Great British Menu judge Oliver Peyton brings funerals to the 21st Century

Walking the high street in Chiswick, one would most likely mistake Oliver Peyton’s Exit Here for an upscale art gallery or trendy cafe rather than a funeral home.

The TV personality and restaurateur sat down to discuss his latest venture—becoming a funeral director.

Since opening its doors in 2019, Exit Here has garnered overwhelming public attention. And though the subject of death is often avoided, it is partly why the funeral industry has remained largely unchanged since the Victorian era—that is, until now.

The recent rise of the death-positive movement has radically transformed the industry. Whether due to the digital age and younger generations coming to terms with the state of our planet as well their own mortality, woke culture has created a search for more viable options for death.

Rather than dumping duties onto loved ones, individuals such as Peyton are claiming responsibility for their own passing. Following the unexpected death of his father, Peyton learned firsthand the limitations of the funeral industry. He saw an opportunity for better service and set out to shake up a conservative business.

Peyton aspires to take his idiosyncratic spirit of hospitality beyond the grave. Claiming to offer “life-affirming funerals,” Exit Here collaborates with local artists to provide choices outside the norm for leaving this world. From brightly coloured urns shaped like prescription pills to bespoke biodegradable caskets, Peyton’s attention to detail ensures his customers can celebrate the lives of their loved ones.

Peyton partnered with Barry Pritchard, a third-generation funeral director serving on the board of the National Association of Funeral Directors, to bring the business to life. They joined creative forces with the Transit Studio to design a space filled with pastel colours and a bright modern aesthetic. This is precisely what sets Exit Here apart from the average funeral parlour. Depressing wood panelling, dark carpets, and drab curtains are likely things of the past.

The industry has understandably received a bad rap, be it the misfortune surrounding the business or opportunists acting on people's despair. Most individuals aren't aware of funeral costs and procedures—often shrouded in mystery—until they’re forced to face them on someone else's behalf. Peyton intends to restore trust in the industry, assuring that while Exit Here is a chic establishment, he prefers to compare its pricing to that of John Lewis. Its goal is to bring glamour to funerals without making it financially out of reach.

Exit Here regularly hosts open houses with Q&As to welcome the local community inside their store and discuss all matters of death.

Peyton hopes that by helping people confront a morbid issue and understand it, Exit Here will help make death a little less daunting and be a business model for funeral parlours of the future.