Local television and internet viewers are to get an intimate tour of some of the finest homes in Bermuda when a new local television production,  Inside Bermuda Homes debuts August 22nd on ZBM-TV Channel 9 at 8 pm. The  six-week series kicks off with a tour of Government House’s public rooms, furniture, art objects and the Royal Suite,  plus conversations with former Governor, George Fergusson and his wife Margaret, who elaborates on the popular school gardens project on Government House grounds. Following episodes feature the homes of a local author, a husband and wife team of architects, a politician and others.

 “We wanted  launch the series before the Fergussons left the island, but getting sponsorship and, of course, the Olympics, which is a formidable television competition, made it necessary to delay the airing until the 22nd,” says Charles Webbe, host of the 30- minute episodes. The idea of such a series was first mooted during his days at Defontes Broadcasting when he noted the popularity of the HGTV homes series and felt the need for a local version.

“For a variety of reasons it did not materialize  and with the down-sizing of VSB the three of us who worked together suddenly had no regular job to go to. We decided we would step out in faith, produce the series, then try and gain the interest of sponsors”.

The team: Wendell Simmons, Dennis Sherlock and CharlesWebbe, have close to a century in combined broadcasting and communications experience.

“ Producing a television series is very expensive, but we decided to take a chance, do the filming and all the pre and post-production work–without remuneration, hoping that it would get the attention of the sponsors, which, we are pleased it did.   Interestingly enough all during  this exercise we had not one ego problem, as production decisions were made only  after brief discussion,” says Simmons.

The team credits the sponsors for having faith in the project and stresses that without them it could not have been accomplished. Hopefully, the first series of six episodes will result in a second series to be aired in the fall.

Says Webbe: “We tend to take for granted the  role  our homes play in the cultural aspect of our lives, not only from how they are designed, constructed and painted, but also the pride Bermudians, and residents of Bermuda take in their homes.  How many times have you heard Bermudians speak with pride about how we collect our drinking water?  It’s a sense of pride both locals and residents alike take in their homes and we wanted the series to reflect this.”

The episodes will show that with  or without influences of interior designers  Bermudians create in their homes features that reflect a focal part of their lives, whether it is enjoying their gardens, their art and furniture that has been handed down from past generations-- or simply a venue for entertaining. This applies even to the homes of wealthy residents whose homes are not ostentatious, but reflect an element of respect for local traditions and good taste.

Dennis Sherlock, who has spent the past few decades driving around Bermuda on filming assignments, took note of many homes and always wondered what the interiors were like.

“This series,” he says “gives viewers an opportunity to see how other people live through the benefit of television – without having to leave their own homes.”

“I  discovered  during my days in tourism the important role Bermudians played in promoting tourism by entertaining visitors in their homes and it mattered not if they lived in modest or up-scale properties “ says Webbe.

“One of our most popular marketing tools was entertaining travel writers and travel agents in Bermuda homes where local and overseas guests enjoyed that personal charm that is Bermuda”.

He cites the case of a prominent travel writer, the late Steve Birnbaum, who constantly extolled the virtues of Bermuda and Bermuda homes, which he considered a unique feature of the island. He would often say: ‘ I can enjoy the Peninsula in Hong Kong, the Ritz in Paris and the Mark in New York. But nothing compares to an invitation into a home in Bermuda.’

 It is the hope of the team that produced “Inside Bermuda Homes”  that the series will amply reflect this sentiment.