Escape to the Chateau
Series 1 to 8
Where to watch:
About This Production
Spark developed and created Escape to the Chateau back in 2015. From humble beginnings as a 4-part commission for More4 it went on to become a massive hit for Channel 4 in the UK and around the world. Series 1-8 of Escape to the Chateau were produced by Spark and its wholly-owned subsidiary Kindling Media as we followed Dick Strawbridge and his fiancee Angel Adoree as they uprooted their young family from the UK and moved to France. Dick & Angel left their 2-bedroom flat in Southend for a 45-room chateau in Northern France with 12 acres of land, 9 out-buildings, a walled garden and a moat – and all for the cost of the average house in the UK, less than £300,000. No-one had lived there for over 40 years. It had no electricity, no water and the sewage ran into the moat.
Across 8 series and 31 episodes, we follow the whole story. From shopping for châteaux with an estate agent to overcoming myriad hurdles to transform the wreck that was the Chateau De La Motte into a stunning home. During that time they renovated the entire chateau along with many of the outbuildings. They even got married on site… So this is the ultimate fairy-tale. But it doesn’t go smoothly as they find and overcome endless problems along the way.
Above all, this is a series focussing on craft, engineering and renovation on the grandest of scales.