Channel 4 shines light on secret hoarders

8 June 2011

Channel 4 has commissioned Twenty Twenty, a Shed Media company, to make a brand new series about extreme hoarders who lead double lives behind the veneer of middle class respectability.

Totally Addicted to Junk (working title) will follow a group of surprising middle class hoarders - people with full-time jobs, young children, and active social lives - as they embark on a unique 10 week treatment programme with renowned CBT therapist Satwant Singh.

There are an estimated 600,000 hoarders in Britain and many of them lead double lives: they are secret hoarders whose friends would be shocked to discover how they really live. Behind their front doors lies a shocking reality of homes packed to the brim with accumulated bric-a-brac, and their lifestyles are pushing families to the brink.

The 4x60 series will follow the problem hoarders as they embark on group therapy, home treatments to re-programme the brain and one hell of a big house clean-up.

The series has been commissioned by Deputy Head of Factual Entertainment, Liam Humphreys, and Commissioning Editor, Tina Flinthoff.

Tina Flinthoff said: "The series will give viewers a unique insight into the way hoarders struggle to cope with their condition and how they are forced to lead double lives. Most of us have a tendency to hoard things so we hope people watching at home will be able to relate to some of the extraordinary stories featured."

Twenty Twenty Creative Director, Meredith Chambers, said: "Totally Addicted to Junk will be the first TV programme to showcase the true extent of hoarding in Britain. The series will focus on the vast majority of sufferers who go about their day-to-day lives with relative ease - young mums, middle class couples and professionals. To the outside world their lives are seemingly normal, but behind their front doors lies a shocking secret".

The series is set to air next year.