Escape to the Chateau (2016–2019): Season 4, Episode 3 - A Floating Dome - full transcript
Dick gets to work on the chateau's crumbling stucco while Angel puts the finishing touches to the floating geodesic dome in the moat, ready for the ultimate family sleepover under the stars.
- [Narrator] In the heart
of the French countryside,
a magnificent chateau
stood empty and abandoned.
(romantic music)
Its 45 rooms,
12 acres of land,
seven outbuildings,
and moat, all left untouched.
(romantic music)
But three years ago,
everything changed,
- Oh look at that.
- [Narrator] when an
intrepid British couple,
- Turn, turn, turn, turn.
Wow!
- [Narrator] paid 280,000
pounds, to turn it into
their dream family home.
- Everything is gorgeous.
(romantic music)
- It's so incredibly important
to bring it back to life.
- [Narrator] Since
they moved in,
engineer Dick Strawbridge,
(metal clatters)
and his wife designer Angel,
have put in heating
and hot water.
- [Dick] Look at that.
(boy cheers)
- [Narrator] And have
transformed over half the rooms,
including three
sumptuous guest suites
for their wedding
and events business.
(romantic music)
But despite their hard work,
their dream often
resembled a nightmare.
- [Angel] Whoa!
(truck crashes)
(romantic music)
- You should not be able to
see the sky out of your roof.
- Behind every romantic
story is the reality.
(romantic music)
- [Narrator] Now it's
time for the next chapter
in Dick and Angel's
French fairytale.
(romantic music)
(playful music)
It's the middle of autumn
and the wedding season
is finally over.
(playful music)
But work at the
chateau doesn't stop.
(playful music)
Angel is keen to transform
the floating dome
into a magical
glamping experience for
next year's guests.
(playful music)
There's an enormous amount
of fruit and vegetables
to pickle and pot.
And still on Dick's to do list,
there's a thousand square
meters of chateau wall to repair
before the harsh
weather kicks in.
(playful music)
But first it's the
autumn school holidays
and there's three-year-old
Dorothy's report to read.
(Dorothy speaking in
a foreign language)
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
(Dorothy speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Dick] Magnificent,
magnificent.
- [Angel] Now look, whoa,
Dorothy lookin' snazzy.
- You've actually walked along
holding hands with somebody
to class, haven't
you, you've done that.
- [Narrator] Back in January,
Dorothy joined her
older brother Arthur
at the local French school.
(playful music)
It may have been one small
step for two-year-old Dorothy,
but for Angel it
was a giant leap.
- [Angel] Mommy will
catch up with you
very, very soon my darling.
- She's two, she's tiny.
What do you think about
leaving your little girl?
- Good.
- [Dick] Really good?
- [Narrator] 10 months on,
and it's not just Dorothy's
French vocabulary that's grown.
- She's probably cheating,
I don't believe it Mommy,
but that's how high
Dorothy is look.
No way.
- [Angel] Gosh!
- [Dick] Hold on, just
put a little mark there.
See there.
(dramatic music)
Wow, Oct. 17.
Look how tall Dorothy is Mommy.
That's huge Dorothy.
- 'Cause I have been
eating a lot of stuffs,
spinach and mushrooms,
everything I've been eating.
- And when you're at school,
does being at
school help as well?
- Yeah.
Everything I've eaten
is what helped me.
- [Narrator] As well as
spending time with the children,
(playful music)
(Dorothy giggles)
Angel also wants to
explore new business ideas.
She's decided that the chateau
is the perfect location
for upmarket
camping, or glamping.
Keen to offer somewhere unusual
for her guests to sleep,
two weeks ago,
Angel commandeered
the moat's floating pontoon.
Originally bought
by Dick to stand on
while he pruned back the trees,
Angel instead wants
to use it to create
a stylish space for
sleeping and stargazing.
- Who wants to come
and have a look inside
our geodesic dome?
You ready go and
look at the stars?
Yeah, can you see any?
- No.
- No.
Take 'em off the top.
- [Narrator] Now to ensure the
dome will be warm and cozy,
Angel wants to install
its very own wood burner.
(playful music)
As soon as she can
get it out the box.
- When I met her she did makeup.
But you never did through a
drill driver, back drivers,
takin' apart packing
cases to find--
- I still managed to
get nails in things
and nails outta things.
- Darling you have to
acknowledge the fact
you are now Rosie the Riveter.
She's Rosie the Riveter.
(drill whirs)
(playful music)
- You're much quicker.
It's all those
years of experience.
- [Narrator] It's soon
clear that opening the box
is the easy bit.
- Oh that's nice and heavy.
- Is it, do you need a hand?
Oh that feels really heavy.
- [Narrator] But maneuvering
a 105 kilo wood burner
across a wooden plank,
onto a floating pontoon
is par for the course
at the chateau.
- My very first job
as a 16-year-old,
was emptying containers
usin' one of these.
(playful music)
[Narrator] Once in place,
all Dick needs to do
is attach a chimney and
carefully read the instructions.
- What language?
Polish, okay.
Next.
- Ah I can't believe
how lovely today is.
- [Narrator] As well as
preparing the dome for glamping,
Angel's also keen,
after a busy summer,
to spend some quality time
with her mother Jenny.
- The Bramley has gotta
be the best for apple pie.
- [Narrator] As Angel's parents
have recently moved into
the new granny flat
built in the old stables,
there's now time
for a bit of baking.
- Anytime I think of apple
pie, you know I just think
of you makin' it for Granddad.
Granddad always being
like oh! (Angel chuckles)
- [Narrator] Jenny's pies
are held in such high esteem
that the whole
family has made sure,
she has the best ingredients.
- These strains we brought
over, especially for my Mom,
because whenever Mom
used to make apple pie,
it was always with
a Bramley apple.
And when we got out
here Mom made a couple.
She's like, it's
not quite the same,
it's not quite the same.
And we told Dick's
Mom the story,
and she managed to get us a
couple of tiny, little trees.
And that's been a year, and
we've had a really good harvest.
Considering that
they're so young,
I think we've done
quite well, haven't we.
- Surprised we got
so many this year.
- [Narrator] For the first
time since she moved to France,
nearly three years ago, Jenny
has exactly what she needs
to make the perfect pie.
- [Angel] Right, I
think we're done Mom.
- [Jenny] Brilliant, brilliant.
- [Angel] Go and get Dorothy,
take over the kitchen.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Soon the
cold winter nights
will be drawing in and Dick
is keen to prepare for them,
by making his own pear
brandy, or eau de vie.
Six weeks ago, he
pulped 50 kilograms
of his home-grown pears,
and then left then to
ferment in sugared water.
(relaxing music)
- Bonjour Alain, ca va?
- [Narrator] Today
it's time to return
to the local
distiller Alain Trolle
and turn the pulp
pears from a heady mash
into a fragrant liqueur.
- It really, really
smells of pears.
It really oh!
(men speaking in a
foreign language)
- [Narrator] Once the
copper chaudiere, or boiler,
is gently warmed up,
Alain starts teaching Dick
the fine art of distilling.
(men speaking in a
foreign language)
- [Narrator] Like most
good things in France
it's not to be rushed,
even if it's just pouring
fermented pears into a boiler.
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
- If you go up to 80%
you lose all the perfume
and you lose all
of the fragrance.
So it's the pectins and the
skin of the actual pears
that gives the aroma.
- [Narrator] Alain produces
around 140,000 liters
of eau de vie and
Calvados each year.
So even though Dick's
doing the work today,
Alain's keeping a
close eye on him.
- I've gotta do it
properly, cleanly,
do not mess around, do not drip.
- [Narrator] As the
fermented pears heat up
the alcohol will evaporate
and then as it cools
turn back to liquid.
And that's when Dick can
see if there's any life
in his eau de vie.
- When it comes out of there,
I'm allowed to taste it.
This is quite important.
It's 35% coming into here,
which is actually a
reasonable strength.
Comes outta the next at 70
and we get (lips smack).
- [Narrator] If it tastes
good, Dick plans to serve it
at Christmas, but
maybe not this year.
(Dick speaking in
foreign language)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- What!
(Dick speaking in
foreign language)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Narrator] All good things
come to those who wait.
And when it comes to eau de
vie it's at least three years.
(Dick speaking in
foreign language)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Narrator] Back in the
basement kitchen of the chateau,
three generations of
women are hard at work.
(relaxing music)
- We're going to put this on.
- We're makin' apple pie.
- [Narrator] Like Angel,
Dorothy is also keen
to learn Jenny's special
apple pie recipe,
to an extent.
- [Jenny] So can Grandma
help a little bit?
- [Dorothy] No.
- [Angel] It's all right Mom.
Put your feet up and
we'll finish it off.
Now we need to know Grandma's
secret recipe don't we?
- I just add more sugar.
- [Jenny] Well done Dorothy,
you're doin' brilliant.
Are you making
this for granddad?
He loves apple pie.
- [Angel] I've got
to say Dorothy,
you look very,
very, very gorgeous.
- Thank you Mommy.
Say I'm a ballerina.
Ballerinas are always beautiful.
(Angel giggles)
- [Narrator] But sometimes
even beautiful ballerinas
have trouble in the kitchen.
- Bit more, that's
it, lovely, thank you.
(Jenny giggles)
- Little bit too much.
(playful music)
- [Angel] Beautifully done.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Just
15 kilometers away,
the remains of Dick's
fermented pears,
after three long hours of
distilling, are poured away.
- [Dick] You know what,
that's too much like
a night out, after a night
out on the beer that is.
Doesn't smell particularly
good at this stage.
It's smells frickin' ropey.
- [Narrator] The malodorous
mash will be turned into
aromatic animal feed.
But over at the condensing tank,
much more exciting
things are happening.
- Do, do, do, do,
do, do, do, do.
(playful music)
Whoa!
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- Hey, hey, look at that.
- [Narrator] It's
time to find out
if Dick's home-grown pear
brandy is any good or not,
or even safe to drink.
- 65% alcohol.
(playful music)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- Okay it's not syrupy,
it's not syrupy.
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Narrator] Over
the next three years,
the flavors of the eau
de vie will develop.
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Narrator] In the
meantime though,
it makes an excellent
decongestant.
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- Whoa, wow, that
clears your nostrils.
Because the alcohol's
so strong in this,
you get the actual perfume,
the aroma of it all.
When you open you hand
you get much more of a,
it actually clears your
sinuses when you taste it.
- [Narrator] Out of
50 kilos of pears,
Dick has made 10
liters of eau de vie,
more than enough for
the coldest of winters.
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
(Dick chuckles)
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
(playful music)
- [Narrator] It may be a few
years until anyone tastes
Dick's home-grown eau de vie.
- Our special apple pie.
- [Narrator] But
back at the chateau,
the whole family has
gathered in the dining room
for some of Dorothy's apple pie.
- Dorothy present your cake.
Present your cake.
Ta da!
- How difficult was it to make?
- A little bit.
- A little bit difficult.
Look at the steam.
The steam's gonna
be appley steam.
- [Angel] Oh look at that.
This one, first one's Dorothy's.
(family moans)
- [Jenny] Look at that lovely.
- Oh Dorothy, madame.
- Yes please.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah.
- [Jenny] I'm not very
good at servin' it.
- [Dick] That's brilliant
service Grandma.
Who's this for Grandma?
- [Jenny] That one's for Arthur.
- [Dick] Oh!
- [Narrator] As well
as being a momentous
culinary achievement
for Dorothy,
it's also the
family's first taste
of their very British
Bramley apples.
- We've waited for this
since we've been here.
- [Angel] That's lovely.
- After tastin' this, it
was worth the wait really.
- You got a major
problem madame.
You'll be doing this
every week of the summer.
- [Jenny] It'll
be a big pleasure.
(Dick chuckles)
(playful music)
(birds tweet)
(playful music)
- [Narrator] It's a
gloriously warm autumn.
And Dick and Angel are heading
off for a rare weekend away.
- How 'bout a kiss?
Mwah!
- [Narrator] As Jenny and
Steve are happy to babysit,
Dick's keen to get going.
- Come on Sunny.
Be good, be good for
Grandma and Granddad.
- [Narrator] As
well as weddings,
Dick and Angel host food
lovers weekends at the Chateau.
So they've decided to
attend one of France's
largest food festivals.
(playful music)
The city of Rouen in Normandy,
is not only home to one of
the most stunning cathedrals
in Europe, but also
La fete du Ventre,
the festival of the stomach.
(upbeat music)
Packed with the best food and
drink the region has to offer,
it's so renowned
that Dick and Angel
have driven three
hours to get here.
- [Angel] I've gotta say
I think it is makin' me
feel quite hungry.
- [Narrator] For two
days every October,
around 120,000 food
lovers arrive in Rouen
for a gastronomic blowout.
(man speaking in a
foreign language)
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Narrator] Among the
hundreds of food stands,
there's one
particular local dish
that Dick and Angel are
very keen to sample,
canard a la presse,
or pressed duck.
And it's clear that
the chefs of Rouen
take it very seriously.
- Found out about
this, there's an order
of the canardiers,
the duck people,
I'll have to figure out,
that means legs of
the duck, duckling.
- [Angel] You know what I'm
most impressed about right now?
Is they're all keepin'
their hats on their heads.
- Everyone has balance
that's quite impressive.
- [Angel] Oh it's comin' out.
- [Narrator] The unique
flavor of the dish
is in its sauce, which
is made by placing
the duck carcass in a press,
and squeezing the blood
out of the remaining
flesh and bones.
- Imagine if we do
that in the restaurant.
Now I'm just gonna
pour the blood
that I squished outta these.
- Me and you would
be like salivating.
- [Narrator] Luckily
for Dick and Angel
the canardiere are keen
that their guests taste
their renowned duck a la presse,
even if it's just a mouthful.
- That is phenomenal.
- Is rude to lick the plates?
- I done mine.
Very.
Right, I'm watching.
I need one of the presses.
And I need half a duck.
(Dick chuckles)
I think we should have a
go at that dinner plate
Merci monsieur, merci.
- Merci, au revoir.
- [Man] Have a good time.
- [Angel] Thank you.
(upbeat music)
- [Narrator] Dick and Angel's
R and R is short-lived.
Once back home
there's a major job
that Dick is
determined to tackle
before the bad winter
weather sets in.
(upbeat music)
A job that he's been meaning
to do for three years,
repairing the 19th
century chateau walls.
All 1,000 square meters of them.
When we saw the chateau
we knew that the actual
external face of it
needed some love.
It's been flaking off,
particularly this side,
'cause this is
the northern side,
this gets all the weather
here, and it's flaking.
There are holes, those holes
have had bird's nests
in them for decades.
We've had to leave it
until this time of year
because the bird's
have stopped nesting.
Gotta get it fixed.
It's gotta work
because otherwise
the house slowly starts to rot.
No good.
- [Narrator] To reach
the holes at the very top
of the 16 1/2 meter-high walls,
Dick has hired a cherry picker.
(Dick speaks in a
foreign language)
(Man speaks in a
foreign language)
- [Narrator] And after
a quick driving lesson,
- Okay.
You remember all this.
- [Narrator] Dick's
builder mate Steve
is volunteered to go up.
- [Dick] It's quite good because
we will be able to see you
with your high-viz vest
anyways as you tombay.
Steve and I did the
sums, and for both of us
to actually get in
that cage and go up,
because it's got 200
kilo sort of limit,
we couldn't actually
take any cement up,
unless we were just
in our underpants.
So we've decided it's
best probably not
to have both of us up there.
That's my excuse and
I'm sticking to it.
- [Narrator] Unfortunately
for Dick and Steve,
the cherry picker is
booked on another job
in just four days time.
So with hundreds
of holes to fill
on every side of the chateau,
there's no time
to stop and think,
even if the cherry
picker wants to.
(cherry picker beeps)
- [Dick] Why is the alarm going?
- [Steve] I don't know.
(cherry picker beeps)
- [Narrator] While
Dick and Steve
race to make the chateau
walls watertight,
Angel is experimenting
with the floating dome's
interior decoration.
- We have a dome
that's assembled.
And we have a big
hook in the middle
and it's saying, please hang
something on me, I'm lonely.
- [Narrator] And the something
that Angel has big plans for
is a large piece of scrap metal
that Dick has found
in one of the sheds.
- I sort of thought it should be
kinda like a candle chandelier.
But it's really heavy.
I mean seriously, I
would have hung pans,
or something or other.
I think he said he found
it in the cook's house.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] The first
step on the pot rack's
road to recovery is a thick
coating of rust inhibitor.
(playful music)
On the other side of the
chateau, Dick's looking worried.
(dramatic music)
- That's the wonky one,
that's the one that
wiggles a lot isn't it?
(Steve chuckles)
That's definitely the wibbly or.
While I go up here
is gonna be ah, yes.
That long arm is definitely
the end of a long wiggle.
My weight at the end
of it, no thank you.
- Comin' down here and puttin'
your feet on terra firma
is totally fantastic.
(dramatic music)
- [Dick] Take those
off give me that suit,
if it fits you it'll be my size.
- It won't.
(Dick laughs)
- Steve can't stay late tonight.
(dramatic music)
But I have to make
the most of had this.
So I'm goin' up.
(engine revs)
I'm actually built to
stay on the ground,
just in case there's any
ambiguity about that whatsoever.
- [Narrator] But it's
not just the height
that bothers Dick.
- The reason why I
get Steve to do this,
he's been doing it
probably nearly 50 years.
And he's just good at it.
Whereas, I think
I'm going to end up
with an awful lot of
mortar on the ground.
- [Narrator] While
Dick's outside,
struggling at the top
of a cherry picker,
Angel's moved inside,
and is about to tie
herself up in knots.
(playful music)
- I've started off
perfect, but actually,
I don't think it needs to be.
I think it'll look quite nice
with a little bit of a gap in.
- [Narrator] Angel's decided
that the old metal pot rack
would make an excellent
ornamental light
for the floating dome.
- Well this is very therapeutic.
- [Narrator] But she also
wants a soft feminine look,
so she's covering its hard
metal surfaces with sash cord.
- You know the dome is on
the moat with a wood burner.
And you know it's
chilly at night,
it's gonna feel cold in there.
So it's important that there's
a lot of texture in the dome.
So lotsa layering, lots
of nice soft fabrics,
because they instantly give
that feelin' of coziness.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] It's early evening,
and time for Dick to
wish Dorothy good night.
(playful music)
- [Dick] Hello Dorothy.
I love you.
Who's the king of the castle?
- You.
- Daddy, hurrah!
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Dorothy
might be heading for bed,
but with so much
rendering still to do,
Dick isn't so lucky.
(playful music)
- [Dick] It's only
rain, skin's waterproof.
And I'm Irish.
(playful music)
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator] On the
third day of rendering
and 12 meters up, Dick and
Steve finally admit defeat.
Even though the cherry
picker will extend
the full 17 meters
needed to reach
the top of the chateau's
19th century walls,
neither man's
prepared to try it.
- [Dick] Do you wanna do
the bit above that as well?
- No!
(Dick chuckles)
- So we have a slight issue,
that working at the very top,
even though this is built for
that, it's a bit of a problem.
I'm a bit chunky,
and Steve decided he
doesn't wanna be a roofer.
So between the two us,
we've had to call in
the reinforcements.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Riding
to their rescue,
the one man that Dick knows
laughs in the face of gravity,
Ian the roofer.
- Oh you're gettin' ready
matey, good to see you.
- Yeah, can't wait, can't wait.
(Dick laughs)
- [Narrator] Seven months
ago, Ian rather nonchalantly
repaired the holes
in the chateau roof.
So Dick reckons rendering
the very top of the walls
shouldn't be too much
of a problem for him.
- All I want you to do is
do the really hard bits
to begin with, yeah.
And then we'll see how
we get you up there.
- See how we get on.
- Yeah 'cause I don't
think Steve or I,
I'm not built to be up high,
and Steve doesn't
like being up high.
So that sorta sums up our team.
(relaxing music)
- That doesn't look very high.
When you're up there
it looks quite high.
When you get up to the next
floor it looks (beep) high.
When you get up to
the very top floor,
your bum actually holds
you onto the railings.
(relaxing music)
Can you reach?
- [Ian] Yeah.
- [Dick] Good man.
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator] On the other side
of the 55 centimeter thick
stone walls,
Angel's checking out
her latest online purchase.
Three boxes filled to
the brim with seashells.
- Wow look at this, nice.
I'm likin' it already,
not done anything.
- [Narrator] Angel's
idea is to create
a 21st century seascape
inside an antique glass dome.
She's never done it
before, but if it works,
Angel hopes to display it
inside the floating dome.
- So this polystyrene
is gonna be my test.
I don't obviously want to
be testing on the base.
It's probably a
good 100 years old.
Da, da!
- [Narrator] In the 19th
century, glass parlor domes
filled with treasured
items and handmade displays
were seen in almost every house.
In Angel's modern version,
she's gluing the shells
to wooden dowels,
which when she's happy
with their position,
Dick will drill
into the wood base.
- They're so light it really
doesn't take a lot of stickin'.
That's great.
- [Narrator] As well as
carefully working out
where to position each shell,
Angel also needs to check
her 3D display
will actually fit.
- Yeah, that's good.
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator] Outside,
while Ian boldly goes
where no man has gone
before, Dick has decided
to keep his feet
firmly on the ground.
Or at least the
pedal of his tractor.
Both he and Angel visited a
truffle farm back in the spring.
- Oh the first truffle, wow.
- [Narrator] Dick
has been determined
to cultivate their own
particular favorite,
the black perigord.
But to have any
chance of success,
he first needs to raise
the soil to a PH of eight.
A task he's been working hard
at for the past six months.
- I'm adding lime in at about
a kilo per 100 square feet.
I've got about 600 square
feet, so I've got about
606 kilos to put in there.
It's all calculated,
came from the internet
and it's not an exact science.
So what I'm gonna do is
spread my white chalk,
which is lime, over the bed,
so the ground'll be ready
for truffle trees.
- [Narrator] Truffles grow
around the roots of trees
that have been inoculated
with truffle spores.
If Dick does manage to raise
the soil's PH before winter,
then he plans to
plant four trees,
each one capable of
producing two to three kilos
of truffles a year.
- Just in time, it
started to rain properly,
but exactly what I want.
The lime's now gonna
go into the soil,
raise my PH, and I'll be
pulling out truffles, oh a kilo.
What is that a
thousand Euros a kilo.
How many truffles
do I need to retire?
(playful music)
- [Narrator] That
evening, Dick invites
Angel's parents to
dinner in the chateau.
The rendering is almost finished
and to celebrate Dick
wants to recreate
the dish they tasted in
Rouen, canard a la presse,
but Strawbridge style.
- I don't have a
duck press de Rouen.
Looked on the internet,
cheapest one we've seen
was two and half thousand.
They're mainly
about 4,000 pounds.
But I do have, a fruit press.
(playful music)
I was telling your Mom and
Dad about me being a duckler.
- Oh yeah.
What does that make me?
As a lady duck.
Can I be like a duck?
- I could be a draker.
- A ducklet?
- [Narrator] Now
everyone's gathered,
it's time to find out whether
Dick's 50 pound fruit press
is as good as a
4,000 pound duck one.
- This is for my press.
They really only use this part.
I'm going to put my
carcass completely,
and this now is now going to
go into here, to be pressed.
There we go.
I have something to
put my juices in.
What we're gonna do
is press this down.
- [Narrator] Traditionally
duck a la presse
is always pressed by someone
who's never tasted it.
And tonight the honor goes
to Angel's father Steve.
- [Dick] Come on
let's get in here.
- I might get depressed.
(people cheer)
- Who's your daddy?
(women laugh)
- [Dick] Steady, steady.
- [Women] Whoa!
- No applause please.
- [Narrator] The fruit
press has proved its worth.
Now it's time to find out
whether Dick's cooking
is good enough for the
Order of the Canardiere.
- [Angel] Oh my god.
There we go.
- [Steve] Thank you very much.
That looks really lovely.
- [Angel] We love it.
- [Dick] That is so good.
(birds tweet)
- [Narrator] The next morning,
the main holes in the walls
have been filled,
and the cherry picker's
ready to be returned.
But before it goes, Angel
has a special request.
- There's one window
in the chateau
that we can't get to.
And absolutely every
event that we do
I'm twitching, and twitching,
there's bird poo there,
there's spider webs.
I just cannot wait to
get on the other side
and give that a good clean.
But I'm gonna basically
have to just bite my tongue
and pretend I'm not scared.
- [Narrator] And it
seems everyone's keen
to watch her act of derring-do.
- You're joking.
(Angel laughs)
No, oh I love it.
- [Dick] Right,
what you have to do,
is step your left foot
in that hole, this hole.
- [Angel] Yes darlin'.
- [Dick] Mommy loves heights.
Underneath there and up.
Okay up you go.
Now you're in.
You're now clipped on.
- Mommy's fine.
- It's just to you.
- [Angel] I don't
know what all the fuss
has been made about.
- I have the control.
If you ever say turn it off
just press the button yeah.
- The big red button.
- The red button.
- See you in a minute.
We're gonna have a
lovely clean window.
- Mommy.
- Yes darling.
- Go really high now, higher.
- I'm really high.
- Higher!
- Whoa, I think this is the bit
where you get a bit
twitchy isn't it?
- [Narrator] When Angel
reaches the heady heights
of ten meters, Dick
decides it's time
to give her some instructions.
- [Dick] On your dashboard.
- [Angel] Yes.
- [Dick] Look at your knobs.
- [Angel] Yep.
- [Dick] There's one
of them for twisting.
- Right, yep.
You coulda told me
this beforehand.
- [Dick] Up a little bit.
- [Angel] Whew.
Stop, stop.
Get all the horrible cobwebs,
it's quite cobwebby up here.
(romantic music)
- [Dick] Oh she's gettin' the
window spray on it as well.
Look at this.
Mummy deserves a gold medal.
(romantic music)
- I'm tellin' you,
it might be wobbly,
but getting any bird (beep)
off it is just so worth it.
I really, really have no
idea what all the fuss
has been about.
- [Dick] Get on with the window.
- Come on guys.
- [Arthur] Go Mummy,
go mummy, go mummy.
- [Angel] Dick there's
a bit of a problem.
- [Dick] What?
- It's dirty on the other side.
- [Dick] Oh dear god.
- You need to get me one
these window cleaning things
with a long stick on it.
- I have to tell you the truth.
I didn't think she'd
take to it actually,
I know she's always like
going to fairgrounds
and things like that, but,
that's actually ridiculous.
- [Angel] Bring me down Scottie.
- [Dick] Um, turn
it on your end.
It's not working here.
- I just knew you
were gonna do that.
Bring me down.
- Let's go 'cause
Mummy's so happy.
Let's go children,
I'm gonna take the.
- Mr. Strawbridge,
you'll be in trouble.
- Darling, love you to bits.
You're so clever.
Come on.
- Mummy I miss you.
- [Dick] We're gonna miss you.
(playful music)
(phone rings)
- Get your (beep) back here now,
or I'm going to call
some handsome firemen
to come and get me down.
- [Dick] If you do some
renderin' when you're up there
that would be lovely.
- [Angel] Mr. Strawbridge!
(birds tweet)
(playful music)
- [Narrator] As the trees
surrounding the chateau
turn from green to gold.
Dick is in the walled garden,
collecting the last of
the year's vegetables.
- [Dick] I can't believe how
many tomatoes we've got here.
- [Narrator] When Dick
first saw the abandoned land
he was determined to
bring it back to life,
all 2,000 square meters of it.
Now, three years on, his
hard work has paid off.
The garden is flourishing
and the kitchen table
is heaving under the weight
of home-grown produce.
But when it comes to food,
Dick ensures nothing
goes to waste.
- Chutneys.
Vinegar, sugar, fruit, spices.
And this is a glut chut.
It's what's left at
the end of the season.
- [Narrator] Dick's
idea of happiness
is one of self-sufficiency,
good quality food,
and it seems making enough
chutney to last a lifetime.
(playful music)
- Something special about
sittin' down to a meal
where you've been
involved in it.
Make your own bread,
make your own cheese,
make your own chutney.
That doesn't get any better.
- [Narrator] Particularly
when you have a wide variety
of peppers to work with.
- Let's test one of these.
(Dick coughs)
Well that wasn't a
sweet pepper, whoa!
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Later that
day, it's Dick's physical
rather than culinary
skills that are in demand.
The interior of the floating
dome is almost finished.
But first Angel
needs Dick's help
hanging up a rather
heavy centerpiece.
- Okay, I need to
get this light up
and then I've got
a couple of tweaks.
(playful music)
(Dick laughs)
- [Angel] It's too heavy?
- [Dick] No I'm too small.
(Angel laughs)
- [Angel] Shall
I get the ladder?
- [Dick] Okay>
The nut's right there.
- Yeah but the light, the
light, the light's not straight.
- [Dick] What do you
mean that's not straight.
- [Angel] No it is now.
It was just twisted.
- [Dick] Okay.
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator]
Designing the interior
of the modern floating
dome is very different
to anything Angel's done before.
Nevertheless, she's determined
it still have a touch
of chateau quirkiness.
- It's a very contemporary
geometric shape
and it didn't feel
right puttin' in
a lot of vintage furniture.
So I've gone quite
contemporary this time.
And I like it.
I think it works.
And I've still got a
little bit of the chateau.
I've still got a little
bit of the taxidermy.
(playful music)
It's not bad for
a first attempt.
- [Narrator] As
well as aesthetics,
there's also a practical
aspect to take into account.
- There's a slightly
different mindset
when you're puttin' things
in a dome that's on a moat.
What can fall over?
- [Narrator] And Angel's
taken her cue from the experts
of wobbly surfaces,
the Royal Navy.
- A port decanter,
because port decanters
have got big bottoms.
(Angel giggles)
Like myself.
And when the ships
used to go like that,
they didn't ever fall over.
So that's a good one to have.
And I also chose my
glasses accordingly,
with big bottoms.
- [Narrator] Tonight
the floating dome
has its first guests.
And they're a
discerning local crowd.
- The kids have
never had a sleepover
and this is gonna be the
nearest that they've had.
And it's gonna be amazin'.
They're gonna love it.
(birds tweet)
- [Narrator] But before
tonight's sleepover,
Dick wants Arthur and Dorothy
to witness a historic event.
At least in Dick's eyes.
- What we have to do is we
have to have a little look
at the reading on this
to see what we've got,
because we've added some
lime to it, and we put it in.
The reading is truffles.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] After
months of hard work,
the soil in the
orchard is perfect
for planting truffle trees.
Or rather trees that can grow
truffles around their roots.
- You can get home oak,
you get evergreen oak,
you can get sort
of ordinary oak,
there's all sorts
of different trees
you can impregnate with
the spores of the truffle.
We went for nut trees,
because that's the double.
We either get nuts
or we get truffles,
or we get nuts and truffles.
Well done.
Watch, turn like this.
And see the roots, see
the roots Dorothy, look.
Truffles are going
to grow on them.
- [Arthur] All right.
- Yeah all right.
- [Narrator] The four
nutty truffle trees
will join the 24 fruit trees
that Dick planted in the spring.
This time though, he's going
to make sure the young saplings
are protected against
the local wildlife.
- [Dick] What was over
here eating our trees?
You remember?
- A wild boar?
- [Dick] You remember the
deer and wild boar we saw?
- I said a wild boar.
- You said wild boar but
that's 'cause you're so smart.
- [Dorothy] Beautiful.
- Yeah but you're
beautiful and smart,
that's a scary combination.
Just like your Mummy.
Beautiful and smart.
Right, this one
needs to go in now.
Here we go.
Those roots are going to
actually give us truffles.
- [Dorothy] Truffles
are my favorite.
- You like mushrooms don't ya?
And truffles are like the best
mushrooms you can get, wow!
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Unfortunately,
Arthur and Dorothy
will have to wait
at least five years
before they get a whiff
of home-grown truffle.
But that doesn't put
Dick and Angel off,
as it's all part of
their plan for a brighter
and tastier future.
- When Arthur is my age,
these will have been
productive truffle
trees for 50 years.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Job done,
the three gardeners
head back to the chateau.
But first an essential detour.
(playful music)
- [Dick] Hey I'm comin' in too.
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator] That
evening the floating dome
is given its grand opening.
- [Dick] In we go, in we go.
What do you think
of this, in you go?
- [Narrator] And its
first ever review.
(relaxing music)
- [Dick] What do you think
of this place Arthur?
- I love it.
- [Dick] Right, shall I
take us out into the middle?
- [Narrator] Not content
with just bobbing around
on the moat, Dick's decided
to accessorize the dome
with his outboard motor.
- [Dick] Coming now, just
puttin' the anchor out.
- Dad why you goin' backwards?
- [Dick] I was just parking.
(engine chugs)
- Oh it's warm in here.
- [Angel] It's
positively gorgeous.
(cork pops)
(kids cheer)
- [Narrator] Like
all good ships,
the floating dome is launched
with a bottle of fizz.
Even if it is lemonade.
(crickets chirp)
- [Dick] Daddy wants to cheers.
Cheers to buccaneers.
- [Arthur] Cheers to buccaneers.
- Cheers to gears.
- [Arthur] Cheers to buccaneers.
- [Dick] Here you go you.
Cheers to you, me babby.
(relaxing music)
- Who can see our
chateau under the stars?
That's a nice name isn't it?
- Can you look in
the reflection,
see the reflection in the water?
That's a picture, see the
reflection of the light.
- [Angel] All right who's
gonna, who's snugglin' in?
- [Dick] We're havin'
to top to tail?
We're gonna have to
top and tail are we?
- If you look there
the chateau's movin'.
- [Dick] The chateau is moving.
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator] For Dick and Angel,
the floating dome
is the perfect end
to one of their busiest years.
- Our life is manic, but
this is so peaceful isn't it?
- It is gorgeous.
- I do love ya.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
I love you too.
(Dick chuckles)
- I love you and I love you.
- Ah romance.
- [Arthur] I love you
and I love you Daddy.
- I love you son.
(relaxing music)
of the French countryside,
a magnificent chateau
stood empty and abandoned.
(romantic music)
Its 45 rooms,
12 acres of land,
seven outbuildings,
and moat, all left untouched.
(romantic music)
But three years ago,
everything changed,
- Oh look at that.
- [Narrator] when an
intrepid British couple,
- Turn, turn, turn, turn.
Wow!
- [Narrator] paid 280,000
pounds, to turn it into
their dream family home.
- Everything is gorgeous.
(romantic music)
- It's so incredibly important
to bring it back to life.
- [Narrator] Since
they moved in,
engineer Dick Strawbridge,
(metal clatters)
and his wife designer Angel,
have put in heating
and hot water.
- [Dick] Look at that.
(boy cheers)
- [Narrator] And have
transformed over half the rooms,
including three
sumptuous guest suites
for their wedding
and events business.
(romantic music)
But despite their hard work,
their dream often
resembled a nightmare.
- [Angel] Whoa!
(truck crashes)
(romantic music)
- You should not be able to
see the sky out of your roof.
- Behind every romantic
story is the reality.
(romantic music)
- [Narrator] Now it's
time for the next chapter
in Dick and Angel's
French fairytale.
(romantic music)
(playful music)
It's the middle of autumn
and the wedding season
is finally over.
(playful music)
But work at the
chateau doesn't stop.
(playful music)
Angel is keen to transform
the floating dome
into a magical
glamping experience for
next year's guests.
(playful music)
There's an enormous amount
of fruit and vegetables
to pickle and pot.
And still on Dick's to do list,
there's a thousand square
meters of chateau wall to repair
before the harsh
weather kicks in.
(playful music)
But first it's the
autumn school holidays
and there's three-year-old
Dorothy's report to read.
(Dorothy speaking in
a foreign language)
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
(Dorothy speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Dick] Magnificent,
magnificent.
- [Angel] Now look, whoa,
Dorothy lookin' snazzy.
- You've actually walked along
holding hands with somebody
to class, haven't
you, you've done that.
- [Narrator] Back in January,
Dorothy joined her
older brother Arthur
at the local French school.
(playful music)
It may have been one small
step for two-year-old Dorothy,
but for Angel it
was a giant leap.
- [Angel] Mommy will
catch up with you
very, very soon my darling.
- She's two, she's tiny.
What do you think about
leaving your little girl?
- Good.
- [Dick] Really good?
- [Narrator] 10 months on,
and it's not just Dorothy's
French vocabulary that's grown.
- She's probably cheating,
I don't believe it Mommy,
but that's how high
Dorothy is look.
No way.
- [Angel] Gosh!
- [Dick] Hold on, just
put a little mark there.
See there.
(dramatic music)
Wow, Oct. 17.
Look how tall Dorothy is Mommy.
That's huge Dorothy.
- 'Cause I have been
eating a lot of stuffs,
spinach and mushrooms,
everything I've been eating.
- And when you're at school,
does being at
school help as well?
- Yeah.
Everything I've eaten
is what helped me.
- [Narrator] As well as
spending time with the children,
(playful music)
(Dorothy giggles)
Angel also wants to
explore new business ideas.
She's decided that the chateau
is the perfect location
for upmarket
camping, or glamping.
Keen to offer somewhere unusual
for her guests to sleep,
two weeks ago,
Angel commandeered
the moat's floating pontoon.
Originally bought
by Dick to stand on
while he pruned back the trees,
Angel instead wants
to use it to create
a stylish space for
sleeping and stargazing.
- Who wants to come
and have a look inside
our geodesic dome?
You ready go and
look at the stars?
Yeah, can you see any?
- No.
- No.
Take 'em off the top.
- [Narrator] Now to ensure the
dome will be warm and cozy,
Angel wants to install
its very own wood burner.
(playful music)
As soon as she can
get it out the box.
- When I met her she did makeup.
But you never did through a
drill driver, back drivers,
takin' apart packing
cases to find--
- I still managed to
get nails in things
and nails outta things.
- Darling you have to
acknowledge the fact
you are now Rosie the Riveter.
She's Rosie the Riveter.
(drill whirs)
(playful music)
- You're much quicker.
It's all those
years of experience.
- [Narrator] It's soon
clear that opening the box
is the easy bit.
- Oh that's nice and heavy.
- Is it, do you need a hand?
Oh that feels really heavy.
- [Narrator] But maneuvering
a 105 kilo wood burner
across a wooden plank,
onto a floating pontoon
is par for the course
at the chateau.
- My very first job
as a 16-year-old,
was emptying containers
usin' one of these.
(playful music)
[Narrator] Once in place,
all Dick needs to do
is attach a chimney and
carefully read the instructions.
- What language?
Polish, okay.
Next.
- Ah I can't believe
how lovely today is.
- [Narrator] As well as
preparing the dome for glamping,
Angel's also keen,
after a busy summer,
to spend some quality time
with her mother Jenny.
- The Bramley has gotta
be the best for apple pie.
- [Narrator] As Angel's parents
have recently moved into
the new granny flat
built in the old stables,
there's now time
for a bit of baking.
- Anytime I think of apple
pie, you know I just think
of you makin' it for Granddad.
Granddad always being
like oh! (Angel chuckles)
- [Narrator] Jenny's pies
are held in such high esteem
that the whole
family has made sure,
she has the best ingredients.
- These strains we brought
over, especially for my Mom,
because whenever Mom
used to make apple pie,
it was always with
a Bramley apple.
And when we got out
here Mom made a couple.
She's like, it's
not quite the same,
it's not quite the same.
And we told Dick's
Mom the story,
and she managed to get us a
couple of tiny, little trees.
And that's been a year, and
we've had a really good harvest.
Considering that
they're so young,
I think we've done
quite well, haven't we.
- Surprised we got
so many this year.
- [Narrator] For the first
time since she moved to France,
nearly three years ago, Jenny
has exactly what she needs
to make the perfect pie.
- [Angel] Right, I
think we're done Mom.
- [Jenny] Brilliant, brilliant.
- [Angel] Go and get Dorothy,
take over the kitchen.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Soon the
cold winter nights
will be drawing in and Dick
is keen to prepare for them,
by making his own pear
brandy, or eau de vie.
Six weeks ago, he
pulped 50 kilograms
of his home-grown pears,
and then left then to
ferment in sugared water.
(relaxing music)
- Bonjour Alain, ca va?
- [Narrator] Today
it's time to return
to the local
distiller Alain Trolle
and turn the pulp
pears from a heady mash
into a fragrant liqueur.
- It really, really
smells of pears.
It really oh!
(men speaking in a
foreign language)
- [Narrator] Once the
copper chaudiere, or boiler,
is gently warmed up,
Alain starts teaching Dick
the fine art of distilling.
(men speaking in a
foreign language)
- [Narrator] Like most
good things in France
it's not to be rushed,
even if it's just pouring
fermented pears into a boiler.
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
- If you go up to 80%
you lose all the perfume
and you lose all
of the fragrance.
So it's the pectins and the
skin of the actual pears
that gives the aroma.
- [Narrator] Alain produces
around 140,000 liters
of eau de vie and
Calvados each year.
So even though Dick's
doing the work today,
Alain's keeping a
close eye on him.
- I've gotta do it
properly, cleanly,
do not mess around, do not drip.
- [Narrator] As the
fermented pears heat up
the alcohol will evaporate
and then as it cools
turn back to liquid.
And that's when Dick can
see if there's any life
in his eau de vie.
- When it comes out of there,
I'm allowed to taste it.
This is quite important.
It's 35% coming into here,
which is actually a
reasonable strength.
Comes outta the next at 70
and we get (lips smack).
- [Narrator] If it tastes
good, Dick plans to serve it
at Christmas, but
maybe not this year.
(Dick speaking in
foreign language)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- What!
(Dick speaking in
foreign language)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Narrator] All good things
come to those who wait.
And when it comes to eau de
vie it's at least three years.
(Dick speaking in
foreign language)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Narrator] Back in the
basement kitchen of the chateau,
three generations of
women are hard at work.
(relaxing music)
- We're going to put this on.
- We're makin' apple pie.
- [Narrator] Like Angel,
Dorothy is also keen
to learn Jenny's special
apple pie recipe,
to an extent.
- [Jenny] So can Grandma
help a little bit?
- [Dorothy] No.
- [Angel] It's all right Mom.
Put your feet up and
we'll finish it off.
Now we need to know Grandma's
secret recipe don't we?
- I just add more sugar.
- [Jenny] Well done Dorothy,
you're doin' brilliant.
Are you making
this for granddad?
He loves apple pie.
- [Angel] I've got
to say Dorothy,
you look very,
very, very gorgeous.
- Thank you Mommy.
Say I'm a ballerina.
Ballerinas are always beautiful.
(Angel giggles)
- [Narrator] But sometimes
even beautiful ballerinas
have trouble in the kitchen.
- Bit more, that's
it, lovely, thank you.
(Jenny giggles)
- Little bit too much.
(playful music)
- [Angel] Beautifully done.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Just
15 kilometers away,
the remains of Dick's
fermented pears,
after three long hours of
distilling, are poured away.
- [Dick] You know what,
that's too much like
a night out, after a night
out on the beer that is.
Doesn't smell particularly
good at this stage.
It's smells frickin' ropey.
- [Narrator] The malodorous
mash will be turned into
aromatic animal feed.
But over at the condensing tank,
much more exciting
things are happening.
- Do, do, do, do,
do, do, do, do.
(playful music)
Whoa!
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- Hey, hey, look at that.
- [Narrator] It's
time to find out
if Dick's home-grown pear
brandy is any good or not,
or even safe to drink.
- 65% alcohol.
(playful music)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- Okay it's not syrupy,
it's not syrupy.
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Narrator] Over
the next three years,
the flavors of the eau
de vie will develop.
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Narrator] In the
meantime though,
it makes an excellent
decongestant.
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
- Whoa, wow, that
clears your nostrils.
Because the alcohol's
so strong in this,
you get the actual perfume,
the aroma of it all.
When you open you hand
you get much more of a,
it actually clears your
sinuses when you taste it.
- [Narrator] Out of
50 kilos of pears,
Dick has made 10
liters of eau de vie,
more than enough for
the coldest of winters.
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
(Alain speaking in
a foreign language)
(Dick chuckles)
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
(playful music)
- [Narrator] It may be a few
years until anyone tastes
Dick's home-grown eau de vie.
- Our special apple pie.
- [Narrator] But
back at the chateau,
the whole family has
gathered in the dining room
for some of Dorothy's apple pie.
- Dorothy present your cake.
Present your cake.
Ta da!
- How difficult was it to make?
- A little bit.
- A little bit difficult.
Look at the steam.
The steam's gonna
be appley steam.
- [Angel] Oh look at that.
This one, first one's Dorothy's.
(family moans)
- [Jenny] Look at that lovely.
- Oh Dorothy, madame.
- Yes please.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah.
- [Jenny] I'm not very
good at servin' it.
- [Dick] That's brilliant
service Grandma.
Who's this for Grandma?
- [Jenny] That one's for Arthur.
- [Dick] Oh!
- [Narrator] As well
as being a momentous
culinary achievement
for Dorothy,
it's also the
family's first taste
of their very British
Bramley apples.
- We've waited for this
since we've been here.
- [Angel] That's lovely.
- After tastin' this, it
was worth the wait really.
- You got a major
problem madame.
You'll be doing this
every week of the summer.
- [Jenny] It'll
be a big pleasure.
(Dick chuckles)
(playful music)
(birds tweet)
(playful music)
- [Narrator] It's a
gloriously warm autumn.
And Dick and Angel are heading
off for a rare weekend away.
- How 'bout a kiss?
Mwah!
- [Narrator] As Jenny and
Steve are happy to babysit,
Dick's keen to get going.
- Come on Sunny.
Be good, be good for
Grandma and Granddad.
- [Narrator] As
well as weddings,
Dick and Angel host food
lovers weekends at the Chateau.
So they've decided to
attend one of France's
largest food festivals.
(playful music)
The city of Rouen in Normandy,
is not only home to one of
the most stunning cathedrals
in Europe, but also
La fete du Ventre,
the festival of the stomach.
(upbeat music)
Packed with the best food and
drink the region has to offer,
it's so renowned
that Dick and Angel
have driven three
hours to get here.
- [Angel] I've gotta say
I think it is makin' me
feel quite hungry.
- [Narrator] For two
days every October,
around 120,000 food
lovers arrive in Rouen
for a gastronomic blowout.
(man speaking in a
foreign language)
(Dick speaking in
a foreign language)
- [Narrator] Among the
hundreds of food stands,
there's one
particular local dish
that Dick and Angel are
very keen to sample,
canard a la presse,
or pressed duck.
And it's clear that
the chefs of Rouen
take it very seriously.
- Found out about
this, there's an order
of the canardiers,
the duck people,
I'll have to figure out,
that means legs of
the duck, duckling.
- [Angel] You know what I'm
most impressed about right now?
Is they're all keepin'
their hats on their heads.
- Everyone has balance
that's quite impressive.
- [Angel] Oh it's comin' out.
- [Narrator] The unique
flavor of the dish
is in its sauce, which
is made by placing
the duck carcass in a press,
and squeezing the blood
out of the remaining
flesh and bones.
- Imagine if we do
that in the restaurant.
Now I'm just gonna
pour the blood
that I squished outta these.
- Me and you would
be like salivating.
- [Narrator] Luckily
for Dick and Angel
the canardiere are keen
that their guests taste
their renowned duck a la presse,
even if it's just a mouthful.
- That is phenomenal.
- Is rude to lick the plates?
- I done mine.
Very.
Right, I'm watching.
I need one of the presses.
And I need half a duck.
(Dick chuckles)
I think we should have a
go at that dinner plate
Merci monsieur, merci.
- Merci, au revoir.
- [Man] Have a good time.
- [Angel] Thank you.
(upbeat music)
- [Narrator] Dick and Angel's
R and R is short-lived.
Once back home
there's a major job
that Dick is
determined to tackle
before the bad winter
weather sets in.
(upbeat music)
A job that he's been meaning
to do for three years,
repairing the 19th
century chateau walls.
All 1,000 square meters of them.
When we saw the chateau
we knew that the actual
external face of it
needed some love.
It's been flaking off,
particularly this side,
'cause this is
the northern side,
this gets all the weather
here, and it's flaking.
There are holes, those holes
have had bird's nests
in them for decades.
We've had to leave it
until this time of year
because the bird's
have stopped nesting.
Gotta get it fixed.
It's gotta work
because otherwise
the house slowly starts to rot.
No good.
- [Narrator] To reach
the holes at the very top
of the 16 1/2 meter-high walls,
Dick has hired a cherry picker.
(Dick speaks in a
foreign language)
(Man speaks in a
foreign language)
- [Narrator] And after
a quick driving lesson,
- Okay.
You remember all this.
- [Narrator] Dick's
builder mate Steve
is volunteered to go up.
- [Dick] It's quite good because
we will be able to see you
with your high-viz vest
anyways as you tombay.
Steve and I did the
sums, and for both of us
to actually get in
that cage and go up,
because it's got 200
kilo sort of limit,
we couldn't actually
take any cement up,
unless we were just
in our underpants.
So we've decided it's
best probably not
to have both of us up there.
That's my excuse and
I'm sticking to it.
- [Narrator] Unfortunately
for Dick and Steve,
the cherry picker is
booked on another job
in just four days time.
So with hundreds
of holes to fill
on every side of the chateau,
there's no time
to stop and think,
even if the cherry
picker wants to.
(cherry picker beeps)
- [Dick] Why is the alarm going?
- [Steve] I don't know.
(cherry picker beeps)
- [Narrator] While
Dick and Steve
race to make the chateau
walls watertight,
Angel is experimenting
with the floating dome's
interior decoration.
- We have a dome
that's assembled.
And we have a big
hook in the middle
and it's saying, please hang
something on me, I'm lonely.
- [Narrator] And the something
that Angel has big plans for
is a large piece of scrap metal
that Dick has found
in one of the sheds.
- I sort of thought it should be
kinda like a candle chandelier.
But it's really heavy.
I mean seriously, I
would have hung pans,
or something or other.
I think he said he found
it in the cook's house.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] The first
step on the pot rack's
road to recovery is a thick
coating of rust inhibitor.
(playful music)
On the other side of the
chateau, Dick's looking worried.
(dramatic music)
- That's the wonky one,
that's the one that
wiggles a lot isn't it?
(Steve chuckles)
That's definitely the wibbly or.
While I go up here
is gonna be ah, yes.
That long arm is definitely
the end of a long wiggle.
My weight at the end
of it, no thank you.
- Comin' down here and puttin'
your feet on terra firma
is totally fantastic.
(dramatic music)
- [Dick] Take those
off give me that suit,
if it fits you it'll be my size.
- It won't.
(Dick laughs)
- Steve can't stay late tonight.
(dramatic music)
But I have to make
the most of had this.
So I'm goin' up.
(engine revs)
I'm actually built to
stay on the ground,
just in case there's any
ambiguity about that whatsoever.
- [Narrator] But it's
not just the height
that bothers Dick.
- The reason why I
get Steve to do this,
he's been doing it
probably nearly 50 years.
And he's just good at it.
Whereas, I think
I'm going to end up
with an awful lot of
mortar on the ground.
- [Narrator] While
Dick's outside,
struggling at the top
of a cherry picker,
Angel's moved inside,
and is about to tie
herself up in knots.
(playful music)
- I've started off
perfect, but actually,
I don't think it needs to be.
I think it'll look quite nice
with a little bit of a gap in.
- [Narrator] Angel's decided
that the old metal pot rack
would make an excellent
ornamental light
for the floating dome.
- Well this is very therapeutic.
- [Narrator] But she also
wants a soft feminine look,
so she's covering its hard
metal surfaces with sash cord.
- You know the dome is on
the moat with a wood burner.
And you know it's
chilly at night,
it's gonna feel cold in there.
So it's important that there's
a lot of texture in the dome.
So lotsa layering, lots
of nice soft fabrics,
because they instantly give
that feelin' of coziness.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] It's early evening,
and time for Dick to
wish Dorothy good night.
(playful music)
- [Dick] Hello Dorothy.
I love you.
Who's the king of the castle?
- You.
- Daddy, hurrah!
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Dorothy
might be heading for bed,
but with so much
rendering still to do,
Dick isn't so lucky.
(playful music)
- [Dick] It's only
rain, skin's waterproof.
And I'm Irish.
(playful music)
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator] On the
third day of rendering
and 12 meters up, Dick and
Steve finally admit defeat.
Even though the cherry
picker will extend
the full 17 meters
needed to reach
the top of the chateau's
19th century walls,
neither man's
prepared to try it.
- [Dick] Do you wanna do
the bit above that as well?
- No!
(Dick chuckles)
- So we have a slight issue,
that working at the very top,
even though this is built for
that, it's a bit of a problem.
I'm a bit chunky,
and Steve decided he
doesn't wanna be a roofer.
So between the two us,
we've had to call in
the reinforcements.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Riding
to their rescue,
the one man that Dick knows
laughs in the face of gravity,
Ian the roofer.
- Oh you're gettin' ready
matey, good to see you.
- Yeah, can't wait, can't wait.
(Dick laughs)
- [Narrator] Seven months
ago, Ian rather nonchalantly
repaired the holes
in the chateau roof.
So Dick reckons rendering
the very top of the walls
shouldn't be too much
of a problem for him.
- All I want you to do is
do the really hard bits
to begin with, yeah.
And then we'll see how
we get you up there.
- See how we get on.
- Yeah 'cause I don't
think Steve or I,
I'm not built to be up high,
and Steve doesn't
like being up high.
So that sorta sums up our team.
(relaxing music)
- That doesn't look very high.
When you're up there
it looks quite high.
When you get up to the next
floor it looks (beep) high.
When you get up to
the very top floor,
your bum actually holds
you onto the railings.
(relaxing music)
Can you reach?
- [Ian] Yeah.
- [Dick] Good man.
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator] On the other side
of the 55 centimeter thick
stone walls,
Angel's checking out
her latest online purchase.
Three boxes filled to
the brim with seashells.
- Wow look at this, nice.
I'm likin' it already,
not done anything.
- [Narrator] Angel's
idea is to create
a 21st century seascape
inside an antique glass dome.
She's never done it
before, but if it works,
Angel hopes to display it
inside the floating dome.
- So this polystyrene
is gonna be my test.
I don't obviously want to
be testing on the base.
It's probably a
good 100 years old.
Da, da!
- [Narrator] In the 19th
century, glass parlor domes
filled with treasured
items and handmade displays
were seen in almost every house.
In Angel's modern version,
she's gluing the shells
to wooden dowels,
which when she's happy
with their position,
Dick will drill
into the wood base.
- They're so light it really
doesn't take a lot of stickin'.
That's great.
- [Narrator] As well as
carefully working out
where to position each shell,
Angel also needs to check
her 3D display
will actually fit.
- Yeah, that's good.
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator] Outside,
while Ian boldly goes
where no man has gone
before, Dick has decided
to keep his feet
firmly on the ground.
Or at least the
pedal of his tractor.
Both he and Angel visited a
truffle farm back in the spring.
- Oh the first truffle, wow.
- [Narrator] Dick
has been determined
to cultivate their own
particular favorite,
the black perigord.
But to have any
chance of success,
he first needs to raise
the soil to a PH of eight.
A task he's been working hard
at for the past six months.
- I'm adding lime in at about
a kilo per 100 square feet.
I've got about 600 square
feet, so I've got about
606 kilos to put in there.
It's all calculated,
came from the internet
and it's not an exact science.
So what I'm gonna do is
spread my white chalk,
which is lime, over the bed,
so the ground'll be ready
for truffle trees.
- [Narrator] Truffles grow
around the roots of trees
that have been inoculated
with truffle spores.
If Dick does manage to raise
the soil's PH before winter,
then he plans to
plant four trees,
each one capable of
producing two to three kilos
of truffles a year.
- Just in time, it
started to rain properly,
but exactly what I want.
The lime's now gonna
go into the soil,
raise my PH, and I'll be
pulling out truffles, oh a kilo.
What is that a
thousand Euros a kilo.
How many truffles
do I need to retire?
(playful music)
- [Narrator] That
evening, Dick invites
Angel's parents to
dinner in the chateau.
The rendering is almost finished
and to celebrate Dick
wants to recreate
the dish they tasted in
Rouen, canard a la presse,
but Strawbridge style.
- I don't have a
duck press de Rouen.
Looked on the internet,
cheapest one we've seen
was two and half thousand.
They're mainly
about 4,000 pounds.
But I do have, a fruit press.
(playful music)
I was telling your Mom and
Dad about me being a duckler.
- Oh yeah.
What does that make me?
As a lady duck.
Can I be like a duck?
- I could be a draker.
- A ducklet?
- [Narrator] Now
everyone's gathered,
it's time to find out whether
Dick's 50 pound fruit press
is as good as a
4,000 pound duck one.
- This is for my press.
They really only use this part.
I'm going to put my
carcass completely,
and this now is now going to
go into here, to be pressed.
There we go.
I have something to
put my juices in.
What we're gonna do
is press this down.
- [Narrator] Traditionally
duck a la presse
is always pressed by someone
who's never tasted it.
And tonight the honor goes
to Angel's father Steve.
- [Dick] Come on
let's get in here.
- I might get depressed.
(people cheer)
- Who's your daddy?
(women laugh)
- [Dick] Steady, steady.
- [Women] Whoa!
- No applause please.
- [Narrator] The fruit
press has proved its worth.
Now it's time to find out
whether Dick's cooking
is good enough for the
Order of the Canardiere.
- [Angel] Oh my god.
There we go.
- [Steve] Thank you very much.
That looks really lovely.
- [Angel] We love it.
- [Dick] That is so good.
(birds tweet)
- [Narrator] The next morning,
the main holes in the walls
have been filled,
and the cherry picker's
ready to be returned.
But before it goes, Angel
has a special request.
- There's one window
in the chateau
that we can't get to.
And absolutely every
event that we do
I'm twitching, and twitching,
there's bird poo there,
there's spider webs.
I just cannot wait to
get on the other side
and give that a good clean.
But I'm gonna basically
have to just bite my tongue
and pretend I'm not scared.
- [Narrator] And it
seems everyone's keen
to watch her act of derring-do.
- You're joking.
(Angel laughs)
No, oh I love it.
- [Dick] Right,
what you have to do,
is step your left foot
in that hole, this hole.
- [Angel] Yes darlin'.
- [Dick] Mommy loves heights.
Underneath there and up.
Okay up you go.
Now you're in.
You're now clipped on.
- Mommy's fine.
- It's just to you.
- [Angel] I don't
know what all the fuss
has been made about.
- I have the control.
If you ever say turn it off
just press the button yeah.
- The big red button.
- The red button.
- See you in a minute.
We're gonna have a
lovely clean window.
- Mommy.
- Yes darling.
- Go really high now, higher.
- I'm really high.
- Higher!
- Whoa, I think this is the bit
where you get a bit
twitchy isn't it?
- [Narrator] When Angel
reaches the heady heights
of ten meters, Dick
decides it's time
to give her some instructions.
- [Dick] On your dashboard.
- [Angel] Yes.
- [Dick] Look at your knobs.
- [Angel] Yep.
- [Dick] There's one
of them for twisting.
- Right, yep.
You coulda told me
this beforehand.
- [Dick] Up a little bit.
- [Angel] Whew.
Stop, stop.
Get all the horrible cobwebs,
it's quite cobwebby up here.
(romantic music)
- [Dick] Oh she's gettin' the
window spray on it as well.
Look at this.
Mummy deserves a gold medal.
(romantic music)
- I'm tellin' you,
it might be wobbly,
but getting any bird (beep)
off it is just so worth it.
I really, really have no
idea what all the fuss
has been about.
- [Dick] Get on with the window.
- Come on guys.
- [Arthur] Go Mummy,
go mummy, go mummy.
- [Angel] Dick there's
a bit of a problem.
- [Dick] What?
- It's dirty on the other side.
- [Dick] Oh dear god.
- You need to get me one
these window cleaning things
with a long stick on it.
- I have to tell you the truth.
I didn't think she'd
take to it actually,
I know she's always like
going to fairgrounds
and things like that, but,
that's actually ridiculous.
- [Angel] Bring me down Scottie.
- [Dick] Um, turn
it on your end.
It's not working here.
- I just knew you
were gonna do that.
Bring me down.
- Let's go 'cause
Mummy's so happy.
Let's go children,
I'm gonna take the.
- Mr. Strawbridge,
you'll be in trouble.
- Darling, love you to bits.
You're so clever.
Come on.
- Mummy I miss you.
- [Dick] We're gonna miss you.
(playful music)
(phone rings)
- Get your (beep) back here now,
or I'm going to call
some handsome firemen
to come and get me down.
- [Dick] If you do some
renderin' when you're up there
that would be lovely.
- [Angel] Mr. Strawbridge!
(birds tweet)
(playful music)
- [Narrator] As the trees
surrounding the chateau
turn from green to gold.
Dick is in the walled garden,
collecting the last of
the year's vegetables.
- [Dick] I can't believe how
many tomatoes we've got here.
- [Narrator] When Dick
first saw the abandoned land
he was determined to
bring it back to life,
all 2,000 square meters of it.
Now, three years on, his
hard work has paid off.
The garden is flourishing
and the kitchen table
is heaving under the weight
of home-grown produce.
But when it comes to food,
Dick ensures nothing
goes to waste.
- Chutneys.
Vinegar, sugar, fruit, spices.
And this is a glut chut.
It's what's left at
the end of the season.
- [Narrator] Dick's
idea of happiness
is one of self-sufficiency,
good quality food,
and it seems making enough
chutney to last a lifetime.
(playful music)
- Something special about
sittin' down to a meal
where you've been
involved in it.
Make your own bread,
make your own cheese,
make your own chutney.
That doesn't get any better.
- [Narrator] Particularly
when you have a wide variety
of peppers to work with.
- Let's test one of these.
(Dick coughs)
Well that wasn't a
sweet pepper, whoa!
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Later that
day, it's Dick's physical
rather than culinary
skills that are in demand.
The interior of the floating
dome is almost finished.
But first Angel
needs Dick's help
hanging up a rather
heavy centerpiece.
- Okay, I need to
get this light up
and then I've got
a couple of tweaks.
(playful music)
(Dick laughs)
- [Angel] It's too heavy?
- [Dick] No I'm too small.
(Angel laughs)
- [Angel] Shall
I get the ladder?
- [Dick] Okay>
The nut's right there.
- Yeah but the light, the
light, the light's not straight.
- [Dick] What do you
mean that's not straight.
- [Angel] No it is now.
It was just twisted.
- [Dick] Okay.
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator]
Designing the interior
of the modern floating
dome is very different
to anything Angel's done before.
Nevertheless, she's determined
it still have a touch
of chateau quirkiness.
- It's a very contemporary
geometric shape
and it didn't feel
right puttin' in
a lot of vintage furniture.
So I've gone quite
contemporary this time.
And I like it.
I think it works.
And I've still got a
little bit of the chateau.
I've still got a little
bit of the taxidermy.
(playful music)
It's not bad for
a first attempt.
- [Narrator] As
well as aesthetics,
there's also a practical
aspect to take into account.
- There's a slightly
different mindset
when you're puttin' things
in a dome that's on a moat.
What can fall over?
- [Narrator] And Angel's
taken her cue from the experts
of wobbly surfaces,
the Royal Navy.
- A port decanter,
because port decanters
have got big bottoms.
(Angel giggles)
Like myself.
And when the ships
used to go like that,
they didn't ever fall over.
So that's a good one to have.
And I also chose my
glasses accordingly,
with big bottoms.
- [Narrator] Tonight
the floating dome
has its first guests.
And they're a
discerning local crowd.
- The kids have
never had a sleepover
and this is gonna be the
nearest that they've had.
And it's gonna be amazin'.
They're gonna love it.
(birds tweet)
- [Narrator] But before
tonight's sleepover,
Dick wants Arthur and Dorothy
to witness a historic event.
At least in Dick's eyes.
- What we have to do is we
have to have a little look
at the reading on this
to see what we've got,
because we've added some
lime to it, and we put it in.
The reading is truffles.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] After
months of hard work,
the soil in the
orchard is perfect
for planting truffle trees.
Or rather trees that can grow
truffles around their roots.
- You can get home oak,
you get evergreen oak,
you can get sort
of ordinary oak,
there's all sorts
of different trees
you can impregnate with
the spores of the truffle.
We went for nut trees,
because that's the double.
We either get nuts
or we get truffles,
or we get nuts and truffles.
Well done.
Watch, turn like this.
And see the roots, see
the roots Dorothy, look.
Truffles are going
to grow on them.
- [Arthur] All right.
- Yeah all right.
- [Narrator] The four
nutty truffle trees
will join the 24 fruit trees
that Dick planted in the spring.
This time though, he's going
to make sure the young saplings
are protected against
the local wildlife.
- [Dick] What was over
here eating our trees?
You remember?
- A wild boar?
- [Dick] You remember the
deer and wild boar we saw?
- I said a wild boar.
- You said wild boar but
that's 'cause you're so smart.
- [Dorothy] Beautiful.
- Yeah but you're
beautiful and smart,
that's a scary combination.
Just like your Mummy.
Beautiful and smart.
Right, this one
needs to go in now.
Here we go.
Those roots are going to
actually give us truffles.
- [Dorothy] Truffles
are my favorite.
- You like mushrooms don't ya?
And truffles are like the best
mushrooms you can get, wow!
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Unfortunately,
Arthur and Dorothy
will have to wait
at least five years
before they get a whiff
of home-grown truffle.
But that doesn't put
Dick and Angel off,
as it's all part of
their plan for a brighter
and tastier future.
- When Arthur is my age,
these will have been
productive truffle
trees for 50 years.
(playful music)
- [Narrator] Job done,
the three gardeners
head back to the chateau.
But first an essential detour.
(playful music)
- [Dick] Hey I'm comin' in too.
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator] That
evening the floating dome
is given its grand opening.
- [Dick] In we go, in we go.
What do you think
of this, in you go?
- [Narrator] And its
first ever review.
(relaxing music)
- [Dick] What do you think
of this place Arthur?
- I love it.
- [Dick] Right, shall I
take us out into the middle?
- [Narrator] Not content
with just bobbing around
on the moat, Dick's decided
to accessorize the dome
with his outboard motor.
- [Dick] Coming now, just
puttin' the anchor out.
- Dad why you goin' backwards?
- [Dick] I was just parking.
(engine chugs)
- Oh it's warm in here.
- [Angel] It's
positively gorgeous.
(cork pops)
(kids cheer)
- [Narrator] Like
all good ships,
the floating dome is launched
with a bottle of fizz.
Even if it is lemonade.
(crickets chirp)
- [Dick] Daddy wants to cheers.
Cheers to buccaneers.
- [Arthur] Cheers to buccaneers.
- Cheers to gears.
- [Arthur] Cheers to buccaneers.
- [Dick] Here you go you.
Cheers to you, me babby.
(relaxing music)
- Who can see our
chateau under the stars?
That's a nice name isn't it?
- Can you look in
the reflection,
see the reflection in the water?
That's a picture, see the
reflection of the light.
- [Angel] All right who's
gonna, who's snugglin' in?
- [Dick] We're havin'
to top to tail?
We're gonna have to
top and tail are we?
- If you look there
the chateau's movin'.
- [Dick] The chateau is moving.
(relaxing music)
- [Narrator] For Dick and Angel,
the floating dome
is the perfect end
to one of their busiest years.
- Our life is manic, but
this is so peaceful isn't it?
- It is gorgeous.
- I do love ya.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
I love you too.
(Dick chuckles)
- I love you and I love you.
- Ah romance.
- [Arthur] I love you
and I love you Daddy.
- I love you son.
(relaxing music)