Comment: St Albans is the star of a new property show and we’re so excited

These are two things we property lovers can’t get enough of: looking around other people’s homes and seeing places we know well on TV.

And now a show has come along that – for one week only – offers the opportunity to indulge both of these interests in one multi-purpose daytime TV package.

Yes, a selection of proud St Albans homeowners are vying for victory in new BBC1 series The Best House in Town. Their fate lies in the hands of five local judges, who are bussed from home to home to view a succession of sub-categories (terraces, semi-detached, and so on), offering their thoughts, then voting for their favourite. At the end of the week – Friday, February 22 – one winner will be announced.

What a great gig (albeit a bit of a dangerous one given they all live locally and work in property-related industries).

I’ve only seen one episode so far, and I loved it. The excitement levels I experienced when the busload of judges drove down my street were something else.

The judges, who include Cositas’ Emma Bustamante and Kuldip Chohan from Gallery Rouge, will also be familiar to some of you, which adds another layer of interest.

Trying to guess which roads the competing homes are on is great fun, and I’ve since visited Google Street View on more than one occasion to confirm my suspicions. I challenge you not to do the same (or maybe you’ve got better things to do with your time…).

Kudos is certainly due to the brave homeowners for opening their doors to the cameras and allowing their abodes to be critiqued in front of the nation.

Whether we agree with the judges’ decision remains to be seen, but I’d say that, by letting us in for a virtual viewing, they’re all winners.