Titans of London’s super-prime property scene have revealed their verdict on Buying London exclusively to Spear’s, after being invited to take part in the headline-making Netflix series.
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The show has already been subject to criticism – the Guardian gave it a zero-star review – and has divided opinion among Daggers’ property industry peers. But star Daniel Daggers says the seven-part programme, which offers a blend of ‘through-the keyhole’ property tours and romping reality TV drama, has led to a ‘huge’ deluge of enquiries for his firm, DDRE Global.
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Property developer John Caudwell, who showcases his flagship 1 Mayfair development on the show, says he signed up believing it was a ‘one-off programme’. ‘While it offered a good opportunity to talk about 1 Mayfair, it was not quite as it had initially been presented to me,’ he tells Spear’s. ‘That said, participating in the show has offered some benefits.’
Spear’s property index stalwart Gary Hersham, of Beauchamp Estates, appeared in an unaired episode of the show, on the understanding it was an informative documentary. He says: ‘I showed [the pilot episode] to my wife and son and daughter and daughter-in-law and son-in-law and they said, “You’re mad, don’t you dare do it.” So I didn’t.’
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Moreover, Hersham points out that aside from properties owned or being developed by telecoms magnate Caudwell, few prime central London homes were actually shown.
However, both agree that the programme is a resounding success for leading man Daggers, a Spear’s Top Recommended property adviser.
‘My respect for Danny has gone up, not down, because I think he’s managing the situation pretty well,’ says Caudwell. Hersham adds: ‘I think the show was beautifully filmed and Danny comes out of it very nicely. I think the rest of his team come out very poorly.’
For his part, Daggers says there has been a ‘huge’ response to Buying London with tangible benefits for his business. ‘We’ve got very comfortably over £270 million-worth of real estate that’s found its way to us for marketing and sale – let alone the lettings side of the business,’ he says. ‘We’ve got tons of people that want to join the business and our clients are extremely happy with the attention their properties are getting. Our website has been visited two million times in the past 10 days.’
Daggers and his business have also made up ground on their much more established rivals Knight Frank and Savills, according to analysis by marketing expert Simon Leadbetter. In the 12 months prior to the release of Buying London, the two industry giants received 96 per cent of all searches for the terms ‘Knight Frank’, ‘Savills’, ‘DDRE’ and ‘Daniel Daggers’, Leadbetter wrote on LinkedIn. But following the premier of the show, DDRE and Daniel Daggers’ share of that search activity had increased ninefold, from four percent to 36 per cent, leaving the industry mainstays sharing just 64 per cent between them.
Despite the show’s rating success, Hersham has no regrets about walking away. ‘None at all,’ he says. ‘I don’t want to be making a guest appearance in somebody else’s show. I didn’t want to be playing second fiddle to Danny Daggers.’
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To those who criticise the show for being light on the reality of real estate, Daggers declares: ‘I think if you’re watching the programme and hoping for a documentary, you’re not getting that it is an entertainment show. It says what it does on the tin and if you watch it for that reason, you’re going to be entertained.’
There’s even some good news for Daggers’ parents, who are seen in one episode exhorting him to settle down romantically. ‘I’ve met somebody, which is great,’ is all Daggers is prepared to say at this stage. As for his parents: ‘They’re very happy. Thank you. They’re proud of that boy, which is the best thing that a child can ever have. It’s not often articulated. So that’s something I’ll learn for one day when I have kids. But they’re proud of their little boy and that makes me proud to go out and continue doing what I do.’
With additional reporting by Aisha Alli
