Colin Lewis McAllister and Justin Patrick Ryan are Scottish interior decorators and television presenters, also known as Colin and Justin.[1][2]
McAllister and Ryan have been partners in both life and working since 1985, becoming civil partners in 2008.[3][4]
They have lived and maintained media careers in both the United Kingdom and Canada,[5] with frequent television home renovation formats and guest appearances during their career.[6]
They have widely been credited with boosting the popularity of laminate flooring in British households.[7][8]
Media career
2003–2005
One of Colin and Justin's earliest TV projects was the Million Pound Property Experiment which originally aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom in 2003.[9] The show followed Colin and Justin as they renovated and resold properties, starting with £100,000 and aiming for a final sale of £1 million. Over two years they bought, renovated, and sold seven properties, with their final property selling for £1.25 million. Their final profit of nearly £300,000 was donated to BBC's Children in Need Appeal.
Colin and Justin's home renovation shows on BBC One continued with Trading Up, and its overseas spin-off Trading Up in the Sun[10], along with regular appearances on daytime show Housecall. During this time the duo began working with the United Kingdom's Channel 5 on shows including countdown show Twenty Ways to Make Money on Your Property, How Not to Decorate,[11] and Three Celebs and a Baby where they attempted to raise a £150,000 animatronic 'baby' with model Caprice.[12][13]
2006–2009
Colin and Justin took over presenting duties on the second series of Channel 5 celebrity reality show The Farm[14]. They continued working with the channel as wedding planners in Colin & Justin's Wedding Belles,[15] and transformed a Glasgow council estate in Colin and Justin on the Estate.[16]
Colin and Justin's Canadian TV projects began with Colin and Justin's Home Heist which was a similar vein to their earlier United Kingdom show How Not To Decorate.[17]
2010–2012
In February 2010, Colin and Justin appeared in TV Series Celebrity Coach Trip.[18] From January 2011, Colin and Justin, amongst others, took over as presenters/decorators of 60 Minute Makeover on ITV1 and fronted 24 episodes, following the departure of previous host Terri Dwyer.
2014-
The duo's Canadian TV appearances increased with Colin and Justin's Cabin Pressure debuting in 2014 on Cottage Life and OutTV, regular appearances on CityLine, and as red carpet correspondents for the Toronto International Film Festival on CityTV News.
Colin and Justin took on the role of judges in shows such as Canada's Game of Homes, Australia's The Block and Reno Rumble.
They also continued to host their own home renovation formats and challenges, such as Great Canadian Cottages in 2018, Colin and Justin's Great Escapes in 2020 and Colin and Justin's Hotel Hell in 2022.
Filmography
Television
| Year | Work | Role | Channel | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Million Pound Property Experiment | Hosts | BBC Two | United Kingdom | |
| Twenty Ways to Make Money on Your Property | Channel 5 | ||||
| 2004 | Trading Up[10] | ||||
| Trading Up in the Sun[10] | |||||
| Housecall | Experts | BBC One | |||
| Housecall in the Country | |||||
| 2004–2006 | How Not to Decorate | Hosts | Channel 5 | ||
| Three Celebs and a Baby | Participants | ||||
| 2005 | The Farm | Hosts | Channel 5 | Series 2 | |
| 2006 | Colin & Justin's Wedding Belles | ||||
| 2007 | Colin and Justin on the Estate[19] | ||||
| Colin and Justin's Home Show[20] | UKTV Style | ||||
| 2008-2009 | Hogmanay Stories | STV | |||
| 2009 | Colin and Justin's Home Heist | HGTV | Canada | Series 2 | |
| I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! | Contestants | ITV1 | United Kingdom | Series 9 | |
| Ant and Dec Christmas Special | Ugly Sisters | Panto Sketch | |||
| 2010 | Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Take Away | Guests | 2 appearances | ||
| Loose Women | Multiple appearances | ||||
| Celebrity Coach Trip[18] | Contestants | Channel 4 | Series 1 | ||
| The Hour | Guests | STV | Multiple appearances | ||
| CityLine | Citytv | Canada | |||
| Breakfast Television | |||||
| 2011 | 60 Minute Makeover | Presenters | ITV1 | United Kingdom | 24 episodes |
| Celebrity MasterChef | Contestants | BBC One | Series 6 | ||
| City TV News | Red Carpet Correspondents | Citytv | Canada | Annually for Toronto International Film Festival | |
| 2012 | The Real Hustle | Guests | BBC Three | United Kingdom | |
| 2014 | Colin and Justin's Cabin Pressure[21] | Presenters | Cottage LifeOutTV | Canada | 3 Seasons |
| CityLine | Experts | Citytv | |||
| 2015–2016 | Game of Homes | Judges | W Network | Guest Judges Season 1
Full-time Judges Season 2 | |
| 2015 | The Block | Guest Judges | Channel Nine | Australia | Season 11 |
| The Living Room | Guest Hosts | Channel Ten | 1 episode | ||
| 2016 | Reno Rumble | Judges | Channel Nine | Season 2 | |
| 2018 | Great Canadian Cottages | Presenters | Cottage Life | Canada | |
| 2020 | Colin and Justin's Great Escapes | BBC Scotland | United Kingdom | ||
| Canada's Drag Race | Guests | Crave | Canada
United Kingdom |
Snatch Game contestants Season 1 | |
| 2022 | Colin and Justin's Hotel Hell[22] | Presenters | Channel 5 | United Kingdom |
Radio
| Year | Work | Role | Station | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Colin and Justin's Music Makeover | Presenters | BBC Radio Scotland | United Kingdom | |
| 2011 | Colin & Justin's Sunday Show | Real Radio | 13-week run during the summer of 2011 |
Books
Escapology - Modern Cabins, Cottages and Retreats - published by Figure 1 in Canada is a Globe and Mail best seller and has remained in the Amazon top ten (in various categories) since it published in November 2020. Profiled by The New York Post and Forbes, it remains in print across the world.
The Million Pound Property Experiment – published by BBC World Wide in 2004, which went on to win the People's Choice Lifestyle Book of the Year with WH Smith.
How Not To Decorate – accompanied the successful TV show of the same name. Published by Time Warner, 2006.
Colin and Justin's Home Heist Style Guide – How To Create The Perfect Home – this book accompanies the series 'Colin and Justin's Home Heist', released 1 October 2008. Published by Penguin, Canadian Publications.
Magazine Columns – drawing on their journalistic background, the decorators for ten years wrote a weekly column in The Sunday Mail (Scotland)
References
- ^ updated, Rebecca Knight last (18 August 2019). "Whatever happened to Noughties interior sensations Colin and Justin?". Ideal Home. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "Designers Colin and Justin get personal with second season of Cabin Pressure". calgaryherald. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ Writer, PinkNews Staff (11 January 2007). "Colin and Justin set a date for civil ceremony". PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
- ^ Dailyrecord.co.uk (15 April 2008). "Scots TV pair Colin and Justin get married after 22 years". Daily Record. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
- ^ Neil Sharma, "Year-round cottaging is here to stay: Colin and Justin". Canadian Real Estate, March 19, 2021.
- ^ Moir, Jan (23 December 2003). "'We are the lovely boys from TV'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 28 May 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
- ^ 'How We Met: Justin Ryan & Colin McAllister', The Independent on Sunday, 12 December 2004.
- ^ Glen, Louise (7 December 2023). "'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here' favourites Colin and Justin give top marks to Oban's No17 hotel". Press and Journal. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "BBC Two", Wikipedia, 4 February 2025, retrieved 19 February 2025
- ^ a b c "Trading Up in the Sun—What Was Pebble Mill?". www.pebblemill.org. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "Knowing me, knowing you: Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Mary (10 June 2022). "Fast & Curious: Short Takes on Random Things". The Cape Breton Spectator. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ Regine (10 January 2005). "Couple got emotional when having to give back their baby robot". We Make Money Not Art. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "Design duo to front Five's Farm". 1 March 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "Love is in the air with Colin and Justin". Manchester Evening News. 17 April 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "Colin and Justin On The Estate, Channel 4". Lancashire Telegraph. 2 February 2007. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "Colin and Justin battle the beige". www.diyweek.net. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ a b Dailyrecord.co.uk (20 September 2010). "TV home makeover duo Colin and Justin to join Celebrity Coach Trip". Daily Record. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
- ^ "Colin And Justin On The Estate". TV Time. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
- ^ Media, Bionic. "Colin and Justin's Home Show". www.ricochet.co.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "Colin and Justin back on TV with Cabin Pressure on Cottage Life". Toronto Star, March 18, 2014.
- ^ "Colin & Justin's Hotel Nightmare | Preview (Channel 5)". 12 September 2022.