Presenter Sarah Moore was warned about a transformation on Money for Nothing as the series returned.16:32, 31 Aug 2026BBC Money for Nothing host Sarah Moore was warned “it’s worse than it looks” as the programme returned to screens. The presenter took on three restoration projects in the first episode of series 19, titled Pull Out All The Stops.‌Airing on Monday, August 31, it followed Sarah upcycle three unusual items she sourced from Beaconsfield Recycling Centre in Buckinghamshire. Among those were a smashed up organ, which woodworker Norman Wilkinson transformed into a desk, a pair of loom chairs, which Sarah transformed into artistic designs, and an old chest of drawers.‌Admiring the piece of furniture for the first time, Sarah remarked how “elegant” the chest of drawers were, as she spoke to their owner, who was also named Sarah. She said: “It’s from my parents-in-laws house, up in Worcestershire. They’ve just sold a lovely, big house and they’ve given it to us, but it’s sadly got a broken foot and a bit of woodworm, so it’s just a bigger than I needed at home, unfortunately.”‌Host Sarah M replied: “It’s a good-sized, really pleasant piece of furniture, with nice proportions.” She added: “It’s a shame that it’s had some wear to it that makes it less desirable now, but there’s potential for it.”The presenter continued: “Well proportioned, generous pieces of furniture don’t turn up at the recycling centre all the time, so I’m very pleased to be here to take this one away. Its legs and back definitely need a bit of work, but I think it’s worth investing in.”‌Turning to a member of her team, who was also called Sarah, the presenter was hoping for a big transformation. Designer Sarah Parmenter shared: “I love turning mundane pieces of furniture into things that look opulent, luxurious and elegant.“I don’t call what I do upcycling. I call it glamcycling. I never, ever make anything that I wouldn’t have in my own home, it’s a fail-safe strategy for me, I live and breathe my pieces of work.”However, she wasn’t expecting how big a project she’d be undertaking. Talking to the presenter, Sarah P said: “It’s worse than even it looks superficially, in the sense that one of the legs has decayed because it’s full of woodworm, and this [part] is obviously a write-off to be honest. But it’s got good bones.”‌Host Sarah M replied: “The parts I like were the size of it and the presence and the fact that is a generous piece of furniture. So I’m hoping you can find some way of working with that, that will make it useful again.”Sarah P continued: “Normally, I would always use the original handles, but I will probably replace those. I will almost certainly replace the legs, so what we’ll be left with is something that really is a blank canvas, almost just a box really. I would like to make it much more contemporary, so I’m not even going to attempt to make it look ‘period’, I want to completely modernise it.”‌Giving her approval, Sarah M said: “The legs are full of woodworm, the other bits are broken, the back is coming off, I think you really do have free-reign to make this as contemporary as you like.”The designer originally gave a budget of £400, but as she made a start on the project, admitted things were worse than she thought. Speaking of the woodworm on the legs, she said: “It’s so bad, I think it’s the worst woodworm I’ve seen actually. I’m going to get rid of the legs because let’s face it, this one has already broken off and I’m sure the other ones are in pretty similar condition.”After she finished the project, Sarah P confessed: “I really enjoyed working on this item, but oh my goodness, it was quite stressful. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I like it, and I really hope Sarah does too.”Article continues belowMoney for Nothing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.