Big Design Adventure

S2 Ep 1 - Brutiful Birmingham

We’re back with Series Two! Tim and Kevin head to Birmingham to explore a city defined by industry, reinvention and the homeof Peaky Blinders, Black Sabbath and ELO. Over tea and biscuits with journalist and campaigner Mary Keating, they examine the fight to save theSmallbrook Ringway Centre, one of Europe’s longest modernist buildings and a rare surviving example of Birmingham’s post-war ambition. In the decades following the Second World War, Birmingham was radically reshaped by modern planning and the rise of the car. New roads, new civic buildings and bold architectural experiments transformed the city, reflecting a belief that modern design could deliver progress, efficiency and optimism. Today, many of these - particularly brutalist - buildings are under threat, dismissed as outdated or expendable. The Ringway Centre sits at the heart of this debate, raising the question of whether a city’s confidence can determine which buildings survive. Follow Brutiful Birmingham (@brutifulbirmingham) and Birmingham Modernist (@birminghammodernist) on Instagram. 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 hello@bigdesignadventure.comKnow 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: Mary KeatingBig 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.

A Christmas Special

In the special festive episode, can you have a room just reserved for Christmas Day? What’s our hot take on the merits of tinsel, and we present our all time favourite Christmas movies and songs. The model makers who create wooden Christmas ornaments of buildings can be found on Instagram here: Atelier Maps or their Esty store here. For suggestions of places and stories for Series 2, shoot us an email to hello@bigdesignadventure.com - we will be back on 4 th February 2026! Tickets are now on sale for Kevin McCloud and Tim Ross – Live in Interesting Places –check out the details on our website – http://bigdesignadventure.com/ You can find pictures and videos on our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1) We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on hello@bigdesignadventure.com Know 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 McCloud Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia. Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media Video Production: Ned Williams Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst) Please note this podcast is not currently available in the UK or Ireland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1 Ep 15 - A Mini Episode

In this mini episode we’ve got huge news about the final show for the year and we answer our most asked question. For questions and suggestions for our Christmas episode, shoot us an email to hello@bigdesignadventure.com For suggestions of places and stories for Series 2, shoot us an email to hello@bigdesignadventure.com Tickets are now on sale for Kevin McCloud and Tim Ross – Live in Interesting Places –check out the details on our website – http://bigdesignadventure.com/ You can find pictures and videos on our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1) We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on hello@bigdesignadventure.com Know 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 McCloud Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia. Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media Video Production: Ned Williams Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst) Please note this podcast is not currently available in the UK or Ireland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1 Ep 14 - Experiments in Social Housing

Tim and Kev head to London to visit Highgate New Town, a 1970s social housing scheme designed by Hungarian-born architect Peter Tabori. Over a cup of tea with architect and long-time resident Rachel Stevenson, they uncover the secret behind the development’s enduring success. In the 1960s and ’70s, Camden became a testing ground for a new kind of socialhousing in London — one that valued community, good design, and human scale over high-rise efficiency. Under the leadership of visionary architects like Sydney Cook, the Camden Architects Department produced some of the most influential housing in postwar Britain, including schemes by Neave Brown, Benson and Forsyth, and Peter Tabori. Highgate New Town was one of these bold experiments, driven by the belief that public housing could be both socially progressive and architecturally ambitious. To view the full film – The White Flats - https://vimeo.com/917073596?share=copy To check out the book – Cook’s Camden – The Making of Modern Housing -https://isokongallery.org/products/cooks-camden-the-making-of-modern-housing To check out the book – Modernist Estates – The Buildings and People Who Live In Them - https://www.thenile.com.au/books/stefi-orazi/modernist-estates/9780711269262?srsltid=AfmBOoq45XQqD6qTV23sNHDZh6nTK0T6JnnCqKs0laLt5J43t6E1M89N Tickets are now on sale for Kevin McCloud and Tim Ross – Live in Interesting Places –check out the details on our website – http://bigdesignadventure.com/ You can find pictures and videos on our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1) We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on hello@bigdesignadventure.com Know 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 McCloud Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia. Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media Video Production: Ned Williams Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst) Please note this podcast is not currently available in the UK or Ireland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1 Ep 13 - Questions

In answering all your burning questions, Kevin reveals his one-sided feud with Jay Kay from Jamiroquai. There are a few mea culpas along the way as we tackle your criticisms and wonder if design can save us in a world without the communal joy of watching shows like Sale of the Century. Oh, and we’ve got a HUGE announcement to make! You can check out Kev on Top Gear’s You Tube channel here: https://youtu.be/vpLq6rGwzpY?si=a4FOeL6cWGhP8A3b Simon sent us some wonderful links including: The chairs of Doctor Who - https://pinkforyouractualpterodactyl.com/2021/06/20/the-chairs-of-doctor-who-1963-89/ The chairs of Blake 7 - https://watchingblakes7.wordpress.com/2019/06/18/the-chairs-of-blakes-7/ The furnishings of Space 1999 - https://catacombs.space1999.net/main/models/wrefmp.html You can find pictures and videos on our Instagram page - @big_design_adventure And be sure to follow Tim Ross (@modernister) and Kevin McCloud (@kevin.mccloud1) We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on hello@bigdesignadventure.com Know 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 McCloud Big Design Adventure is produced by Modernister Films on Wallumedegal land, Australia. Executive Producer: Shelley Kemp Audio Production: Madeline Joannou – Mylk Media Video Production: Ned Williams Music: Kit Warhurst (@kitwarhurst) Please note this podcast is not currently available in the UK or Ireland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.