Interior Design Masters series 4: Meet the contestants

Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr is back for a fourth series on BBC One with a new time slot of 8pm. Alan, joined by interiors guru and head judge, Michelle Ogundehin, will be putting the contestants through their paces, with 10 new designers all looking for their big break in the fast-paced world of commercial interior design.

Last year's series was won by Banjo Beale, who had impressed the judges week in, week out with his creative flair. But what can we expect from series four? 'Always surprises,' says Michelle. 'There's always madness over ambition, things that you think are never going to work but they pull it off. There's a fantastic cast of contestants – they're really wonderful.'

With 10 aspiring designers this year, all vying for a contract to design a top cocktail bar, Michelle tells us what's she's looking for and how to impress her as a judge...

What are you looking for in each of the aspiring designers?

MO: I'm looking for energy, enthusiasm, ideas, a kind of slightly devil-may-care attitude where they just want to have a go and try stuff and push themselves. But I'm always looking for someone who is prepared to listen. It's only by listening that they'll really learn because they've got essentially the most intense crash course through interior design ever, and they've got access to all this expertise. The ones that come in and think that they know it all, they're not going to get it from this show.

You are judging lots of different rooms on the show. What, to you, makes a perfect space? What is your idea of a dream room?

MO: I think it's actually very simple – rooms should just make you feel good. In whatever its purpose is, whether that's the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom or study, you need to be able to walk into a space and feel like I can relax or I can do whatever it is that I’m supposed to do in this room. And the ingredients for that will be different depending on the shape and size of the room, the aspect, the budget, all of those things. But it is just to feel.

What is your favourite memory of filming so far?

MO: There's nearly always, in every series, a point where someone that you think has actually got real talent but they maybe don’t quite know it, or they lack confidence, or they're a little bit afraid or holding themselves back, or they've allowed themselves to be curtailed by someone else potentially as part of a partnership – there’s a moment when you see the penny drop, and you just think, you've got it, you're now going to make that next leap!

There's always one with someone in every series and it gives me goosebumps. I think that's always incredibly inspiring because it often comes from the most unusual places, the person you weren't expecting or the person you maybe haven't really clocked so much yet, and then you're like 'wow, where did that come from?' Because they've just been absorbing and learning from the other contestants.

Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr airs every Tuesday at 8pm on BBC One – meet the contestants below.