode. It was skipped when it aired in June 2022.

Peter Chapman said the Beeb ignored his request not to televise their renovation after the repair team turned their lives into hell, leaving them wanting to leave the UK.

The full-time carer of wife Sarah, daughter Suzanne and autistic brother Steve was embroiled in a bitter row over allegations that DIY SOS carried out an error-riddled renovation project at their bungalow in February 2020.

Peter sought compensation from the broadcasters, claiming that the show’s traffickers caused £30,000 worth of damage to a house at Charlton Kings, Cheltenham.

Initially, the refurbishment seemed to go well, but according to Peter, problems began to arise shortly after they were re-introduced.

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He added that mistakes made by Nick Knowles and his crew included handrails on the wall in the toilet for Sarah and Suzanne, who are in wheelchairs, which slipped down on the first day.

Other problems included a leaky roof that allowed buckets to collect water, cracks in the patio deck that made Sarah’s wheelchair unsafe to use, and a ramp that was too steep for her wheelchair – problems he believed could have been fatal.

He also blamed the program for installing a driveway that sagged and had to be re-installed, cracks in some of the bungalow’s walls, a lack of insulation in two ceilings, and installing a slippery, hard floor in the living room when he wanted to keep the carpet.

Peter claimed he rejected the BBC’s offer of £15,000, saying it would not come close to covering the cost of repairs.

“Left Staring at the Wall”

Another family unhappy with the home’s transformation was disabled father Stuart Philp and his blind, elderly mother Lyn.

The father and son from Torquay dreamed of adding an extension to the back of their house, which would mean Lin could give up her apartment and live with them, plus they would have a view of the Moors.

However, because the local government refused to grant the DIY SOS team a building permit at the last minute, Stuart was forced to stare at a blank wall all day instead of at the window.

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Meanwhile, after moving in with her family, Lin was allegedly left with a room so small she couldn’t even fit a chair in it, and Stuart’s daughter Lauren’s bedroom was also smaller than before.

Stuart told Devon Live: “Mum was much happier where she was before. She had friends and more space.

Another mistake was that Lin’s room was painted a light pink color, even though she stated before decorating that she didn’t like the color.

However, she didn’t know the room was pink until someone told her because she was blind.

‘Toxic’ carpenter sentenced to prison

In July 2020, DIY SOS carpenter Ian Lewis McCormack was jailed for two and a half years after running a “toxic” furniture fraud empire on Facebook that defrauded people of £200,000.

In July 2016, McCormack and Steven Watson staged a “business car crash” by advertising furniture on Facebook Marketplace at bargain prices.

As orders poured in, the two men struggled to keep up with the demand for furniture, but they still accepted deposits for sofas that were either never delivered or left in an unsafe location.

When customers asked for a refund, McCormack often became aggressive and once even left a disabled child without a bed, despite his “charity work” volunteering as a carpenter with DIY SOS.

McCormack continued to ignore complaints and even ignored a cease and desist letter from the police, which led to his conviction.

During McCormack’s sentencing, Judge Tremberg condemned his and Watson’s “shoddy” business model.

He told McCormack: “You have deceived your dissatisfied customers with excuses, lies and sometimes nasty communication.

“You continued to accept money from new customers. You even started doing business under a different name when public opinion about your company became toxic.

“Each of you was a director and each of you acted in breach of trust. You have gained a huge number of victims along with indirect victims in the form of responsible competition.

“It was a simple and chaotic exercise.”

A strange trolling saga

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Colin and Jackie Hutchison appeared on DIY SOS in 2022 along with their then 19-year-old son Jordan, who suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

It was supposed to be an uplifting moment for the family as they renovated the house to accommodate their son’s needs.

But when it finally aired, two and a half years after it was recorded, the pair were trolled online.

The couple even left social media and changed their phone number due to strange false rumors circulating on the internet.

Jackie told the Birmingham Mail: “There was a rumor that we had sold our house and moved to Dubai.

“I’m just grateful that this movie is being released and people can see that we still love every second of our lives in our home and we will never, ever sell it.”

Advertising storm

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Nick found himself in a difficult situation in 2021 after breaking BBC rules by filming a Shreddies advert.

Beeb bosses were upset that the TV star used his DIY SOS profile to play a builder in a cereal ad and he was dropped from the special, replaced by Rhod Gilbert.

At the time, Nick was said to have been “completely concerned” over fears he was at risk of being made redundant.

However, in May 2022, he assured fans that he would return to their screens.

Speaking on This Morning, Nick said of his absence: ‘It was a bit strange but I knew it was only one show.

“It was basically a misunderstanding – we cleared everything up – but it meant I couldn’t do that one show.”