Amanda Holden and Alan Carr's The Italian Job in major BBC shake-up

Alan Carr and his co-star Amanda Holden have seen their BBC series The Italian Job involved in a major shake-up as they swap Italy for a brand new European country

Amanda Holden and her TV pal Alan Carr will swap Italy for Spain this summer as they film the third run of their BBC house renovation series.

This time around the series, called The Italian Job for the previous projects based in Sicily and Tuscany, will be given the new name of Alan and Amanda’s Spanish Job. And the new challenge, in the province of Andalusia, will be their biggest yet as they hope to bring the tourists back by highlighting some unloved and forgotten areas around the Costa del Sol.

The pair will take on a rambling, run-down property as they continue with their quest to breathe new life into rural areas suffering from de-population. Again, the wreck of a house cost next to nothing, with all profits from the eventual sale going to the BBC’s charities Comic Relief and Children In Need.

As with the first two series, which proved a hit with viewers, the pair of unlikely renovators will add to their repertoire of DIY skills as they attempt to take charge. And when the work is done, they will also throw themselves into the Spanish way of life, travelling the breadth of Andalusia to explore the Sierra Nevada mountains, whitewashed coastal villages and historic Moorish towns.

Alan and Amanda will be swapping Italy for Spain (
Image:

BBC / Voltage TV / Christian Vermaak)

Viewers can expect them to sample the Spanish wines along the way, not to mention the Sangria, and also try out Flamenco dancing and Spanish-style karaoke. Alan, 47, said he was thrilled the BBC1 eight-part series had been given a third run. “It’s always exciting when a show you love gets recommissioned but the fact that we will be bringing our unique DIY expertise to a whole different country makes it even more special,” he told the Mirror. “We are saying ciao for now and Hola España! Can’t wait to grab our power tools and get our hard hats on and bring some much-needed TLC to a casa in Spain.”

Amanda, 53, added: “It’s wonderful how often I’m stopped in the street and told how much people love our show. Alan and I have the best time filming it and to have reached series three already is beyond the dreams of our lockdown pitch to the BBC! By day we love getting our hands dirty knocking down walls and lugging around power tools knowing we’ll be sipping on an ice-cold reward by night, forgetting the cameras are rolling. Bring on the Spanish sun, we can’t wait to get started and continue to help Comic Relief and Children In Need along the way.”