Original subtitles

I'm Dick Strawbridge, and along with my wife Angel...

Hello!

...and our two children,

we've lived in this magnificent chateau for the past five years.

Ah, that's lovely.

It's my little corner of paradise.

It's not just our home...

Whoo!

...but our business.

That's a proper kiss!

And with over 1,000 chateaus in France...

Wow!

MY God!

Absolutely incredible.

...we're not the only Brits buying into the French fairy tale.

Do you like it? Wow!

I mean, yes.

It is gorgeous!

We'll follow more daring owners...

It looks to be a massive undertaking.

...and familiar faces...

Why?

...as they battle to renovate their homes.

That is disgusting.

And we'll reveal more about our own chateau life.

That is lovely.

There'll be ups...

Oh! Sweetheart, this is beautiful!

...and downs.

What are you going to do? It's going to take all day.

Yeah, but there's no alternative.

But however hard the going gets...

Noooo!

...these plucky Brits...

Ooh!

...get to live the dream as custodians...

...of their very own castle.

Today...

At this chateau, the owner ventures onto her roof.

Oh, the glamour of it all, huh?

I could be having lunch at Covent Garden with the girls.

Those days are gone.

One couple tackles the next stage of their renovations.

Oh, look, it's that horrible, hairy underlay.

Not quite screaming "chateau chic" just yet.

At our place, it's Bonfire Night.

Hands up anybody who's ever made a Guy before?

And it's my wardrobe going up in flames.

Those are really good socks!

I hope they're two odd ones.

If I've got another pair like this, there'll be hell to pay.

And it's party time at this chateau.

Jesus!

But will it end up being murder on the dance floor?

Don't blame us.

Of course I'm blaming you!

Bloody disaster!

There are around 150,000 Brits living in France.

And for those of us lucky enough to have our own castle,

every season throws up chateau-sized challenges.

Take the striking 12th-century Chateau du Masgelier.

Once a stomping ground for French royalty,

it's now home to DIY fanatic Fiona Jones.

She lives here with her son, Louie.

Ooh! That's it, perfect. Thanks, darling.

Hold on.

And has spent the last six years single-handedly renovating the place

from top to bottom - though it's still a work in progress.

Most times I'm walking around looking like the scarecrow

out of the Wizard of Oz with my hair in the air

and not a scrap of make-up.

Got to be a tomboy, haven't you? You've got to be a tomboy.

Don't buy a castle if you can't get dirty.

Located in the rural Limousin area,

Fiona plans to renovate the 5-bedroom medieval chateau

to offer guest accommodation.

Last summer, she began work on the chateau's first floor.

It was a messy job... Whoo!

...but her determination paid off

as she created a lavish guest hallway

and she hosted her first-ever wedding.

How gorgeous, don't you think?

This summer has shown so much progression,

which has been fabulous.

I'm so pleased with the way the year has actually turned out.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Now, with winter setting in and temperatures plummeting,

Fiona is reluctantly putting the rest

of the first-floor renovations on hold.

The rooms are very, very big.

And because it's so cold, paints don't dry,

plaster doesn't dry, cement doesn't dry.

No matter how much you try to heat the rooms,

they're always fighting against the weather.

So you have to kind of think,

"Well, what can I do during the wintertime?"

I can't sit there on my hands.

Completely understand.

So Fiona's planning to spend the winter

working on the chateau's top floor,

where the servants' quarters once were.

Here, there are five small rooms in need of renovation

that should be easier to keep warm.

The nice thing is, each room is so individual,

you can just really let your imagination run away with you

when you're doing interior design.

Fiona's main challenge is the bedroom

that's been chosen for her 26-year-old daughter, Rochelle,

who plans to visit in two months' time.

I want her to have a room that she can call her own.

Rather than staying in the guest bedroom,

so she's close with Louie and myself.

But that's easier said than done.

So she's given me a brief.

No birds, no flowers.

No French style, no French cottage feel.

Em...

Everything that I was going to do.

Oh, and "Nowhere near the creepy dungeons!" Exclamation mark!

So... Yeah.

What can I say?

High maintenance, huh?

It looks like Fiona may have her work cut out.

Before she can make a start,

there are some vital checks to carry out in the attic above.

Every winter I like to literally come up,

give it a good once over.

You can generally tell if any of the slates have moved and shifted.

And just see if there's any major wet sections.

Chateau roofs are renowned for being problem areas.

They're high, huge and hard to work on - as we know to our cost.

You should not be able to see the sky out of your roof.

There's quite a serious problem.

So in a 12th-century chateau like Fiona's,

a winter roof check is essential.

Don't buy a chateau that's got a really bad roof.

I can't even talk about how much it would cost to roof a chateau.

Nightmare.

Great that it's insulated,

but with the whole of the roof to check, this could take a while.

Fingers crossed that there's no bad news,

or that bedroom renovation willjust have to wait.

Over 200 miles south lies the beautiful 19th-century,

39-room Chateau du Puits es Pratx.

Set amongst a vineyard,

it's a family-run hotel and home to Londoners Tim and Sasha.

Walking through the front gates

and being faced with this amazing courtyard,

I just fell in love with it.

I was the photographer, Sasha was the fashion designer

and then we're running a hotel. It's weird.

Set in the Occitanie countryside,

Tim and Sasha moved here 15 years ago.

Their lifeblood is weddings,

which they run with their daughter Lily and her boyfriend Luke.

Having your own daughter working for you, it can't get any better.

Luke is an amazing guy and we're very lucky that he's come along.

While Sasha and Lily, who's a trained chef, run the kitchen...

I normally end up doing a lot of bossing around.

I like to have things organised.

It's all fine, as long as the string doesn't break.

...Tim and Luke look after the front of house.

Welcome to Chateau du Puits es Pratx.

Thank you.

Even in the off-season...

Lovely.

...there's no time to rest, with a New Years' Eve party to organise.

For New Years' Eve, we've put on a really big spread.

Seven-course dinner.

Then we bring in entertainment.

I've got my jazz quartet performing while people are dining.

Sasha's crazy disco will start at 12 o'clock.

Our aim is always people go away happy.

Party, party, party!

But there's a serious side to it, too.

220. 220.

Let's go and measure the decoration.

The evening will bring in low-season income.

And with their 60 guests coughing up £75 each,

they can't afford for it to be anything less than perfect.

They've all got tangled up.

It's probably the most special party evening of the year.

And the French take New Year's Eve very seriously.

More so than Christmas.

Sasha and Lily are in charge of creating

an opulent seven-course gourmet feast.

And they have a lot on their plate.

It seems as though it's all sussed behind the scenes.

And at front of house,

the boys are going the extra mile with the decorations.

This is when it might all collapse.

This is actually very heavy.

They need to make sure Sasha gives them her seal of approval.

This will go up a little bit further, another six inches.

And then we'll rig up the pulley and string.

Nice work, Tim.

Fingers crossed the rest of the preparations go as smoothly.

Coming UP---

This couple has grand plans for their new guest suite.

I think what would be really lovely is to turn the turret

into a really amazing shower room.

Hm.

Well, one of them does, anyway.

You really want a shower here?

It's just a suggestion.

Fiona hits the roof.

I pop up probably once every ten days.

You know, it goes with chateau life, doesn't it?

Our Guy Fawkes starts to take shape.

What does this look like, you two?

A scarecrow? His tummy's not as big as yours.

And with just hours to go until Tim and Sasha's big party...

Village People, YMCA.

...the pressure starts to tell.

This is the stunning Chateau de Bourneau.

Built in Renaissance style in the 19th century,

it has 50 rooms,

40 acres of land and its very own moat.

Wobbly?

Nah, it's all right.

Its lucky owners are former anaesthetist Erin

and her French fiancee, engineerjB,

who've put their careers on hold to follow the chateau dream.

We had a real, as the French say, Coup de foudre, a real

love at first sight for this one,

because it has this real fairy tale feel.

There was this, ah moment and we thought, "this is the one."

Over 100 miles south from our place in the Pays de la Loire,

they bought it in 2018 for £560,000 with the aim of opening it

as a wedding and events venue.

This is the old foundation wall, it's soaking wet.

Last time, I helped them tackle an issue caused by their moat.

Your fundamental problem is we're below water level.

Yeah, that's the thing.

Owning a chateau is not that glamorous at all!

But it didn't dampen their enthusiasm.

They created a honeymoon suite

and transformed their solarium into a guest breakfast room

that even got the seal of approval from the locals.

We are now at a stage when we can start welcoming parties.

This is what this place was made for.

What do you think is the better one?

Erin and JB have made a great start to chateau life

but have to rely on income from four holiday cottages also on the estate.

We're lucky enough that our holiday cottage side of things

keeps things in balance, but we do obviously need to make more

in order to continue the renovations.

At the moment, it's quite, erm, tight.

Extra funds would certainly come in handy,

as they're about to tackle a major project.

So game plan, tackling the south corridor today.

They're planning on transforming the chateau's south wing.

It was last used as a nursing home over 20 years ago.

It currently has six outdated rooms, which they plan to convert

into five luxury ensuite guest bedrooms.

We would really like to create a really beautiful, upmarket space.

There's a huge amount of work.

The only thing we are more or less sure to keep is the corridor.

Yeah!

Secondary to the honeymoon suite, this is probably our most

impressive bedroom, because it's got this lovely, beautiful turret.

Mm-hm. It's a reasonable size.

It's also got a side annexe room that could potentially lend itself

nicely to a bathroom as well, so I think this room has a few

more interesting features which could make it really beautiful.

And I don't know how feasible this is,

but I think what would be really lovely is to turn this room,

the turret, into a really amazing shower room.

Hm.

Oh, really?

Yeah, I mean, the drainage is going to be a massive,

massive problem, obviously. Yeah.

And plumbing this would be a problem.

But nothing's impossible.

Not impossible, maybe, but I feel your pain, JB.

Putting a bathroom into this 150-year-old turret

is going to be interesting.

You really want a shower here?

It's just a suggestion.

I mean, obviously, if it's entirely impossible,

then we need to be logical,

but it's such a beautiful room, isn't it?

Can you imagine how impressive that would be?

No, it would be fantastic. Yeah.

It would be pretty impressive.

If we remove all of the lino,

we may find there's actually original plumbing under there.

Yeah.

That might be wishful thinking, but I'm as intrigued as they are,

what lurks under the manky old lino?

Fingers crossed underneath here is the original floorboards

and not too difficult to remove.

Even if there's two layers of lino.

Shall we get cracking, then?

Down in the south of France,

at Chateau Du Puits Es Pratx...

preparations are in full swing

for Tim and Sasha's New Year's Eve party.

# My baby just cares for me...#

Tim's putting his jazz band through their paces.

# My baby don't care who knows it...#

Shall we do an instrumental? Yeah.

And in the kitchen,

daughter Lily is preparing the lavish seven-course meal.

Most of the courses we can plate up in advance

and that'll really help the service go smoothly and run well.

The party will bring in low-season income, and they want to

impress their guests to make sure they keep coming back in the future.

# Let your, yeah, be, yeah # that's a good one.

Music is essential for any good party, so as well as Tim's band,

Sasha's Djing a disco to see in the new year.

Mark Ronson.

Oh, Volare, that's a classic.

And La Boomba.

It's down to Sasha to get it right,

so she's roped in French colleague Stephanie

to help come up with the perfect playlist.

On New Year's Eve, we have tables from Germany, Spain,

France and England.

So it's really important for us to be able to entertain

who we have here without an English bias.

After Auld Lang Syne, we go immediately into Allumer le Feu.

La Hokey.

Oh, yes!

So we could do the Rock around the Clock,

because then, that's for the English.

Foreign P0P-

La Macarena?

La Macarena? La Macarena.

Are you going to have your Village People? YMCA?

Oh, that's a bit naff.

Put that a bit later.

This is a long job, I think we'll be here all morning, doing this,

which means that I'm not going to get everything else done.

While DJ Sasha continues the search for dance floor perfection...

Bit more to the left, bit more, bit more, bit more.

There.

...Tim and Luke are still on decoration duty.

Spot-on. ls that all right?

Do you want to go and have a look? Yeah.

See if I can adjust it in any way.

They've found some old winery boards they want to hang up.

No, it's not working.

All right.

Back down a whisker.

Whisker down.

That's perfect.

Have you got the Armagnac down there?

No, there's one in the cuve.

With only five hours to go before the guests arrive,

it's all go in the kitchen.

I'm just lining these jelly moulds

and they will be actually used as a seafood panna cotta.

And this is just the first tray.

I've got another two trays to go.

Tonight's menu isn't the only thing giving Sasha food for thought.

How have I ended up Djing? You tell me.

I would dearly love that somebody else would take it over, now.

Because staying up until 4.00 in the morning

is not my idea of fun after being in the kitchen all day.

Too late now, Sasha, you're on the decks in a matter of hours.

Let's hope the tables turn once the beat drops.

Back at Chateau du Masgelier...

Right.

...Fiona has finished checking her attic.

Right, that's looking good, pleased.

That's half the job done.

Next, she wants to assess the roof from the outside.

When we've had issues with ours over the years,

we've always got a roofer in.

It's a bit awkward.

Bit more.

That's it.

There's one thing's for sure, I was never meant to go on that roof,

have you seen the size of that hole?

Some things are just safer in the capable hands of professionals.

Brilliant job.

Thank you.

Come down and be safe.

Fiona's able to do this job herself.

At the far end, there is a drainage system

and what happens is that all the leaves, all the leaves here,

they accumulate and then the water gets blocked and then the water

comes up under the slates and then just pours in through the chateau.

And because this part is the major part of the roofing, you can

imagine how many gallons of water is pouring in at a time.

It's a crucial task.

Water damage from a blockage here could easily run into thousands.

I pop up probably once every ten days.

You've only really got to do this for about a month,

just to keep a little eye on it.

Right.

With the gully clear, Fiona's last job is to create a mesh cover

to stop any more leaves blocking the drain.

Just mould and shape that.

It just stops those damn leaves getting through.

Lovely, perfect.

Perfect fit, look at that.

Oh, the glamour of it all, huh?

I could be having lunch at Covent Garden with the girls.

Those days are gone.

That's chateau life, Fiona.

And at least now those renovations inside can finally begin.

Coming up, the search is on for our Guy Fawkes' outfit.

A pair of Daddy's non-matching socks.

Smelly!

Erin and JB get to work on their south wing...

Yay, floor is up!

...as the size of the task ahead starts to become clear.

It's going to take a lot of time and probably a lot of money.

Fiona races to be ready for her daughter's visit.

I'm probably a bit mad and a bit eccentric, but I don't care.

And in the south of France...

We've got four minutes.

Four minutes.

...Dj Sasha suffers a mix-up.

It's not playing it.

Guys, this is ridiculous.

As much as we love the French lifestyle,

at our place in the Pays de la Loire,

we also think it's important to keep up with traditions from home.

Oooh!

And a special one is Guy Fawkes night.

Un, deux, trois.

Bilingual!

It's all about making special memories together as a family.

Aw. Look, guys, he's going.

But for Mrs S and me, the lead-up to the bonfire

is just as big a deal.

It all starts with a trip to the attic in search of an outfit

for our Guy and Arthur's usually only too keen to help.

Let's have a little look. Go on, after you, baby.

No, after you. Oh, you are such a smoothie.

Hold my hand, though.

Wow, I love smoothies.

That's my boy!

All right.

A pair of Daddy's non-matching socks.

Smelly!

No, they're not smelly, they are actually clean non-matching socks.

Right, we've got socks.

Right, go into the back room for me.

We could... Hmm. They're smelly.

Quite exciting, isn't it?

In this room, darling, follow Mummy.

Ooh, what's over here, what's over here?

Daddy definitely doesn't wear these, and they're all torn, look.

Torn trousers of Daddy's.

We're going to stuff these, OK?

Yeah? Are you holding them for me?

Arthur, let's do a checklist.

Right, we've got a shirt, we've got a collar, we've got trousers,

we've got something to make the head.

Smelly socks!

Now to get those bonfire celebrations started.

Armed with our home-made toffee apples and a pile of hay,

it's off to the garden.

These are my clothes. What are you doing with my clothes?

They'll get used for him.

They're my best trousers.

No, they don't fit you.

OK, I need helpers.

Hands up anybody who's ever made a Guy before?

Angel's parents, Jenny and Steve, have joined us for the fun.

How long ago was the last time you made one?

Whoa!

Mum!

When you were five?

Now, what we need to do is start filling the body.

We take bits of straw like this, and we put them in.

OK, what does this look like, you two?

A scarecrow. A scarecrow.

His tummy's not as big as yours.

How do we keep the head on? We've got a head string.

Hold this string in your hand, two hands.

Hold it tight.

Put your hand all the way down, inside there.

There we go.

Aha, we've got it!

Now, look at this, his head is going in now.

We've got a string to tie his head in.

L's great to see Arthur and Dorothy so enthusiastic,

even if my wardrobe is paying the price.

Oi, those are really good socks!

I hope they're two odd ones.

If I've got another pair like this, there'll be hell to pay.

Look at this.

With our Guy finished, it's time to light the bonfire.

Are we ready? Up he goes.

To top the evening off, nothing beats some good old-fashioned games,

like Find the Smartie in the Flour.

Yay!

Smartie!

I love you, kiss me.

And of course, bobbing for apples.

Find me an apple, big boy.

No, come on, get yourself down.

Oh, no!

One, go on.

What, do you...? No, you cheated.

I saw your hands.

Dorothy's going in.

What's Dorothy doing? Yeah!

Yay!

Daddy, Daddy, Daddy.

Yay! Give Daddy the towel.

We may have a fantastic new life in France,

but this is one of the traditions we'll never forget.

A few hours south of us at Chateau de Bourneau...

That was easy.

Oh, yeah, I was expecting these doors to have been glued on.

...Erin and JB are about to rip up the floor in what will be

one of the new suites they're planning in the south wing.

This room is an important room because it's probably our most

interesting feature room on this corridor,

because it has that lovely turret and the sort of double aspect.

So this room, I think, second to the honeymoon suite,

will be our most impressive suite, hopefully.

They hope the old '70s lino

is hiding something with a bit more character.

Oh, look, it's that horrible...

Hairy stuff.

Hairy whatever, underlay that is.

But I think we're in luck, JB, look.

We've got the original floorboards. See?

Oh, yeah, so it even goes up to the window, that's nice.

There's just one place left to check, the turret,

where they hope to put in a shower room.

Yeah, I think it's wood.

It's a full house.

Wooden floors all round.

Great.

Yay, floor is up.

Good. Yeah, that is great.

I'm really pleased that there's the original wood under here.

The floor will still need plenty of elbow grease to get

rid of the leftover adhesive, but it's a great start.

I can definitely see what this will be like when it's finished.

I mean, obviously it's a little bit 1970s nursing home themed

at the moment, not quite screaming chateau chic just yet,

but it will be, eventually, won't it?

A bit of imagination and hard work.

Yeah.

I'll second that,

but as this is just the first of the five eventual guest rooms

in the south wing, Erin and JB still have a massive task ahead of them.

It's going to take a lot of time and probably a lot of money, so that is

obviously going to be another worry, but it's so nice because this

is one big thing which will get the chateau back to its former glory.

Back at Chateau du Masgelier, Fiona also has her hands full,

decorating a bedroom for her daughter,

who's coming to visit in two months' time.

So it's kind of feminine, but it's not girlie and pink.

It's hard, isn't it, when you're trying to decorate

something for somebody else.

I've sent her some photographs

and she's really, really happy with the colours and the choice,

so Mummy will do all the work, have it all lovely.

And she can just come in, put her coat down, barn!

Nothing changes, no matter how old children get.

With the colour scheme sorted,

Fiona needs to finish prepping the room.

What I'm trying to do is do all the dirty jobs first,

because there's no point in me whitewashing the whole room

and then doing it, because it's just going to be filthy again.

Get all of the dirty debris jobs done and then go from there.

Alljobs are big in a chateau.

She's right to do them in a sensible order.

First up is tackling a woodworm infestation by the bedroom door.

What I'm doing is, I'm putting a treatment on the wooden beam.

So one hour, let it dry, put another second coat on, let that dry,

and then put the third coat on.

It's great Fiona's doing a thorough job, as left untreated,

woodworm can seriously weaken timber.

I'm really putting it on nice and thick,

getting it into all those holes.

And it never returns, you never get another infestation, job done.

So I'll come back in about an hour and a half and see how that goes.

Corner.

Fiona doesn't want dust spoiling her decorating, so is sealing off

the bedroom door from the outside in the yet-to-be renovated hallway.

So this bit here is derelict, so all the filth, all the dirt,

it runs through right under the door,

because there's quite a big gap under the door and across the top.

Fiona has come up with a clever idea to stop it coming in.

And I'm just thinking what way round to do it, actually.

Creating a dust excluder with an old carpet offcut.

I don't think a few staple holes is gonna damage the door.

That's good, and there's a little bit of overlap,

so it shouldn't get through.

And I'm going to put a little bit at the top, as well, just on the door.

I'm probably a bit mad and a bit eccentric, but I don't care.

It's going to keep my rooms clean.

OK, there we go, nice and tight.

That's what we want to see.

Job done, simple.

All that's left is to clear out the room

and decorating can finally begin.

With her daughter's visit fast approaching,

there's no time to lose.

In the south of France, at Chateau Du Puits Es Pratx,

Tim and Sasha's party is about to start.

We've got one vegetarian.

Yep. This one.

The restaurant is fully decorated, and the stage has been set.

Right.

In the kitchen, Sasha and Lily are busy working away.

Sometimes not enough room here, I'm afraid.

One of the first courses is already on the go, lobster.

Yum!

I have to cook this very delicately, but not all the way through.

Our French clients will notice if I overcook it.

Tonight, it's down to Luke to run the front of house.

Let's set the tables into zones.

On va separer les tables en zones.

Great.

The first guests are already starting to arrive,

which means the party can officially begin.

So everyone's come at the same time, which is great.

But it's OK, we're in control.

In Lily and Sasha's well-prepared kitchen,

they can start sending out dishes straight away.

Can I have the last panna cotta plates?

And they're going down a treat.

Next up is a champagne sorbet,

but for Luke, that's no cause for celebration.

I think we're going too fast,

because they're gonna be finished at like, 10.30 if we carry on

at this pace, and then have to sit around for an hour and a half, yeah.

We need to slow it down.

What do I do?

Yeah, of course.

Everybody's half full and we're waiting, twiddling our thumbs,

waiting to serve the main course.

We're not twiddling our thumbs, some of us are doing a lot of washing up.

Did you hear that?

With time to fill, it's left to Tim and his jazz band

to entertain the guests

and it seems to be hitting the right notes.

Have you finished?

Yes? Was everything all right for you?

With the clock edging ever closer to midnight,

DJ Sasha is still on edge.

I'm on the decks tonight.

Mind you, Lily has just told me she's going to come and help me.

Really?

I reckon she loves it.

She loves Djing.

She said she hates it and wants to get someone else to do it,

but she loves it.

Well, we'll soon find out.

The stroke of midnight is fast approaching.

All you need to do is tick play and then volume here.

Sounds simple enough and with less than two minutes to go,

it's time for Sasha to take to the decks.

Start now? Yes, start it now.

Big Ben?

No, no, that one, there.

But there's a problem with the sound system.

It's not playing it.

Oh, that's why I needed it tested.

Can't hear it?

The speakers are plugged in, aren't they?

Jesus!

It's not working.

Oh, guys, this ridiculous.

Oh, dear, too late.

The clock's just struck midnight

and the guests have started their own celebrations.

It's been working fine up till now.

Well, I'm sorry, you should have tested it earlier.

Don't blame us.

Of course I'm blaming you.

Bloody disaster.

Go Auld Lang Syne, forget about the other ones.

And with the sound system finally fired up,

the party can really get going.

It sounds like the guests really enjoyed themselves.

The New Year's party was really good,

the food and the music, I enjoyed it, a lot.

We know the DJ, she's OK.

To a really successful evening, thank you so much.

What a brilliant start to 2019.

Woohoo!

Even though it was ten minutes late.

That's your fault.

Well done, guys, here's to a successful year ahead.

Coming up, the winter weather freezes Fiona's progress.

It's very, very, very cold.

The wallpaper isn't actually drying, so it's a bit of a setback.

And Erin and JB put a pause on renovations...

I've never waitressed before, but I can do this.

...as they turn their attention to their first ever paid event.

I need some waitressing practice, I think.

I didn't spill it down me or anyone else,

which is obviously more important.

So, I think that was a win.

At Chateau du Masgelier,

the winter temperatures have plunged below zero.

So Fiona's trying to heat the bedroom

she's renovating for her daughter, Rochelle,

who's due in a month.

You can't be defeated just cos it's wintertime.

You've still got to work.

She's managed to hang some wallpaper,

but the freezing weather is hampering her progress.

It's just started snowing, I can see out of the window.

Errn, so, yes, very, very, very cold.

The wallpaper isn't actually drying.

Yesterday, it was really, really, really bubbling.

So, I was having a panic attack that I was going to lose the paper.

It's a bit of a setback. I'm going to have to wait until the room

really warms up and then I can get some more wallpaper onto the wall.

With work on hold, for a few hours at least,

Fiona's invited friend Jo over to help out with another little task.

Hello. Hello, darling, come in.

Bread delivery. You OK? Yeah, I'm good, how are you?

Yeah, not too bad, I've been getting on with the room upstairs.

Before we have a cup of tea... Yeah?

...my carpet arrived for the room.

Yeah. Do you want to help me get it up the stairs? Because...

So, that's why you invited me for a cup of tea.

I get it, rent-a-muscle.

Yeah, you know me so well. OK, fine. Does it weigh a tonne?

Yeah, so it's going to be a Laurel and Hardy.

You take that end. Got it? Yeah.

Even a one-woman DIY machine like Fiona

needs an extra pair of hands now and again... Ready? Yeah. Go.

How are you doing?

OK. I'm fine.

...especially when negotiating four flights of stairs.

OK. Yeah.

You can skip the gym today, can't you, Jo?

LAUGHS: Definitely. You're going to the chiropractor instead.

Well done, ladies.

Although Fiona's not done with you yet, Jo.

I need to take this down.

This was in Rochelle's bedroom in the family home, growing up. Yeah.

And being sentimental, I thought, "l'll put that up for her."

You know, she'll be in bed, she'll see her light,

"l don't like that, it's too French, it's chintz."

OK, Jo, if you could tell me if lights go out, yeah?

Yeah, will do.

Right. Yep.

Before undertaking any electrical work,

it's necessary to switch the electricity off at the mains.

Right.

Is this all made of glass?

Yeah, and porcelain.

So, it's on a hook, going to take it off, you just have to support it

and then I'll disconnect it from the electrics.

You could have dusted it first.

There's cobwebs on it.

Hold tight. No, don't push yet.

I'm not, I'm just trying to support, but you're swinging it.

I've got it, I've got it, I'm just going to loosen it slightly,

give me a minute.

It's fine. Are we having a domestic, Jo? Yeah.

JO LAUGHS

There will be one if I smash your favourite family heirloom.

That's it, wey-hey. We've gone down the brute force...

Right, hold it tight.

That's a relief.

And it's one more tricky job off Fiona's list.

I think it was touch and go, there.

I put that chandelier up to stay up for life, I think.

It was just handy to have someone to hold it, just in case it fell.

Cup of tea.

Anything to earn a cup of tea.

It's often the little jobs that can prove most testing,

especially if you're doing it all by yourself.

Cheers. Cheers. Here's to your new carpet.

Cheers with a cup of tea.

So, do you think Rochelle is going to appreciate all of the hard work?

I don't think she kind of realises what's been involved,

but the room was completely derelict, Jo.

It was terrible.

As long as nothing goes wrong,

I think that the room will be ready just in time.

There's a lot to do, but it's full steam ahead, now.

Good luck, Fiona.

Let's hope this weather lifts

and you can get on with that room very soon.

Back at Chateau de Bourneau,

renovations have also been put on hold.

Today, chateau owners Erin and JB

are putting on their first-ever paid event.

We've been contacted by a local company, a French company,

to host their party.

Right, must be the client. Oh, where is he?

Oh, dear, better put some actual shoes on, not my fluffy slippers.

There's a bit of stress,

a bit of fear, but I think it's excitement, most of it. Hmm.

Bonjour.

There's more pressure on this occasion

because they are real clients, actual clients.

It's important to us, I think, as the hosts,

but also as a business, that we make this work, so pressure's on.

JB SPEAKS IN FRENCH

They're hosting 24 people for a work meeting in the salon,

followed by a four-course dinner.

To make the best possible impression,

Erin and JB have hired caterers to do the food for them.

These are looking great.

That's what's so nice living so close to the sea,

you can get all this fresh produce so easily, it's lovely.

With their guests all here and the meeting under way,

it leaves them in a very unusual position.

Stressful to do nothing.

I know.

I like being busy, this feels very sort of weird,

that kind of calm before the storm, isn't it?

It's not much we have to do, they will have a meeting, that's it.

Yeah.

Can you do the three plates?

THREE plates?

I don't think my arm is long enough to do that.

You can do that.

With time to kill, JB decides to give Erin a crash course in waiting,

something he perfected while at university.

Sort of level. Oh, yeah, OK. OK, balanced? Yeah.

Third one. Cool?

OK.

I can do this.

You'll have a chance to test those new skills soon, Erin.

With the meeting over, the guests are making their way

to the dining room and it's suddenly all go in the kitchen.

First up are oysters in sumac butter cooked on coals.

Wow, looking great.

This is a speciality of the caterers

and an interesting twist on a French classic.

Clearly, Erin and JB are keen to make an impression,

and it seems like hiring in caterers is paying off.

So far, they are very, very pleased.

The clients seem to be really enjoying the food.

That oyster went down very, very well.

Which is big praise from French clients. Yeah.

One course down, three to go.

Time for Erin to show off her brand-new waiting skills.

Yeah, I think so.

This is the first time I've ever done this.

Don't feel quite as secure, these ones.

There's always a very small gap to squeeze through, as well,

so I don't want to deck this down someone.

With Erin just trying to keep everything on the plate,

it's left to JB to pick up the slack.

I need some waitressing practice, I think.

It's all right, I didn't spill it down me, or anyone else,

which is obviously more important, so, I think that was a win.

I wouldn't worry, Erin, none of the guests would ever know.

And, more importantly, it's clear everyone has had a good time.

THEY CONVERSE IN FRENCH

He really was quite pleased, so success,

I think.

There was a lot riding on it because it's our first paid event

and of course we've never done this before,

but they absolutely loved it.

A successful first event is a big step for any new chateau owner.

And Erin and JB have done brilliantly.

Enjoy it, you two, because tomorrow, it's back to renovations.

Next time...

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

Ah!

Tim and Sasha have plans for a new spa...

I'm just hoping the crane doesn't topple over. We'll see.

...and tensions bubble to the surface.

Everything is in chaos.

Fiona races to finish her daughter's bedroom...

...and as Erin and JB work on a new event space...

Urgh.

...a missing bit of kit means a race against time.

We only have 30 minutes to get this tool before the concrete sets.

So, a little bit of pressure.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media