The Dengineers is a British children's television series which airs on CBBC and sees the production team (styled as 'dengineers') design themed dens or play houses for children.[1] There have been seven series aired to date, with the most recent hosted by Meryl Fernandes and Joe Swash and previous hosts being Lauren Layfield, Mark Wright[2] and Joe Tracini. The designers are currently Tony Broomhead, Satwinder Samra, Maral Tulip, Emma Kosh, Anthony Devine, Lynsey Ford, Martin Bell, Sahiba Chadha and formerly Dee Saigal, Sege Rosella and Olga Skumial. The series is similar to DIY SOS[citation needed] and Grand Designs,[3] with the help of expert designers and builders and the youngsters themselves, the Dengineers team will then construct an extraordinary den, either completely from scratch or by transforming an existing room in the home. Each episode is themed, with designs such as an old-fashioned railway station, a 1960s American diner and an Australian outback shack.[4]
In the United States, the series aired from January 3 to January 31, 2017 on Discovery Family.[5][1] As of 2021 Czech Television has licensed the first two seasons.[6]
The show won the Factual Entertainment category at the British Academy Children's Awards in 2019.[7][8]
The Dengineers was first announced on 16 December 2014, with other CBBC commissions for 2015. On 11 April 2015, it was announced that Mark Wright would host with then-future CBBC HQ host Lauren Layfield.[citation needed] On 7 July 2016, a second series was commissioned. On 11 April 2017, it was announced that Wright was set to leave and be replaced by Joe Tracini. In 2017, a special in partnership with Children in Need and Blue Peter aired with guests Naomi Wilkinson, Ayshah Tull, Katie Thistleton, Ben Shires, Rhys Stephenson and Hacker T. Dog.