Original subtitles

Hello! ..and our two children,

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

Aw, it's lovely.

It's my little corner of paradise.

It's not just our home...

Woo! THEY LAUGH

..but our business.

That's a proper kiss!

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

Wow. My God!

Absolutely incredible.

..we're not the only Brits buying in to 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 will be ups...

SHE GASPS Well done! This is beautiful.

..and downs.

What are you gonna do? Not doing it today?

Well, it's gonna take all day. Yeah, but there's no alternative.

But however hard the going gets...

No!

..these plucky Brits.. Ugh!

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

God bless France.

..of their very own castle.

Today...

Hey, I got you! I got you!

..one family continue their marathon restoration project...

Do you reckon that's OK, Philip? Yeah.

Feels like this bit is really out.

Happened to me in my early years, as well.

..three generations of new chateau owners...

Mummy! Bonjour.

..attempt to win over the local community.

It seems to be going all right.

Get them all a little bit tipsy. So, it's nice.

And this couple hope to find their dream French castle...

This is so special, this room.

..six long years after first starting their search.

It has the look of a room, Francois, that would have a secret door.

We do have one. Oh, that's awesome!

When asked their ideal place to live,

four out of five French people opt for the countryside.

More and more Brits are in full agreement,

and you can buy a chateau here

for the price of a regular house in the UK.

Take the beautiful Chateau de Seguenville.

With parts dating back to the 17th century,

it's believed to once have been home

to one of the real-life Three Musketeers.

Today it belongs to engineer Mark and music teacher Becky,

who bought it for £645,000 eight months ago

as a family home for them and their daughters, Sofia and Charlotte.

When Becky's father and I drove past here,

it was just that moment where I just went,

"This, is it."

Last night, we managed to actually sit out on the veranda,

and I was saying to Mark,

"It's amazing, isn't it? It's ours. It's our home. Can we believe it?"

Located 45 miles from the Pyrenees, in southwest France,

the family don't yet live here fulltime.

Becky plans to make the move from their home in Abu Dhabi

with the girls next year,

while Mark will continue overseeing engineering contracts

across the Middle East.

For the, sort of, next three to five years,

it's just going to be about slowly developing the house,

getting it into and maintaining it very much as a family home.

While the family travel back and forth, Becky's dad, George,

a retired headmaster, has moved here permanently

from the Isle of Wight, to look after the chateau when they're away.

It is a new sense of life.

Suddenly energy returned and a purpose,

and as long as I can keep active, I'm happy.

Well, George, with the amount of work to do,

keeping active shouldn't be a problem.

Yeah, there's a lot more to do in here, isn't there?

These rooms really haven't been touched

in the best part of 60 years.

The floor, actually, is very good.

Yeah.

They've also made some interesting discoveries, like rotating urinals.

If we get these... Cleaned up. ..cleaned up...

So, on this side, it's difficult to see in the paint,

but I think that might actually say... 1802?

..1802, or something like that. Hmm.

Has somebody written a history of the pissoir?

No.

Before they start on the inside, though,

the family wants to lay the foundations

of making this their forever home by integrating with the locals,

so have offered drinks in their courtyard,

before the village fete, in a month's time.

The Fete de Voisins is a really important event,

both for the community,

because it is effectively the fete of neighbours.

The hope is that when we have the Fete de Voisins next door,

that we're going to get the community to come in for

a few drinks beforehand, to celebrate.

Dying to chop down some brambles?

Shall I do it, or are you going to do it?

Mark and Becky want to create the best possible first impression,

so it's down to young...

Do you want to help pull those bits of ivy off?

..and old to tackle the years of overgrowth

at the front of the chateau.

So, now we've got all the fun part

of tidying and clearing away everything

that we've managed to pull off.

This is when I go flat on my back.

Right, that's looking a lot better.

Got to finish up round here,

and then we're almost done in this section.

Working at the front of the chateau

provides a chance to give out some more invites

to the courtyard drinks to some of the passers-by.

IN FRENCH

IN ENGLISH: This is exactly the sort of thing that we wanted

when we came here is, you know,

to be able to integrate into the village.

Engagement like that is just brilliant.

We'd better crack on with getting the place looking tidy.

You better had!

Becky and Mark are leaving over the next few days,

and before they do,

they want to spruce up the barn doors in the courtyard

where they're hosting the welcome drinks.

Let's have a look to see how this is going to lift.

OK.

Do we need some WD40 or something on them?

I'm gonna try and just see whether I can lift this with a pick axe.

First, they want to get the heavy oak door off its hinges

so they can sand it out of the sun.

Can you bring the metal bar in?

Do you want it there? Yeah, that's right. OK.

One, two, three.

OK. Done it.

OK. Yeah.

That's it. Fantastic.

Will it fit in the garage doors?

We'll soon find out.

OK.

OK.

OK, there we go.

I don't think this is going to take more than a couple of hours.

But with the rest of the courtyard doors to sand, it's not a small job.

I go tomorrow morning and come back on Thursday morning,

it should be done. Yep. Excellent.

As Mark and Becky are both heading away, George will be flying solo.

No pressure.

About 250 miles north, in the glorious Loire Valley,

Scotsman Iain and wife Kate

are trying to find a chateau to call home,

after six years of searching.

In the early years, when we were looking, we were looking at,

"Wow", you know, everything was just so pretty, and it's just...

But now, I look at windows, I look at the roof,

we look at plumbing, electrics, heating.

And I think that's where a lot of the horror stories emanate from,

with chateau purchases.

You're so right.

Having sold their family home

and a stake in their business in Australia, a lot is on the line.

For their £1.3 million budget,

they're on the hunt for somewhere with business potential

that's also large enough for their extended family.

Well, we have a healthy budget.

We feel we will get...there will be opportunity to buy something

in that budget that will meet all of our needs.

And perhaps we may need to raise it a little bit.

Sure, sure. And I'll probably continue working until I'm 75,

in some capacity. No.

Packed with pretty villages and scenery,

the Loire Valley's strong tourist appeal

will help their plans to bring in income from holiday lets.

Not only that, there are plenty of chateaux here to choose from.

I'm blown away with just how impressive it is.

They're already seen two.

The first was a financial stretch,

but as an up-and-running business, appealed to Iain.

This will be difficult to surpass. Definitely.

This has set the bench pretty high.

The second came in under budget,

and not only delivered on character for Kate,

but got a big thumbs up from the family.

This is exactly what we're looking for. Yeah.

Today, they're heading about 30 miles for the town of Tours,

to the 18th-century Chateau de Chanteloire.

Hi. Bonjour. Welcome.

Agent Celine is here to hand over the keys

for an unguided private tour.

With an asking price of £687,000,

this seven-bedroom chateau is well below budget.

Fantastic, thank you.

Joining them are daughter Jade, husband Ryan, and their children.

They start with the entrance hall.

Oh, wow, look at the floors, Mum.

It's very authentic. Oh, wow!

It's a really traditional hallway. It's really lovely.

Yeah, I really like this.

Just, like, instant character as you walk in, isn't it? Yeah.

A great first impression.

There's also income potential here,

with five guest rooms and a large reception room for hosting events.

Good to know that they've had a business running here. Yeah.

And accommodation. Yeah. So, perfect.

So far, so good.

Next, into the salon.

This is a lovely proportioned room, isn't it?

And it just lets in all the light, and still has original features.

Wouldn't take much.

And the original marble fireplace, as well, which is stunning.

I know, which is really important to us.

Whilst it's easy to have your head turned

by the grandeur of these places,

it's vital to look beyond charming appearances.

That's actually... That looks like water damage.

I would say, yeah, dry rot.

It's all the way over.

Sometimes dry rot goes up,

so it could be something happening in the footings.

Well spotted, Kate.

Left untreated, dry rot can result in an expensive battle

to eliminate it.

This needs to be kept in mind

if there are other jobs that need to be done.

There's nothing here!

You'd literally would have to get out the whole kitchen,

which I suppose, if you're starting from new, is not a bad thing.

Proportions-wise, I suppose you could maybe knock out walls?

Yeah, so that's just a plaster wall.

It really is a blank canvas, we could do whatever we like with it.

Looks like this one has the creative juices flowing,

but I wonder whether perhaps it's a bigger project

than they had in mind?

I couldn't say that I'm in love with it.

I could definitely make it work for us,

but I'm not in love with the building at this stage.

Coming up...

Right, here it goes.

..home alone, Grandpa George takes the rough with the smooth...

Oh, that's a bummer.

..and a new chateau dad faces a mammoth task...

..building a bedroom for his daughters.

It used to be a beam, and now it's dust.

It's a bit difficult to imagine having two children living in here.

This is the 16 room Chateau de Gonneville.

Set in a 15-acre wooded estate,

its owners are British fashion designer Anna

and her Italian husband, Philipp, a film-maker,

who moved from Paris with their daughters Ella and Lily

a few months ago.

I think that when our second was born,

we just realised that the city life wasn't really for us,

as a family any more, and we wanted to move to the countryside.

And that's where the idea to buy a chateau kind of came from.

The kids completely forgot about the existence of a television,

since we are here. So they, you know,

they have so many other things to do.

Situated near to the Normandy coast,

they bought the chateau for £900,000 with a huge loan,

on the basis of opening a B&B in seven months' time.

But it's been far from plain sailing.

Before starting work on their business, though,

they decided to transform the attic into family accommodation.

With money tight, Philipp is trying to do most of the work himself.

I'm lacking in experience, so it is sometimes a little bit stressful.

Everything needs precise measurement, and a lot of patience.

That's just not me.

As the family is currently living on the lower floors,

the pressure's on to get the bedrooms habitable.

Today he's replacing the rotten window frames in the girls' bedroom,

with the help of carpenter Benoit.

You think, when you change the windows,

you look at the price of the windows and you think, oh, that's OK.

That's the wood that we found, underneath the window.

In all buildings like this, exposed woodwork, that hasn't been

regularly painted and properly maintained, can often be a problem.

Now what we're getting out here used to be a beam,

and now it's dust, literally dust.

Right now it's a bit difficult to imagine having two children

living in here.

With such a major problem, Philipp's had no choice

but to pay to get Benoit in.

Usually you don't have to replace the structure of the beams,

when you replace a window, but that's a chateau, isn't it?

That window frame is beyond repair,

so the whole thing needs replacing, and it's going to cost.

In theory, this should be the only windows that have a rotten base.

So replacing another window shouldn't take half as much.

At least, that's what I hope, because otherwise it's getting

really expensive to replace all the windows.

Sorry, matey, but speaking from experience,

I would brace yourself for a few more bumps along the way.

I say it's a win.

That's really nice, look at this.

Took us four hours.

One window, four hours.

Taking on a chateau can be a steep learning curve.

But at least you're still smiling, Philipp, and it's a good job,

because there's still a long way to go with that room.

Just under 400 miles south, with Becky and Mark away,

Grandpa George is home alone, sprucing up the courtyard,

ready for the village drinks in three weeks' time.

I asked them to tell me which tasks they'd like me to do.

They will want me to do it before they return.

The courtyard door they took off the hinges together has been sanded,

so now he's prepping to tackle door number two.

I don't even know if I'm putting the mask on the right way round.

I'm always assumed that the little bit, here, comes at the bottom.

Actually, George, it's the other way up,

and you pinch that little piece of metal over the bridge of your nose.

I asked for a pair of goggles.

Well, these are, I think, meant for when you're swimming,

but never mind.

And here we are.

The goggles are good.

As there's no-one to help him take the door to the workshop,

George is doing it in situ.

I think my biggest concern is when a professional comes along

and looks at what I'm doing, and says, "You're doing it all wrong."

But, never mind, I'm doing what I think is right.

And off we go!

Well, that's a bummer.

That's not meant to happen.

Just don't know what went wrong.

These were a bargain, in the local shop.

And here we are.

Cut-price sanding disc back in place, George can get back to it.

That's actually going quite well.

And it's stuck on.

Right, much better than doing it by hand, as we were to start with.

Now to tackle the awkward lower section.

Right, here goes!

These are not nearly as good as the more expensive ones, unfortunately.

And this one's just lost its stickiness.

Come on, stay.

Perhaps they were cheap for a reason, George?

Yes, well, let's try another one.

Oh, dear.

Oh, here we go.

I'm afraid there's only so far grit and determination can get you.

This point, I think we have reached the end of the sanding discs.

So I may end up doing it by hand.

Good luck, George.

I'm sure Becky and Mark will be impressed

with your efforts, regardless.

Back in the Loire Valley,

Iain and Kate are viewing Chateau de Chanteloire.

It's very authentic. Wow!

At £687,000, it's under budget, but the ground floor reveals some

costly renovations would be necessary.

You literally would have to kit out the whole kitchen.

Now it's time to see the state of the seven bedrooms upstairs.

Actually, I quite like these stairs.

I don't like the wallpaper.

I think everybody has their own taste,

but shiny stripes are not really my thing.

I'm loving the floor.

I do love the floor. I do like it.

Shall we go into this bedroom?

And have a look. And have a look?

Wallpaper is a relatively easy change,

but bedroom two has a more challenging issue.

Oh, OK.

Definitely have to take that down.

I think it's to cover up the bathroom, the entrance.

Oh.

And, it definitely has to go.

Yeah, because it makes the room look way more smaller than it is.

Upstairs seems to be leaving them cold,

but perhaps that will change outside, where the

former caretaker's house is ripe for generating income, as a holiday let.

OK, it's a good size.

The stone walls are tremendous. They look really nice. Yeah.

It's just taking the skin off, all the way round. Yeah, exactly.

And, it comes back to what it was.

And you love to demolish things,

so I think demolishing that will definitely be a good thing in here.

Yeah.

As Angel and I have found, knocking down walls can be fun.

But, for now, it's time to hand back the keys...

A bientot.

..and reflect on what they've seen.

The chateau has a lot of positive attributes.

However, I think that the structural integrity

may require a lot of attention.

I feel like it's a bit hollow in there.

It feels like it hasn't been a home that's been loved.

It's literally been stripped of all of that.

It's quite cold and unloved.

Oh, well, perhaps the next viewing will give Kate

that homely feeling she's after.

After saying goodbye to the rest of the family,

they're travelling an hour southeast.

Chateau des Nouies isn't yet officially on the market,

but they've had their eyes on it

since renting a cottage in its grounds, on previous holidays.

Now, having contacted the owner,

they're viewing it ahead of the crowd.

You can be blinded by the romance.

Perhaps I've glamorised it?

And I'm sure that might be changed today.

Very focused, in terms of looking at it as buyers.

So, yeah, excited, and nervous, to see how much work needs to be done.

Hello, Francois.

How are you? Nice to see you.

Owner Francois, has been restoring the 34-room chateau

to its original splendour, for the past six years.

Would you like to come in? Yes, that would be lovely.

So, let me open the second door.

It was built as a grand family home, at the start of the 1700s,

but many of the period features were added a century later.

This is the dining room.

This is so special, this room.

Just look at all the detail in there.

It's "always drink, and you will never die."

Good sentence. So it's a good promise.

I think I'll try it.

The place is bursting with the kind of original features

Kate and Iain love.

Would this be to allow the food to come through, whilst it's still hot?

In fact, that's why you have this piece. Yes.

Oh, perfect. I love that. I love those details. It's basic.

So you think of how many dishes...

I know, that's awesome.

It has the look of a room, Francois, that would have a secret door.

There must be one in here somewhere? A button somewhere, or something?

You're nosey.

I won't tell you everything.

You have one upstairs.

Is there? Yes. Oh, now I'm excited.

But he's not going to tell you where it is, so.

You're right!

An exciting start, and plenty more secrets to uncover,

but it's important Iain and Kate don't let the romance take over

when it comes to a final decision.

Coming up, with their apartment schedule slipping,

Anna and Philipp cut corners.

Trying to use a leftover, because these things, they cost a fortune.

Oh, yeah?

And Becky and Mark get technical.

At what spacing do you want them at?

This is the million dollar question, darling.

Being an engineer always helps. Fantastic. Right, time for a G&T.

That's a good idea.

past the date Anna and Philipp hoped to have had

the attic apartment finished, and winter's

fast approaching.

I'm just sticking it up here. I don't know if it needs it up here,

but... Oh. Yeah. Don't look. Huh!

With their daughters' bedroom now insulated,

they're pressing on with fitting a damp-proof membrane.

This is the actual membrane.

That's the damp-proof membrane.

That prevents moisture to go into the insulating material.

Do you reckon that's OK, Philipp?

Yeah. Like that? Yeah.

It's a good start for a complete beginner.

It feels likes this bit is really out. Yeah. That's all right.

It happened to me in my early years as well, so...

A gentle reminder,

that wasn't so long ago, Philipp!

And at £350 for a 70-metre roll,

this high-tech membrane is a very good investment.

You could try to use a leftover,

to save some... Cos these things, they cost a fortune, so...

Oh, yeah? Oh, yeah.

With costs adding up by the day, the pressure is really on Anna

and Philipp to get their apartment ready

as soon as possible,

so they can move onto the business side of the renovations.

We've run out of tape... Oh.

..so I won't be able to finish that tonight...

Oh. ..unfortunately. That's a shame.

You see, that's a special tape, because you can just plaster...

plaster over the tape. OK.

Uh...

There'll be no plastering or decorating

until this job is finished, so it's a frustrating delay

for them to contend with.

Anna, though, is keen to get a move on with aesthetics, so is

putting her fashion background

to good use, designing wallpaper

for the girls' bedroom.

I wanted to do something kind of fun

and unique for their room.

Lily specified that she wanted to have a pink bedroom,

that's her favourite colour.

I've been looking at kind of French antique wallpapers

that have that feeling of something that's quite aged.

Once she's finished the design, she'll retouch it digitally,

before sending it to a printing company.

First, though, it needs client

approval - from four-year-old Lily.

What do you think?

I think I want to put this...

You like that green, do you?

And pink. And the pink. Yeah, I made

it pink. Do you like the pink?

Is it a good colour? Yes. Yeah?

Painting complete, Anna needs to piece her design together,

to create seamless wallpaper.

So, I've now scanned the artwork,

and now I'm gonna put it back together on the computer.

So, it's just like collaging it back together, basically.

They match perfectly, but they have a white edge.

So, all of this part that's got the white has to be filled in.

I'm just gonna cut out some of the leaves from other parts of

the artwork, and try to fill it in like that.

It's quite a lengthy process now, doing this.

but there's no other way to do it really.

It may be a lot of effort, but there's nothing more rewarding

than putting your own 21st-century stamp on these historic buildings.

Fingers crossed those walls will be ready for papering soon.

In South-West France, Becky,

Mark and the girls are back,

after having left Grandpa George in charge of the chateau.

Well, we're not worried about the inside really, are we? Not really.

Now is the day before the courtyard drinks party

for the local community, and they're taking a close look at the work

George did to the barn doors, in their absence.

Now, that looks lovely.

It's all right. It's beautiful wood.

It looks lovely, Pa, it really does. It's fantastic.

The spruced-up doors have given the courtyard a much-needed refresh,

but there's still lots to do before tomorrow's guests arrive.

Not least, sorting out the drinks.

So, we've got about 100 in total? Yes, about 100.

And we've got no Pimm's? No.

So, we'll have to do a gin cup. Oh, joy! OK.

Becky also needs to finish making

the decorations for the courtyard.

I've made some bunting.

I've taken some burlap,

and very basic, but I've sort of

put a hem on it.

So, I'm just threading them through.

I need to find the end again.

And Mark is on hand to help.

You've got about another 40 or so triangles to thread on.

I might get picky. I might tell you to take some of them off,

back to front.

Too late now. Erm... SHE GIGGLES

You should have chosen a better partner.

Tomorrow is an important step towards the family being integrated

into village life, ahead of their

moving here full-time.

This is a community that sort of

gathers round. So, for us to be able to be part of that is quite special.

There's quite a few of the neighbours we haven't met yet.

It's a good challenge for us, for our French. So, I'm up for that.

What spacing do you want them at? Well, this is the million-dollar

question, darling. I don't really know until we put it out between

the courtyard, to a certain extent.

Well, do you want to come and hold here, and let's see if I can...?

I'll come and hold it for you.

Go back, and pull it tight.

Being an engineer always helps.

Got to keep your steps up. Keep going.

SHE LAUGHS

How are we doing? OK.

Are we almost to the end?

I've got 41 pieces, at the minute.

Looks like the bunting is measuring up.

OK. So, I think that's us done today. So, tomorrow is just...

hang the bunting, hang the lights,

set up the tables, and get the food out, and drinks out. Yeah. Yeah.

That's great. Great. OK. Fantastic.

Right, time for a G&T.

With 100 locals to impress tomorrow, you could practise

your cocktail mixes while you're at it!

North, in the Loire Valley,

would-be owners Iain and Kate

are viewing a chateau they've

been keen on for a few years.

So, you would love to see the salon? Yes, please, thank you.

Owner Francois is showing them around,

before it goes on the market.

Next up is the kitchen, with a large

family space - something

high on Kate's wishlist.

More family room, really. It is.

This fire always on!

Exactly. Even... Inviting.

And the room has a surprising feature.

And here, it's built on a well.

So, we can get water here.

So, do you use the well? Yes.

It provides you water, as much water as you want,

to grow your plants around here.

The chateau is also on main supply,

but having their own well to water

the large estate could mean a big saving on bills.

The kitchen and utility space next door

once produced meals for a large household,

but needs a lot of work to update it.

OK, a smaller utility room here. OK.

Like a small shed within the house.

So, you didn't only have, you know, grand rooms,

but utility rooms for the...

for to cook and to preserve the food.

It has a fascinating history, and lots of potential,

but is it what Kate and Iain had in mind

for hosting family, or catering for paying guests?

The kitchen... I feel like the bottom floor, we could live in,

but it is a lot of work. Yeah. We'd have to be

quite conscious of money... Yeah, absolutely. ..for the renovation.

Iain's also keen to see the state of the roof, as he knows

it could be a costly repair job. So, they're heading to the attic

that, in the 1820s, housed a theatre.

So here, now, you're on the second floor.

It's, er... It's a lovely big space. It's a great space, isn't it?

Yeah, it's a square. A large square room. People would come, you know,

riding horses, or with sheep and cows,

come here and have a play, before the play would be showed to Paris.

Fantastic. That's amazing. The carpentry's rather impressive.

Fantastic carpentry. Love the beams. Yeah.

17th century? It's 18th century? Oh, this part is 18th century.

18th century. 18th century. Phenomenal craftsmanship.

Iain and Kate fell in love with

this place as holiday-makers.

Francois, thank you very much indeed.

Now they've had a good chance to assess what's on offer,

it's time to consider if they're up for

the massive challenge of taking this on.

I still love it dearly. It doesn't diminish.

It's still a frontrunner, for me. Oh, and me too.

It feels right. And I know that's not objective,

but I could see everything I want to achieve and do in this chateau.

Well, destiny has brought us together with Francois.

I believe in destiny, and I feel like, I don't know,

I feel like... Meant to be, sort of thing. Maybe meant to be.

And the local village has the best cheese shop in the area, so...

SHE LAUGHS ..so that also has a...

Exactly. Cheese is good.

Fromage aside, Kate and Iain

do still have more chateaux to see,

so a final decision is on hold, for now.

Coming up...

OK, so hats on,

sun cream on, into the courtyard for bunting. OK.

..preparations for Becky and Mark's village welcome drinks run late.

We've got half an hour, and we haven't got the drinks out.

And in Normandy...

If I make a mistake, I don't have extra paper to redo it.

So, I'd better do a good job!

..Anna comes unstuck.

In Normandy,

ten weeks after starting work on daughters Lily and Ella's bedroom,

the wallpaper Anna's designed is back from the printers,

at a cost of 180 euros.

That works out to be just under £160.

I'm quite proud of it. I'm quite pleased with it.

And you should be.

First, Anna wants to check

the sections of the bold repeat pattern align.

Just need to find this last piece.

Ah, I think that's it. OK.

OK, so then I know that this is the corner.

Double check that this fits.

Like Philipp, Anna is relatively new to DIY,

so has been watching online videos for wallpaper hanging techniques.

If I make a mistake, I don't have extra paper to redo it.

So...yeah, I better do a good job.

Here goes nothing.

Oh.

Might help if I have it the right way round. Ah!

If in doubt, it's always a good idea to mark the top and bottom.

It's almost perfect.

I think it's OK. Yeah.

I think I'm getting the hang of it.

And a little while later, Anna can survey her handiwork.

I think it looks really nice.

So, yeah, let's just hope it doesn't fall off the wall

when I wake up tomorrow, and come and have a look,

and it's all on the ground.

Time to show the girls their finished feature wall.

Are you ready? SHE GASPS

And, woo!

Wow! What do you think?

Do you like it? Yes.

Has Mama done a good job? Yeah.

I think you've done a wonderful job. Yeah? I'm really, really impressed.

Thank you.

Well done.

The wall is a beautiful personal touch.

Now to get the rest of the room finished so the girls can move in.

Almost 400 miles south,

Becky and Mark are also in a race against time.

It's the day of their village welcome drinks

and their big chance to win over the local community.

Get things ready. We want to get the tables ready,

and then we have to make the English garden mixed cocktail.

But with four hours until guests arrive,

for now, there's a more pressing task.

The bunting... The bunting we should do now.

It'll take us about 20 minutes to get that erected.

Well, could Becky and I do the bunting, and you go? No.

It would be better if Mark's going up and down the ladder.

So let's do that first, and then we'll work out what...

Then I can happily do all the tables, and the setting of that.

That's easy. Yeah.

OK, so hats on, sun cream on, into the courtyard for bunting.

Right, OK.

Engineer Mark has come up with some precise measurements

to make sure there's an even length of bunting

strung between all four corners of the courtyard.

three metres to the left.

Having beautifully placed the flags at equal distance,

I have a horrible suspicion it's all going to fall apart,

and it will no longer be that equal distance.

WHISPERS: But don't say anything, we'll just see what happens.

It should look quite nice.

HE EXHALES SHARPLY Find something to hook on to.

Oops. Darling, we're hooked on the table frame.

Yeah.

Yeah, now, after this, I think we need to try the drink.

Well, we need to go and get the ingredients to mix it.

First things first, to check how the bunting looks now it's up.

And Becky's not convinced.

Now, of course, it doesn't look that big a contrast

between the walls itself and the bunting.

SHE CHUCKLES

Never mind.

No time to dwell on it now, because next,

they need to find elderflower cordial for their drinks.

All right, let's go, girls.

So Mark and the girls head to the shops,

while Grandpa George and Becky set about creating

outdoor seating for the local guests.

Which way are you putting it?

I don't know, which way do you think? That way, or the other way?

No, that's fine.

The wheelbarrow has just fallen on my toe.

I now have a black toe. SHE LAUGHS

Shall I put it down and lift up the wheelbarrow for you?

That's awfully sweet of you. Shall I give it a push?

No. No.

After getting to grips with the wheelbarrow,

they can start moving the benches into position.

So, one down. Left down.

Oh, you've put right down. OK.

But all this work is enough to make anyone hot under the collar.

Mr Savage.

Stop!

You're going to be exhausted.

At least now there's plenty of places to sit down.

Stop.

Less than an hour before the guests are due and Mark's finally back.

But it's not exactly mission accomplished.

No elderflower syrup.

So, we've ended up going with a lemon citrus approach.

So, hopefully, nobody'll notice the difference.

Can we get everything ready then?

If people are really coming at seven, we've got half an hour,

and we haven't got the drinks out.

Well said, George.

And with guests imminent, it's all hands to the pump.

Daddy's actually in charge of the gin,

but he told me to get the spoon.

I know it needs mixing.

It came right down to the wire.

Bonjour.

THEY CHATTER

Bonjour. Bonjour!

Very well.

But Becky and Mark have their courtyard

and cocktails at the ready to welcome the local community.

Bonsoir. Bonsoir.

Rebecca. Mila.

It looks like everyone is enjoying the refreshments...

Mummy!

Another visitor.

..and getting to know each other.

IN FRENCH

Clearly, they've made a good impression,

both on their French neighbours and fellow expats.

Bonsoir, monsieur. Bonsoir.

Merci beaucoup. Merci. Je suis George.

And it's so nice to have a family back in the chateau.

Mark and Rebecca, lovely people, and their children,

and George, especially.

THEY SPEAK FRENCH

It seems to be going all right.

Get them all a little bit tipsy.

So, yes. No, it's nice.

And a good turnout. Very happy.

It's going brilliantly.

One of our fears was that perhaps it would take a long time to integrate.

So, but, for me, without doubt, this has been brilliant.

With all three generations of the family

getting into the swing of local life,

Mark and Becky's hopes of becoming part of the community

are starting to be realised.

And Becky couldn't be more pleased

with the way their chateau move is working out.

We've waited a long time to find the perfect house.

The neighbours have just been absolutely amazing.

We're absolutely thrilled to find it.

Next time...

You see this one, Philipp? This wardrobe here?

..Anna and Philipp have a furniture fall out...

It could be nice, if we painted it.

That's such a cliche, painted old furniture.

I don't care. I'm just gonna do it anyway.

..a new discovery at Becky and Mark's...

Let's go and see how deep this well really is.

..causes a stink.

Ugh, it's a bit smelly. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

At our place...

Ah, look, perfect.

..Dorothy gets to work...

That's my girl.

..and Iain and Kate edge closer to a momentous decision.

We can see us growing old here... Yay!

..and the family growing with us.

You like it? Yeah, we love it. It's lovely.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media