Escape to the Chateau DIY

In this episode Dick and Angel host Brit Jonny, giving him a crash course in the do’s and don’ts of chateau shopping, before he and his wife start the search for their own dream place. He looks like he may have bitten off more than he can chew. We meet Jonathan and Michael who are struggling to turn their magnificent French castle into a money-making venture. Today, they explore some of their chateau’s caves in the hope of finding some mythical booty. They find both good things, and bad. And we meet Phil and Angelina as they struggle to pitch their chateau as the perfect place for a couple thinking of having their big 50th wedding anniversary party. Easier said than done, when Phil and Angelina can’t see eye to eye themselves.

In this episode Angel offers advice to Jonathan and Michael - a couple struggling with their chateau wedding business – while giving them a cost-saving crash course in flower arranging. Later, the pressure is on for Jonathan and Michael as they try to get an American couple to agree to have their wedding at their chateau. They need this booking and the cash it will bring. Will they get it? Phil and Angelina need to prepare their chateau for a big anniversary party booking and one of the jobs is the removal of tonnes of fallen trees from their garden. They need a cheap way to do it, so embark on a crazy scheme to smash, bash and transform a 2-bed caravan into a trailer to take it all to the recycling plant. And Jonnie and Ashley start the search for their own dream chateau. They’ve got two to see. Will either be any good?

In this episode Dick, a former engineer in the army, visits Philip and Angelina and helps them build a bridge at their chateau. How will Dick and Phil get on, and will Dick’s design work? Jonathan and Michael test the services they provide at their chateau by inviting Michael’s old college mates for the weekend to try them out. What will they think? Will they be able to lay off the partying and take their roles as ‘guinea pigs’ seriously? And will Jonathan keep his cool? And Jonny and Ashley continue the search for their dream chateau, will this be their lucky day?

In this episode, Dick goes in search of a mythical stash of wine, hidden by the Germans in one of Jonathan and Michael’s caves during the Second World War. Will they find it? Later Jonathan tries to tap into a possible free source of water from a well in another of his caves. Can he contain his excitement? Will he succeed in finding the water? Will he ever get the pump back out? Philp and Angelina continue preparations to get their chateau and its grounds ready for a big event but they’ve tonnes to do, and they’re running out of time. And single mum Fiona starts the big job of renovating a dining room and staircase at her chateau, ready for a visit by the mayor. Determined to do most of the work herself, has she really got what it takes?

In this episode Jonathan and Michael face the dreaded ‘Investors week’ at their chateau. What will the investors think of the work they’ve done so far? The chateau barely breaks even, and Jonathan and Michael’s newest idea - to keep goats at the chateau – does NOT go down well. Will they be sacked? Will they leave of their own accord? Or will they continue to struggle on and make it a business to be proud of?

Desperate to increase income, Michael invites Angel to his chateau to help out with an experiment to do afternoon tea for the locals and see if it’s a good money-making idea. Can they get it ready in time? And will it prove to be a good idea? Meanwhile, Michael’s other half Jonathan goes in search of a ‘Jesus’ statue for their crypt and visits a local goat farm hoping for a business collaboration.

As Jonathan and Michael prepare their chateau for the big wedding, they have a sewage problem in one of the guest rooms that threatens to take the whole first floor out of action - and with 40 guests on the horizon the timing couldn’t be worse. Mandy and Steve continue having pool problems, and, with the first guests of the season about to arrive, they also have to contend with a collapsed wall. Philip and Angelina go hunting for their very own chateau. Will they get lucky and find one, or will they continue to rent their current place? And when Dick and Angel go hunting in their own chateau’s attic for goodies and treasures left over from the previous owners, they find lots of amazing oddities.

For Jonathan and Michael, with the big wedding day booking upon them and 40 guests converging on their chateau, there is problem after problem as they struggle to give the bride her perfect day. Plus Angel shows some clever, cheap wedding tips - one a ‘naked’ wedding cake, the other, some easy-to-make scented candles - but will Dick and the kids like them? And with the first guests of the season about to turn up the pool continues to be a nightmare for Mandy and Steve. As they rush to get it finished in time, storms hit, and further delays make it look like they will never get their chateau ready in time.

Donna McDougal believes a horde of ancient armour and weapons was hidden and buried in her chateau’s lake during the Second World War and asks Dick to come and help her locate and extract it. Dick turns up with his trusty boat and metal detector. Will the legend be true, will they be able to locate the mythical horde? New parents Tim and Krys struggle to convert the attic of their chateau into a family suite as they attempt to bring in more revenue, but due to the birth of their first child the timetable has taken a hit. They ask Tim’s brother Ben to come and help build a new patio. But is he helping, or is he more trouble than he’s worth? And a chateau famous for its evening dinners tries to branch out with a whole new menu, but it takes 8 hours to create, and there are countless problems. Will chef Collette be able to cope? Will husband Patrick keep it together front-of-house? And what will the guests think of the final result?

In this episode, Dick & Donna’s search for the armour in the lake continues. They bring in a digger to help but first it has to get through the trees blocking access to the lake. When it does finally get though and starts digging, will they find what they’re looking for before the digger has to be returned? Tim and Krys, with the help of Tim’s brother Ben, continue to struggle getting the attic converted in time for the first guests of the season. There’s still furniture to buy and plumbing to sort out before the guests arrive – not to mention the garden full of dead vegetables to deal with… Can they possibly get it done in time? And Dick and his mother-in-law Jenny struggle with preparing and freezing 500lbs of pork, before attempting to turn the final 4lbs into salamis. How will they do?

In this episode Dick takes on the task of building a compost toilet, for guests to use during outside weddings at his chateau – its a job that takes a lot of hard work AND takes him down memory lane… A young twenty-something couple, Billy and Gwendoline, and Billy’s brother Michael want to open their chateau as a B&B and location for weddings. As they begin their renovations, they need to get the ancient woodburner back online. However, when they eventually do manage to get it going, it looks like the chimney might catch fire…

Today, Billy, Gwendoline and Michael continue trying to fix their chimney, but some French builders mess things up, the cherry picker won’t work, and Billy faces the small task of trying to repoint the chimney 20 metres up – despite being scared of heights. Meanwhile Dick and Angel reminisce about the heating problems at their chateau. Clive and Tanith get their hands dirty trying to work out what’s stopped the fountain working in their pond at their hotel & Michelin-starred restaurant. Can Clive fix it himself? And sisters Marian and Tanya have problems with flies, toilet seats, swimming pools and Marian’s husband Jon, who thinks he knows best. Maybe, just maybe, he does.

In this episode, Billy, Gwendoline and Michael prepare to move out of the guesthouse and into the chateau proper, just in time for a hen party coming to stay. But the kitchen isn’t finished, Michael disappears at a busy moment, and they haven’t moved any of their stuff out. Will they make it on time, or give their first guests a bad welcome? Clive and Tanith play cupid as they set up the chapel on their hotel’s grounds for a wealthy guest to propose to his girlfriend. There’s lots of secret preparation and arranging to do, all out of sight of the unknowing lady. Will it go to plan and will it be a proposal to remember?

In today’s episode, Billy and Gwendoline rope in Dick to help them put up a chandelier; Michael attempts to repair the chapel’s damaged stained glass window; and after local farmers suspect the young chateau owners’ grounds may be home to a family of wild boar, the trio rig up a secret camera to gather proof, then bring in the skills of a local tracker. Clive and Tanith, with the help of their Michelin-starred chef, attempt to make a fully self-sufficient dish for their hotel’s restaurant then test it out on a couple. Will it be a success?

Today, at Billy and Gwendoline’s chateau, brother Billy gets help from Angel touching up a mural in what will be a tea room, and later, Billy and his dad attempt to level a patio so it passes health and safety regulations. All easier said than done. As Paul and Karen struggle to get the office conversion finished in time, a huge damaged pine tree needs to be cut down. Its 36 metres high, weighs four tonnes and could easily take out their chateau if it falls the wrong way. Could this be the end of their chateau? And while Clive’s dad Martin attempts to fix a wall surrounding the lake, Clive investigates a huge, creepy nest in the roof of the orangery, the building he hopes one day will be a house for his dad.

In this episode we meet Tim and Margreeth, who run their chateau as a B&B. They want to bring in more cash so plan to sell timeshares of their gites and build an upmarket caravan park. But there are bees in the chimney of one of the gites and Tim needs to remove them. He designs his own bee-keeping suit and takes them on. They also need to move the first caravan into position for their new park – the only snag is that they try to do it using a tiny, broken tractor. What could possibly go wrong? Nicole and Stephan want to bring in money to help renovate and transform their chateau into a B&B so they are converting their main hall into a tea room. There is good news when Nicole finds some interesting wallpaper and Stephan unearths an ancient mechanical digger, but bad news about the floor they hope to renovate, and disagreements over what to do with one of the chateau’s towers.

Today, Nicole visits Angel to ask her about some wallpaper she found while renovating the hall in her chateau. While there, they talk business, and Angel gives Nicole a surprise and some important information to think about. Once back at her own chateau, Nicole continues her mission with partner Stephan to get the main hall renovated. There’s also a window in the attic to sort out. Then Nicole tells Stephan about her conversation with Angel, which gives them both food for thought.

Today, Tim and Margreeth concentrate on renovating the only caravan in their new park and the firepit that will be its centrepiece. Nicole And Stephan make a drastic decision, and prepare for a party to celebrate the renovation of the main hall. Paul and Alison continue their search for the secret tunnel in their oubliette, and make the final preparations for a wedding that will christen their wedding terrace, but bad weather throws both tasks into disarray.

Today, Tim and Margreeth visit Dick and Angel for a tour of their chateau and to discuss their business plans. Will existing ideas to sell timeshares of their gites, and build an up-market caravan park survive? Or will it be all change at their chateau? Stephanie, prepares for her first singles weekend. She wants to plant a romantic rose garden for it first though. When the digger arrives, can she get the work done? Or will her mother drive her to distraction? We meet Sophie and James whose ancient chateau roof is in urgent need or repair. They need to raise funds quickly, so come up with an idea to put on a day of historic talks, a tour, and dinner at the chateau. But will anyone turn up? Can Sophie get the dinner prepared? And will James send everyone to sleep?

Today, Tim and Margreeth start to research their new business idea and seek out and test suppliers that can help them. Then, It’s time to celebrate Tim’s birthday. Stephanie’s big event – singles night – arrives. Will it all go to plan, and more importantly, will there be romance in the air? And Sophie and James put on a walking tour near their chateau, but with ominous rain clouds brewing, will it go ahead? And if not, how will they fund the urgent repairs for their roof?