20 years and counting: The Block executive producer Julian Cress on the show that hooked the nation

It was, without question, a true lightbulb moment for TV creatives Julian Cress and David Barbour. And it was a concept that also made perfect sense to the nation, as the pair’s vision was brought to life on our screens.

In June 2003, Cress and Barbour’s new reality TV series The Block made its premiere in Australian households. Featuring four couples competing against each other to renovate a derelict Bondi apartment block – and then sell their apartments at auction for the highest price – The Block Season One was hosted by Jamie Durie and immediately engaged the viewing public.

“At that time, it was the birth of reality television as we know it now,” says Cress, who is still the show’s executive producer.

“There were only two other [reality] shows on air then – Big Brother and Survivor. David and I were fascinated by those shows, but when we looked at Big Brother, it was a whole lot of people sitting around in a renovated house wondering what to do with themselves. We thought, ‘Maybe it would be more interesting if they were in an unrenovated house – and they had to fix it up and sell it.’ That’s where the idea came from.”

The rest, as they say, is television history. Now in its 19th season, The Block is not only our most popular renovation series but one of our most successful TV exports.

“The show we make in Australia now airs in 170 territories around the world,” Cress says. “The Block is also being produced in 15 different countries in a variety of languages.

“Over the past 18 [Australian] series, we’ve sold $189 million worth of property.”

That’s not to say that Cress ever imagined that his and Barbour’s brainchild would become the juggernaut it is today. In fact, he says, the show was axed after its second season, only to be revived in 2010 with current host Scott Cam taking the reins.

“We thought that was the end of The Block when it was cancelled,” Cress says. “But real estate has always been a national conversation. And The Block is very aspirational.”

In 2011, The Block filmed its first series in Victoria.

“The ratings for the program had always been the strongest in Melbourne,” Cress says. “We thought we’d come down and make the show here just for a season, as a thank-you to the Melbourne viewers. But it proved to be such a success and we got such a warm welcome from the neighbours here that we’ve never left, although we did go back to Sydney for one season in 2012 for our first All-Stars.”

Could The Block one day say farewell to Victoria and put down more lasting roots in another state?

“Absolutely,” Cress says. “We look all over Australia. It’s a moveable feast.

“It’s always as hard to cast the location as it is to cast the couples. But somehow we manage to do it every year.”

As for the most rewarding and the most challenging seasons, to Cress they were one and the same.

“The Gisborne series last year was probably the most rewarding for me, because I’ve never gotten to play in a sandpit quite that large in my career before,” he says. “But it would also be the one season that none of the people on my crew would ever want to do again.

“It was the hardest show to make because we encountered the worst winter since World War II, but the outcome was outstanding. I don’t know how many shows in Australia have given away $1.7 million in the finale to one team, but it wouldn’t be too many!”

Indeed, the emotional rollercoaster that is The Block auction day never gets easier for the show’s cast or crew. And for none more so than those at its helm.

“Scott Cam and I are always so nervous for the contestants because we want to see them rewarded for all their hard work,” Cress says. “We’ve only known them for 12 weeks, but we’re so invested in their success that we’re almost physically sick with nerves for them on auction day.”

“This year’s auction day will be as challenging as any with all of these interest rate rises over the past 18 months, so we’re going to be absolutely terrified once again!

“But I’m really excited about this current series, with some of the most memorable drama I’ve seen as a producer. It’s just an intense competition.”

Certainly, for Cress, there is much to look forward to and reflect on as the series he and Barbour created 20 years ago continues to make a compelling mark.

“The legacy of The Block is not just the TV show we make, it’s the homes that we leave behind,” he muses. “We’ve renovated motels, old movie theatres and houses all over. That makes me very proud.”