Staffordshire influencer Scott DIY on TV’s Can’t Sell, Must Sell

A man from Staffordshire has said it was “nerve-wracking” being part of a TV programme despite having his own audience of more than 500,000 on social media.

Scott Baggaley from Clayton – known as Scott DIY on social media – started sharing his self-build house extension on social media three years ago.

He is starring in a new property series, Channel 4’s Can’t Sell, Must Sell, where the team attempts to fix problems in people’s houses.

The first episode was the channel’s most-watched programme on the day it aired, he said.

Mr Baggaley hoped it would get renewed for a second series.

He told BBC Radio Stoke he had no idea how he would come across on TV, unlike on his social media accounts where he has full control.

“I’ve just got to watch it for the first time with everyone else,” he said.

Having worked in marketing for more than a decade, he decided it would be fun to document his own home renovation on Instagram, and soon found there was an appetite for the content.

“A lot of people do building work and it’s all very interesting, but when somebody does a full house extension – without the knowledge, with a full-time job, a young family as well, and then sharing online – I think that story just hits for everyone.”

His story hit national newspapers, and he now regularly posts videos.

He added: “I think a lot of people idolise being an influencer and gaining loads of followers – but at the back end of it is there’s so much work.

“Once you’ve done the building work, and then you’ve done the content, and then you’ve posted it, there’s a million and one DMs, comments – not all nice – it can be tricky.”

He said people who worked in the construction industry did not always react positively to amateurs giving it a try, and that he sometimes found it difficult to keep his work and personal life separate.

He said it was a challenge to record videos without having his young son running across the background of his shots, but that he was grateful his family were supportive of his work.