Fruits of Jam's labours are the toast of television

The ground floor flat in Harrington Street is one of seven homes featured on Channel 4’s Britain’s Weirdest Council Houses, to be screened at 10pm on Thursday.

Community Gateway Association (CGA) tenant Jam Imani Rad will be seen showing off his artistic additions - including mosaics and neon lighting.

It will be compared to other unique creations, such as a replica of the Sistine Chapel and the interior of a ship in an 11th floor flat.

Jam, 66, came to the attention of documentary maker Matt Reid after he saw an Evening Post story about Jam’s row with his landlord about additions to a communal garden.

Matt said: “We saw the garden first and then the inside of the house. The whole package was a surprise and it really brought a smile to our faces. I love what he’s done with the inside of the house.”

Jam, a retired teacher and broadcaster, spent 11 years transforming the flat.

He said the interior and the garden are “part of the same picture” and has been inspired by Spanish designer and architect Antoni Gaudi and Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

He said: “It is a painted canvas that is half on the outside and half on the inside. Half is shared with the public and the other half is kept inside my home.”

Originally from Iran, Jam travelled to Preston 16 years ago to take a course at the University of Central Lancashire.

He added: “Making a nice communal garden and art work on the wall for the people in this city was my way of saying thank you for all the kindness and generosity I have received.”