Filthy House SOS

'Filthy House SOS' is a powerful, real‑life home‑rescue series that sends a specialist cleaning team into Britain’s most severely neglected and cluttered homes to help families reclaim control of their lives and living spaces. Each episode pairs expert cleaners — typically Richard Pearson and Brennan Budden — with a homeowner overwhelmed by mess, hoarding or life events, and together they confront extreme dirt, rubbish, grime and neglect, transforming chaos into clean, liveable homes.

Airing originally on 5STAR (part of the UK’s Channel 5 family), and produced by Gobstopper Television, 'Filthy House SOS' ran across three seasons from 2020 to 2021 — resonating with viewers through its raw honesty, relatability and the often emotional stories behind each home.

What makes the show compelling is that it’s about more than just cleaning — it’s about dignity, recovery and second chances. By helping homeowners confront neglect and restore their living spaces, 'Filthy House SOS' becomes as much a journey of personal rehabilitation as it is a home makeover show.

As a Casting Researcher on the show, my role was to find people who were in urgent need of help with their living situation — going out on the streets, reaching out to communities, doing “street‑casting,” and sometimes conducting home‑visits to inspect houses during the casting process to assess suitability. I worked to find individuals or families whose stories were genuine, whose need for help was real, and who were open to sharing their lives and their struggles — always handling auditions and outreach with sensitivity, discretion and respect.