All language subtitles for Escape to the Chateau DIY S04E16.540p.HDTV.x264-GTi.English

I'm Dick Strawbridge
and along with my wife Angel...

Hello! ..and our two children,

we've lived in this magnificent
chateau for the past five years.

Aw, it's lovely.

It's my little corner of paradise.

It's not just our home...

Whoo!

THEY LAUGH

..but our business.

That's a proper kiss!

And with over 1,000
chateaux in France...

Wow.

SHE GASPS
My God!

Absolutely incredible.

..we're not the only Brits
buying into the French fairy tale.

Do you like it? Wow.
I mean, yes.

It is gorgeous.

We'll follow more daring owners...

It looks to be a
massive undertaking.

..and familiar faces...

Why?

..as they battle to
renovate their homes.

That is disgusting.

And we'll reveal more
about our own chateau life.

That is lovely.

There'll be ups...

SHE GASPS

Sweetheart, this is beautiful.

..and downs.

What are you going to do?
Not do it today?

It's going to take all day.
Yeah, but there's no alternative.

But, however hard the going gets...

No!

..these plucky Brits... Ugh!

..get to live the
dream as custodians...

God bless France.

..of their very own castle.

Today...

This, is it.
Oh, my God.

..a removal lorry has a close
shave at one couple's chateau...

He doesn't care. He's coming
straight through, regardless.

Watch out, watch out,
it's gonna go.

..a home-grown squash almost
defeats a keen chateau chef...

SHE LAUGHS

Ooh!

..and this damp couple get
bogged down in restorations.

The inevitable happened,
we're stuck. Abandon. Game over.

I think we can say that
was a mission impossible.

It's all happening now.

I'm Dick Strawbridge.

Oh!

Ever since my wife Angel and I...

moved into our chateau
for the first time...

Sacre Bleu!

..it's been a joyous
voyage of discovery...

Argh!

Brilliant.

..as we've come to terms
with the work involved

in owning a majestic home like ours.

It's so incredibly important
to bring it back to life.

Yay!

Hey!

And all over France,

there are many Brits at the
beginning of their chateau journey.

That includes the new custodians
of this classic French beauty,

the 19th century
Chateau les Bernards.

Set in 12 acres of land,

this fairy-tale castle

with 11 bedrooms...

..tennis court and swimming pool,

and its own self-contained gite,

was purchased for £490,000

by ex-mortgage broker Debbie
and engineer husband, Simon.

Some days you wake up just
really happy,

other days you wake up thinking,
"What have we done?!" Oh, God, yeah.

Owning a place like this
is a dream come true.

Located 24 miles
north-east of Vichy,

in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes
region of Central France...

..this pair were in search
of a slower pace of life

when they moved here from Surrey.

I had a bit of a
health scare last year,

and we just decided that
we wanted an adventure

before we were too old
to start all over again.

And here we are.

Having only arrived three days ago,

and most of their possessions
currently in transit,

Debbie and Simon, along with
daughter, Georgie, grandson, Jensen,

and son-in-law, Tom, are all living
with their essentials.

Ready? Jump!

Like many fledgling chateau owners,

their new adventure will be
restoring this neglected chateau

back to its former glory,

and, despite having
minimal hospitality experience,

opening it as a B&B.

We'd never thought in a
million years we'd end up

doing anything like this.

Never. Never.

If that's the compromise for
this laid-back, lovely lifestyle,

then, hey, I'm happy to change beds.
Yeah.

Do you want to wash up
and I'll make the tea?

I'll make the tea, you wash up.
You make the tea, I'll wash up.

Today, their worldly goods
will be arriving from the UK.

So we've got a lorry
and a transit van.

So this is the lull
before the storm, isn't it?

It's a beautiful day.

However, that laid-back
lifestyle they're after

is about to be tested.

This, is it.
Oh, my God!

The 19th century gateway was
built for horse and carriage,

not articulated lorries.

They come back and forth
to France all the time,

so they must be used
to these little roads.

Wow, you see, he's done it.
Wow.

The van may have got
through the gates,

but it still has to get up
the narrow drive to the house.

Is it going to fit?

It might do. Really?

I don't think it will,
but we will see.

Whoa! My God.

He doesn't care, he's coming
straight through, regardless.

Mind that bush.
Mind that bush!

Watch out, watch out,
it's going to go.

Something indeed had to go.

Turned out it was
the truck's wing mirror.

It made it.

I struggle getting my car in
and they drive a great big lorry

through the same thing
I go through thinking,

"Oh, must watch the sides".

So, yeah, they did really well
with that. I'm very impressed.

Time for the fun part, unpacking.

Tiles?

That's the gite tiles. It will
feel more homey once everything

finally does get into the house.

We've got lots of empty rooms.
Yeah. Yeah.

There's still going
to be empty rooms, but...

So many rooms to fill.

Brocantes, here we come.

I love brocante shopping, though,
I'll be quite happy doing that.

Got it. It's quite heavy.
OK, got it.

Having moved out of a four-bedroom
house into a chateau of 16 rooms,

and with eight more
in the gite to fill,

there'll be plenty
of shopping to do.

Tools. Yep.

That's what we've been
needing, isn't it?

Ugh.

But, soon, it begins
to feel like home.

The minute your personal possessions

start to sort of come off
the back of a lorry,

it is that reality that
this is literally home now,

you're not on holiday,
and then, of course,

you're faced with the
task of looking at...

I don't know how many
boxes there are, but,

unpacking your whole life
that is in the back of a truck.

I understand how you feel, Debbie.

Moving countries
is a big commitment.

Hello. Have you come to see Nana?

But Les Bernards is very
different from Camberley.

It may be a roller-coaster,
but enjoy.

Over 100 miles west,

and 400 years older than
Debbie and Simon's place,

is the historic 15th century
Chateau Mareuil.

Originally built as a defence
against marauding brigands,

it's now home to
south London couple,

retired caterer Belinda
and lighting designer Lee,

who bought it for
£378,000 four years ago.

I love the sense of history.

It was just set in its own domain,
it's like a little jewel, really.

It's a dream. It really is a dream.

Situated 40 miles from Limoges
in the heart of rural France,

the couple run the place as a B&B,

but they're pinning their
hopes on turning it into

a successful events
business as well.

The way that we are generating
an income from the chateau

has developed, and I think
we're learning as we go along.

Over the past year, they've hosted
their first Christmas concert...

SHE SINGS

..fixed the hole in the roof
of their main events space...

Oh.

Hello! How are you?
Hi, Dick. Hi, Dick.

..and after some engineering advice,
created a water feature...

Oh, my goodness. Hey!
Happy birthday.

..and transformed their
garden into an outdoor venue.

Ah!

Oh, there it is. Perfect.

Today, Belinda and Lee
are trying out an idea

for a new business venture,
a classic car weekend.

Every year in the
middle of September,

in a town called Angouleme,

which is about two hours
away from here,

there's a fantastic
race meet and car show.

Ugh!

These two have invited a group
of classic car aficionados

over from the UK.

The weekend will include
a welcome barbecue,

a race day picnic,

and a visit to Angouleme
to see the race itself.

So, we've got another couple
of hours before they all come,

and this really has to be ready.

And Belinda will not be best
pleased with me if it's not done.

However, after also inviting some
local French classic car owners,

tonight's barbecue is proving
more popular than expected.

We anticipated up
to ten people coming,

but it's grown, and grown,
and grown

and now it looks like we've got
40 people coming

late afternoon for drinks,

showing off their
cars and a barbecue,

and that's, of course,
where I come in.

I can feel the panic rising.

So the tables are out,
chairs are clean,

we're running out of time,
we're up against it now.

Yeah, I know. I'm thinking they're
going to come in dribs and drabs.

Four cars coming from England, so...

And I don't know what time
they're going to get here.

If this weekend event is successful,

Belinda and Lee hope
to make it an annual event.

So they need to get this right.

I've charged the camera.
I want photos of this,

because if we do all of this
and we don't get photos,

we've kind of.. Of course. ..shot
ourselves in the foot, really.

I mean, it's not going badly,
I'm just...

Ooh.

Are you going to be using our new
picnic basket for tomorrow, then?

I'm hoping to.

If I ever get around to
making a picnic for tomorrow.

Otherwise, you'll just
be taking a baguette

and a piece of cheese and an onion.

That would be very rustic,
wouldn't it?

Well, that's going to let the side
down, Belinda, isn't it, really?

I'll try not to. We cannot
have a Chateau Mareuil baguette

in a bit of silver paper. Baguette.
Do you need me to do any salad prep?

No, but what I do need
you to do is to make sure

that we've got all the plates.

Yeah, all right, then.
I'll do that.

SHE SIGHS

There's still a huge amount to do.

But before things get hectic,
Lee decides to have a sit down.

Well, Misty.

That's another fine mess
you've got us into.

There you go.

Right, come here,
sit down and listen.

You and I need to
do some planning. Yes.

I think Lee thinks time's elastic,

which, of course,
we all know it isn't.

That's the way he tends to carry on.

I just wanted a calm few minutes

to think through

the running order of what's
going to happen this afternoon.

Because I know what I'm like,
what'll happen is

I'll get so carried away with
meeting and greeting people

and seeing the cars, I'll forget.

It's how I'm actually going to be
able to serve drinks, say hello,

and get back and light the barbecue.

Oh, and I've got to get...

Oh, yeah...

I've got to get all the cutlery
and the plates together as well.

I haven't done that yet either.

While Lee contemplates...

..Belinda's prepping for 20 more
people than she first thought.

SHE LAUGHS

And is taking out her
frustration on the squash.

It's like a Halloween nightmare,
isn't it?

Ooh. I've done it.

SHE LAUGHS

Lee? Right, yeah?
I need your help.

Oh, God. Look.

It's like a Halloween...
What on Earth is that?

Is that one of the ones that grew?
I'm just trying to cut it.

Don't hurt yourself.
No, no, you won't...

What is it? It's a sort of squash.

Look at that.

I grew this. You did.

Preparations are soon interrupted
by a member of the UK car club.

Roughly, where are you?
PHONE: We broke down.

You've broken down? Do you need
me to do anything from here?

PHONE: No, no, no.
Oh. OK.

That's not good.

It seems like Lee's friend,
who's driving a classic Ford Capri,

may not even make it.

The fewer cars here and it becomes
less of an attractive event, really.

Let's keep our fingers crossed
and hope for the best

and hope it doesn't
happen to any of the others.

Let's keep everything crossed, Lee.

Coming up...

..I rope in the rest of the family
to create a penthouse apartment

for the local bird population.

Look at that. That looks so cool.

And disastrous decking leaves
this couple with a dilemma.

If you've got 16 lovely girlies
all dancing round the pool,

enjoying their hen night.

The last thing you want
is anyone going through it.

One of the highlights Angel
and I have over at our place is

enjoying the wildlife
that surrounds us.

With furry felines on the prowl,

we do our best to
help our feathered friends.

We have to think about the cats
so the cats don't get them.

So, with the help of Arthur
and Dorothy, I'm going

to make a bird table.

I've got this, because I think
this is tall enough to stop
the cats getting on our bird table.

Arthur, hold it straight for Daddy.

That's not too high, is it?
No, it's good.

What are we going to
put on the top of this?

A scarecrow.

We don't want our birds scared.

With our post in position,
all we have to do now is build

the perfect des res for the local
bird population.

Let's go.

Angel and the children are making
some bird food cakes

using nuts, seeds,
dried fruit and melted marge.

Mix it all up.

I'm a bird. Tweet, tweet!

I use some offcuts of wood
to make the house...

..and some old chateau
slates to create a roof.

Right, that's ready to go outside.

Right, then. That looks square.

Look, this goes up here like this.

I cannot believe that you
did that so quickly.

Look at that. That looks so cool!

And with the new bird hotel
now taking bookings,

we need to lay on a bit of
room service for them.

Right. That one goes up.

This one goes up.

Who made this?

Us!

You could possibly eat it.

We're going to put it in here
and turn it over, like that.

Look at that. That looks great!

Perfect. Good job.

Does that look all right?
It's wobbly.

Don't do that.

It's Daddy's amazing
wobbly birdhouse.

Now we've got to watch and see who
sees the first bird on our table!

All we have to do is wait.

Can we see any birds?

It might be a very long wait.

Over 200 miles away is
the 19th-century Chateau de Dohem.

With 15 rooms and its own swimming
pool, this stunning house was

bought by former company director
Wendy eight years ago for £600,000.

She and her builder husband, Marcus,
now run it as a holiday let business

from their home in Kent, but would
love a permanent move to France.

The ultimate aim is to not to
have to work in the UK any more

and run the chateau.

Make this a full-time business.

Yeah. Yeah.

And live here happily ever after,
really.

Located just 26 miles
south of Calais,

when Wendy first saw the house,
it was love at first sight.

It just looked like a magical
fairytale castle and I knew that, if

I walked through the gates, I would
be the proud owner of this chateau.

Good evening, ladies.

To try and turn
their dream into a reality

and help with their permanent
leap across the Channel,

Wendy and Marcus launched
a hen party business,

which occasionally calls
for a starring role from Marcus.

But the big plan is to convert
their barn into a wedding venue...

Ta-dah!

..a process that began last year.

SHE SINGS WEDDING MARCH

You've got to ignore the big
pile of plasterboard and insulation.

Right now, there's a pressing
issue with the pool.

I had to take the decking up because
the joists are absolutely rotten.

If you've got 16 lovely girlies
all dancing round the pool,

enjoying their hen night...

The last thing you want is
anyone going through it. Yeah.

With guests imminent,

they've already made a start
with the digger.

As a result, Wendy's precious lawn
has taken a bit of a battering.

Today, the new paving arrives
to replace the decidedly dodgy

and decrepit decking.

It had come from India,
via the UK to France.

As the lorry can get no further than
the entrance, Marcus has hired a

telehandler to unload the lorry and
then move the paving to the pool.

But it's been raining for weeks
and conditions aren't ideal.

We did have a very windy
day yesterday,

so hopefully that's dried out
the ground a bit.

We only have the forklift
until Monday.

It's going to be a real pain
in the neck if we can't get that
stone down there today.

But with the lawn to
cross before they reach the pool,

Wendy and Marcus need to
come up with a plan.

Ooh, listen to it!

I know, it's really squidgy.

SQUELCHING

I think I'll have to have
a go with one. Mm.

If it works,
then I'll get them all done.

I guess there's only one
way to find out.

A few different buttons to push
if and when I get stuck.

There's a tortoise and hare button
and there's also a spinny-wheel
button.

Marcus, looking at the ground,
you're going

to have to lock your differential -
that's the spinny-wheel button.

Unfortunately, the weight
of the vehicle combined with

the paving stones proves
too much for Wendy's lawn.

The inevitable happened -
we're stuck.

There's a lot of weight on there,

and this machine is just not
getting traction on the mud.

The wheels aren't big enough,
the treads are not big enough.

I mean,
look at the mud in the tyres.

I know.
It was just spinning like mad.

No, it's too wet.
Abandon. Game over.

I think we'd say that was
a Mission Impossible.

Yeah. Oh, don't worry, honestly.

It will be fine.

You tried.

Never mind, chaps.

But with guests arriving, it looks
like you're going to have to find

another way of moving
the paving stones.

Over 300 miles south,
it's been two months since Debbie

and Simon moved
into Chateau Les Bernards,

and their dreams of opening
a B&B are about to take shape.

So we finally start the renovations
this week, which is

exciting
and terrifying at the same time.

The first project is
the master bedroom.

This is where you say,
"Does my bum look big in this?"

LAUGHTER
Yes!

Right, let's get started.

With engineer Simon currently
working back in the UK, Debbie

has drafted in daughter Georgie
to give her a hand.

The plan at the moment
is that we are going to try

and keep the paper that is on one
of the walls, just to keep

some of the original paper from
when we bought the chateau.

Strip three walls,
get those painted,

and then we also need to get
the floors all cleaned and

polished before we can start putting
furniture and things back in.

Er, that way. Yep.

The first job is stripping
that wallpaper off.

I don't know what I'm doing!

If they can master the ladder
platform.

So you're going to do the top,
even though I know you hate heights,

and I'm going to stay safely
on the bottom, and I'll catch you

if you fall. But don't squash me.

Just do as I'm told. Exactly.

I've been assured
it's perfectly safe.

As chateau DIY novices,
it's the first time Debbie

and Georgie have done anything like
this, so Simon's presence is missed.

Simon is an engineer by trade,
which means he can fix anything,

can do anything,
understands how everything works.

And I'm the complete opposite.

Are you all right?

No! Just be careful.

But with trusty steamer in hand,
it doesn't take them

long to get the hang of it.

Just rip it.

Yeah, rip it.

The plaster on the edge. Yeah?

It's kind of coming off.

Although discovering crumbling
plaster stops work pretty quickly.

Do I just peel it off?

I think so. No, this bit.

The loose bit.
Do I just make a hole?

Mm-hm. Yeah? Mm-hm.

Ready? Sure?

Yeah.

Oh, dear!

Time to call for a second opinion.

Hello.

We were stripping
the wallpaper above the fireplace,

and the plaster's coming away.

Do I just crack on?

So do we crack on
and let the plaster come off,

or do we just not?

I told you we were going back up.

Hang on a moment.

Well...

Yeah.

It's on the fireplace.

It just fell off.

Bye-bye.

OK, bye, then.

It's definitely going to be a steep
learning curve, but at least

there's an unexpected bonus of
doing this DIY project as a team.

Before moving out here, we didn't
really spend time together.

It's nice to actually be able
to have a conversation

rather than, at home,
you'll spend time together,
"What do you want for dinner?"

We haven't killed each other
yet or argued, which is...

Yeah, we haven't, have we? Haven't
had a cross word or anything.

No. Nothing. That's really good.

Chateau life is a better life.

Yeah. More relaxed, isn't it?

It is great,
but I'm not so sure about relaxed.

You've done well there, George.
You've done the main wall.

And we've still got plaster
on the wall by the fireplace.
Always a bonus.

That is always a bonus.

Let's go.

Time for a cuppa, I think.

Just a little bit of milk in mine,
please.

Cheers, big ears.

Good job. Good job.

Over at Chateau Mareuil,
the cars have started to

arrive for Belinda and Lee's
classic car event and barbecue.

Miraculously, the broken-down
classic Capri has made it

and heads straight into the barn
for urgent repairs.

The guests have started to arrive,
they're a little bit early, but

I'd rather that than them late and
me worried that no-one's turning up.

But in the kitchen,
Belinda's feeling the heat.

I think the big challenge,
certainly for me, is the numbers.

I did not anticipate having to
prepare food for this many people.

There's nothing like people
arriving early, is there?

That's distinctly put me
on a back foot.

While Belinda cracks on
with her canapes,

the pressure's on Lee to find
space for all the cars.

I've let the side down a bit,
I had it all planned in my head.

People have turned up and they've
done their own kind of thing,
really.

Stop!

We've got 13 cars here, which is
really, really good.

That's everyone here and parked.

Are you doing drinks for people?

We've got 50.

50?

50% English, 50%...

Half and half, French and English. I
thought you meant 50 people. No. No,
no. I don't know how many people.

Give me a nightmare, heart attack!

So, are you going to go
and light the barbecue?

Light the barbecue and make sure
everyone's got a drink, that's what
I'm doing at the moment. Perfect.

Merci beaucoup. Merci.

With guests tucking into
drinks and canapes,

the event is now in full swing.

Lovely to see you. And you.

I've just counted.
We've got 38 people here.

Good.

Are you happy? Yeah, very happy.

Is it what you wanted? Yep. Good.

It's good for us. It's what it's all
about. It's good for business.

They're all enjoying themselves.

The master of ceremonies calls
everyone to the table.

Madames et messieurs,
s'il vous plait, mange.

The locals have understood
Lee's French.

Anyone like a bun?
Anyone like a burger bun?

And everyone's enjoying
Belinda's fabulous food.

Absolutely terrific.

The atmosphere is wonderful.

Fabulous chateau, and Lee
and Belinda are perfect hosts.

But the hard work isn't over yet.

We go to this place, which is
where it always kicks off from.

Tomorrow, Lee's planned
an expedition to watch

the classic car rally
with a picnic en route.

All in. Dib-dib.

Dob-dob.

Dab-dab.

Done.

Although Belinda needs to
manage his expectations.

I was going to be preparing a picnic
for you tomorrow for your car

journey, but I will still
be preparing that picnic.

I thought you were going
to say no then.

But you might recognise
some of the items from this evening.

Would they be the very severely
charred items that

came off the barbecue?

Semi-charred.
I like a bit of crunch.

There will be other things that
you might recognise from a
previous occasion.

As long as we've got some food,
I don't mind. You will.

That'll be interesting.

I can't wait for tomorrow.

Coming up...

..Debbie tackles furniture
painting for the first time.

Oh, wow. This is scary.

Much easier when you're just
thinking about doing it.

And Lee's doubts come
to the surface.

Have I dragged all of our guests to
a town in the middle of nowhere?

It will be a disaster for the day
if nothing happens.

26 miles from Calais in
Northern France,

Marcus has been working hard on
the paving around the pool...

..all eventually moved
into position by hand

after his telehandler got
stuck, ruining Wendy's lawn.

We had to get a very big tractor
to come round and pull me out

and Wendy is now working
tirelessly to bring that lawn

back into something half decent.

You're banned from driving
across this lawn, Marcus Clarke.

Do you hear me?

He is never being allowed to
drive over this lawn again.

It will come back.

In about a week's time,
we have clients arriving

and this needs to be
at least seeded.

With Wendy in the driving seat,

there can be no doubt
who's in charge.

The reason behind my shirt is
because I AM the boss.

So, if they're not
working hard enough,

I'll be out there
bossing them around.

Erm...

..exactly where is anybody?

Turns out Marcus wants to get
something off his chest too.

Oh, yeah, got your T-shirt on?

Yeah, I've seen what you handle.
Yeah.

You handled my lawn all
right, didn't you?

Yeah, you just let me handle it.
Mushed it.

WENDY LAUGHS

Marcus has now "handled"
getting everyone back to work.

There? Yeah.

Do you want me to stand on it? No.
WENDY LAUGHS

Not yet.

After Wendy re-seeds the lawn...

..they crack on filling the gaps

between the 144 square metres
of paving.

We're using this product which
you mix with a hardener.

It's a bit frightening
when you see it going down,

like tipping ice cream all over
your beautiful paving.

Then we have these squeegees
and we are literally jhooshing it,

it's a technical term, into
the joints, where it settles.

The product goes off quite quickly,

so you have to do it
relatively fast.

And then the excess, you broom off.

So, you go from
jhooshing to brooming

and then you end up with
a beautiful finish.

I think it looks really
beautiful. Yeah.

It's lovely.

Fantastic. You've done a great job.

Well done, you two.

And all completed in time
for your holiday guests' arrival.

Right. Let's go get
the painting done.

Over 300 miles south,
at Debbie and Simon's,

after stripping the bedroom walls,
and patching up the flaking plaster,

Debbie and Georgie
get on with the painting.

You can go up today. Oh, no. Yes.

No, I might have a heart attack.

I think I've done my quota
of going up the scaffold.

Not negotiable, for any reason.
GEORGIE LAUGHS

God.

I definitely feel a bit of pressure
to get this absolutely spot-on,

just because I
know what Mum's like.

Oh, that's harsh.

No, I'm joking.

No, it's just cos you've got people
coming to pay to stay in here,

you just don't want them
to look at the walls and be like,

"Should have paid somebody,
rather than do it yourself".

Probably. Sorry if you get covered.

It'll just add to my grey hair.

Yeah, pretty much.

However, let's not forget,
teamwork makes the dream work.

Right, I'm done, Mum, I think.
All done? Yes. Yay!

It's really important that we
preserve as much as we possibly can.

And one thing of course was to keep
the paper that was in that bedroom.

But also the furniture
that came with it,

I think it's important we carry
it with us on our journey.

I think we'll just take the one,
George, to start with...

So, while the paint dries,

Debbie plans to update these
Louis XV style chairs,

along with some mirrors

and all of the beds left by
the previous chateau owner.

Now you come out in daylight, you
can see it's really badly marked.

The plan is, if
we paint the wood white,

hopefully it will lighten it up,
sort of fit in with the bedroom.

There you go.
And it's another first for Debbie.

Oh, wow. This is scary.

It's much easier when you're
just thinking about doing it

than when you're actually about to
launch yourself with a paintbrush.

Good luck.

This is when you wish you had
somebody with you who would

tell you how to do it properly.

I've never done anything like this.

I'm not really creative by nature,

so this is completely out
of my comfort zone.

It's difficult to know how
much to put on the brush.

You're better off not putting enough
on and having to do a second coat,

than putting too much on
and then getting lumps or runs.

Yeah. Looks all right
from here, though.

It's not really going as I planned

cos I think I've got the
wrong brush.

It's not long before
having the wrong brush

is not the only thing
Debbie has realised.

I think the problem is if we paint
it with the fabric in place,

when we reupholster them,

it's not going to fit flush with
the paintwork that I've done.

We've made a fundamental mistake.

Don't worry about it, Debbie,
we all have to start somewhere

and you've learned a
valuable lesson early on.

Now for the most important
decision of the day.

So, what now?

Clearly I need a cup of tea to get
over the trauma of the chair.

Goes without saying, doesn't it?
Yeah.

Here's hoping the rest of the chair
renovations go more smoothly.

180 miles away near Angouleme,

it's day two of
Belinda and Lee's weekend event,

and the day of the
classic car rally.

BEEEPING

It is a highlight of
the local calendar

and attracts car enthusiasts
from all over France and beyond.

Hundreds of rare and precious cars
and thousands of spectators

have converged on this
medieval town for the event.

To avoid the crowds, Lee has devised
a special tour for his guests,

taking in the best vantage
points on the route

from which they can see
the cars go by.

Brilliant, look at the view,
we can have a picnic here.

Yeah, why not?

It's a military operation.

Let's chow down. OK.

Let's have a look and
see what's in the picnic box.

Leftovers from yesterday's barbecue.

Would you like some chicken?

Thank you.

Oh, the tomatoes are great.

She did all this last night.

So, thank you, Belinda.

So, after setting
off at the crack of dawn,

racing a Ferrari down the road,

overtaking several other cars,

how do you reckon the
trip's gone so far?

It ain't been too bad.

No-one's blown up yet,
which is a bonus.

No cars have broken down,
which is a good thing.

Weather's great.

And look at that view, look.

So, this afternoon,

what I'm proposing we do is
jump in the car,

we get ahead of this lot, go
and park up somewhere

by the side of the road and watch
all the cars go flying past.

What do you reckon? Yeah, good plan.

Right, tally ho. Let's go.

CAR VROOMS

Oh, come on, behave, boys, or that
Capri won't be going anywhere.

The ending point of the
tour is Angouleme.

And what we've done is we've
cut all of this part off

and gone from here
straight to there.

We should get a good view, then,
shouldn't we? I think so, yeah.

And I reckon we're about five
minutes ahead of the main pack, so.

They're just starting to
come through.

They should start coming
through now, actually.

I'm expecting the main frame
of cars to come up this road,

go right past us
and down the road here.

We'll be able to see all of the
cars that are on the tour.

Sounds great.

Time to sit back and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

I would have thought by now

there would have been some cars
coming through here.

At the moment, I've just seen one

and that could have
been by accident.

After half an hour,
the pressure's starting to tell.

Have I dragged all of our guests to
a town in the middle of nowhere,

waiting for cars to arrive
that aren't going to arrive?

It would be a disaster for the
day if nothing happens.

You don't think I've
got this wrong, do you?

They wouldn't have changed
the route at the last minute.

D699, isn't it? Yeah, D699.

Hang on, I'm just going to go
and check on the traffic again.

Oh.

No.

Yes.

Yes.

Ah, we are on the right
route, ha-ha. The cars are coming.

There we go.

Hey, what's that?
What's that? Wey-hey!

BEEPING

Oh, yeah. Well done, matey.

You pulled it out of the bag.

That's what I call
a good job well done.

Coming up...

..Debbie and Simon find some
undiscovered treasures in the attic.

We found some journals,
we found paintings.

It's actually really exciting.

Blow-up cactus, anybody?

And things are going SWIMMINGLY
at Wendy and Marcus's place.

ALL CHEER

At Wendy and Marcus', after weeks
of working on the swimming pool

and garden, it's all hands on deck
for the arrival of their first

rental guests of the season.

Wahey, shall we?

Oh, go on, then.

Show us your face?

SHE LAUGHS

Beast! You're going in.

You're going in the pool!

Don't you dare! Don't you dare!

Oi, you two!

There's no time for that -
your guests are here.

Welcome.

Hi there, I'm Marcus.

Good to meet you.

On y va, as they say, let's go.

Staying for a week's fun,

the first thing for this UK family
is a tour of the chateau.

This is the lounge -
nice, light and airy.

And if you do want to put
the fire on, it's really,

really easy to get going.

Ooh, la-la!

Nice, calm, soothing colours.

And some of its unique features.

I'm just going to show you in this
cupboard here -

a nice range of Mexican hats,
cowboy hats.

Glitter balls.

We do like a party.

Blow-up cactus, anybody?

So, heading on, heading on,
heading on.

So, you've got your beautiful
pool there.

Just five weeks ago,
the pool was a building site.

Now, with its natural stone paving,
it's picture perfect

and ready to be shown off to guests.

Number one gets it swirling.

Finally, Wendy's piece de
resistance - the hot tub.

Nice glass of wine, watch the sun
go down, it's incredible.

No boys allowed! Oh, I'm so excited.

There we are. Thank you very much.
Lovely.

Happy holidays.

Here's to having a wonderful week.

ALL: Cheers!

Oh, sante - we should be
saying sante, shouldn't we?

Sante!

Sante!

It seems Wendy and Marcus'
guests are happy with the chateau

and its pool.

Makes you feel like you're posh.

Really excited about the jacuzzi.

And champagne
everywhere in the house.

And it's not long before the holiday
starts in earnest.

LAUGHTER

It's bittersweet that I've
finished this pool area patio.

I have to hand it over to someone
else to enjoy first before we can.

Now we must concentrate on the
wedding barn and get that finished.

So, with a happy
house of holiday-makers having

a heavenly time, Marcus
and Wendy can return to the UK.

We're heading back to Whitstable,

and we are heading
out for a curry tonight.

So, I think we've earned it.

You certainly have,

and I'm looking forward to
seeing your wedding barn take shape.

Over 300 miles south,

Simon has returned from his
two weeks working in the UK.

While he was away,
Debbie's been busy.

She's finished painting the chairs
and reupholstered them, too.

Right, let's grab this bad boy. OK.

But now it's Simon's turn to help.

So, today, we're just finishing
off the pins on the back panel here.

I think, Debbie, we need to pull
this fabric round a bit more.

This is the bit where it
all goes wrong.

Come on, hit it hard!

There it goes, that's one.

That one's in.

That's it, perfect.

Brilliant. Next one.

I'm not at all artistic,
so it's all been very scary.

We've definitely missed Simon.

As good as Georgie is,
and she's great,

she doesn't always know where
Simon's tools are, and we have no

idea what tools he's got, so often,
we'd have to FaceTime him and say,

"This has just happened," and he'd
say, "Yeah, garage, third drawer

"on the left, there's a so-and-so
that does that," and you're like,
"Oh!"

In spite of having limited
DIY experience

when they arrived at the chateau,
Debbie, with some

help from daughter Georgie,
has picked up some new skills.

I can see what the girls have
done to the chairs.

I mean,
they're absolutely brilliant.

They're totally different chairs.

I think I have to go away more
often so they can do some more!

Carry on working hard.

To accompany the chairs,

Debbie and Simon have been
exploring the chateau,

hoping to find some other pieces
for the newly decorated bedroom.

We've got so many
treasures in the attic.

We've found some journals,
we've found paintings,

and one of the paintings
looks like it may have

been of that bedroom in the past -
that's actually really exciting!

Right. Yay!

Not too bad for a beginner.

That's a job to be proud of.

Well done, both of you.

While Simon's been away,
Debbie and Georgie have completely

transformed the bedroom,
and Debbie can't wait to show Simon.

Wow!

You and George have done well.

But they've saved a job
just for him -

changing the old light fitting for
one more appropriate to a chateau.

Right. It makes me feel sick
looking up, it's so high.

Hurray! There, you see?

The final job of the day is finding
a place for the revamped chairs

and the painting they rescued
from the chateau's attic.

I just think I love this picture,

the chair in the painting is not
dissimilar from the chair that

we've just painted and everything
ourselves, and it's by a window,

so it just looks like this exact
corner, but maybe 100 years ago.

Good choice.

Once a holiday
home for the previous owners,

the rooms at the chateau were
dingy, dated and unloved.

But the care, time
and enthusiasm Debbie, Georgie

and Simon have invested is already
making a difference.

That feels like we've really...
Achieved something.

..really sort of achieved something
and we're on our way now.

That's one room down
and 15 still to go.

Debbie and Simon have taken
a step in the right direction,

and I can't wait to see how the
rest of the rooms turn out.

Next time...

I need to get a bucket.

I'll go and get a bucket.

..this exhausted pair are all
at sea hosting a busy event.

I feel like I'm
sailing on the good ship Titanic,

looking forward to seeing
the iceberg.

That's worth a try, isn't it?

The language barrier gets
one couple in a pickle.

Is it pickle?

Look.

I need to lean on it.

And these two raise
the bar in northern France.

Sorry. No, it's fine.

It's better we know now.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media