'End of an era': Nick Knowles says the BBC told him DIY SOS will never return in its current form

Nick Knowles, 64, who has hosted DIY SOS since 1999, broke down on Instagram after the BBC confirmed the show will not return in its full-scale format, where it builds entire houses and hospices for families in need. He warned that a scaled-back version is impossible, saying of the 26,000 volunteers who have taken part: "You can't do that smaller. It is what it is." The final episode, 'A Home for Nathan', aired Tuesday night, helping an 11-year-old boy who suffers up to 200 seizures a day.

Viewers flooded X demanding the BBC "reconsider", with fans calling it "the last show that should be rested" given the volume of "soulless nonsense" on TV.

Knowles said he thought he "would be OK" if the show ended, but found the reality "a little bit emotional" after 27 years on air.

The BBC shelved the show on budget grounds, telling Knowles any future version would be "smaller and more cost-effective."