Grand Designs Episode Ratings Heatmap
1999 · 27 Seasons · 259 Episodes · Overall Score: 7.6/10 (77 rated)
Season 12 holds the highest collective average score across the series.
Season 12 Details →Lowest score variance (σ = 0.45), maintaining an average of 7.3.
Season 14 finale: "Revisited – Tiverton: Crooked Chocolate Box Cottage"
Episode Recap →Complete Episode Rating Matrix
Interactive score chart by season and episode number. Darker green indicates higher ratings; amber and red denote lower reception.
| Episode | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6 | Season 7 | Season 8 | Season 9 | Season 10 | Season 11 | Season 12 | Season 13 | Season 14 | Season 15 | Season 16 | Season 17 | Season 18 | Season 19 | Season 20 | Season 21 | Season 22 | Season 23 | Season 24 | Season 25 | Season 26 | Season 27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ep 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | – | 7.0 |
| Ep 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | – | 8.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | – | – | – | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 |
| Ep 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | 8.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | – | – | – | 8.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | – | 7.0 |
| Ep 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | 9.0 | 10.0 | 6.0 | – | 8.0 | – | – | 8.0 | – | 7.0 | – | 8.0 |
| Ep 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | – | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | – | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | 7.0 |
| Ep 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.0 | 8.0 | – | – | 8.0 | – | 8.0 | – | – | – | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | – | 8.0 | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | 8.0 | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | – | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | – | – | – | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.0 | – | – | 6.0 | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 19 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Season Avg | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.1 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 5.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.4 | 7.8 | 8.0 | – | – | 7.6 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 8.0 | 7.3 |
Ratings Analysis & Trajectory
Across 27 seasons and 259 episodes, Grand Designs has earned an overall series rating of 7.6 out of 10. The series reached its critical peak early, showing a slight contraction in audience satisfaction in later chapters.
The single highest-rated hour of television in the series is Season 12, Episode 1 ("Cloontykilla Castle, Ireland"), rated at an extraordinary 10.0/10 with 1 ratings. Conversely, the lowest-rated installment is Season 15, Episode 1 ("Living in the City"), landing at 5.0/10.
The most precipitous single-episode shift occurred in Season 17 between Episode 4 ("Essex: Black House", 10) and Episode 5 ("Bolton: Ultra-Modern House", 7), a swing of 3 points.
Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes of Grand Designs
| Rank | Episode | Title | Score | Votes | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Season 12, Ep 1 | Cloontykilla Castle, Ireland | 10.0 | 1 | Sep 12, 2012 |
| #2 | Season 17, Ep 4 | Essex: Black House | 10.0 | 1 | Oct 12, 2016 |
| #3 | Season 13, Ep 1 | South Yorkshire: The 1920s Cinema | 9.0 | 2 | Sep 4, 2013 |
| #4 | Season 12, Ep 5 | The Derelict Water Tower | 9.0 | 1 | Oct 17, 2012 |
| #5 | Season 13, Ep 8 | East Devon: Cob Castle | 9.0 | 1 | Oct 23, 2013 |
| #6 | Season 14, Ep 7 | River Thames: Floating House | 9.0 | 1 | Oct 15, 2014 |
| #7 | Season 16, Ep 4 | Worcestershire: The Cave House | 9.0 | 1 | Sep 30, 2015 |
| #8 | Season 19, Ep 5 | Sheffield | 9.0 | 1 | Oct 17, 2018 |
| #9 | Season 16, Ep 3 | Isle of Wight: The Seaside House | 8.5 | 2 | Sep 23, 2015 |
| #10 | Season 14, Ep 1 | North Wales: The Clifftop House | 8.0 | 2 | Sep 3, 2014 |