Escape to the Chateau (2016–2019): Season 5, Episode 2 - In the Attic - full transcript

(light music)

- [Narrator] In the heart
of the French countryside,

a magnificent 19th
Century chateau's

stood uncared for and abandoned

until four years ago
when everything changed,

and an intrepid British couple.

- Turn, turn, turn, turn.

Wow.

- [Narrator] Paid 280,000 pounds

to turn it into their
dream family home.

- Everything's gorgeous.



(laughter)

(camera clicks)

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

- [Narrator] Since
they've moved in,

engineer Dick Strawbridge,

(metal clanks)

and his wife, designer,
Angel have transformed

almost all 45 rooms
including three sumptuous

guest suites for their
weddings and events business.

But despite their hard work,

their dream has often
resembled a nightmare.

- You should not be able

to the see the sky
out of your roof.

- Behind every romantic
story is the reality.



- [Narrator] Now it's time
to find out what happens next

in this 21st Century
French fairy tale.

(bright engaging music)

(cheerful music)

The wedding season has
begun and Angel's decided

that it's time to get organized.

There's the marriage of
two very close friends

to arrange and the
family is planning

a special birthday celebration
for Angel's mother.

- [Dick] Happy
birthday, darling.

- [Narrator] But first
there's a job for Dick

to do, at the very
top of the chateau.

(playful music)

- [Angel] Stop pinching my bum.

I sort of don't really know
where to put everything.

- You can't tell me
this chateau is full.

I don't believe it.

- [Angel] It is, it
needs an extension.

- [Narrator] For the past
three years, Dick and Angel

have lovingly brought
the chateau back to life,

and in the rooms once
occupied by servants,

Angel would now like to
create a room of her own,

an attic treasury, a place
where she can work quietly

while surrounded by her
favorite memorabilia.

- Basically every
bit of this wall

and ceiling is gonna be covered.

We have got millions of
pictures and drawings

of the children, it's my
happy place without noise.

This is probably where my
sewing table's gonna be,

because it's just like lovely,
natural light in the daytime.

At the moment, I've
got stuff everywhere.

It's doing my head in.

- If you're gonna
turn it into something

that's a special treasure room,

you have to look at
storage solutions.

- I don't want
anything too fussy.

- Right.

- But I need to be
happy in this room.

It's gotta be old
and representative
of what this room is.

- Right.

(bright engaging music)

- [Narrator] As Dick
tries to work out what old

and representative
storage actually is,

Angel starts sorting through
her personal treasure trove.

- [Angel] Look at that,
Silver Jubilee, 1952 to 1977.

- [Narrator] An
unexpected pleasure

of having things
packed away for years--

- This is just an old tin
but it makes me smile.

- [Narrator] Is that you
often forget what you possess.

- Nice.

A lot of this stuff is
gonna go up to the treasury.

I need to get some boxes and
get it all up there, actually.

Now, I love collecting
these deers and does.

Also really obsessive
old Avon bottles.

These, there's millions
of them, but these are

from little lambs to
one of my favorites.

It's the weirdest thing ever,

but I like weird and
wonderful things.

I am planning on having
a shelf of bottles.

And you know I
remember everywhere

that I've bought
these in the past.

Had these old birds
up in my old house.

Gosh.

I have always had
a lot of stuff,

but everything is
everywhere around the house.

I am on the edge of kind
of going crazy, genuinely.

Like, Coronation car
flag, if I don't find them

a nice home, things
that mean a lot to me

are gonna start
going walkabouts.

I've had this old matchbox.

I don't know what's
in it anymore.

There's still matches.

All this stuff, these
are my treasures.

I mean, I've been
collecting for 35 years.

(bright upbeat music)

- [Narrator] And Angel
has no plans to stop.

In fact, she's heard that there

are new hunting grounds nearby.

- [Dick] Let's get
this show on the road.

- [Narrator] Everyone,
including five-year-old, Arthur,

and four-year-old Dorothy
are off to a vide-greniers.

Literally meaning empty
attic, these markets

are the French equivalent
of a car-boot sale.

- Isn't this beautiful?

Dick, this is on our doorstep.

I didn't even know about it.

- [Narrator] And
it's clear there

are plenty of
bargains to be had.

- Right, Mummy's
starting now, her eyes,

she's in locking-in
mode, targets.

(ticking)

- [Angel] Right, if
anyone finds a copper pan

they get one euro, pocket money.

- [Dorothy] But how fast?

- [Angel] Well no,
whoever finds it.

(charming French music)

- [Arthur] Mummy, look.

- [Narrator] But it's not a
copper pan, Arthur's spotted.

It's something much
more interesting,

two toy action figures.

- Do you actually
now who they are?

- Yes.

- They're one euro each.

I'll offer her a euro
because they're a bit manky.

(speaking in French)

- It's only two euros.

I'm totally in the mindset

of shopping at
boot-sales right now.

A nice, old Scrabble set,
two euros, that's very nice.

So I'll find something
to do with it.

I even love all the
old boards and stuff.

These are beautiful.

I mean two euros is not
very expensive but I'm like,

you know I've got a whole
cupboard of French magazines

but actually I don't
remember seeing these ones.

Merci.

- Merci.

- [Narrator] Like
her mother, Dorothy

also has an eye for
vintage memorabilia,

and has found a
tin aide-memoire.

- [Dick] Dorothy's got a
present for Mummy there.

- Oh wow, oh my gosh, I love it.

This is for Mummy to
learn French, isn't it?

So when we do--

- No if you make a
mistake you can do that.

- Oh, that is fantastic.

I love it!

- But it is actually
quite useful

'cause it's got things like
washing up liquid in it,

toilet paper, all the
important things in life.

- [Angel] Yeah.

- You could actually use it
in the kitchen 'cause not

many people know what they
have to go shopping for.

- Yeah.

- Right, pop it in there.

- I love it, thank you.

- [Narrator] Dick has
also found something

for the kitchen, though
a lot less portable.

- [Dick] It's a substantial
thing, what do you think?

- Yeah.

It's quite heavy, yeah.

- [Dick] Well, it's 40
euros, so it's not cheap.

- [Angel] It's nice.

- [Narrator] But Angel's
still locked in bargain mode.

- I wonder if you could
him down a little bit.

40 euros is a bit steep.

(speaking in French)

- It's big, big, and 30
euros is about 25 quid

at the minute, so
it's not a bad deal,

bit of work cleaning
up and getting it up,

but yeah, it's like
a witch's cauldron.

The kids love it.

- It's heavy, isn't it?

- Can you do it?

- Arthur, is kind of
like the strongest.

You are pretty much the
strongest boy in the world.

- [Narrator] Now,
everyone in the family

has bagged a bargain, it's time

to go home, laden
with their treasures.

- [Angel] I think
we've done okay.

- [Dick] Yeah.

- [Angel] This has been lovely.

(bright stirring music)

- [Narrator] The place Dick
and Angel now call home was

originally built in 1868 for
the wealthy Baglioni family.

Looking after them would've
been a team of nine servants,

including a maid to sew and
embroider their clothes.

Now, Angel would like to
use one of their attic rooms

for her own sewing
and craftwork.

- This is my new home.

It's my new creative empire.

It's gonna be just my
little bit of space.

I can come up here and make

people things
without interruption.

And if all goes to
plan, if someone wants

to ask me something they'll
wait until I go downstairs.

(bright charming music)

- [Narrator] And when
Angel is downstairs,

Dick has something to show her.

- [Dick] There you go.

- [Narrator] A vintage,
mid-century writing desk.

- [Dick] Do you have any
use for that up there?

- [Angel] I'm torn between
loving it and hating it.

- [Dick] Yeah,
I'm not surprised.

- We got it in our
favorite charity shop

and I mean--

- We got it knowing that we
didn't really have a reason

to have it other than
the fact it was so weird.

And if you don't buy something

at a charity shop you
never get to see it again.

It's been sitting here
for months, hasn't it?

- [Angel] Yeah.

And that comes out,
and that comes out too.

- If we start taking it apart

we'll never get it
back together again.

It's gonna be like the
worst sort of jigsaw.

How much did we pay for this,
do you remember what it was?

- [Angel] 60 euros.

- [Dick] Was it 60 euros?

- Yeah, right, it's
gonna come upstairs.

I actually love it.

- All right, yup.

- [Narrator] But Dick's
search for interesting

storage solutions
isn't finished yet.

By the walled-garden there
are seven outbuildings.

Once used to house
the horses, carriages,

and gardening tools,
now they're filled

with 150 years worth of junk.

So, Dick's fairly certain
there'll be something here

that Angel will want
in her treasury.

- [Dick] Ah, there
you are, look at that.

That's the ladder.

- [Angel] That's an
attractive ladder, isn't it?

- [Dick] We can chop it.

If you have that
against the wall,

you can put things in each
of those racks, can't you?

- Yeah.

- Well there's a ladder,
that's one thing.

- The ladder is a
definite, but a part

of me feels a bit
sad cutting it.

But these are great.

- [Dick] Yeah,
they're all right.

- They're lovely.

Brilliant, that's perfect.

- [Narrator] Buoyed
by Angel's enthusiasm,

Dick's imagination
knows no bounds.

- [Dick] You could put a
drawer, for example, on the wall

and use this stuff here
to hook things on to.

- That is a possible.

Could we make some holes in here

and have the dials
and the brooms go in?

- Oh for real, absolutely.

See that, that's
quite nice isn't it?

- Yeah, I mean that
is just gorgeous.

Like, I'm loving this.

- Do you know what
I'm loving, it's free.

(enchanting music)

(bright charming music)

- [Narrator] Throughout
its 150 year history,

the chateau's been used to
entertain friends, family,

and under Dick and
Angel's guardianship,

wedding guests and food lovers.

At one event last
year, Angel even

decked the halls, or
rather the dining room

with a beautiful display
of cherry blossom.

- Please take a seat.

- Oh, thank you.

- [Narrator] The
special occasion?

A meticulously-planned proposal.

- It all happens
after the soup course.

- Nathan, will you marry me?

- Yes, I will.

- [Dick] I take it he said yes?

- He said yes.

- [Narrator] Now
exactly one year on,

the couple, Michael and
Nathan, have not only become

great friends with
Dick and Angel

but are about to hold
their wedding here.

- If we're looking at the
whole event, all right,

1700 through to about--

- Nine.

I'm gonna do tea cocktails, you
know that's my old favorite.

I'm also just gonna
have a little look today

for a blossom cocktail,
obviously being the theme.

- [Dick] Blossom cocktail, okay.

- Can you get me
like at least 36,

or get three boxes of macaroons.

- [Dick] Okay, macaroons.

I've got shopping to get,
that's prep work, okay, done.

- Okay, don't put your head.

That's the stress hand on head.

But this is not
stressful, this is nice.

Let me kiss your head.

- Yeah, yeah.

- I love you, I love
you, I love you.

All right, let's get working.

- I love her to bits.

(whimsical music)

(bright charming music)

- [Narrator] It's the
beginning of the wedding season

and the chateau is hosting
an extra special event.

- [Angel] Are we gonna
try and make this

really beautiful for
Nathan and Michael?

- [Dorothy] I would like.

- I would like to, yeah.

Look, can you see there,
there's a little bud.

What's that gonna turn into?

- I don't know.

- [Angel] It's gonna
turn into the blossom.

It's gonna open up.

- Can I see it?

- Look, there it is.

Right, if I give
you this can you

put that in the
basket please, helper?

Thanks, put it in
very delicately.

I love cherry blossom,
it's quite oriental

in terms of the
aesthetic, but I love it,

and it's so fleeting.

Now we're gonna
take these back home

and we're gonna do some tests.

Is that about enough?

Yeah, you take that.

Thanks, darling.

Shall we go and put
it in the water?

Yeah?

- [Narrator] Just over
two years ago, Angel,

her mother Jenny, and
a very little Dorothy,

ventured out into
the cold to gather

pine sprigs and
mistletoe for their first

Christmas together
at the chateau.

- Just right for you to put

in the basket,
darling, for grandma.

- [Angel] Oh, thank you, helper.

- [Narrator] Since then,
bringing the outside in

has not only become
a family tradition

but also a key theme
throughout the chateau.

Now Angel would like to
create an indoor display

of cherry blossom but the design

will entirely depend
on how long it lasts.

- Right, this one
I'm going to have,

it's got water in,
this one doesn't.

- Mummy, I got this one.

- This year we have got to
create a room full of blossom

and it's gotta last a
good couple of days.

This is our test to
see how the blossom

lilts up with water
and without water.

I am kind of worried
that if I do some kind

of window arches with blossoming

that they're not going to,
they're not going to survive,

and I'm not gonna have time
during the wedding to redo them.

Where there's a will
there's a way as they say.

(birds chirp)

- [Narrator] While Angel
is hoping to impress

the wedding guests with
some beautiful blossom,

Dick would like to impress
Angel with his idea

of interesting shelving
for her treasury.

- This is a very old ladder

for getting up into
one of the hay lofts.

I think it's heavy
because it's so wet.

I'll be completely honest,
it's done it's time

being a ladder and now it's
going to be something else.

(saw whirs)

So, that'll do as one.

So the idea it will
be somewhat cleaner,

leaning up against the wall
with things hanging off it.

225, and because you think
you don't actually need

to have a room full of storage
'cause you have a chateau

that we've spread out,
but we've filled it.

I say we.

(saw whirs)

It's a complete storage system.

Angela was talking about it
possibly something like this.

Possibly, if it fits.

Excellent.

- [Narrator] Dick may be pleased

with his alternative
storage system,

but Angel and Dorothy
have other ideas.

More fashionable ideas.

Angel reckons the place to
look for stylish shelving

is in the Paris boutiques.

- I'm here because of storage.

I love how organized
everything is.

Everything is laid
out so beautifully.

I'm loving these old
industrial racks.

They feel so sturdy, don't they?

I really, really,
really love them

and I'm gonna start
looking for some of these

'cause I haven't
got any of this.

(whimsical music)

- [Narrator] But it's not
just the latest fashion

in shelving that
Angel's interested in.

Not too far away is the
Quartier de Sentier,

the city's historical
textile district,

and Angel is keen to take
Dorothy to haberdasher heaven.

- Look at that
little cute Singer.

Mommy's got quite
a few of those.

This place is amazing.

Look at those big
tailoring scissors.

Mommy's got some
big ones like that.

I love it here.

- Let's go in.

- Let's go in, come on.

Oh my God.

- [Narrator] Founded in
1850, a generation before

Dick and Angel's chateau
was built, Ultramod

is the oldest haberdashery in
Paris and has been frequented

by some of the world's
greatest designers,

like Givenchy and
Gaultier, and now,

Dorothy and Angel Strawbridge.

- Whoa, Mummy's
favorite braiding.

Oh, that's my favorite
color isn't it?

And look at all these,
all these little tassels.

A lovely old cutting table.

Go find me the color you like

and then we're gonna
make something with it.

It's lovely to be in
somewhere like this.

It's the start of our
adventure together.

I love the way that my girl's
picking out all the gold.

Dorothy's first time
in a haberdashery,

she's already away
buying things.

- Mum, I'll have this color.

- [Angel] Do you
really like that color?

- Yeah.

- Wow, they've got all
these buttons as well.

Do you sell just the
little fascinator hats?

- We have all
materials to do hats.

- [Narrator] As it's
Angel's and Dorothy's

first ever girlie trip to
Paris, a souvenir is obligatory,

and a fashionable little
hat would be just perfect.

But first they need
to buy the material.

- Well Dorothy, this place
is very, very, very amazing.

I've kind of seen what will
be a good thing for Dorothy,

like a little
fascinator for her.

- This is some
small materials just

to learn how to make
a hat by yourself.

You can do something like this.

You can put it like
this, like a flower.

- [Angel] Wow, oh you
make that look so easy.

- Yes, just with a pin,
and go you into it,

and your hat goes like this.

- That looks incredible!

Do you want to choose some
colors and what you want?

- You want to
start with a color?

Something?

Maybe, or orange you can
like to go with your kimono?

- [Angel] You like that one?

- [Cashier] Then you can mix
different colors, you see.

- Right, we're gonna have
a little bit of this, okay?

- Yeah.

So it's a blue, dark-blue?

- Pink, yeah, yeah, and green.

Okay this is perfect.

Today is special.

I'm just watching Dorothy
with big open eyes that she's

buying something from
her first haberdashery,

and it's just so nice being
back somewhere like this.

It's been a lovely
day, really inspiring,

and really special
spending it with Dorothy.

You got your bag?

- Yes!

- Well, thank you.

Should we go and be
creative, darling?

(whimsical music)

(captivating piano music)

- [Narrator] Once everyone's
home, Arthur and Dorothy,

happily return to their daily
routine of bedtime cuddles

and if possible,
some early nights.

- Night, night time now.

I want you, Arthur Donald,
to lay in your bed please.

And you, go to your bed.

(charming music)

Okay, shh.

Give me a kiss.

There you go, good night.

(chickens cluck)

(bright engaging music)

- [Narrator] Inspired by
the beautiful wood fittings

she saw at the haberdashery
Angel has been on the lookout

for something similar
for her attic treasury,

and with a large charity
shop down the road,

it didn't take her
long to find it.

- I went in and there was
this beautiful canteen

with a nice marble top
and a good height on it,

and it was 120 euros, bargain.

It's just heavy, I mean
seriously heavy, and I need

to find Dick, because I need
to get them to get it upstairs.

(whimsical French music)

- [Narrator] But getting
it upstairs involves

first carrying the
seven foot long,

150 kilo marble top up 92 steps.

(speaking in French)

Not to mention the
rather awkward angles.

(speaking in French)

With the easy bit over, it's
time to tackle the base.

- Two, three, lift.

I'm sorry, that is heavy.

It's heavy.

All right.

(speaking in French)

- We'll have to take it apart.

Okay.

Merci.

That was heavy, suddenly you
don't know until you tried

it was never gonna go
over that last bit.

But the effort was
definitely worth

a couple of beers with the boys.

(light charming music)

- [Narrator] It's
the weekend of Nathan

and Michael's wedding,
and Angel's using

the delicate cherry
blossom to create

a stunning floral display,

if she can get it
through the door.

- What is pretty obvious
is that blossom likes water

and although there is
a little bit of charm

to wilted blossom, I mean
it does look quite pretty

in an odd way, it's not right.

(enterprising music)

- [Narrator] As Angel
suspected the blossom display

will only last the whole
weekend if it's left in water.

Luckily, Angel's not
short of a vase or two.

- What's lovely about
Nathan and Michael's wedding

is that there'll be
not one other wedding

this year that will be the same.

You know, blossom is
fleeting and I will not

be able to recreate
this again this year.

I love cherry blossom.

That looks wild
enough, doesn't it?

You would really think that
this is work, it's not.

It's not at all.

I should spend my life
arranging cherry blossom.

I'm happy!

- [Narrator] But Angel's
blossom display is just

the beginning of a
lot of hard work.

(energetic music)

Downstairs in the kitchen,
Dick is busy preparing

the food for tonight's
pre-wedding reception.

- What we've got going
on here is our terrines,

two different terrines,
we've got rabbit and veal

that's marinating in some
sage and some white port.

This is duck.

The duck's gonna be
in some Calvados,

or marinated in some Calvados,

mix it up with
the flavors in it,

some garlic in there, I
would say yes with this one,

and then when we do we'll
let it spend probably

most of the evening getting
the flavors together.

Then we'll put it into
the terrine dishes.

Cook it for about 40,
an hour and a half,

and you serve it with this
straight from the fridge

full of cornichons and pickles.

(engaging music)

- [Narrator] The
wedding celebrations

will continue throughout
the whole weekend,

so it's essential everything's

ticked off Angel's
enormous to-do-list.

- How many roses would
you like in there?

'Cause there's some
already in there.

- Can you put another
10 roses in there?

I need to change that one.

Are we keeping on top
of the ice machine?

- [Assistant] Yes.

- [Angel] Is all the
alcohol in the fridge now?

- All the alcohol
is in the fridge

and the fridge is switched on.

- Can you find the
cake knife for me?

I make the time to
just check everything.

Everything's just gotta
be perfect, you know?

Everything you do, your
reputation is on the line.

I want to make sure that every
flower is in the right place.

(playful music)

- [Narrator] But for
Angel, getting everything

in the right place
is never enough.

It's also got to be special.

So, for tonight's
party, she's serving

a fairly potent
blossom cocktail.

- All I want you to
do is to put a dash

of Calvados and a
dash of cherry brandy,

so all that has to be done
on arrival is the bubbly.

So I don't really
do dashes very well,

so everyone's gonna
be hammered, right.

Then a dash of cherry brandy.

This gives it a tiny,
lovely little taste

but it's a lovely color as well.

Right, bubbles.

* Having bubbles *

And that's it, do you wanna try?

- I do, yes.

Ah, give me another one.

(everyone laughs)

(bright engaging music)

- [Narrator] But there's
no more time for tasting

as Nathan and Michael are here.

- Welcome.

- Cheers.

- Welcome.

- Thank you.

- [Narrator] Soon followed

by their close
friends and family.

(greetings and congratulations)

It's the start of
a whole weekend

of laughter and celebration,
and everyone's invited.

- [Angel] Here you go.

- Thank you.

- [Narrator] Including Angel's
parents, Jenny and Steve.

(sweeping energetic music)

- It's like being
back at home again.

It's just so welcoming and
friendly, it's brilliant.

- That's duck, this
is veal and rabbit.

The lamb is lovely.

It smells good, looks good,
it's class as a result.

Terrine's there if you wanna
start with some terrine.

The one nearest me
is duck and calvados.

- I love a party, to be honest,

it's probably how I
fell into this game,

'cause I've always
hosted good parties,

if I do say so myself,
and eventually, my friends

were like, "Why don't you
do this for a living?"

Cue, 10 years later
and me dealing

with a castle, hosting parties.

(lively music)

(bright engaging music)

- [Narrator] The next morning,
Dick swaps his chef's hat

for a more official role
as the marriage celebrant.

- Everybody's very welcome to
Chateau de la Motte Husson.

Congratulations to
Michael and Nathan,

I pronounce you
husband and husband.

You may kiss the groom.

(cheering)

(joyous celebrations)

(bright energetic music)

- [Narrator] Once
a wedding weekend

is over, it's time
to feed the fish,

and when you have
an 800-year-old moat
surrounding your home

there are always a
lot of fish to feed.

- Come on then kids.

- Now, throw some
small pieces in there.

- [Dick] Well done.

- [Dorothy] Look how
far I threw that one.

- [Angel] The fish are
gonna be so happy with us.

- Nothing ever gets
wasted here which is nice,

and the fish love the baguettes,

so when we have a wedding we
give some to the chickens,

but the fish get
the majority of it,

and the fish ar
really big this year.

I'm really, really happy,

and I can already hear them.

- [Narrator] But
the morning's peace

and quiet doesn't last long,
because up on the third floor,

Dick's busy recycling some
unwanted fitted furniture.

(banging)

That's a solid piece of wood.

It may be 150-years-old.

So I wouldn't wanna
be paying for this,

might as well get freebies.

- [Narrator] The nice,
solid pieces of wood

are about to start a
new life in the attic

as shelving for
Angel's treasury.

To Dick's delight they even come

with their own little
bit of memorabilia.

- You gotta be careful
with those little labels,

because it doesn't
seem like much,

but that little
label is history,

and that one says
en layette-enfant,

and we use the same word
a layette is a first born.

What you do is you have all
of their sort of their linen,

their little romper suits, so
in the case when this was done

150 years ago, it
probably would've been

a nice, lacy sort of gowns
and things for the babies.

So I gotta keep it
outside like that

'cause Angela will use
it in the treasury,

and if she knows what layette is

she might even put
layette stuff in there.

Beautiful this is, and it's
decent quality wood at no cost.

(bright engaging music)

at his disposal, Dick can start

putting together
Angel's treasury.

This room's gonna make a huge
difference to Angel, actually,

because she's got for
the first time ever,

she's a very ordered person,
and her life's a bit chaotic,

rushing around, doing deadlines,
and all sorts of things.

But what's gonna happen
in the treasury here,

she's gonna have all her little
treasures and things out,

and I think she's
gonna come up here,

and when the children are
in school and she gets

some time she's gonna
become creative,

which I know is gonna
cause me more pain.

Doesn't really bear
thinking about does it?

But this is gonna be a
lovely, special space for her.

I've got my study,
and my workshop.

She's got the rest of the
chateau and this room.

It's a good deal.

(machine hums)

- [Narrator] Luckily
for Dick, the shelves

from the (speaks
French) which he found

in the outbuildings
have enough quirkiness

to please Angel, as well
as being quite useful.

- Perfect, good stuff.

(bright charming music)

- [Narrator] It's a
special day at the chateau

and in its honor Angel's
decided to create

garden furniture
from old car tires.

- They give these
away at the garage,

you know, when
they've had its day.

I'm just gonna cover it in some

waterproof table
clothes that we got.

We're gonna have popcorn
night, and actually

I was thinking we
need cinema chairs.

Oh no, you know, and this
is right up my street,

spray can and a bit of
upholstery, five-minute craft.

- [Narrator] But it's not
just any old popcorn night,

nor any old film, for the past
three years, Angel's parents,

Steve and Jenny, have
accompanied and supported Dick

and Angel throughout
their French adventure.

(laughter)

Today it's Jenny's birthday.

So, this evening they're holding

an extra-special celebration.

- My dad has put years and
years, and I mean decades

of old silly footage
onto his computer.

I've never even seen some
of this stuff before.

I can't wait.

I probably gonna have a
bit of a cry actually.

Okay, it's looking good,
it's looking tight.

Looking a bit comfy.

(playful music)

I mean, that's fine, isn't it?

Let me see.

Well, it holds my
weight and I'm like

150 times the size of Dorothy.

Right, that is fine.

(charming French music)

- [Narrator] Dick though,
does have a problem with size.

Angel has bought
at a local brocante

a couple of bits of
shelving for her treasury.

Unfortunately, they're
quite big bits of shelving.

- I think Angela
did the easy part.

What she did was she saw
it and she bought it,

but then we have
to get it upstairs.

We have to get it home,
then get it upstairs.

(jaunty music)

So that will fit in there but
that's only half my problem.

This is actually junky.

The first thing
I'd say about this

is it should've
been in the cellar,

you know, slightly
two steps lower.

She bought them to go
upstairs, getting them

from here to upstairs
is not really her game.

What's the old saying, "I'd
rather be lucky than smart?"

(playful music)

This is the easy bit.

Somehow it's gonna
to miraculously

just appear in the treasury.

(charming music)

- [Narrator] But despite
Dick's grumblings,

Angel's determination to
transform a damp attic space

into a beautiful sewing
room has paid off.

(bright music)

Every metal and wood
surface, ladder rung,

and drawer, has been
given a new purpose.

Angel's personal treasury is
finally open for business.

- Wow.

- [Angel] What do
you think, baby?

- [Dorothy] Wow.

- Is this not a bad room, is it?

- No.

- No.

- I hopped on there.

- There's so much to see
in here, isn't there?

- [Narrator] For the
first time in three years,

Angel has a dedicated
space where she and Dorothy

can sit in peace
and be creative.

- We got all the
colors in the rainbow

that she could sell us.

- That's red.

- There's red, isn't there,
and what's this color?

- That is purple.

- How bout this as an
idea, you roll it--

- Can you roll mine?

- Can you roll yours?

Yeah, so roll it,
roll it, roll it,

roll it, roll it, roll
it, roll it, roll it.

Oh, that's perfect.

All right, what are you
cutting, young lady?

- I want you to cut this.

- Yeah.

(gentle music)

It's the first time
that I'm up here working

with Dorothy and
it's so special.

Me and Dorothy went to Paris
and chose this stuff together

and of course Dorothy wanted
to make a rainbow hat.

This room is gonna be
so special for the kids

and it will make me smile.

It's got a lifetime
of memories in it.

I've got 35 years of finding
bargains at charity shops

and probably for the last
20 I've been buying things

thinking one day I'll
give those to my children.

This is gonna be my happy
place and this room is gonna be

a room that no one's allowed
unless you are invited.

- [Dorothy] But
Mummy, we're allowed.

- We're allowed, yeah,
but you're my little girl,

and Arthur's gonna be allowed
as well, 'cause he's--

- [Dorothy] Is my daddy?

- Mm, yes.

Ah, that looks
pretty, doesn't it?

What we're gonna do
is we're gonna put

that one there and
wait let me see.

- Is it finished?

- I think we're done, hold on.

So should we go
underneath the hair.

All right, go look
in the mirror,

'cause you look a bit fabulous.

I love it.

Melting my heart.

Come on, let's go.

(bright engaging music)

- [Narrator] It's
the end of the day

and Angel is at the orangery,

arranging the seating for
tonight's birthday blockbuster.

(delicate music)

As always, Dick's in
charge of catering.

- First batch of
popcorn at the chateau.

That's quite a lot of popcorn.

- [Narrator] But when you
have three generations

of family living
together, it's important

to have enough for everyone.

- Look at that, a big cauldron,
a log fire, and popcorn.

I've never done this before so
it's a bit of an experiment.

This is how you make popcorn.

This is a great way
of cooking and we can

make an awful lot
of popcorn now,

because the cast-iron, it
takes the heat so well,

I'm hearing a popping.

I think it's time
to whip some out.

Here we go.

The first wood-fired
popcorn at the chateau.

It's the way ahead,
and it's hot as well.

Come on everybody, hot popcorn!

(children exclaim with glee)

Hello princess, hello big fella.

- [Narrator] Joining the family
is Angel's brother, Paul,

who has come over from England
for his mum's birthday.

- There's a beautiful young
lady on the screen here,

Jenny, and away you go grandma.

Have a seat grand
pappy, have a seat.

- I've got a question,
who likes their seats?

- [Arthur] Give me
my precious popcorn.

- [Dick] Cooked on an open fire.

- Dick, that looks amazing.

- [Dick] There you go, Jenny.

- Oh thank you, darling.

- [Narrator] And as soon as
the birthday girl's comfortable

the whole family is
whisked back in time.

- [Dick] That's Mummy.

- [Angel] There's Mummy.

- Who's that?

- That's Mummy.

- That's uncle Jimmy,
that's granddad.

- You look like you've
oiled up your body.

- [Dick] Look at
granddad's mustache.

Look at how long
grandad's hair is.

- Look at his hair.

- [Dick] Is that Mummy,
with sunglasses on?

(laughter)

- [Angel] Look,
hold on, who's that?

- [Dick] That's
great-nanny, look at her!

That's mummy with no teeth.

(laughter)

(delicate music)

- [Narrator] Next time,
enormous elephants.

- Oh look!

- He gave us a squirt he did.

- [Narrator] Historical hiccups.

- [Dick] What the well is that?

- [Narrator] Mechanical marvels.

(cheering)

And tasty treats.

- Free watermelon for everyone!

(bright engaging music)