Escape To The Chateau - General Discussion

[Frost]

Quote

Escape to the Chateau is a British Channel 4 documentary series which follows the story of couple Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree along with their family as they buy, renovate and redecorate the 19th-century Château de la Motte-Husson in Martigné-sur-Mayenne, France, and simultaneously juggle growing both their business and family. The first season follows Dick and Angel's quest to restore the chateau from its uninhabitable state by installing running water, heating and electricity throughout the 45-room castle, which had not been lived in for the past forty years. They are working against a deadline: their own wedding, which is to be held at the property. The subsequent seasons continue their story as they grow their events and wedding business and continue restoration, renovations and maintenance of the castle, and document the family events and milestones going on around them.

I've seen this series on PBS periodically over the past several years, but it's now coming to HGTV!  First episode is showing on Saturday, December 5th at 7pm central / 8pm eastern.

[biakbiak]

Interesting! I adore the show. Her taste is not my taste but I like how it all comes together and ended up being a place I would love to visit. 

[Frost]

My local PBS affiliate was always very sporadic with when and in what order they aired the episodes so I've never seen the transformation from beginning to end.  Angel would drive me absolutely batty if I had to deal with her on a regular basis 😄 but she's entertaining to watch on TV and I adore Dick's personality. 

[Arynm]

Dick has the patience of a saint. I have seen most of this show already, it is also on HBO Max. Her taste is not my taste, but they have put so much hard work and love into the chateau you can tell it's a labor of love for both of them.

[meep.meep]

I've been watching this on PBS, glad that HGTV are picking it up.  If nothing else, the photography is amazing.  Watch for the cats!

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm just starting with this series, but what a massive project Dick and Angel are tackling.    The man going on the roof to do the chimney repairs is so gutsy.  I'm so glad they bought the Chateau, instead of developers.    I like that Angel is trying to clean the place up so they can move into a few rooms, instead of getting a crew of behind the scenes help, the way most renovation shows do.   Dick certainly has the most amazing background.    

I'm guessing $400k, in whatever currency that is, won't finish all 45 rooms?    I like the way they went to checklists on the doors to each room, and spreadsheets and lists for the project.  The trip to the local markets to find chairs, and other items was fascinating, at least to me.   I can't believe he's going to hack out a door through a 3 foot thick wall, by himself.  I finally had to put the closed captions on.    Talking through a respirator, while preparing to saw through a wall makes it hard to understand what they're saying.  

I love the wallpapered turret room, and using the braid was so inventive.    

I wish they would stop compressing shows, and just run them as originally produced.   On the renovation of the Caribbean resort, Bryan Baeumler said HGTV did the same thing to their show, and moved things around, and compressed the episodes.    I wish they would just show all of the episodes, and stop messing with them.  

Edited December 6, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Frost]

I'm ticked off.  How many episodes did HGTV condense into this one episode?  Did they think they needed to "dumb it down" for the American audience and take out all the interesting stuff about the plumbing and heating?  I don't think Angel got to the wallpaper in the tower until the 3rd or 4th episode.  At this rate, they're going to get to the wedding by the end of 2 shows, instead of the end of an entire season!

I really loved learning about all the challenges Dick had to overcome to make the chateau livable and I can't believe HGTV thinks that their viewers wouldn't watch it.

[LittleIggy]

I think Angel’s parents were younger than Dick.

[BradandJanet]

I like this show and watch it when I am able to find it. Angel and Dick make a good team, and I find Angel funny. The chateau project is overwhelming to me, and it's curious how they go from ripping up floors to making vats of jam. I never had that kind of energy. 

HGTV should not condense the episodes. The details in the original are interesting. I watch British TV shows for the details and the pace. 

[Rickster]

We really enjoyed the HGTV episode and are surprised/disappointed that we are watching condensed episodes of the original series. Are the originals on streaming anywhere?

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Rickster said:

We really enjoyed the HGTV episode and are surprised/disappointed that we are watching condensed episodes of the original series. Are the originals on streaming anywhere?

I haven’t watched them to know what  version they are because I have seen them all multiple times but they are all streaming on Peacock under the “original” PBS titles so they might be the longer versions.

Edited December 8, 2020 by biakbiak

[sempervivum]

The original format episodes are on YT, as well.

This was entertaining, although I was rolling my eyes at the whole 'patchwork of historic wallpapers' craft project. She was working on a curved wall (of the turret), and the pattern was sort of a spiral of triangles. Does anyone have a clue about how incredibly difficult that would be to paste up accurately?? Even putting the braid on perfectly straight, while working on a not-flat surface would be really, really hard- and that's not even counting the part at the top, which would require scaffolding (at least in my world it would). 'Angel' does NOT look like the acrobatic type, to say the least. I'd love to know who actually did the work.

Angel bugged me with her WWII/burlesque makeup, loooong red nails and flapping kimonos (alternating with tight-fitting overalls). Christina from Flip or Flop dresses more sensibly than this woman. And although the kitchen turned out well, I didn't think those tiles were worth the effort. 

I was also very distracted trying to figure out who the husband reminded me of, until I heard a voice in my head - 'Harcourt Fenton Mudd':  Mudd

[Pine]

Okay, good I came here.  I have been binging it for the last few days, and feel like there is a lot cut out.  You say just going to Peacock will work better?  I have no problem going back and rewatching so I may see the shopping and the kitchen scenes.   I am obcessed with this show right now.

[Mindthinkr]

I just got here too, and like so many others will have to find this in an original format. 

[MaKaM]

Looks like they compressed 3 episodes into 2 since the first series was only 3 episodes long. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_to_the_Chateau#Series_1

Even if they didn't show it, I hope some attention was paid to the roof. No point in fixing the inside with a roof that looks like that (did they address it? My mom called when this second episode started and I was doing other things while the first episode was playing). It definitely looked like they went into the renovation with absolutely no clue at the costs or needs but maybe that was just for the show and they had a full plan before buying the place.

I find her a bit much (the hair, the nails, the clothes) but she does seem to buckle down and get to it. And at least you know it isn't going to be another HGTV standard gray and white box...

Edited December 13, 2020 by MaKaM

[pasdetrois]

I would actually pay good cash money to watch all of the original episodes.

When the worker was drywalling over those ancient moldy crumbling walls in the turret, all I could think was that the entire shebang will crumble at some point.

I'm fascinated by Angel's hair. It's either fussily styled, complete with lacquer and flowers, or covered by something.

Edited December 13, 2020 by pasdetrois

[linthia]

I thought I would like this show until she got to the butterflies. Were those real butterflies that she had killed and pinned so she could hang their dead corpses on her walls? How disgustingly foul. Nasty woman.

[Frost]

The butterflies, birds, giraffe, wolf, etc are all fake.  Angel uses real flowers and greenery in most of her decorating but all the the animals she orders are fake.  I think she's bought one or two antique taxidermy birds at a flea market, but I may be wrong about that.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Those butterflies are fake, you can get plastic ones, decals, and all kinds of them for decorating.    

I loved the wedding, and the lovely party.     However, why did the producers or network turn an entire season into two episodes?    

I love how everyone pitched in, and how they invited everyone that worked on the Chateau to the reception. 

Dick has quite the TV career over the years, so I bet he was working on either this show, or making appearances to publicize it.      

Edited December 18, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[meep.meep]

They've actually added chyrons about things like the fake taxidermy and butterflies.

The roof is definitely addressed in later episodes.  

[Flip Flops]

I enjoyed it, although I couldn’t help think of those little kids being around all that dust! Wouldn’t there be a ton of lead in the layers of old paint? Hard to watch Mom sanding what looked like layers of old paint knowing that’s a sure fire way to release the toxic stuff! And no mask!

[biakbiak]

19 hours ago, Flip Flops said:

I enjoyed it, although I couldn’t help think of those little kids being around all that dust! Wouldn’t there be a ton of lead in the layers of old paint? Hard to watch Mom sanding what looked like layers of old paint knowing that’s a sure fire way to release the toxic stuff! And no mask!

There is a very good chance that there wasn’t because France was literally one of the first countries to ban lead paint doing it in 1909 but I am sure they tested for things like they did with the asbestos.

[Rickster]

On 12/12/2020 at 9:05 PM, MaKaM said:

Looks like they compressed 3 episodes into 2 since the first series was only 3 episodes long. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_to_the_Chateau#Series_1

 

I’ve been also watching some of the original episodes on Peacock, and it’s a bit more complicated. For some reason the second HGTV episode pulled in a project from the first episode of Season 2, which was the construction of the downstairs loo with the decoupage. HGTV makes you think it was done for their wedding, when it was actually done (assuming no time shifts in the original series) for their first outside wedding hosting a year later.

Without getting ahead of HGTV, I’m a bit puzzled how they’re supporting themselves during all the renovations. 

[meep.meep]

Watching a full episode on PBS yesterday from season 3, it mentioned Dick having to go back to England "on business."  I think he is a consultant of some kind.  After the first season, I'm sure they started to get some income from the show as well.

[Pine]

I don't know about anyone else, but, my daughter now and I have been watching this everyday for hours.  I restarted with her from the beginning.  It takes us away from all the world problems, and we are just happier.  No RHW made up drama, no fighting.  Dick is always positive and Angela and her family work hard, and seem to just be happy in what they are doing.  House proud?  It has inspired me to do a lot of housework that has gone undone since the lock downs and my housekeeper stopped coming a couple days a week.   The Chateau DIY is pretty good too.  I am happy that Angela and Dick have done very well with all of this.  

[Kemper]

I just discovered this show tonight on HGTV and am hooked.  I am not surprised they are compressing the episodes; they don’t fit in with the usual bland “couples” schtick that they marathon over and over.  And over.  
 

[Emmeline]

On 12/7/2020 at 5:52 PM, Rickster said:

We really enjoyed the HGTV episode and are surprised/disappointed that we are watching condensed episodes of the original series. Are the originals on streaming anywhere?

I am watching on Peacock which is a free streaming service.

[Kiddvideo]

I watched the 6 seasons on Peacock earlier this year and was fascinated how the buildings and grounds progressed. Dick is a genius who can plumb a bathroom or create hor d'oeuvres for 200. And though Angel's aesthetic isn't mine I really like how she sees something that doesn't exist and then they somehow they create it.

I don't think they'll ever "finish" the estate -- they both seem the type to constantly look for ways to improve or keep things fresh -- but I hope they get the major renovations completed and are able to enjoy tinkering for a few decades.

It's a really pleasant show, and I hope we get more seasons!

[Emkat]

This is my dream. And now he's going to a fromangerie?!  I'm so jealous!

How do Dick and Angel have so much energy? I swear they accomplish something in one afternoon that would take me a whole year.

[BradandJanet]

1 hour ago, Emkat said:

This is my dream. And now he's going to a fromangerie?!  I'm so jealous!

How do Dick and Angel have so much energy? I swear they accomplish something in one afternoon that would take me a whole year.

I suspect they have a lot of help. However, the projects are so daunting, I'd get depressed just thinking about them. They just charge ahead. Installing an elevator? Why not? Crawling around in dirty, dusty attics? Sure.  

[Mannahatta]

I just started watching this show. I'm enjoying it even if this couple does make me feel like a lazy bum. Their energy level is unreal. One thing that puzzled/bugged me - why is there a bathtub at the foot of a bed? Could someone here enlighten me?

[BradandJanet]

1 hour ago, Mannahatta said:

I just started watching this show. I'm enjoying it even if this couple does make me feel like a lazy bum. Their energy level is unreal. One thing that puzzled/bugged me - why is there a bathtub at the foot of a bed? Could someone here enlighten me?

Good question. I haven't seen enough episodes to know. Unless servants bring up hot water for the tub, how does it get filled (and emptied)? Why would there be plumbing for one thing in the middle of a room, especially in a castle with stone floors? 

[tljgator]

9 hours ago, BradandJanet said:

Good question. I haven't seen enough episodes to know. Unless servants bring up hot water for the tub, how does it get filled (and emptied)? Why would there be plumbing for one thing in the middle of a room, especially in a castle with stone floors? 

In one episode she makes him move the tub and bed around to various locations, to decide where she wants the tub, and that's what she ultimately decided on -- why? I have no idea. Seems ridiculous to me (the person would splash water all over the wood floors, there doesn't even seem to be a bath mat or rug nearby, and you'd just be bathing in the middle of the bedroom), but, in any case, he had to carve a giant hole in the wall to run plumbing through there, so she could have it at the foot of the bed.

If it was supposed to be "romantic," I can't see it. The first choice -- in the tiny little bathroom alcove -- did have a lovely view out the window, but when they tried to fit that giant tub in there, it literally took up the entirety of the space.

*shrugs*

[Frost]

I hadn't seen the episode where they installed the lift.  I was sad they sacrificed all the turret rooms.  I wish they could have found some boring part of the chateau to install a more standard elevator rather than Angel's Tower of Curiosities, but that's probably why I don't star in my own TV show!  I would not like to ride in that lift.  Too claustrophobic.  I was amazed that Angel, Dorothy, and Dick's mother all rode up at one time.

Poor Dick, having to run miles of telephone wire for an elevator phone he didn't want in the first place!  Good for the French government though, for making an emergency line mandatory. 😁  I'd sure hate to be stuck between floors in that small tube!

Every episode, I am more and more astonished at Dick's good nature.  After all that back breaking work, he finds out his shaft is 2 inches short for he has to knock out the ceiling to the attic?  Oh well!  The doorway of the two foot thick wall is not wide enough for the lift parts so he has to carefully remove enough stones to widen it without bringing the house down around him?  Oh well, might as well get to work!  I'm just in awe of Dick.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love this show.   The elevator was marvelous, and I'm very glad they had to put a phone line in there for emergencies.    

Years ago, part of the moat water source was from the castle, from the drains.     They also had to redo the dam on the moat, so there must be a creek or something that fills it up.  

Edited December 29, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[DanielleBowden]

I'm watching on Peacock which has full episodes.  So much interesting content that HGTV cut/compressed.  Dick is a peach!

[Emmeline]

I would curious about the moat.  I don’t understand what keeps it filled and does it just stink from no moving water and years of muck?  I read:

“You’d have to draw from a water source or buy a pump so it wouldn’t just be a dirty ditch with mutant mosquitos.”
 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thrillist.com/amphtml/home/how-much-would-it-cost-to-build-a-moat-around-a-house

[BradandJanet]

21 hours ago, Emmeline said:

I would curious about the moat.  I don’t understand what keeps it filled and does it just stink from no moving water and years of muck?  I read:

“You’d have to draw from a water source or buy a pump so it wouldn’t just be a dirty ditch with mutant mosquitos.”
 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thrillist.com/amphtml/home/how-much-would-it-cost-to-build-a-moat-around-a-house

The chateau empties it sewage into that moat. There must be a fresh water source feeding it or there would be "mutant mosquitos." Also, didn't Dick and another man go out on the water in a boat?  I think Dick mentioned stocking it with fish someday for a guest activity. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Dick decides to build his own water treatment plant with a kit shipped from Sweden. 

Where does their drinking water come from? 

[meep.meep]

The chateau used to dump its sewage in the moat.  Dick and Angel put in a septic system so it goes there now.  One of the funniest scenes that they cut from the HGTV shows are them putting red dye into the one functioning toilet and Angel flushing endlessly while Dick tries to find where it's coming out in the moat.

They never say where the drinking water is coming from.  They may have a well or they may be on some municipal water system.  It's not moat water.

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, meep.meep said:

They never say where the drinking water is coming from.  They may have a well or they may be on some municipal water system.  It's not moat water.

I just watched the episode where they put in the separate septic system for Angela’s parent’s quarters and they also tapped into the water main for their water supply and based on the drawings it appeared to come from the street so most likely a municipal water system. 

[BradandJanet]

17 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I just watched the episode where they put in the separate septic system for Angela’s parent’s quarters and they also tapped into the water main for their water supply and based on the drawings it appeared to come from the street so most likely a municipal water system. 

Apparently,  the Chateau is not quite as isolated as it seems. That makes things much easier.

[linthia]

On 12/29/2020 at 10:08 AM, CeceliaBedelia said:

I'm watching on Peacock which has full episodes.  So much interesting content that HGTV cut/compressed.  Dick is a peach!

I am watching on Peacock based on your post but some content still seems to be missing? I remember in an early episode on the HGTV series they showed them creating a new kitchen out of the old. With Angel designing and printing tiles. None of that content seems to be in the peacock episodes. Unless the time line is drastically changed. The third episode on Peacock is the wedding and the kitchen is magically done? Is there any place I can watch the episode as they originally aired?

[meep.meep]

Watch the listings for any PBS stations you have access to.  One of mine ran a marathon of the first 3 seasons (a whopping 3 episodes each) over the weekend.  They are uncut.  Angel does make tiles for the kitchen.

[pasdetrois]

Over the holidays I stalked this series all over the Internet, OnDemand and Youtube, trying to find full seasons. It was impossible. Plus, the episodes are numbered differently, depending on viewing platform. Weirdly, the search findings would not be consistent from day to day. And there are other "Escape to the Chateau" seasons featuring different chateau owners. I did find some of the full episodes on something called DailyMotion.

Edited January 9, 2021 by pasdetrois

[Arynm]

The shows with other homes is called Escape to the Chateau: Diy. Unless they have changed that as well.

I watched the original show a year ago or so and I am glad I did, this cutting down of the episodes is silly.

I thought that the episodes on Peacock were the full ones, but now I am not so sure. They are free, so you can check them out without paying

[DanielleBowden]

On 1/9/2021 at 10:07 PM, Arynm said:

I thought that the episodes on Peacock were the full ones, but now I am not so sure. They are free, so you can check them out without paying

I thought they were as well.  If you are enjoying the series, they are worth a watch.  I hope they are doing well through this pandemic.  I wouldn't say Angel and I have the same design aesthetic but I absolutely love everything she's done in the Chateau.  

[BradandJanet]

1 hour ago, CeceliaBedelia said:

I thought they were as well.  If you are enjoying the series, they are worth a watch.  I hope they are doing well through this pandemic.  I wouldn't say Angel and I have the same design aesthetic but I absolutely love everything she's done in the Chateau.  

I find it interesting how she has branded the Chateau with images of Dick and her on tiles, wall paintings, and other things. I suppose after all the work they've put into the place, it makes sense. I think Angel mentioned that they hope Arthur and Dorothy will take it over at some point and keep the Chateau in the family. 

Angel's aesthetic is not mine either because all those fussy decorations would require a staff to keep dusted. However, it is a lovely wedding and function destination, and I can see it being in demand. 

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, BradandJanet said:

I think Angel mentioned that they hope Arthur and Dorothy will take it over at some point and keep the Chateau in the family. 

Yes when they were planting the orchard she said that while the trees wouldn’t bear enough to really matter for years but they were doing it for Arthur and Dorothy in the future.

Edited January 12, 2021 by biakbiak

[Pine]

Is there a page yet for the DIY Escape to the Chateau?  I have really been enjoying those.  Some people I don't like, but, most are pretty nice, and hard workers like Dick and Angela.

 

[Emmeline]

I am really enjoying the series and am now on season 6 on Peacock.  The chateau started with 40 something rooms.  At this point they only have 4 guest suites and their own quarters.  What happened to all those rooms?