All language subtitles for Chateau.DIY.S00E17.Christmas.2024.Episode.3.1080p.ALL4.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RAWR_[English] (SUBRIP)

Christmas can be
a magical time of year.

What is this?

A reindeer.

A reindeer.

It's Rudolf.

But it often comes with
a long list of jobs...

We don't really have a plan B,
which is a bit of a problem.

..especially if you live in
an enormous chateau.

It's a nightmare, these. Oh, dear.

You're looking in a bit of
a Christmas tangle.

We're following intrepid owners...

Don't think this is
a winter wonderland.

I'd say it's a bit of
a winter nightmare right now.

..as they prepare for
the festive season in France.

How are you? Merry Christmas.

It's getting a tad hectic now.

This is heavy.
If anything happens, run.

We'll witness the highs...

Hello, Santa. Hello.

..the lows...

That wasn't supposed to happen,
was it?

Let's put this baby in its stand.

Watch out. Stop!

..the joy...

I've fallen in love!

..and magic...

Oh, wow.

..as they transform their castles
into a winter wonderland.

Merry Christmas.

Today, one family take on

an alternative Christmas challenge...

Simple solution to make
a Christmas tree without having

to...having to chop one down.

..a party idea...

You've got to start with a stencil.

..could be a recipe for disaster.

I do think it's a bit ambitious,

particularly as you've never done
this before.

Argh. No.

And a chateau pair's festive plans
hit the skids.

This is literally chateau life.

Ten steps backwards,
one step forwards.

In the stunning Vienne departement
of Western France,

lies the impressive 15th century
fortress Chateau Mareuil.

It comprises 17 rooms,

a swimming pool
and several outbuildings.

It belongs to former catering
manager Belinda

and her lighting engineer
husband, Lee,

who are gearing up for
the festive season in style.

Christmas at the chateau is
something special.

It's a fairy tale world.

We love to get nice and warm
and cosy inside.

There's a lovely smell of burnt
wood

and cooking coming from
the kitchen.

I'm pretty much in my element at
Christmas. I do love to cook.

I certainly benefit.
I'm twice the man I used to be.

Rubbish.

Located close to the city of Limoges,

Belinda and Lee bought
the chateau in 2015 for £378,000

and run it as an events venue.

Merry Christmas.

And every festive season,

they host a fundraiser for
a local cat sanctuary.

Our event went really well.

We made loads of money
for our favourite charity.

Happy Christmas. Happy Christmas.
Mmmmm.

I knew I'd smear you! Urgh!

This year, they're hoping to raise
even more by hosting

a sumptuous feast
for 45 people in their grand salon.

The guests have
a three course meal,

with all the wine thrown in.

There will also be an auction
and we're going to have a raffle.

We've set ourselves really a
bit of a target of 1,500 euros.

If everyone comes with a good heart

and a kind spirit our dreams'll be
not only realised but exceeded.

The event is in two days

and Belinda's eager to make

a special Christmas cake
to auction off.

It's got lots of lovely fruit in
it.

It should be absolutely delicious.

See, this was something my mother
would have made at Christmas.

I've got dates, I've got figs,

I've got some cherries, I've got
cranberries, raisins and currants.

I think that's all.

That's quite a lot.

Lee has been delegated
the responsibility

for decorating it

and this is something he's never,
ever done before.

What could possibly go wrong?

How's it going? Really well.

Oh. Christmas in one breath.
Can I lick the bowl afterwards?

Yes.

I'm worried about this icing. OK.

I've done some researching

and you've got to start with
a stencil.

I'm going to draw round a tin.
I want to practise it first.

And, erm, get a quick, rough sketch
of what I'm going to do.

The drawing bit is easy for me.
It's the...the icing bit.

Lee's eager to pull out all
the stops by creating

an icing version of their chateau.

This'll all be grey.

So, I'm going to do that in
grey icing.

Now you've got that in the oven,
come over and have a look at this.

This is the first draught

of what I think might be quite
good.

Do I need to put Chateau Mareuil
on here?

Yeah, of course you do. Absolutely.

OK, I can do that then.

Erm, and I've drawn the little cat
in the window. Aww.

And a little cat running across
the bridge roof tile.

Oh, that's lovely.

What are you planning
to make this with?

I'm going to buy some icing.

I love this design.
I really, really like it.

I love the touches with
the little cats.

I do think it's
a bit ambitious though.

You know, particularly as you've
never done this before.

And you're only going to get one
chance at it.

Lee can't afford to get it wrong.

With so much at stake,
he can only hope

the guests won't give it
a frosty reception.

In the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
of Western France is

the impressive 19th century Chateau
de Brives.

This beautiful property sits in 30
acres,

has 25 rooms, several outbuildings
and a swimming pool.

Since 2011, it's been home to
antiques dealers Sarah and George,

children Tatiana and Alexi,
and dogs Rosie and Elsa.

I love Christmas in the chateau.

It's having the space to be able

to entertain properly is what
I love.

Mm. So, we invite lots of friends,
we have parties.

It's just homely and fun.

I love getting all
the decorations out.

Once it's done and all
the lights are on

and candles are lit,
it really is magical.

Mm.

Located an hour's drive
from Bordeaux,

they bought it for £415,000

and have spent more than double that
renovating it,

and now run it as
a high-end wedding venue.

That ceremony was absolutely
extraordinary. It was just great.

This winter, they're having their
own celebration

by hosting a day of festive fun.

Sarah's doing a little course on
how to prepare

and cook foie gras,

which is an absolute French
delicacy for Christmas.

We've got a little floral workshop
going on.

All the people who are here will
then sit down with us for dinner.

And it's just a really lovely way,
at Christmas-time,

to get people to come together.

They don't have long,

as their guests are due in
a couple of hours.

And budding florist Tatiana is
eager to create

an alternative Christmas tree.

So, I've been given
the job of doing the carpentry bit,

making the frame and then you're
going to do your floristry bit,

making it with pampas grass.
Is that right?

That's right.

I haven't worked
with pampas grass before

but I saw some inspiration on
the internet

and I thought it would create

a really interesting and new
design.

So, that would join
the tops together.

It's a novel idea
and is also eco-friendly.

Well, we saw this being made

and I liked the idea that it was
all done with ties

and it seemed a simple solution
to make a Christmas tree

but without having to,
having to chop one down.

Goes through there.

Whoops.

I'll hold it.

You don't need screws,
you don't need nails.

And then you can re-use the wood

and everything else afterwards.

These can be used for growing sweet
peas or something.

Yep, that one's in.

With the frame secure,

the trickier challenge is adding
the chicken wire.

You know it's bigger at
the bottom than the top.

So, how are we going to do that
then?

The idea of the chicken wire is
to wrap it

all the way around,

so that there's
a nice structure form

and then we can put
the pampas grass through

and it holds everything together.

So, something like that.

That worked. OK.

We're getting there.

Yep. Lovely.

Your job now is to make it into

an amazing Christmas tree.
Good luck.

Thank you.

While Tatiana puts her plan
into action,

Sarah and George are eager
to impress their guests with

a lavish table display.

That's fine, no? Perfect.

And we've got the other chairs.
Yeah, I'll do that.

OK. Don't worry. Thank you very
much.

And they're hoping their antique
finds will make a big impression.

We could have silver ones and gilt
ones.

Christmas is a lovely time
to be able to

show off with your things.

You know, there's nothing worse
than having..

..having nice things
and they don't come out.

It all goes together
to make everything a bit special.

It's slowly coming together.

But with time beginning to tick
and food to prepare,

Sarah and George's day of festive fun

still needs lots more ingredients.

Still to come...

One couple's party event is going
nowhere fast.

Just putting a little bit more
gravel in behind the wheel.

And Lee gets tied up in
Christmas knots.

Oh, no. Just when I thought...

It's worse than plaster.

In Normandy in Northern France,

is the charming 19th century
Chateau Trois Cloches.

Set in several acres,

this beautiful property has 20 rooms,

a unique bell tower
and a stunning orangery.

Since 2002,

it's been home to celebrity
assistant Chris

and husband Jolyon,

a civil servant,
who bought it for £520,000.

This place just comes alive at
Christmas. It's incredible.

It just suddenly becomes magic.

Yeah, we have a motto now.
You just go big or you go home.

Yeah. I always think of some of

the movies that you get
around Christmas

and I think we can almost
recreate that.

And it's like living in our own
movie in a way.

Located just a short drive from
the town of Honfleur,

Chris and Jolyon run
the chateau as an events venue.

And last year, transformed the
orangery

into a space full of Christmas
cheer...

Cocktails.

..and surprised their guests with
an extra special treat.

Happy Christmas. Well done.
Yeah. Happy Christmas.

This time, they're hoping to
celebrate in the garden,

as they're hoping to finish building

a natural swimming pool that
has been two years in the making.

We call it our Pit of Despair at
the moment.

LAUGHTER

This has been the worst job
probably ever in my life.

I won't exaggerate.
Erm, literally months in there.

Rain, snow, mud. It's just awful.

And we're so close to finishing.

But that means we can have
a nice party at the end of it

and properly celebrate.

It's come on in leaps and bounds,

as the swimming pool is now built.

And with the rainwater filling it up,

they're in the midst of adding

a mammoth 30 tonnes of gravel
for their plants.

Are you ready?

But heavy overnight rain means their
truck is not going anywhere.

We need more under this front
wheel. Yeah, the front.

The ground is really saturated and
it's completely stuck and wedged.

Can't get forward, can't go
backwards and it weighs tonnes.

So, now we've got to work out
a way of getting it out.

Let's see.

Hold on two secs.
I'll give it a push.

A push?

Yeah.

OK.

One, two, three, go.

ENGINE REVS

Argh. No. There's no grip on it.

Really push them in.

With the truck still not budging,

desperate times call
for desperate measures.

I'm trying to pump
the water away from here.

The wheels are slipping quite a lot,

so I'm hoping if we can get rid
of some of this water,

it might just help.
But, I don't know.

We're trying everything now.

ENGINE STARTS

OK.

OK, I've locked it in there.
That's good.

It's moved forward loads.

We're really close.

Just putting a little bit more
gravel in behind the wheel.

Hopefully that will give it
the traction it needs.

This is literally chateau life.

Ten steps backwards,
one step forwards.

Well, it's moved. Ah!

Yay!

Woohoo.

Well done. Woo!

Oh, I'm very relieved we got
that out.

Because having the conversation with
the local farmer

to try and pull us out would just be
too embarrassing. Yeah.

Is there anything we can't do now?
Don't know. Feel like...

Well, maybe fill it up with gravel.
But let's see. Yeah.

It's been a bumpy start.

And with 30 tonnes of gravel to lay

and a Christmas party
to prepare for,

Chris and Jolyon's festive workload
shows no sign of lightening.

In western France,
at Chateau de Brives,

Sarah and George's guests
for their day of festive fun

are due imminently.

Oh. Brilliant, Georgie.

I think when we get the flowers on,

give it the colour
and all the candles are alight.

Yeah, gorgeous.

Right, we've only got half an hour.

The lavish table for the dinner
party is coming along nicely.

I'm starting to get quite
excited now.

And in the hallway,
Tatiana and Alexi

are close to finishing their
pampas grass Christmas tree.

one, two, three.

Lovely.

Would you like to put
the last piece on?

Right, there you go. OK.

Yay! Perfect.

TATIANA CLAPS

I think that looks great.

Mum. Papa. Come and have a look.

That's brilliant. Well done.
Thank you.

That is so much better than
I had in my head.

Good! Well done, darling.

I'm absolutely thrilled with that.

I had no idea it was going to look
so gorgeous.

Starting to feel like Christmas.
Exciting.

Which is just as well, as their
friends are starting to arrive.

Hiya. How are you doing?

Come on in. Come on in, guys.

Amazing tree. Yeah. Tati and Alexi
made it yesterday.

It's the alternate Christmas tree.

Beautiful tree.

Having already got
a festive seal of approval,

it's over to professional chef,
Sarah...

..who is hoping her foie gras
cooking class

will also get brownie points.

It is incredibly simple,
how to make foie gras terrine.

This is a duck liver.

And it's a delicacy in France
for Christmas.

And all you do is you put some salt
and pepper in the bottom.

Pretty generous, cos they need quite
a lot of seasoning.

And then you're just
going to take your foie gras.

It's quite pliable,
so you can just mould it in,

but you just need
to press down all the time.

And season it as you go.

And squidge them in.

Lots of squidging.

And then, little bit of cognac.

There we go.

It goes into the oven at 100 degrees
for 45 minutes.

And then they go into the fridge.

So that one is ready,
and now it's your turn.

I'll let you play.

You do, yeah.

No. They do say strong -
strong on the seasoning. Yeah.

Is yours done, Julia?
Yeah? Well done.

With the lesson over, the guests
certainly seem impressed.

It's been so good, actually.

I would never dream to make that
and Sarah made it look so easy.

And I can't wait to taste it,
actually.

Yeah, they're an absolutely
great family.

I was happy, really happy
with the foie gras workshop.

Just a delicious thing to have
in your fridge over Christmas.

It's been a promising start.

But with a festive floral class
to come

and a dinner party feast to prepare,

Sarah and George are not ringing
the bells for Christmas just yet.

In western France,
at Chateau Mareuil...

Well, you saved the biggest spoon
to yourself.

It's loaded, that spoon!

Sorry.
There was hardly anything on this.

Belinda and Lee's Christmas cake
for their charity event

is already creating a stir.

Wow. Lovely, isn't it?

It smells amazing.
I know, it smells amazing. Yeah.

I've done my bit.
Over to you now. No pressure.

The icing will have to wait
until the cake cools down.

But Belinda does want some help
to make decorative scented candles

for the dinner table.

Got some choices here. I can't
remember what they are, Lee.

We've got Casa "Armour".

Casa Amor.
That means "house of love".

I thought it meant something
to do with armour,

being it's a medieval thing.
No, it's to do with love. Oh.

This is the one. Have a sniff.
Let me smell.

That's vanilla.
We're going to use that one.

It should be a straightforward job.

Especially as Belinda has it all
planned out.

This is a kilo of wax.

I've got this over
a pan of boiling water.

And I'm going to melt it until
the temperature reaches 70 degrees.

That's the nerve-racking bit done
with now.

I'm quite pleased.
I didn't make too much of a mess.

With the wax ready
and the jars wicked up...

Gently. Stir it slowly.

..it's just a matter of adding
the scent.

Oh, it smells lovely.

And you have to do all in one pour.

Well, as near as you can.

Yeah, because otherwise it separates

and you end up with
a dimple around the wick. Mm.

I think we're done.

There we go.

The room smells wonderful,
doesn't it?

The whole ground floor of
the castle... It smells lovely.

..smells fragrant.

It's a case of so far, so good.

And with their charity event only
a couple of days away...

I'll get this stuff out.

..they're eager to check in on
the cat sanctuary

they're raising money for.

How are you? All right?
Hey. Oh.

Lovely to see you both again.
Nice to see you.

These are for your cats.
Oh, brilliant. Absolutely superb.

Thank you so much.
Thanks a lot.

How many cats have you actually
got here?

In total we've got about 45.
45 cats!

That's a huge food bill.

It's so expensive.
Vet bills are extortionate.

We've also got to fork out
for worm treatments

and it goes on and on and on.

The sanctuary is run by
Tracey and Billie,

who take in abandoned and neglected
cats and give them a new home.

Oh, look.

Who's this?

This is Clarence. Aww.

Clarence is about 11 years old.
Beautiful.

Hello, gorgeous.

Hello. Aww.
Oh, he loves you, look.

What a home you've got. Yeah.
The perfect life now.

Clarence is from the street
but he was always in fights

and getting very ill with it.

These cats get fed
morning and night.

They get biscuits all day long.

And in the winter,
they actually get warm milk...

Aww. Aww.
..and treats just to sort of...

Tracey! I know. I know. It's just...
Warm milk. Aww.

..something that we do
just to make their lives nice.

It means so much to me - and I think
to both of us, really -

to know that you're looking after
these cats really

that nobody else would care for,
would they?

Absolutely. And the thing is,
with cats like Clarence,

if he was left on the street
then he would have died.

Yeah, for sure.
It really has inspired us, I think,

to do as much as we possibly can.

Fantastic. It's absolutely
brilliant. Thank you, guys.

To see the work these guys
are doing,

and it's just the two of them,
is incredible.

Let's make this Christmas event the
very best we can possibly make it.

Yeah, I think so.

It's been a worthwhile trip,
but Belinda and Lee don't have long

to come up with some more
money-making ideas.

Coming up. Chris and Jolyon
hit a brick wall...

Finish with a medium?
No. Too big.

Finish with a small one? Too small.

..and George and Sarah put
Tatiana under the spotlight.

This will be the first workshop
I have ever done.

These guys are sort
of my guinea pigs.

In Normandy,
at Chateau Trois Cloches,

Chris and Jolyon have managed to lay
ten of the 30 tonnes of gravel

they need to surround their natural
swimming pool.

Today, along with dog, Bo,

they're eager to ensure the rest of
the space is ship shape

for their Christmas party.

We're going to be putting the brick
slips on the small wall that's left.

So, make it look pretty.
Yeah.

They're really nice
travertine slips.

They look, kind of,
quite natural and rough edged.

Yeah, it'll make the wall look
quite nice, hopefully.

Yeah, I did the brick slips
on the other wall.

It feels like wallpapering
of the outdoor world.

The big difference is
it comes in hundreds of pieces.

Finish with a medium?
No. Too big.

Finish with a small one?

Too small.

That's it. Look, has to be it.

Well, maybe do we go higher?
You see what I mean?

Go higher and then have
a bigger thing there.

Oh, yeah, that'll work.

Having come up with a theory,

Chris just hopes his "outdoor
wallpapering" plan will pay off.

Have you already tried?

I love doing this bit.

Cos you see such
a quick transformation.

So, Chris is...gets the joy of
seeing the whole wall come together.

I always get lumbered with
the fiddly bits.

It's gradually coming together,

which is just as well as they are
eager to impress their VIP guests.

I'm really looking forward to
the party.

I haven't seen Kath and Simon
for two years.

They were last here on
New Year's Eve.

They're coming all
the way from Dublin for it

and we're going to have some
tables, chairs,

like, fur throws,
some nice cocktails.

So it should be a really lovely,
nice evening.

And I'm so excited for it.

Are you still working on your
little bit,

and I've done all of this wall?
LAUGHTER

My little corner's very beautiful,
thank you very much.

Finally finished the tiles.
It's a very good job done.

Very happy with that.
It looks good.

Once the capping's are on
and these bits are filled...

Yeah, be lovely. Well done.
Woohoo.

To add a touch more glamour, Chris
is eager to spruce up the entrance.

So, this should be pretty simple.

And it's just soil,
plants and decoration.

This is literally right up
my street.

It's a perfect job.

These plants are looking like they
were made for these pots.

They're, like, perfect.

They've kind of given me
Versailles vibes.

That's it. So I just need the
finishing bits, the Christmas decs.

It's starting to come together.

But with 20 tonnes of gravel still
to lay

Chris and Jolyon are going to have
to work their Christmas socks off.

Over in western France...

This is the only template I've got.

..Lee's beginning to decorate
the Christmas cake

for tomorrow's charity event.

Everything is geared towards making
as much as we can.

I feel a lot of pressure
to get this right.

Just never done anything like this
in my life before.

That could work.

Next door,
Belinda is also getting creative

by making a Christmassy jumper
to put in the auction.

I think I'm getting there.

What's left to are these
epaulettes,

which I'm going to try
and fix here on the shoulders.

And then we've got some
very jaunty baubles,

which are going to make this look
like a clown's outfit.

I want Lee to try this on.

And I might sew a bit more of
the tinsel round the sleeves

just to give it a sparkly edge.

It's all hands on deck.

Ah, no. Just when I thought...

Although Lee is not having
much luck.

This stuff, it's worse than plaster.

Ugh. It's getting there.

HE SIGHS, GRUMBLES

It's all for a good cause.

I don't think that's too bad,
actually.

I declare this...a work of art.

Belinda, come and have a look
at what I've done.

Stand behind me.

Yeah. Are you ready?
Yes.

Ta-da. A thing of beauty!

That's amazing.

And look at all the lovely
little decorations. I know.

Oh, it's fantastic. Well done.

It's slowly falling into place.

Do you want to come and try it on?

And with Belinda's jumper
finished, too...

Perfect.

I think it's absolutely fabulous.
CAMERA CLICKS

The full Christmas effect.

..it's beginning to feel
a lot like Christmas.

But with a salon to get ready

and the food to prepare
for tomorrow,

Belinda and Lee can't pop
the champagne corks just yet.

In the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
of western France,

Sarah's preparing a special festive
feast for tonight.

We are having the foie gras
as a starter

and then we are doing a fish pie

and Christmas pudding,
which should be lovely.

Tatiana, meanwhile, is continuing
their day of festive fun

by hosting a Christmas flower
arranging session.

This will be the first workshop
I've ever done.

These guys are sort of
my guinea pigs.

Erm, but I'm sure it'll go well.

To start with, I'm going to just
take a few of the main flowers

and then with the foliage,

you want to try
and hide all of the structure.

But you want to still make it
so it's nice and light and airy.

Are you guys ready to go? Mm-hm.

If you guys need any help at all,
just let me know.

Don't forget to keep
spinning your bowls.

Lovely.

Despite all the guests
being novices...

I have to say I've made a mess.
HE CHUCKLES

..it seems Tatiana's class is
beginning to flourish.

Getting there.
Running out of space now.

What about that?
Yeah, lovely. Yeah?

How gorgeous. Thank you.

There you go, Tati!
Oh, I love that.

You like it?
It's so orange and bright.

Thank you. Do I get a sticker?

Er, I'll try and get you one, yes.

Everyone happy with their pieces
and creations? Yeah. Yeah.

With the vases blooming,
it's been a great success.

Everyone really got stuck in
and was so excited about making it

and I think they all created
something really, really gorgeous.

Let's put them on the stairs and
then we'll put them on the table

and all around the house.

With the Christmas classes over

and the evening drawing in,
the celebrations can begin.

Tatiana and Sarah are preparing
to serve up.

This is looking fabulous.

While Alexi dishes out his
fancy cocktails.

Thank you very much.
You're very welcome.

All that's left is for George to put
the finishing touches

to his lavish table display.

I think we're in for a good night.

I think the table's looking great.
I love the flowers.

That's really good.

No, super. Very happy.

With the scene set, it's showtime.

OK. Please come in.

Find your name.

Amazing.

Beautiful flowers.
I love this.

Yes, the flower arrangements.
The flowers are just amazing.

With the table getting
a big thumbs up...

Please be seated.

..the feast can begin.

And Sarah hopes
the foie gras hits the sweet spot.

OK. Bon appetit.

First foie gras I've had that we've
made ourselves.

The foie gras was a huge success.

Everybody loved it, actually.
Did you enjoy?

Yes. I did. Yeah. You know,
it was delicious, actually.

With enough food
to last well into the night,

it's been a great start to
the party season.

Happy Christmas!
Cheers. Happy Christmas.

Fantastic afternoon
and fantastic evening, yes.

Sarah and George,
they are impeccable hosts.

Everything is so natural.

They've made us feel completely
at home.

Everyone seems really happy.

So, it's just a lovely way
of everybody coming together,

and just can't wait
for Christmas Day.

Just with the kids, relaxing and...
Fire, television, yeah.

Feet up and chocolates.
Yeah.

Sarah, George, Tatiana and Alexi

have pulled out all the stops,

and it will definitely be
a Christmas to remember

for many years to come.

Still to come, it's all hands on
deck for Chris and Jolyon...

Starting to feel
a bit more festive.

..and the pressure starts to mount
for Belinda and Lee.

Getting tough now,
cos we're running out of time.

In the Vienne department
of western France,

Belinda's busy cooking a hearty stew
for today's charity event.

Smells absolutely delicious.

But it will take
a bit more cooking.

The guests are due in half an hour,

and Lee's eager to add some
Christmas cheer in the chateau.

Ooh, look at this one.
This is a nice one.

Yeah, this is perfect.

You get some nice foliage
and berries and stuff.

And it transforms the whole room

and suddenly you've got
Christmas in four walls.

It's brilliant.
And I love Christmas.

I love this time of year.

It's a nice, special, extra touch,

which Lee hopes will put their
guests in the party mood.

You're only as good as your
last event.

We need to make sure every time
we do something

that we do it to the best
of our ability.

And, of course, the thing
above all else

is Belinda and I love doing this.

Getting tough now, cos we're running
out of time.

Belinda?! Yeah.
Come and have a quick look.

Yeah, OK. I just want you to look at
the table.

Make sure you're happy with it.

Yeah, that looks lovely.

I hope it's going to be
a really good, good evening.

With the salon Christmas-ready,
their guests arrive on time.

How are you? All right?
Good to see you, mate.

Good to see you.
Thank you for coming.

I'm Belinda. Hello.
Hi.

Nice to see you.
And you too.

Let's get the drinks out
and then we can get going.

Belinda and Lee are eager
to make a good impression,

as they hope to raise at least
1,500 euros.

Everyone's here.

Everyone seems to be enjoying
themselves so far.

With fabulous food
and fine wine aplenty,

they're hoping the guests
will dig deep.

Good evening everyone.
It's really nice to see

so many of you here this evening.
Can't thank you enough.

Let's raise loads of money together.

APPLAUSE

On your table, there's a list of all
the items that we're auctioning.

Your first item,
jeroboam of fizz.

Say, erm, 20 euros?

Is there 20? 20. Thank you, madam.

40 euros. It's against you, madam.

Is there any advance on 40? Hang on,
I'll just check the internet.

No, nothing there.
LAUGHTER

40 euros. Colin Welsh.

Thank you very much, Colin.
That's very generous of you.

APPLAUSE

It's got off to a great start.

Lee just hopes their Christmas cake
can follow suit.

It is quite a special item.

It's decorated in icing by me.

HE CHUCKLES

40 euros. Starting point.

Colin. So, we've got 40 euros there.

Have we got any more in the room?

50 euros. Thank you.

60 euros.

70. 70. Thank you, sir. 70.

Is there any advance on 70
in the room?

Right, 70 euros to the gentleman.

Thank you very much, sir.
APPLAUSE

The money is rolling in

and everyone seems
to be enjoying themselves.

It's been amazing. We've loved it.
We've had lots of laughs.

We've had fun.
They're lovely people.

They are the heart of
the community, really.

And what they do is just brilliant.

Here's the jumper and the wearer.

Who's going to give me 20?
20.

20 euros. 20 euros. 20 euros!

25.

Belinda's Christmas jumper
has also sold well,

but is it enough
to reach their 1,500 euros target?

Tonight's amazing result.

You are amazing, all of you.

2,215 euros.

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

Thank you. Thank you.

Fantastic result.

I never, ever thought we would make
that much.

2,215 - wow!

And the generosity and kindness
of those that came here tonight

is unbelievable. We couldn't
have asked for it better.

It's been a huge triumph
for a worthwhile cause

and the perfect way for Belinda and
Lee to begin the season of goodwill.

Up in Normandy, in northern France,

it's the day of Chris and Jolyon's
natural pool party.

And they've finally managed
to lay all 30 tonnes of gravel.

It's sort of felt an endless task.

HE EXHALES
Yeah.

But, at least I'll have,
like, guns for Christmas.

LAUGHTER

And the good thing is, the gravel's
done and it looks incredible now.

With their guests due any minute...

Right.

..Jolyon's on clearing up duty.

While Chris makes the rest of
the space sparkle.

I think that's all right.
Two swags in the middle of the pool.

Aah, they're lovely.

I love their reflection
in the water as well.

It's starting to feel
a bit more festive.

With Christmas in the air
and time running out...

Superhero.

..it's now a matter of adding
those extra special touches.

Lovely.

So I've brought this ribbon,

so we can have, like,
an official grand opening ceremony.

Cut the ribbon and the pool's open
and the Christmas party can begin.

That's good.
That'll create the effect.

We're finished and I'm really,
really chuffed. It looks brilliant.

And just in the nick of time,

as their friends Kath and Simon
have arrived.

Hi, guys. Welcome.

Hi. Hello!

Two years ago, the garden was
nothing more than a giant hole,

which was so bad it was given
its own nickname.

Now, they have transformed it

into an inviting natural swimming
pool area.

With the rain water filling
up nicely

and tonnes of gravel ready
for plants,

by the spring the whole garden area
will be blossoming

for years to come.

While the addition of
a walled terrace,

seating area

and stylish ornaments makes it
an extra special

and unique place
to celebrate Christmas.

With everyone armed with drinks and
nibbles, the ceremony can begin.

Woohoo!
CHEERING

Finally! Finally.
It's beautiful.

It looks amazing.
I declare the pool officially open.

THEY CHEER

With the formalities out of
the way...

So, I've got some little Christmas
hats to get us in the mood.

..it's party time.

CORK POPS
Woohoo!

All right, cheers everyone.
Cheers, guys. Happy Christmas.

Thank you so much for having us.
Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.

Come on, let's get in.
Let's get in the pool.

Come on. Woo, woo, woo.

LAUGHTER

Ooh, ah.

So nice to go for a dip in December
at Christmas.

Oh, God.

Is it really cold?
It's very, very cold. Yeah.

It was so good, and Chris and Jolyon
are fabulous hosts.

It was really, really good fun.

And who expected it, like,
I'd end swimming in the pool?!

The pool is open for business.

It's been hard work.
Has been really hard work.

Like, the hardest thing I've ever
done, really, to be honest.

But the Pit of Despair... Yeah.
..is no more.

Just get rid.
Shall I dispense of it? Yes!

You did it. Well done.

Chris and Jolyon have done
an incredible job.

And what better way to celebrate
than with a festive bang?

FIREWORKS EXPLODE

THEY CHEER

Oh, wow!

We did it!

Next time...

Are we in the hole, Ash?

..Christmas plans get tree-mendously
out of hand...

Watch it go over.

..a gingerbread chateau requires
emergency DIY...

Now, I assume this will have
a very soggy bottom.

..and can this couple crystalise
their first-ever Christmas party

at their chateau?

See if we can do this without
breaking anything.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media