Buying London landed on Netflix last month, and to say it has received a mixed reaction is something of an understatement. While those who loved Selling Sunset enjoyed its ability to intertwine property escapism with the usual reality TV drama, many critics took issue with the fact that it showcases extortionately priced homes and eye-watering wealth during a housing and cost of living crisis. In a now-viral Guardian article, it was called ‘the most hateable TV show ever made’ and awarded zero stars, while other publications called it out for being ‘grotesque’, ‘awful’ and ‘tasteless’.
The Buying London agents themselves are worth a pretty penny, but none more so than property tycoon Daniel Daggers who heads up the luxury real estate company DDRE Global. He addressed the controversies surrounding the show during an interview on This Morning earlier this week, and defended it as ‘entertainment’ alongside two of his employees, Reme Urubusi and Rosi Walden.
When host Ben Shepherd awkwardly commented that the show had ‘brutal reviews’, Daniel joked: “Has it?”
Pressing further, Ben added: “Yep I think The Guardian gave it zero stars and called it the ‘most hated show you’ll ever watch’. I get these things are always going to divide whether people love it or hate it. How do you all cope with that sort of focus?”
In response, the businessman insisted that it wasn’t a ‘documentary’ and should be taken as entertainment, and redirected the question to highlight how it has boosted business. He replied: “I think if you go into watching a show like that with a level of expectation thinking it’s going to be a documentary and you’re going to see all the nitty, gritty in how we do things, you’re going into something you shouldn’t be watching. It’s an entertainment show, it’s meant to put a smile on peoples faces, and let you sit there and chill out for an hour… so I think you’ve got to go in knowing what you’re going to watch.”
He continued: “We’ve coped unbelievably well with it. We’re enjoying it. It’s creating loads of business opportunities for us.”
Reme added that the interest in the show has actually helped with her work, saying: “I think we’re coping well. I did a viewing yesterday at a house in Chelsea and I met the buyers who came to visit the house and they watched the show and they were really enthusiastic about it. I then went to value their house around the corner, all off the back of the familiarity they had off the show.”
Well, that’s that!