Escape to the Chateau DIY (2018–2021): Season 2, Episode 19 - Episode #2.19 - full transcript

I'm Dick Strawbridge,

and along with my wife Angel

and our two children,

we've lived in this
magnificent chateau in France

for the last 4 years.

Open your eyes!

Dick, voice-over: It's not just
our home...

Ta-Da!

Dick, voice-over:
but a business.

- There we go.
- Thank you very much.

Dick: And it turns out
we're not the only ones



who want a chateau to call home.

Wow!

Oh, my gosh!

Oh, heaven.

Dick: Now Angel and I are back
guiding more daring Brits

on their journey.

Here's where it gets
interesting, isn't it?

A bit of copper bling.

I can't believe it.

Dick: We'll work with some
familiar faces...

- Cheers, baby.
- Cheers.

- Good to see you.
- Welcome.

Dick: and meet a new wave
of chateau-loving Brits.

Ta-da.



Angel: This is great.

This is where
the creativeness is.

Look at that movement.

Oh, man. I love it!

Dick, voice-over: as they battle
to renovate their homes...

Aah!

Dick: and make them work
as businesses.

Oh! There it goes!

Dick: There'll be triumphs...

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!

Dick: and setbacks.

Seriously, I was really
close to a breakdown...

Whoa!

Dick: but however hard
the going gets,

for these plucky Brits,
their homes really are

their castles.

[Cheering]

Today, I step in...

Dick: Hiya!

Dick, voice-over: when some DIY
hits breaking point.

- Aw.
- You broke it?

- Yeah.
- In the hole?

Right. That's a bit of an issue.

Dick: One chateau owner
faces family flak

over her healthy baking...

May: Go on. Try it.

It's just not very nice.

Dick: and a foodie
weekend launch

threatens to be
a damp squib.

Tim: I've got a great leak
down here,

and my kitchen is flooding,

so I don't know
what to do.

The fairytale 28-bedroom
Chateau de Bourneau

is the new home to fiancées
Brit Erin

and French-born JB,

Who are getting it ready
to host events and weddings.

They're doing up
a solarium or sunroom

to serve guests breakfast.

DIY has not gone smoothly.

JB: This nut. This nut.

- Oh. You shattered the pin.
- Ah.

Dick: The window frames now
have a bunch of broken hinges.

You broke it.
You broke it.

[Sigh]

The chateau is around
170 miles south of our place

in the beautiful
Pays de la Loire...

so it's just a 3-hour journey
to see if I can find

a fix for those pesky hinges
that won't blow their budget.

Dick: Hiya!
Erin: Hello.

JB: Hey.
Dick: How are we doing?

Nice to see you.
Hello, darling.

What's happening today?

JB: The solarium.
Dick: Solarium. Are you serious?

JB: Yeah. Come up there.

JB: Right.
Erin: So this is it.

This is the solarium.

Dick: This is quite special.

JB: So we thought it would
be a good idea, you know,

to refurbish the windows,
so pop them

out of the hinges,
off, clean them,

repaint, put them back on.

Dick: Lift straight off,
don't they?

JB: Well, they didn't.
Ha ha!

We sheared most
of the hinges here,

so, yeah, this is why
you're here.

Ha ha! Well, this will be like
a little conservatory, won't it?

It will be really quite special.

OK. How many--how many
problems have you got?

One there. Two.

3, 4. You did a job
on it, didn't you, fella?

JB: Mm-hmm.
Dick: 5, 6, 7.

So you butchered 7 hinges?

- Yeah, I did--yeah.
- "Y-oh--yeah, yeah, yeah."

JB: So my friend Ali and I
are rugby players--

Once an accident,
twice is stupidity,

3 times is enemy action.

I've never worked out
what 7's going to be.

JB: We were doing great,
and then no. Ha ha ha!

Dick: What I'd like to do
is to see how easy

one of those comes out.

You tried hitting it out
with something?

- Yeah.
- Have you bot a punch

or anything like that?

Have you got hammers
and punches?

I brought my glasses
with me this time.

It looks capped.

Dick: So it looks capped.

It doesn't look capped
up there, does it?

Ahh. OK.

Well, we can drill it out,
tap it,

and screw something into it.

We can actually put a bolt
into it

and just take the top
off the bolt.

As long as it's that size.

Don't know if you've got
any bolts that fit

into those holes.

I think that's worth a try.

JB: I like that. Yeah.
Dick: Yeah. Right.

Drill. You got a drill, a bit?

Dick, voice-over: I reckon
if we can drill out

the old broken hinge pins
we can then screw in

cut-down bolts to act
as new ones.

Right. You gonna do this
first, Erin?

No. I don't want to take
credit for destroying the doors,

so I'll let you boys play,
and I'll see you later.

Thank you. Thank you
for being sporting.

Erin: Bye.
Dick: Why are you laughing?

Why are you laughing?
I'm not doing it.

Right. Nice and gently.

Dick, voice-over: JB drills out
the first

of the broken hinge pins.

JB: Hmm.

Dick: Now if we had a bolt,
we could put a bolt in there,

just have it cut off.

- OK.
- Yeah.

That means we got
one of these.

JB: Oh, yeah. OK.
Dick: Yeah? Know what I mean?

So we got the same drilling
to do there.

- OK.
- If we do that one first

and we do the door...

JB: Yeah.
Then we got the first window up.

- Good. Sounds good.
- Yeah, yeah. OK?

Meanwhile, I'm gonna go
grind this.

Dick, voice-over: While I grind
the bolts,

I've left JB in charge
of getting

the other broken hinge pins
from this frame out

using a hardened drill bit
suited to metal work.

JB: Oh, that was stupid.

Dick, voice-over: Unfortunately,
they can still break

if you don't treat them right.

Aw.

Snapped the drill bit in it.

Big one, JB.

Oh, no.
Dick.

- What have you broken?
- Heh heh.

- What have you broken?
-The drill bit.

- You broke it?
- Yeah.

- In the hole?
- Yeah. Obviously.

Obviously. Right.

That's a bit of an issue really
because it's hardened steel.

JB: Yeah.

Dick, voice-over: With
the drill bit stuck in there,

this problem has just
got worse.

Back to the drawing board.

60 miles away is 19th century
Chateau de la Vigne,

the French home of May, Guy,

and their 21-year-old son Jack

and 19-year-old daughter Jade.

Life here is very relaxed,
very enjoyable.

May: We cook lovely meals,
we play games,

we watch films.

It's a perfect spot
to gather the family.

Jack: Thank you, Mum.

May: You're welcome.

Dick: The chateau is located
in the Loire Valley,

where nutritionist May
is in charge of business,

hosting guests in the chateau,
3 holiday lets,

as well as running
well-being retreats.

May: There is always something
to deal with,

there's always something
I need to address.

Dick: She's now in the midst
of transforming

an out building into
a new yoga studio.

The first group
is due in 3 weeks

and includes a journalist,
who's rating the retreat.

May: It's the first time
I've ever had a review

written about my retreat.

Dick: With good PR at stake,
she's enlisted son Jack

to help with the decorating.

May: Come on. We've got to
get this done.

So I'm not sure I've ever
seen Jack doing any DIY,

so we're starting
at a pretty low bar here.

Here we go.

I'll be showing him which end
of the paintbrush

he needs to use,
and we're just gonna

go from there
and hope for the best.

Dick: The first job is to
cover the paint

on the old doors
with a base coat.

May: OK. Not too thick, Jack.

Actually, no.
A bit thicker than that.

- Ha ha ha!
- Make your mind up.

Jack, you're splashing.

No. Come on.
You got to get really--look.

Go like that so it's smooth.
Into it.

It's a bit slap happy
literally.

It's literally going everywhere.

Just try and work
that paint in a little better.

- Like that?
- Yes. That's it. That's it.

See? That's so much better. OK.

Dick: Old paint concealed,
the new topcoat can go on.

May: If we can just get
a really nice coat of paint on,

it will look really cute,
and then no one will know

all the awful things
that lie behind it.

So what do you reckon, Jack?

Do you think that's
a nice color?

Jack: It looks darker
on the door

than it does in the pot,
which is a good sign.

May: OK.

Jack: We'll have to wait and see
how it dries.

May: Does it look
mauve to you?

I couldn't tell you
what mauve is.

- Ha ha ha!
- Final answer.

May: Good thing about this door
is because it's

an old door it doesn't
have to look perfect.

Dick: I suppose that's called
chateau chic.

May: We can really get away
with quite a lot

with this door,
which is a great thing

because it's not gonna
look perfect.

Ha ha ha!

Think you missed a bit
at the top right, as well.

May: Where? Oh, yeah.

All right. I think we'll
leave that

because I do think it's
gonna need another coat.

Just call that done.

- We'll call that done.
- We'll call it done.

It's as done
as it's gonna be.

Dick: Not bad at all
for a first attempt, Jack.

Jack: I'm happy
with that, Mum.

May: Yeah.

We're definitely going
for the rustic look.

Dick: There's a lot more
studio to paint,

as well as skirting
and lighting to fit,

before it's ready
for a first yoga lesson.

At 19th century Chateau des Lys
in northern France,

we've been catching up
with Tim and Margreeth,

who we first met last year.

Margreeth: So these ones
are all ready to go, yeah?

Tim: Yeah.

Dick: Following our advice,
they're now expanding

from B&B
into wedding packages with help

from their newly created
vintage bar in the woods.

Margreeth: I couldn't have
wished for a better reaction.

You know, they loved it.
They are loving it.

It's fantastic.
I'm so pleased.

Dick: Now Tim and Margreeth
are turning their attentions

to some much-needed cash
in the offseason

by staging good food weekends.

Superb.

I think the thing
about all chateaus

is they eat money.

There's always something
breaking,

there's always
something going down,

The most difficult time
is the winter.

Margreeth: Financially,
it's always important

to have people all year round.

January, February,
beginning of March,

it's normally
very, very quiet.

If we could fill
a few weekends in those months

that bring in nice pay, that
would be absolutely amazing.

Dick: Today, their first ever
group is arriving,

30 guests from the UK
with high expectations.

Tim: If this works for us,
then it's gonna get

a thousand times easier
for the chateau to survive

and have a comfortable life.

Dick: Tim usually does
the catering,

but to make this weekend
go with a bang,

he's invited a professional chef
over from the UK.

Tim, voice-over: We've got
the best chef in Kent,

a guy called Will Devlin.

He's come over
the help me out

because I need to have
something really wonderful.

- Will, amazing.
- Nice to meet you.

- Perfect to meet you, mate.
- What a place.

Well, thank you.

I have to say I'm
quite intimidated

meeting a real chef.

Will: Pleasure to be
here really.

Well, pleasure to have
you really.

Hope you enjoy yourself.

Dick: Will has his own
restaurant in Kent,

where he's won awards
for cuisine focused

on local seasonal ingredients.

So would you like to see
the kitchen and everything,

see the chateau?

- For sure, yeah.
- Great. Follow me, mate.

We'll have a look around.

Welcome, welcome
to, yeah, the kitchen.

Will: This the engine room,
where it all happens.

Tim: It is
the engine room, yeah.

- Big enough?
- Yeah, for sure.

It's a bit
of a mishmash weekend.

We're doing everything
at the same time

because it's our first
good food weekend,

which is why I quite like
to have you here,

and it also means that
if it isn't good food

it's your fault.

[Both laugh]

Will: Don't worry.
I've been used for worse things.

Don't worry.

Better get cracking then, no?
Got a lot to do.

You got a lot to do.
Ha ha ha!

Dick: Tim's not just
delegating kitchen jobs.

He's also teamed up
with a catering college

in the UK to give some trainee
butlers a chance

to practice their service skills
over the weekend.

Tim: It is a butler school
who would like

to try out their butlering,
so there's

6 little trainee butlers.

They're gonna get the chance
to wait tables

and learn how to be butlers.

Dick: They'll serve
a 5-course meal,

showcasing local seasonal food,

including some ingredients
growing in the chateau grounds.

Tim: I thought we were gonna go
and forage later on.

I think we should give it a go.
I mean, depending

on what the weather's been like
in the last couple of days.

Tim: I think there might be
a few horse chestnuts

kicking around out there,
so that'll be nice

at the end of the year.

- Sweet chestnuts?
- Sweet chestnuts.

Don't want to feed people
horse chestnuts.

Tim: You're absolutely right.
Ha ha ha!

Dick: Nothing beats using
wild food from your own land.

If you're going foraging,
have someone with you

who knows their stuff.

Luckily for Tim,
he's got Will.

Will, how you doing, mate?

Will: Well, we got a few
bits for the salad,

so I'm gonna do
the lobster salad.

There's some wild dandelion
leaves, some sorrel.

It's got a kind of leomny,
citrus kick at the end.

- Can I try a bit?
- Yeah, for sure.

I've never seen this before.
Amazing.

- This is growing on my land?
- Yes. That's what

you're looking for.

You're looking for the V
in the bottom

of the leaf there
kind of like an arrowhead.

Tim: Right. It is like
an arrowhead, isn't it?

Will: You get a real nice
kind of minerality

from the start and then
a little acidity at the end.

That is absolutely stunning.

Will: We dress that
with some wild dandelion leaves

that are a little bit bitter,
but the acidity

in there kind of
balances through.

Tim: Wow! I'm hoping we're
gonna find a few mushrooms.

Will: Yeah. There's thousands
of different types,

and learn the ones
that you can find

and stick to them,
learn the edible ones.

- Yes.
- Ha ha ha!

Dick: Will knows what's
safe to eat and what's not,

so don't try this
unless you do, as well.

So what you're looking
for the parasol mushroom

is a little bit
of mottling on the top,

and they got this kind
of color on them...

- Yes.
- Goes halfway up

and a bit more mottling
on the sides.

Tim: Well done, sir.

It's amazing
that, like, 100 meters

- from where I live--
- Yeah. We've barely started.

Tim: We've barely started.

We've already found things
that I didn't know existed.

Will: Yeah.

Tim: You cannot buy
this stuff in a supermarket.

Love it, mate.
Let's keep going, yeah?

Dick: Ingredients
for a successful weekend ahead.

Now to make sure
the dining room decor

and meals deliver.

Back in the Pays de la Loire,
I'm at Chateau de Bourneau,

helping novice DIYers
JB and Erin

fix their solarium windows.

Sadly, it's not quite going
to plan

as JB's broken the drill bit
inside the broken hinge.

Erin, the solarium
is staying open.

Dick: Ha ha ha!

I left you for two minutes
to go and get some tools.

Right. Give us your drill.

Dick, voice-over: Using
a replacement drill bit,

I reckon drilling out
a parallel hole

will help get
the broken bit out.

JB: This is not
a quick job here.

Dick: No. There's no kind
of quick jobs, are there?

Dick, voice-over: A pair
of long-nosed pliers,

and let's get a grip
of this thing.

Dick: OK.

JB: Oh, yes. Well done.

Dick, voice-over: Broken
drill bit and hinge pin removed.

Back to the task at hand,
drilling a hole to fit

the new bolt.

Dick: Need a bigger hole
in there now, don't we?

JB: Mm-hmm.

Dick: Get some oil on it to help
with the cutting, yeah?

Meanwhile, I'm gonna see about
making the bolts

to go on it, yeah?

Oh, da! Wha!
Ow, ow, ow! Hot.

Putting that in there.

Cut that nut in half,

you wouldn't tell
the difference.

Dick, voice-over: With the bolts
cut for hinge pins,

we now have to drill
holes for them

in the hinges on the door.

Happy with that.

Dick, voice-over: Time hang
the door and see

if it all works.

JB: There we go.

Yep.

Yeah. OK. The top is in.

- Middle in.
- Push it back. Hold on.

JB: Is that OK?
Are we holding?

It's on the top,
it's on there.

JB: The bottom is
slightly ajar.

- Do you want to have a look?
- Hold on.

Dick, voice-over: One last
wobble to get it into place...

Dick: That's it, that's it.
Is it on?

JB: It's on. Yes!
Dick: Jean-Baptiste.

The principle's proven,
and it works.

I just need to get
better at drilling

instead of breaking drill bits,
isn't it?

Nice one. Great one.
Very pleased.

Thank you so much. Ha ha!

Dick: There you go.

You can have doors here.

Erin: Ha ha!

Dick, voice-over: Now that JB
knows what to do,

he's all set to fix
the rest of the hinges himself,

saving a small fortune.

- Lovely seeing you.
- Lovely seeing you.

- You take care
- Take care.

Now go do some work.
Go on.

- You got plenty to do.
- We have plenty to do.

- See you!
- Safe drive.

Too-do-loo.

Dick: In the Loire Valley
at Chateau de la Vigne,

nutritionist
and chateau owner May

is racing to finish
her new yoga studio

ready for its first booking.

Jack, voice-over: It's really
important that

the retreats go well for my mum.

A lot of her business is
about people knowing who she is,

so if we have 8-10 guests
who tell everyone

how wonderful it was,
that will do wonders

for my mum's publicity.

Dick: May wants to show
her studio in the best light,

so she's picking out
some fixtures.

May: There's one here actually
that could work.

The second brown one down.

Dick: Back at the chateau,
May's getting handyman Roger

to fit the yoga studio lights.

May: Is it the same colors,
the live and neutral here?

Yes, it is. Yeah.

May: Oh, that looks fantastic.
Really good.

Jack: Perfect.
May: Looks good.

Jack: Good job.

May: These were the 50-watt?
Do want to do them?

- Yeah, I'll do them.
- Boy job.

Dick: Fitting in place,
novice DIYer Jack

gets the job of putting
in the bulbs.

May: Have you done
this before, Jack?

- Oh, yeah.
- Ha ha ha!

No. I'm proper good at it.

May: Come on, Jack.

Jack: Oh, that sounds good.

May: That's it.
Jack: That's one.

Dick: Sometimes, even
the simplest jobs

throw up a challenge.

I'm left-handed again.

May: Bad workman always
blames his tools.

There you go.
How do you want them angled?

May: Don't worry about that.

Let's just see
if they work first.

You're literally gonna see
my face light up.

- Yeah!
- Yeah!

Jack: There we go.
May: Fantastic.

So these are the yellow lights
that, um--

she gave me a choice
of yellow or white,

so yellow's much nicer,
isn't it?

Jack: The bracket suits
the room perfectly,

and the orange light works
a lot better

than white light would.

May: It's a yellow light, Jack.

- Yellow light. Ha ha!
- Ha ha ha!

Jack: I think we've taken
a big step

towards the type of room
we're trying to create today.

Yeah. I love it.
I'm so excited.

I really can't wait to start
getting those yoga mats out

and working out
where each one is gonna go.

I can't wait.

Dick: May now needs to fit
the skirting,

clean up,
and dress the yoga studio

to get it ready
for its first booking.

At Chateau de Bourneau,
Erin and JB are getting

their place ready
for events and weddings

and have turned attention
to the honeymoon suite.

This is why we want to do
the honeymoon suite,

to offer this sort of
chateau experience,

chateau feel, comfy,
luxurious experience

to our client.

Dick: After taking advice from
interior design friend Jo...

Erin: Absolutely hit
the nail on the head.

That's wonderful!

Dick: Erin and JB are fitting
cut-price paneling.

JB's taken on the task
of cutting everything to size

before Erin fixes the moldings
to the wall,

but she's not happy.

Erin: I did not cut
that piece of wood.

Dick: Let's hope
the next attempt measures up.

JB: You're joking.
Are you on it?

- Bang on on it?
- Bang on it.

- Is there a bit of a gap?
- Yeah, a little bit.

JB: Like a millimeter gap.

Is it on the line?
Look at this line.

Erin: Yeah. It's on the line.

JB: On the line. OK.

Erin: You know what, though?

If the gap is up there,
no one can see it.

I know it's annoying
for the perfectionist

in you, JB--
ha ha ha--

but I think we
match this one.

Me make sure
that this looks good,

and then what's happening
up there,

we can use wood filler,

and no one is ever gonna
see that.

Dick: JB's engineering mind just
won't let him compromise.

JB: All right. OK.

Doesn't look happy
with that suggestion.

You won't sleep at night now.
Ha ha ha!

Knowing that that
at the top is a millimeter off.

JB: I need to recheck
the size.

I just can't let it go.

It's too short.

Erin: Yeah. I know.

I was distracted.

All right. Let's try
the other one.

Maybe hopefully.

This one is a bit longer,
but...

Dick: Take two.

Erin: Right position here?
JB: Mm-hmm.

Dick: Bingo!

That's the final bit
of paneling effect done.

Erin's got a creative
addition of her own

that won't break the bank.

Erin: What I was thinking--
above this door--

you know, normally
in a lot of chateaux,

above the door you'd have
a fresco or something like that.

You know there's that piece
of wood

that I found in the attic.

Maybe if it's repainted,
we could sort of

touch up the sort of
plaster work in it

and then repaint it.

I don't know.
Should I bring it in?

Do you want to have a look?

JB: Do I have a choice?

I'll show you.
See what you think now.

Hang on. Ha ha!

This is it.
So it's actually made of wood.

And it--arr--

- it's quite heavy actually
- Right.

So this, I think, used to be
above the fireplace.

I mean it's a bit damaged,
but I think--

- It's lovely.
- Ha!

Dick: Use your
imagination, JB.

Ha ha ha! You don't think
it might be nice

to have a little nod
to the old chateau

involved in this room?

- Yeah, yeah.
- Because if you think

about it--if it was up there

just above the doorway.

JB: Yeah, OK. Yeah.
I know what you mean. OK.

Erin: Do you know what I mean?

I think it's probably
a bit too big

looking at it like that,

but with a little bit
of doing it up,

I think it could be lovely.

Dick: Just say yes, JB.

JB: Good. Well done.
Erin: Oh! Well done, team

of two. Ha ha ha!

JB: Good. Well, beer time.
Erin: Heh heh. Yeah.

Time for a glass of wine
and sunshine, I think.

Dick: Cheers to that.

The look of fully paneled walls

without the eye-watering
price tag.

Bargain!

Well, we're getting there.

I think, you know, today
went really well, so yeah.

Good. Well, as long
as you are pleased,

I am pleased.

Good!

- Cheers.
- Cheers.

Dick: At Chateau de la Vigne
in the Loire Valley,

it's the day of the retreat.

- You've done such a good job.
- They are cute.

May: They're very cute.

Dick: 10 guests are due
in just a few hours,

and fortunately,
the yoga studio

is finally ready.

It was a disused out building
on the grounds of the chateau.

Now they've replastered,
painted, and laid new flooring,

and it's a bright,
relaxing space

ready for its first students.

Seems to have actually happened.

It's materialized.
I have got a yoga space,

so I'm so excited about that.

Dick: The focus is getting
the accommodation

and healthy eating menu
prepped for their arrival.

May: I would quite like
to get the beds done.

Two singles at the top,
the king group,

all the other rooms,
and just one single

made up in the twin room, OK?

Dick: Son Jack is
on bedroom duty,

and he's under strict
instructions from Mum.

That's my mum's trick.
She'll be proud.

Starting the duvet cover
inside out,

folding it over.

Needless to say, Mum will be
in here changing this,

but don't think I've done
too badly.

May: Where are you?
Jack: I'm upstairs.

I'm in the twin room.

Speak of the devil.

May: OK. Not bad.
Not bad, Jack.

- Yeah?
- Yeah, but hang on, hang on.

So the pillows...

Go underneath. OK.

- No. The pillows go on top.
- That's what I meant.

- They go up like that.
- So I was close.

Not bad for a first try,
is it?

It's not bad. Well done.

Dick: Bedroom inspection
complete.

- All right. Moving on.
- Brilliant. So this is done.

Jade: Did you fold
the toilet paper?

May: Oh, no.

Dick: The devil's
in the detail.

Jade: I actually love
doing this

because it's, like,
it's a little extra touch,

but I get really pernickety
about it.

I just want everywhere
to have it.

Mum always forgets, as well.
Finished.

Dick: Time to check
the ETA of their guests' fights.

Is it one that's arrival
at 3:07?

Dick: The retreat guests,

including the reviewing
journalist, have been delayed.

- That is gonna be a problem.
- Why?

May: The yoga. We won't be
able to start the yoga on time.

Jade: But, I mean, we can
just ditch the yoga.

- No. We can't ditch the yoga.
- Oh, sorry.

No way.

Dick: Yoga is what the guests
signed up for, Jade.

May: I think we're done here.

Dick: During the retreat,
May's also serving up

a healthy eating menu...

There we go.

Dick: including
spécialité de la maison

May's sweet potato brownies.

May: Go on. Try it.

It's just not very nice.

May: Yes, it is.

- No.
- Mmm.

It's cold, so I think it needs
to be at room temperature.

It is nice.

Jade: It's got weird
aftertaste.

May: No. I would say
if that was horrible,

and we wouldn't be
serving it.

It's actually very good.

It's go really lovely
ingredients.

Dick: Time for a casting vote
from Jack.

Jade, I hear you need
a third opinion on the brownie.

Try it.

I wouldn't try that much.

It's not that bad.

Do you like it?

Don't love it.

Can't necessarily taste
sweet potato,

but the texture's a bit off.

It's a bit weird.

May: That looks good.
Jack: It does the job.

It's a healthy
chocolate brownie,

which is why they're here.

May: Exactly, Jack.
Ha ha ha!

Thank you for the reminder.
Ha ha ha!

Dick: What do children know?

The mixed reviews
aren't stopping May

from serving the brownies
to her guests...

May: Hello! Welcome.
You have all made it.

Dick: who have finally arrived,

including health and travel
writer Louise Atkinson,

who will be reviewing
everything,

including the new yoga studio.

So, um, it's all there
ready and waiting,

so you are the first guests
to enjoy the new yoga studio.

Dick: Before they start
exercising,

there are welcome drinks

with that very healthy twist.

It's time
for the sweet potato brownies.

They look quite nice
because they look

like normal brownies.

[Indistinct chatter]

May: Let's pass those
brownies round, as well.

Don't be shy.

Dick: Maybe they need to do
some exercise

and work up an appetite.

Jade, we got no feedback
on the sweet potato brownies,

and I don't think
that's a bad thing.

Jade: No, like, "Mmm,"
or no, like, "Ech"?

If anyone really liked
them, they can let us know.

We got plenty left.

Dick: May will have to keep
on her toes

for the rest of the weekend
if she's to bag a good review.

Tch.

Dick: At Chateau des Lys,
Tim and Margreeth

are doing the final prep for
their first good food weekend

for a group of 30 guests...

with help
from award-winning chef Will...

Better get cracking then, no?
Got a lot to do.

Got a lot to do.
Ha ha ha!

Dick: and a team
of trainee butlers

to wait on the diners.

Margreeth: It's quite scary.

It's the first time we're really
hosting a food weekend.

They're paying quite
a bit of money for it,

so the standard of food
and the drinks

has to be quite high.

I hope they'll be a bit
forgiving

if things don't go
totally smoothly.

Dick: Tim's giving the butlers
a guided tour

around the chateau
and instructions

for this evening.

Tim: The deal is we have
approximately 6 people

on each table,
we got 4 tables,

and you guys are gonna be

dressed up in sort of
whatever it is,

and you're gonna
read out the wines,

and just make it up
as you go along

because that's what
everybody else does, you know,

"Oh, vvvv, vvvv, vvvv.

This goes particularly well
with fish and hedgehog,"

and, like, whatever, so...

Dick: Fish and hedgehog--
my favorite.

Butlers briefed.
Time to welcome the guests

from the UK.

Margreeth: Hello.
Hello, everybody.

Dick: A group
of discerning foodies.

Margreeth: Hi. I'm Margreeth.
Dave: I'm Dave.

- Hi, Dave.
- Nice to meet you.

Dick: First impressions
are good.

Rolled up past those gates
and thought,

"What an amazing driveway."

I just wanted to come down
the driveway slowly

and take it all in.

Chateau's amazing, beautiful.

I just thought the scenery
and the leafy trees,

it looked amazing,
and I'm looking forward

very much to the weekend.

Margreeth: Well, you guys are
in a little studio,

so you got your own
little house.

Dick: Keen to make
a good impression,

Tim's stepping in to sort
a wardrobe malfunction.

Got a bit of an emergency
situation for someone.

They've broken their belt,
so I'm gonna--

hopefully, I can rivet this.

I'll just try and rivet it,
hope that it works.

Margreeth's running
around at the moment.

There's a lot of things
going on,

and I am trying
to do my thing

and repair this guy's belt.

OK. I think that's
quite cool actually.

As riveted
at the Chateau des Lys.

Bill. Bill, mate.
There you go.

- Thank you very much.
- You're welcome.

That's probably stop everyone
being embarrassed--

stop me being embarrassed later,
so thank you.

Dick: With the gourmet
banquet fast approaching,

Margreeth's decorating
the dining hall.

I think I'm gonna be OK.

Food-Wise, I try not
to get involved

with it too much.

Got people
from a catering college,

we've got a fantastic chef,
and we've got two volunteers.

We have a chance to sit down

for the dinner ourselves,
me and Tim.

Normally, we'd be running
around the in the kitchen

and serving,
so we're just gonna enjoy it,

but before we can enjoy it,
we have to do this work.

Dick: In the kitchen,
Chef Will is busy

prepping
for the 5-course meal ahead.

Will: The kitchen facilities
are much better

than I thought
they were gonna be.

It's actually
a professional kitchen.

Some prep space, big fridge,
and, yeah, we can

kind of get cracking,
so so far, so good.

Dick: While Chef Will seems to
have everything under control,

Tim's struggling next door.

I've got a great leak
down here,

and my kitchen is flooding,

so I don't know
what to do.

I don't know that to do.

Dick: At Chateau de Bourneau
in the Pays de la Loire,

Erin and JB are renovating
so that they can open up

for weddings and events.

Every day in a chateau
brings a new challenge,

and today, they're trying to
sort out a problem

in the ceiling
of the turret room

above the solarium.

- Can see the issue.
- Yeah. OK.

Erin: There was water just
pouring completely

through that section there,

and, well, you can see
where it's been pooled

on the floor,

so clearly, there's been
a title that's dislodged

or a significant hole.

JB: The shape.
It creates a square shape,

so I wonder if it's not
the belvédère,

you know, like that.

Erin: Oh, yeah.
That little bell tower.

JB: The bell tower.
We can't repair it ourselves.

No, no, absolutely.

Just, like, the angle
climbing on this rotunda roof

is quite complicated.

Erin: We can get companies
that will send

essentially mountaineers
with ropes

onto the roof
to assess the damage...

JB: Assess and do
some repair.

So it might be something
we will have to look into.

I mean, certainly, we cannot
leave it like this

for the next few months
if it's going to be

raining and things.

JB: It's gonna cause
too much damage.

- It needs to be fixed.
- It does.

Dick: This definitely can't
wait for a rainy day,

so Erin and JB summon
some specialists

to size up the damage.

- Bonjour.
- Bonjour.

- Enchanté. Erin.
- Enchanté.

Jean-Baptiste.

Dick: Using these
climbing experts

will save time putting
up scaffolding.

Dick: While they're up there,
JB and Erin

have asked the team to give
everything else a checkup.

We check all the roof
and the window, the wall.

Dick: Scaling the heights
of Chateau de Bourneau

starts easily enough.

Too exacting. Ha ha ha!

It's not every day that you
have essentially rock climbers

on your roof.

Fingers crossed, though,
that the news is good news.

JB: Did tell him that we want
the cost to be spread

over a few years,
so if he can give us

costs per things...

Yeah, and what needs
to be done first and priority.

And a bit of a budget
because there's

no cost of scaffolding,
so we can just do that--

have them for, like,
a few days and then go away.

Erin: Yeah.
That's the beauty of this,

not having the scaffolding.

JB: The massive--yeah.
If we had the scaffolding,

you would do everything
in one go.

I think they're on the roof.

Erin: On, they're on the roof.
JB: Yeah. That's it.

Erin: Where?
JB: He's there. Cool.

Erin: The view from up there
bust be amazing.

Dick: The team checks
chimneys,

maconnerie, metalwork,

tiles, and guttering.

[Man speaking French]

Assessment done,
team leader Tierrie

talks Erin and JB
through what they found

on the roof
of the turret.

Unfortunately, they've
also discovered

another even
more serious problem.

The damage to the chimney
means it could fall

at any moment, so it needs
sorting out and fast.

JB: One big job will be
the chimney there

because it's splitting in two,
and it's moving.

I don't want this chimney
to fall on the roof

because then that would be
a big bill,

so chimney very important.

Yeah. Focusing on
the safety element,

and also the main leak
of the solarium

is gonna be our first
port of call, isn't it,

and we'll hold our breath
when we see the estimate.

Not sure gaffer tape
will cut it on this occasion.

Dick: They may be looking
at an expensive bill,

but keeping their chateau
safe and weather-tight

will be money well spent.

Back at Chateau des Lys
with just hours left

until the 5-course
gourmet banquet,

Tim's battling plumbing problems
in one of the kitchens.

OK. So it is leaking.
Where is it leaking?

I think it's leaking
from there.

Dick: The spray tap
won't turn off,

so it's flooding the floor,

just what you don't need
when you've got 30 guests.

Tim: The only problem
with it is to get

the thing through this gap,
I'm not sure I can do that.

That's one of these little jobs
that should take two seconds,

and it's gonna turn
into a half an hour's work.

Oh, no, no.

I think I'm gonna have to
give up me sink for the day.

This is not an easy job.

No. I can't repair this.

What I can do is just
leave the showerhead

in the sink,
and that will work

if I get it out,
and that'll be OK for me.

I just have to remember not
to put it back into its tube.

When it leaks,
it'll leak into the sink.

I've solved it.

The leak will be fixed
by letting it leak.

Put that in there,
leaks in the thing.

Dick: It'll do for now.

Tim: I can get
with the washing up,

so I'll leave this on.

Dick: In the dining room,
Margreeth's cutting her cloth

according to her tables.

Ooh. I was afraid of that.

I just made the ends
a bit long,

so now that one is a bit short.

Dick: Plan B--change
the table layout.

Margreeth: So this is going to
be one long one

instead of two separate ones.

Otherwise, it's not gonna fit.

The decor's gonna look
so good,

and no one's gonna notice
that this tablecloth

is actually a bit too short.

Dick: They're running short in
the kitchen, too.

Run out of butter
for Chef Will's béarnaise sauce.

We're still not, you know,
panic stations yet.

Do you have any idea
where there's more butter?

I'll send Jonathan in the car.

He can go to Rapid.

Dick: With a few hiccups
finally smoothed out,

things are coming together,

and Margreeth's vision
for the dining hall is complete.

Margreeth: I've got half an hour
before the apéro

is going to start,
but this is finished,

and I think it looks great.

- Well done.
- Yeah. Mmm. Thank you.

This looks so good.
You've done that so well.

That's really posh-looking.

Dick: Talking of posh,
the trainee butlers

look the business,
and with a whole team

of staff on hand,
Tim and Margreeth

can take a backseat for once.

- This stresses me out.
- This stresses us out.

It's a weird thing that
we don't have to do anything,

so what we're gonna do now
is we're gonna grab a glass,

and we're gonna just
enjoy it,

and if it goes right,
we're gonna be really happy.

If it goes well.

We're gonna have a gourmet
evening in our chateau

with a top chef from Kent.

- It's brilliant.
- Amazing.

- Cheers.
- Cheers. Cheers.

Dick: Living the dream.

Dave: Come on through.
Take your seats.

Woman: Oh, lovely!

Dave: Ladies and gentlemen,
could I ask you all

to rise and drink a toast
to the Chateau des Lys?

All: Chateau des Lys!

Tim: All right, guys.
Let's go.

[Indistinct chatter]

The meal tonight
has been outstanding.

The hosts Tim
and Margreeth

are absolutely lovely,

maybe a little bit
to the detriment

of their business acumen.

They could have made
a lot more money from us.

Dick: You'd never know this
was their first attempt.

Now it's a time to really
think business.

Tim: This is great.
I mean, they're so happy.

It's gone incredibly smoothly,

and Chef Will has taken
all the pressure off.

He's done all the prep
and all the stuff.

The nicest evening
we've ever had here.

It's been a pleasure.
Thank you very much.

- Yeah.
- Thank you very much.

- Really enjoyed it.
- Yeah, I really enjoyed it.

Thank you. Yeah.
Let's do it again.

- We'll do it again.
- Yeah, for sure.

Absolutely. Ha ha!

This is the first time
we've done this,

and we've learned a lot,
and a lot of people

have expressed an interest
in coming back.

It's gonna be
a great revenue stream

in the coming months
if we decide

to do this again in the winter.

This is it for
the winter months, I think.

Once a month,
food event weekend.

It's a lot of fun.

Dick: Well, done,
Tim and Margreeth.

The food event has been
well-received.

Add this to
the wedding packages,

and it looks as though
they now have

a very rosy future
to look forward to.

It's given us the confidence
that we can

put on more events.

- Yes.
- We think for the first time

in 5 years we've
broken even.

- Yeah.
- That makes us

really, really happy.

We've made some magical
things happen.

Dick: Next time...

Angel: A glamorous box
of cake.

Dick: Angel reveals
the secret to good baking.

Angel: Part of the cake
is crumb management.

Dick: JB finds out he can
have his cake

and eat it, too...

Mmm.

Dick: as he and Erin launch

their new chateau business.

Ooh. That is the doorbell.

[Indistinct chatter]

Dick: One chateau owner
can't quite let go

when it comes
to a wedding plan...

I am hanging
in the background

so that I can see
what's happening.

Dick: And May finds out
that too many cooks

definitely spoil the...cookies.

Why couldn't you have
shaped them nicer?

They don't look great.