Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen glad Carol Smillie not joining him for 'Changing Rooms' reboot

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has revealed he's actually glad that Carol Smillie didn't join him on the rebooted version of Changing Rooms.

The 56-year-old interior designer is the only member of the show's original cast to return for the new series and told The Sun that any more reminders of the past might have left it feeling "like Jurassic Park".

Read more: Llewelyn-Bowen lays into "insipid" paint company

Changing Rooms originally aired on the BBC from 1996 until 2004, but has a new home in the shape of Channel 4, which will pair Llewelyn-Bowen with Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson.

Richardson was drafted in to replace original choice Davina McCall, who had to pull out due to a scheduling conflict.

"What the producers and what Channel 4 have done is actually very clever," said Llewelyn-Bowen.

Watch: Changing Rooms host Anna Richardson bids for Strictly Come Dancing run

He added: "They have moved on and it wouldn’t have worked if it had been Jurassic Park — it had to be a reinvention.

“And to be fair, I resisted it for a long time. I was very keen that they really should look at finding possibilities with other people.

“Otherwise, it would just be a revival. Actually, it always needed to be a reboot.”

Read more: Anna Richardson reveals dream celeb Naked Attraction contestants

The show, in which neighbours each design a room of the other's house, was a popular fixture on the BBC during its time on screens and was franchised out to different countries.

Llewelyn-Bowen was promoted from one of the show's designers to the host role for the final two series when Smillie stepped down in 2003.

He and Richardson will be joined in the new recurring cast by designers Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead, as well as carpenter and joiner Tibby Singh.

When the series was announced, Llewelyn-Bowen said it had taken "quite a lot of coaxing" to convince him to return and teased that his love for divisive style choices remains in tact.

Read more: Classic cop show The Bill set for reboot

He said: "There’s no room for beige in our homes and, just as it was in the 90s, Changing Rooms is once more the homestyle antidote to Britain’s blues — and greys and taupes, and even magnolia."

Changing Rooms With Dulux will launch on Channel 4 and All 4 from 18 August.

Watch: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen attends Radio Times party