The Big Interiors Battle with AJ Odudu will see designers compete to win apartment in Sheffield's Eyewitness Works development

The contestants’ work will be judged by Dara Huang, an American architect and entrepreneur who says the designers “need to employ genuinely innovative design hacks to create something original and impressive”.

Each week, hopefuls will return to their apartments and use an electronic key card to learn their fate. If the light on their door goes green, they will remain in the running for another week, but if it turns red, they have been locked out of the residence – and competition – for good.

“I’m so excited to be involved in a series that has the potential to genuinely change the winner’s life,” says Blackburn-born presenter, Odudu, 35. "And as a major interiors obsessive myself, I’ll definitely be on the lookout to hopefully pick up some nifty DIY tricks.”

The eight-episode show is based in Capital and Centric’s Eyewitness Works development in Sheffield’s Devonshire Quarter. The Grade-II Listed cutlery works were first built in 1852 by Taylor’s Eyewitness, and skilled craftsmen produced pocket knives, scissors and kitchen knives there until 2018.

The site is now being transformed into a new community with apartments, duplexes and townhouses – and Capital and Centric cofounder Adam Higgins says it will be interesting to see how the designers put their creative spin on the historic space.

Packed full of original features, it is the “perfect setting to let designers loose to deliver dream spaces that match their personalities”, he adds.

Eight designers will be competing for the prize. They all stood out for different reasons,” AJ says. “There’s a guy called Jordan who lives with his mum and he’s just an ambitious young guy. He reminds me of the boys that I grew up with in Blackburn – gaming and going out and just having a good time.

"There’s a woman who lives with her partner in Devon, who has just recently had a career change and has never owned a property of her own.

"Then there’s Patricia, who is Polish and has never lived away from home. She is designing a space that is literally all a part of her imagination, while she’s daydreaming at home.

"Then there’s Tara, who is a single mum with two kids who is renting. There’s something that is relatable about each and every character on the show.”

“I feel like every single one of them has something unique to offer,” she continues. “Jordan just loves LED lights and I’d be like, ‘It’s not really for me,’ but you’d walk into his room, and you’d go, ‘Do you know what, I love it.’

"And I think that’s what a home is all about, no matter your individual style, you want to walk into someone’s home, and it feel like them.

"There’s something for everyone [in this show], whether you like a stripped-back limewash look with plants or lots of bold prints in graphics designs.

"It’s really cool. I loved stealing ideas and tips from each one of the contestants. It’s really fun to watch the place take shape."

For AJ, seeing the kitchens and living rooms come to life was the highlight. “What you really do in those spaces is so different for each person; you can really see the people who never cook in comparison to the people who do.

"And I loved the living rooms, just because that’s the place that I spend the most time in my home. I love watching the telly and I love having people round.”

Dara Huang, whose clients range from billionaires to the world’s most famous brands, is judging the creations.

And by her own admission, she’ll be holding the contestants to an “extremely high standard”.

“I would describe Dara as a woman with impeccable taste,” AJ says. “It’s really hard to impress her, but I’d certainly say that she is firm but fair. She always offers constructive criticism, but she likes what she likes.

"The wonderful thing about her is because she’s so experienced, she’s not walking into a room and judging it based on the style that she would like, or that she would do.

"She can see the beauty within literally every single interior style, or design, which is really fun and fascinating. The point is that they’re designing their dream spaces in order to win the dream home.”

Each week, the contestants walk to their fate, finding out whether or not they’re eliminated in the corridor of the building.

"They are trembling, bless them. I think that’s when it hits them, because as soon as they put down the paintbrushes and the tools, they’re like, ‘I’ve got a good chance.’ And then they walk around each other’s apartments and go, ‘Oh gosh, that’s really beautiful, too.’

"It’s interesting to see what they’ve done to a very similar space. So yeah, it’s scary, they’re waiting such a long time to see whether those lights turn green for them to enter or red for them to leave.

"There’s a lot of tears and tension, as you can imagine. I’m just so glad that I didn’t have to break the news to them, that it was just left to the door.”

The Great Interiors Battle starts on Channel 4 on Friday, April 21.