Escape To The Chateau - General Discussion

[CrazyInAlabama]

There is also a bridal suite, and other guest rooms.    Then any of the turret areas on the one corner were take up by the elevator.    I think they said this week that the new guest suite had been their storage, and some are ball rooms, dining, the kitchen takes up at least 2 or 3 rooms on the lower level with kitchen storage, dish ware, etc.     And I bet some are still not done.     I thought that Angel's parents were hysterical, with their ideas of what should be in their granny flat in the converted stable.    

On tonight's episode (23 January), they said that Angel's taxidermy collection is only of animals that died naturally.  

Edited January 24, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Flip Flops]

On 12/27/2020 at 11:05 AM, 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.

How do they have so much money? They can’t possibly be only spending what they first said was their budget, can they?! I forget what it was but it seemed way out of proportion to the size of the job based on what I’ve seen on the many renovation shows I watch! 

[Rickster]

On 1/11/2021 at 7:00 PM, biakbiak said:

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.

I was sort of puzzled when on one of the Peacock episodes, Dick takes 60-70 kilos of his own pears to be distilled into eau de vie. Surely those were not from the trees he just planted a year or so ago.

[biakbiak]

5 minutes ago, Rickster said:

I was sort of puzzled when on one of the Peacock episodes, Dick takes 60-70 kilos of his own pears to be distilled into eau de vie. Surely those were not from the trees he just planted a year or so ago.

He bought them from a local farm to be distill to his specifications.

[CrazyInAlabama]

1 hour ago, Flip Flops said:

How do they have so much money? They can’t possibly be only spending what they first said was their budget, can they?! I forget what it was but it seemed way out of proportion to the size of the job based on what I’ve seen on the many renovation shows I watch! 

They do have income from this show, and Dick has had a bunch of other shows over the years.     Then the chateau does do weddings, and other events, and they charge a lot for those.     

I love what Angel did on the staircase, and for the last portion when she ran out of fabric.     

Edited January 24, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[linthia]

On 1/18/2021 at 12:10 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

There is also a bridal suite, and other guest rooms.    Then any of the turret areas on the one corner were take up by the elevator.    I think they said this week that the new guest suite had been their storage, and some are ball rooms, dining, the kitchen takes up at least 2 or 3 rooms on the lower level with kitchen storage, dish ware, etc.     And I bet some are still not done.     I thought that Angel's parents were hysterical, with their ideas of what should be in their granny flat in the converted stable.    

On tonight's episode (23 January), they said that Angel's taxidermy collection is only of animals that died naturally.  

They also said Angela has been a keen collector of antique taxidermy. Does every antique piece come with a pedigree listing cause of death? They are so full of shit. I am still mad about the dead butterflies.

[NoReally]

Regarding income: I think Dick also has his military pension. And he probably started out with considerable savings from a career in the army. (And having married late in life -- although I'm not sure if either of them was married previously.)

Still, as we know, there's a lot of fudging of finances on shows like this.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, linthia said:

They also said Angela has been a keen collector of antique taxidermy. Does every antique piece come with a pedigree listing cause of death? They are so full of shit. I am still mad about the dead butterflies

They repeatedly mentioned the butterflies were fake because really to decorate the walls with the way she did that would really have blown the budget. They have never stated they were environmentalists and she did buy a few birds from a nearby towns antique market that were long ago taxidermied. Dick and Angela often made jokes about using the heads of the wild boars in the environs who are looked on in the area as invasive much like in Napa and Sonoma as wall mountings but it came for not! So not sure where the hypocrisy comes from.

Edited January 24, 2021 by biakbiak

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, the butterflies Angel used were fake.   Real butterflies can be preserved, but I'm not sure how successful it is.      (My only experience with butterflies is from a set of glass coasters my mother bought at some garage sale.   They had dead butterflies between two pieces of glass, certainly different, and not attractive at all). 

 With taxidermy, you can see if an animal was shot.     (My next door neighbor did taxidermy, so he explained a lot of things I really didn't want to know over neighborhood BBQs).   

I don't know about Angel's history, but Dick was married before. 

At least one of his previous shows was with his son, James, from Dick's first marriage.    He also has an adult daughter from that first marriage.  

Edited January 24, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Yes, the butterflies Angel used were fake

Your argument was all the dead butterflies so why bring it up if you know that)?

James and Charlotte, his children with his previous wife, have both appeared on this show. Angela doesn’t have other children.

Edited January 24, 2021 by biakbiak

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Real butterflies can be preserved, but I'm not sure how successful it is.      

It’s extremely successful. Hell they sell kits for people to do it themselves because it easy and commonplace. Or if you don’t want to go to the hassle you can buy them on Etsy or many, many, places! It just didn’t happen on this show.

oops thought I was adding this to my previous since you had edited. 

Edited January 24, 2021 by biakbiak

[BradandJanet]

Is anyone watching DIY? I'm enjoying it.  Dick and Angel certainly got a bargain price on their estate and had the right skills and level of energy to turn it into a business. On DIY, I don't understand why the couple in the rented chateau are putting so much money and work into decorating and remodeling. Is the owner paying for this, or is this part of the rental agreement? Maybe they could buy the place.  

I read in a British publication I can't locate now that Dick and Angel are doing a third series helping people with home crafts and restorations.

[Emmeline]

I just started watching Escape to Chateau DIY on Peacock. In episode 4 they introduce a single mother of 1 son, Fiona Jones, a real estate developer.  She buys a 12th century medieval castle Chateau Du Masgelier and gets down and dirty doing much of the restoration herself.  She has impeccable taste.  It’s refreshing seeing a woman doing more than just crafts and decorating.  

[BradandJanet]

The bathtubs are wonderful, but I like seeing them in a bathroom rather than in the middle of the bedroom. This one is perfect. 

[Emmeline]

27 minutes ago, BradandJanet said:

The bathtubs are wonderful, but I like seeing them in a bathroom rather than in the middle of the bedroom. This one is perfect. 

I’m with you on that!

[GrannySmith]

I’m watching this on Peacock. It’s so much better without all the editing and makes more sense chronologically. 

[Frost]

I guess I'm going to have to get Peacock so I can finally see all the episodes in order 😁

[GrannySmith]

45 minutes ago, Frost said:

I guess I'm going to have to get Peacock so I can finally see all the episodes in order 😁

Peacock is free. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved yesterday's episode of Dick's birthday, and the balloon ride.    I loved seeing the Granny flat for Angel's parents too, and Dick's solution for the giant walk-in wardrobe Angel's mother wanted.  

Edited February 8, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[dosodog]

I love this show.  Thank you for the info on Peacock.

The kids are enchanting.  Maybe it's the accents.  They are charming 

I want some pear brandy. Shoot.  I've pretty much wanted to eat and drink everything I've seen.  Love. Love.  Love!  All the places they go.  Like the recoppering place.

There is no way I would go that high on that lift thingy.  

They're both very good natured people.  Particularly doing a renovation of THAT size !

[pasdetrois]

Methinks Angel's artful ideas are wearing a bit thin with Dick. He almost always gives her an exasperated reaction, and then does it. Is he in his 60s? I worry that he's doing too much, even though he appears to be strong as an ox.

I also wonder about their finances. We never see regular housekeeping and maintenance staff, yet no way are Dick and Angela doing all of that themselves. Are there/were there part-time nannies? Do they support her parents? And Dick has a previous family.They stated in earlier episodes that they weren't breaking even on the events business. Perhaps the TV series is keeping them afloat.

[BradandJanet]

3 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

Methinks Angel's artful ideas are wearing a bit thin with Dick. He almost always gives her an exasperated reaction, and then does it. Is he in his 60s? I worry that he's doing too much, even though he appears to be strong as an ox.

I also wonder about their finances. We never see regular housekeeping and maintenance staff, yet no way are Dick and Angela doing all of that themselves. Are there/were there part-time nannies? Do they support her parents? And Dick has a previous family.They stated in earlier episodes that they weren't breaking even on the events business. Perhaps the TV series is keeping them afloat.

They were struggling at first, but I think the TV money has made a big difference for them, not only by filming the shows but also by the exposure their business has received from the series. 

I've never heard it mentioned, but I wonder if Angel's parents helped them buy the chateau. Their moving there could have been part of the arrangement. They have their own apartment, do the childcare (the kids are in school now anyway), and help run the place too. To me, they feel very much like partners in this venture. 

There has to be a staff on call during the summer season. It wouldn't be possible to run that business by themselves. They've shown Steve, the cheerful construction mate, who has helped Dick with a lot of remodeling, and they hire waiters for the events. I doubt Angel makes all those beds and scrubs the bathrooms herself. 

Dick's children from a previous marriage are grown. He did a TV show in England with one of his sons before the move to France. 

 

[GrannySmith]

Dick has had several tv shows, and Angel operated a successful events business in the UK. I don’t think they are short of money. 

[MsTree]

12 hours ago, GrannySmith said:

Dick has had several tv shows

Were any of his shows aired in the US?

[GrannySmith]

4 hours ago, MsTree said:

4 hours ago, MsTree said:

Were any of his shows aired in the US?

I don’t think so, but check Google. There’s lots of info on Dick and Angel. 

[Pine]

Is anyone else following the Chateau DIY's?  There are approx 40 episodes.

[BradandJanet]

22 hours ago, Pine said:

Is anyone else following the Chateau DIY's?  There are approx 40 episodes.

I'm watching it. I like the original series a little better, but I do enjoy DIY. There are a lot of people and chateaus in the DIY series and there's repetition and jumping among different owners plus outtakes from the original series, so the continuity is confusing. However, I really like seeing the different chateaus in different parts of France and the interesting people who are trying to get the buildings remodeled. The fresh food looks so good too.  Wikipedia says there are five seasons and 95 episodes, but I haven't investigated that far. 

[DoctorAtomic]

My local pbs airs this now weekly. I've only seen a few episodes. They're showing the one where they went to Nantes to see the mechanical animals. I've actually been there, and it's something else. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I really enjoyed the rerun episode, and the new one with the floating domes.   The glamping dome certainly looks like a fun place to stay, with all of the amenities.     Angel said it was fully booked too, so that's good for the business.   

[Chit Chat]

On 1/17/2021 at 11:10 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

There is also a bridal suite, and other guest rooms.    Then any of the turret areas on the one corner were take up by the elevator.    I think they said this week that the new guest suite had been their storage, and some are ball rooms, dining, the kitchen takes up at least 2 or 3 rooms on the lower level with kitchen storage, dish ware, etc. 

I'm always late to the party!  I just found this show a few weeks ago.  I'm hoping to catch some reruns so that I can see all of those rooms.  Right now I'm just catching glimpses of different rooms.  From what I've seen, the rooms look like they're in disarray, but I'm guessing that they're slowly restoring each one.  It takes time to bring a castle back to life. 

What I'd give just to tour a castle!  Any castle!  I thought the glamping area turned out really well.  It was hard to envision it, but once it was done, it looked really nice.  The macramé was nice, but given the time constraints, I think that Angel shouldn't have spent so much time on it.  She could've worked on it later.  The hanging chairs was a nice touch though. She seems like a lovely person.  I'm impressed with her artistic skills, especially with the designs she added to the tile backsplash. 

Dick seems to be a very good cook.  Just about everything he makes looks yummy!  

[DoctorAtomic]

I think one of the first ones I caught was part of one of the Christmases. There was a lot of food. 

[Chit Chat]

I'm sure this website is already known to everybody who has been following this show, but again, with me always being late to the party, I'm just finding it, so in case someone else hasn't seen it, this has their story and products that you can order.  The Chateau

[GrannySmith]

They are taking advantage of their 15 minutes of fame, and I love every bit of it. 

[Melina22]

55 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I'm sure this website is already known to everybody who has been following this show, but again, with me always being late to the party, I'm just finding it, so in case someone else hasn't seen it, this has their story 

Thanks for the link! It's a gorgeous website. I just can't get my head around how two people can accomplish so much on an ongoing basis. Are we 100% certain they're human and not androids? They do so much more than I do in a typical day that it's hardly believable. I'm so amazed by their stamina, optimism and creativity 

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, GrannySmith said:

They are taking advantage of their 15 minutes of fame, and I love every bit of it. 

I love castles, so finding this show made me happy!  Angel and Dick seem like nice people too.  Although some of Angel's decorating style isn't my cup of tea, I do enjoy seeing her artistic side.  She has some really pretty things on their website.  I might just order something one of these days!

[Shelbie]

My husband is quite handy and knows how to make or fix a lot of things. 
Having said that if I was ever stranded on a desert island I want Dick with me. We would be in a three bedroom home with hot and cold running water and eating wonderful food within a few weeks.

[DoctorAtomic]

16 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I just can't get my head around how two people can accomplish so much on an ongoing basis.

They're rich af, Dick apparently has a talent for tv production, and they have all the time on their hands. 

[Melina22]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

they have all the time on their hands. 

I could have infinite time on my hands and never accomplish one iota of what they've done. 😁

[Chit Chat]

5 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I could have infinite time on my hands and never accomplish one iota of what they've done.

From what little I've watched, Dick has joked about how particular Angel is, and it appears that what Angel wants, Angel gets!!  I think he's happy to oblige her though.  The aerial view of the glamping dome looked really nice.  I think her vision played out really well.  That should be a nice little money-maker for them.  I'd stay there just for the chance to sit and stare at the Chateau!!  Throw in a tour of it and I'd be in heaven.  🙂 

[Melina22]

I do like how the show made the reno look anything but easy. Between the sewage and the dead flies, I would have run screaming for the hills. Actually just having dozens of moldy rooms full of old, rotting stuff would have completely put me off. 

[Chit Chat]

53 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

Actually just having dozens of moldy rooms full of old, rotting stuff would have completely put me off. 

Because I've seen just a few episodes, it did look like the ceiling of one room in the promos had mold.  How did they remove all of that?  I can't imagine the work it took just to make it habitable!  

[DoctorAtomic]

I mean, with everything going on, you need to buy a second have golf cart? How much more can a new one be? 

This is the first time I've seen footage of the weddings. 

It seems like they make more work for themselves than they have to. 

[Malvina]

If her name’s Angel, why Dick calls her Angela?

[MsTree]

1 hour ago, Malvina said:

If her name’s Angel, why Dick calls her Angela?

I think her given name is Angela, but she likes and goes by Angel (for short).

[dosodog]

On 2/24/2021 at 4:17 PM, ChitChat said:

I'm sure this website is already known to everybody who has been following this show, but again, with me always being late to the party, I'm just finding it, so in case someone else hasn't seen it, this has their story and products that you can order.  The Chateau

That website is luscious!  Thank you for sharing the link!  The fabric section is gorgeous. Dick's Favorite Things seem to be mainly cooking knives.  The website is a visual feast for the eyes.

On 2/24/2021 at 4:25 PM, GrannySmith said:

They are taking advantage of their 15 minutes of fame, and I love every bit of it. 

I want them to have more than 15 minutes!  I really enjoy the family.  Last night during Angel's Mom's birthday celebration, I really got a kick out of Arthur and Dorothy reacting to images of their mom and grandparents. Particularly the one of the grandad during the "hairy" years.  

Just keep having celebrations with cheery blossoms/flowers of the season, renovating a grand chateau, lots of food and alcohol, charming children who aren't mini adults, lots of trips to artisans of all kinds, countryside scenery.

 

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, dosodog said:

Just keep having celebrations with cheery blossoms/flowers of the season, renovating a grand chateau, lots of food and alcohol, charming children who aren't mini adults, lots of trips to artisans of all kinds, countryside scenery.

With all that's wrong with reality TV, this show is perfection!  

On 2/25/2021 at 8:15 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

It seems like they make more work for themselves than they have to. 

Sometimes it seems that way, but they want to expand their business while renovating the castle, so they've got a lot on they're plate! Angel's artistic wheels turn very quickly!   I believe that Dick said that Angel is actually very orderly, so it's probably been difficult to try and start a business and renovate your home among the chaos!  It would drive me nuts.  I love Angel's Treasure room.  It's interesting to see all of the things that they find around their home and other buildings on the property that are actually usable.  I do feel sorry for the guys taking all of that stuff up 92 steps though!  

Dick seems to be happy seeing Angel happy.  And a man that can cook?  Damn!  Way to go, Angel! 😉 

1 hour ago, dosodog said:

That website is luscious!  Thank you for sharing the link! 

You're welcome!  I have my eye on the apron.  Maybe one day I'll order it.  

[SongbirdHollow]

Why oh why do they never use the elevator? Some stuff is too big, I realize, but a lot of times they could have used it. 

[biakbiak]

56 minutes ago, SongbirdHollow said:

Why oh why do they never use the elevator? Some stuff is too big, I realize, but a lot of times they could have used it. 

Carrying nearly anything would be too much for it. Have we ever seen Dick in it? He might not even fit it’s so tiny. I would also rather take the stairs.

[DoctorAtomic]

If it's pneumatic, then it probably has a strict constraint on the total weight. 

[BradandJanet]

I think we saw three people ride in the lift at one time: Angel and her parents maybe? It was a squeeze but up they went. This was at the end of the episode in which it was installed.