All language subtitles for Chateau.DIY.S00E18.Christmas.2024.Episode.4.1080p.ALL4.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RAWR_[English] (SUBRIP)

Christmas can be
a magical time of year.

Merry Christmas baby. Mwah!

Behold the star!

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

Everybody towards Christmas,
they wind down.

We go, "Vvrrrooom!"

..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...

Do you not think it's like snow?

No, not quite.

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

How are you? Merry Christmas.

It's getting a tad hectic now.

We'll witness the highs...

Ho-ho-ho!

Oh! It's Santa!

..the lows...

That wasn't supposed to happen,
was it?

At this rate, I think Christmas is
going to have to be cancelled.

..the joy...

We have Christmas!

..and magic.

GASPS
Oh, wow.
#S

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

Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.

Today a couple's Christmas plans...

Go on. There we go.

..get tree-mendously out of hand.

It's always good fun
with logistics like this.

Is a gingerbread chateau...

..about to crumble
another owner's hard work?

If I kind of pad it...

..because what I don't want is
any of it falling inwards.

And a third have a smashing time...

Nearly.

..decking the halls.

Let's see if we can do this
without breaking anything.

In the lush Normandy countryside
of Northern France

stands the elegant 18th century
Chateau de Lalacelle.

With grounds stretching across
21 acres,

this forgotten beauty
stood abandoned

for four decades until it captured
the hearts of Middlesbrough couple

Terry and his fiance Ashley.

Christmas at the chateau,
it's just magical.

We're just blessed with having
amazing scenery and amazing views.

You get up on a morning and
there's frost or a bit of snow

and it just... It feels Christmassy.

It feels like we're in a little
wonderland of our own.

I think having a chateau is
the perfect place for Christmas.

Absolutely. Definitely.

Located three hours west of Paris,

the couple bought the property
in 2020 for £250,000

and now live in an attic apartment

while they transform the rest of
the crumbling chateau

into luxury holiday lets.

With all this white on the ground,
it feels all Christmassy.

THEY LAUGH

Their life here in France is
very much a family affair,

and last Christmas
Terry's mother Tracy

and nephew Jonathan helped
light up their new home.

They do look beautiful, don't they?
Mm-hm. Huh?

They do look good.

This year, though, the festive focus
is on two other little helpers.

My Auntie Paula obviously comes
over quite often

to help out with a lot of
the renovations work,

and her husband as well, Pete. Yeah.

So we're having to set out
extra accommodation for them.

And unfortunately they're going
in the stables.

There's no room at the inn.
It'll have to be the stables.

The stable would be fit for Mary,
so I'm sure it'll do for Paula.

When done.

It'll be a while until Auntie Paula
can enjoy her present,

but Terry and Ashley are keen
to show off its potential.

And here we are.

Beautiful little cottage.

You'll have your bedroom this end,

your bathroom will be in there
with the corridor,

whereas this end,
we're going to do a nice big,

open kitchen/dining room.

Yeah. Which'll be nice.

So that's what we were thinking.
Are you happy with that?

Yes, I'm very happy. Yeah.

So it's getting up to Christmas.

We're going to start getting
the barn sorted for

a Christmas present for you.

Oh, thank you so much!

Always happy to help...

..Auntie Paula joins the other elves
in clearing out

the first of the three stables.

Are they two together?

Three.

So you want all them
bringing through?

Yeah, they can all get chopped up.

As well as Terry's mum,
Tracy, Ashley's dad Graham

is also pitching in.

Let me take this one. Yeah.

A lot of people normally
relax over Christmas

and take it easy, but doing stuff
like this is...

It's just brilliant for us,
obviously all coming together

as a family and all getting stuck in
and just enjoying it, really.

But it seems there's already
someone staying in the stable.

Well, as we're clearing
the old, erm,

twigs out we found
a sleeping hedgehog.

So we're going to find a new
little spot for it.

Normally we like keeping them
near the barn.

So we'll find a little cosy box
for it that it can cosy up into

and relocate him.

With the wood cleared and the local
wildlife taken care of...

I've got a box here for her.

..the final thing to shift
is decades of manure.

Nothing goes to waste here
at the chateau

so all of this'll end up getting...

We'll use it for the gardens,
for the flowers,

just for everywhere, really.

While Ashley heads off with
a trailer full of free fertiliser,

Paula can size up her new kitchen.

So what do you think?

Brilliant. I love it.

We'll leave it like this.
Leave it very, erm... Agricultural?

Agricultural. Very rustic!

As the other two stables are full
of reclaimed materials,

this family are going to have
to work their Christmas socks off.

In the Charente department
of western France

is the imposing
La Grande Maison la Pinelle,

a four-and-a-half-acre property with
an abandoned 22-room manor house,

barns and outbuildings.

And a modern five-bedroom home,

where Kiwi-born Sarah and
her husband Bart currently live.

I think that'll do it.

The couple fell in love with
La Grande Maison

just over a year ago...

It looks beautiful.

..and promptly bought it
for £335,000.

For Christmas, when we get
all the lights up, the fairy lights

and festoon lights
and things like that,

just to add a bit
more Christmassy feel to it,

she's just going to be
even more magical.

I do believe that I'm going to have
to buy some more lights.

Yep. I think we're going to need
a lot more lights.

The property is located
just 14 miles from

the town of Cognac.

And Bart's hoping
there may be a bottle or two

in his Christmas stocking.

Even though we were here
last winter,

we missed Christmas because
we went back to the UK.

This year, we're very much
looking forward to

a proper traditional
French Christmas.

They're also keen to share the joy.

So we're really excited because
we're going to be hosting

a party here.

We'll have some French carols,
some English carols

and just some music to
get everybody up

and enjoying the Christmas
atmosphere.

The party pad, though,
needs a bit of work.

Ooh, ah! Come on, my lovely.

Ooh, ah!

First thing we need to do is
for Sarah to shovel up

that big pile of sand.

SARAH LAUGHS

That'll be me!

Look, I know it looks completely
unfinished and miles away,

which it is, but one of the things
I really want to try out today

is getting two or three
chandeliers up, potentially,

so we can see what
they're going to look like.

"Is it going to create the right
vibe and ambience?"

is what I'm trying to achieve.

Too much is never enough for you.

True. Exactly.

Helping Sarah create some
Christmas sparkle...

Ooh, it's lovely!

Lovely. That's it.

..is their neighbour Dawn.

Do you know, the leading up
to Christmas, I think,

is one of the most exciting times.

I know. We're so similar
on that, aren't we?

It's actually starting to feel
a bit, "You know what,

"this is real. We're going to have
our first Christmas party

"and it's going to be amazing."

To help grant Sarah's wish,

Bart's called in his own little
helper - his friend, Ian.

The ladies want three chandeliers...

Uh-huh. ..on three beams.

I've got two pieces of rope,
one of which will do two.

Ah, OK.

All righty, then!

Well, here's the moment of truth.
IAN LAUGHS
#S

Let's see if...

..we can do this without
breaking anything.

It's all yours. Tally ho!

What do you want me to do,
hold it while you tie it?

You hold her and I'll tie her off.

So we're putting three up
in a row, just to see

aesthetically
how it's going to look.

Oh... Nearly. ..so close!

Wahey! Boom!

I'm really pleased with that.

What do you think?

I think they look great.

I think they look fabulous.

I'm really, really chuffed.

I think it's easily going to take
five. Oh, absolutely.

Yeah? And I think when
they're all lit up

and we've got our fairy lights
and Christmas bits in too,

with all the decorations, this space
is going to look amazing.

Absolutely.

But with just four weeks
to go until the party,

Bart and Sarah will need
to work hard to turn

their windswept barn into a magical
Christmas crib.

Coming up...

Ashley's Christmas gets creepy.

Oh, little ones I can deal with
but these are verging on

tarantulas, you know?

And a gingerbread chateau...

..requires emergency DIY.

Though I assume this will have
a very soggy bottom.

In the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
of southwest France

lies the charming 14th century
Domaine de la Barde.

Set within ten acres, this former
hotel has 32 spacious rooms,

several outbuildings
and beautiful formal gardens.

Loving restoring it are Tim
and his wife Chris,

who are celebrating their third
Christmas here

with their son Owen.

Christmas is wonderful here.

We have a proper family home.

It's just about filling the house up
with people and Christmassy sights

and smells and sounds, and...

Argh!

..it's one big party.

Owen loves Christmas, and
I'm really, really looking forward

to Christmas cos I know
that he will be happy.

And when he's happy, I'm happy.

And when I'm happy, Tim's happy.

Located 100 miles east of Bordeaux,

last year the boys went into
the woods on a merry mission.

Pair of antlers, Owen?

Yep!

There you go. Perfect.

Ah!
SHE LAUGHS

What is this?

A reindeer. A reindeer!

It's Rudolph.

Oh, this is amazing!

Oh, you've done really well.

This year, Owen and ten friends will
be decorating gingerbread chateaux -

that is if Chef Tim can work out
how to make them!

I have never made
a gingerbread chateau before.

I haven't really made
gingerbread for a long time,

probably not since I was a kid,
to be honest.

So I'm hedging my bets
a little bit.

I suppose really I've just got to
get on with it and bite the biscuit.

First, Tim starts by making
a template.

If it was true to a proper
chateau it would be damp

and full of leaks, so I assume
this will have a very soggy bottom.

Once the template's done,
it's time to make the real thing.

So that just needs to melt.

All the best puddings in
the world are full of sugar,

full of butter. It's traditional.

You don't make sacrifices
at Christmas.

Ooh! It's Christmassy, isn't it?

Isn't it Christmassy?

Perfect.

Oh, that's good.

That's Christmas in a bowl,
that is.

You can smell the ginger
and the sugar and everything

permeating the kitchen.

It's gorgeous.

And you want it kind of
a couple of centimetres thick.

It's got to dry thick enough
that it will...

It will stand up and be
a rigid piece of

building material. essentially.

Yeah.

I'm just making sure I've got nice,
neat edges all the way round.

That looks good.

If Tim's Gingerbread Chateaux
aren't for sale in

a leading supermarket next year,

then I have really missed
a trick, I reckon.

It's a little early, though,

for Tim to give himself
a round of Santa-pplause.

Just over 300 miles away
in Normandy,

Terry, Ashley and their family
are still hard at work,

clearing out the chateau's
old stable block.

Wahey! Look - don't even need
to cut it now.

Brute strength!

Next year, they plan to turn it
into a cosy home

for Terry's Auntie Paula.

But there's a mountain of clutter
to clear first.

Obviously, with us doing this,

then each of the buildings
are coming back to life

and they're getting used again,
which is great.

THEY GROAN

This is hard work.

We forgot how heavy they are.

The stable doors may be rotten,

but Terry's keeping tabs on them.

With doing the work that
we're doing

I'm trying to save as much of
the history and the fixtures

as well, so we can re-use them and
so it looks as original as possible.

I get a bit twitchy when people
start pulling stuff off

and cutting stuff.

Come out a bit more.

There you go.

Pull it round your way, Trace.

There you go. I knew I'd get
one of them off.

LAUGHTER

I think Mam and Ash'd be quite happy
just to skip about

90% of the stuff here!

If you weren't here,
it'd all go in the fire.

I know!

Two stables down...

..just one to go.

So the last ones got
the most stuff in.

We've got all of the Tumuts,
which are the old floor tiles

that were out of the cottage.

We've got all of the old shutters
from the chateau and

a couple of the bits and bobs from
some of the other buildings.

Save the best till last. Yep.

With over 700 tiles to move...

Right, you take them off Paula.
You give them to Nanna.

..the whole family's involved.

This is the third time these tiles
have been moved from

one place to another.

Tracy, that's the one that
had the spider on.

LAUGHTER

We've switched places cos there's
quite a few dirty spiders in there.

And they're not little.
Little ones I can deal with,

but these are verging on
tarantulas, you know?

Ooh. Careful.

Once the tiles, and the creepy
crawlies, have been moved on...

Let me get that end.

..it's just the original chateau
shutters to rehome.

Some of these are salvageable.
Some aren't.

But we want to keep them all,
and when we get the chance

we'll sort through them and have
a little look.

So, yeah, we'll get these in,

get them in another outbuilding for
now and then go from there.

It's one of the good ones.

Going to be very extra careful
with it!

Yeah, put the, like, bad ones
over there if you want.

There may now be room in the stable,
but the manger's a way away.

One day Paula will be able to spend
Christmas here and enjoy it.

Won't be this Christmas,
but hopefully for next Christmas

we can... Yeah. And to give someone
their own little house in France

for Christmas, I think,
it's anyone's dream really.

With lots still to do,

they can't hang up their
stockings just yet.

Four hours south in
the Charente department,

preparations for the Christmas party
are looking sweet.

Today, myself and Dawn, who is
a chocolatier by profession,

we are going to be making
some chocolates.

First job for me is to fit
the windows.

I've also managed to repurpose
some of the stone flooring

from the stables to work as
a windowsill.

They are very heavy, so Ian's going
to assist me with, shifting those.

As they're planning to use
the barn for events...

That one's heavy.

..Bart's hoping the recycled sill
and windows will make

an interesting talking point.

Have you checked that they fit?

Yep.

I have faith.

Right, is it going to fit?

Almost. Let me just...

No, it will go. ..wiggle it.

There we go.

Lovely.

Yep. Once it's mortared
it'll look nice. Mm.

Inside, there's the rich smell
of chocolate.

Is that enough, Dawn?

That's it. Now, just start
to fold those in.

An even movement is
the most important thing.

This is going far too easily.

Something's got to go wrong. Shhh!

THEY LAUGH

OK, then. See if they close.

Well, that seems to have worked OK.

Yay! Oh, like a glove!

Oh, my God, that looks amazing.
It just looks...

Honestly, I could just stick
my mouth underneath that.

And the smell is just an... Oh!

So just keep a steady flow.

Tapping it on the table will
eliminate air bubbles. Oh!

That's it.

Oh, I love it, love it, love it.

Just going to take that little
excess off

and then this is ready to go in
the fridge.

And it has to go in the fridge,
not a freezer.

If they're good enough,
Sarah's planning to give them

to their guests.

This Christmas party is
our opportunity to say thank you

to all the locals for embracing us
into the community.

And it's our turn to host
cos they've had us over

for various festivities.

For Bart, hanging windows and
pointing stonework is

a big shift from his previous job
as a military dog handler.

I think that'll do.

Ooh, I think these ones
are ready, Dawn.

Okey doke. Yeah?

OK. So pop your ones on there
for the moment.

Yep.

Oh. Oh, yeah, tap on the others.

Oh, wow! That's it.

Ha-ha, ha-ha!

Oh, they look fabulous!

They look fantastic. Well done.
I think it's only fair that

I sample my work. Absolutely.

THEY LAUGH

Mm.

Oh, yeah.

They're good. That's good.
Well done.

It's late afternoon and time for
Sarah to see how Bart's getting on.

Oh, wow. Look at that!

Once I've cleaned up the stone,
she'll look very nice.

Well, it looks amazing now.

I love it. Good! I really love it.

Today's been a very busy day,
but I have to say

I'm really pleased
with what we've got done.

And we're on track to have
the place ready.

Really?

Yeah.

I'm not feeling as confident,
as you can tell, because

I'm still looking at the scale of
work we need to get completed.

Well, it's going to be ready.

It just might not be as ready yet
as you desire.

When it comes to Christmas party
planning,

Sarah has the final sleigh.

Still to come...

Ashley's Christmas is a wash-out...

It's not going to come up perfect.

It's a dirty, wet job.

..and a mystery...

Mm!

..is solved.

How to catch a thief.

In Normandy...

..elf-taught DIYers Terry
and Ashley have started turning

the old stables into a new
holiday home for Auntie Paula.

So we need to clean it down now.

It's looking a bit sorry for itself.

So pull the rest of
the ivy off that we can,

get as much of the green
and dirt off the building,

just so we can see it
for what it is.

Yeah, just cleaning it up,
it'll just make it look a little bit

more presentable, until we can get
the next stage of work done. Yeah.

We have plenty of experience
with the jet wash.

We've done the chateau, so this is
only a tiny job compared to that.

It's coming off really well, all
the moss and the lichen and that,

so it's not going to come up
perfect - it's an old building.

We just want to get rid
of what looks like grime,

and just where it doesn't
look nice.

This next bit of wall, it's been
under what looks like a rotten

part of the roof, so
it's completely green.

So this'll be nice
and satisfying to do.

It's a dirty work job
but I don't mind too much.

It'll be a nice present for Paula,
seeing it all nice,

clean and fresh. So I'll crack on.

Meanwhile, Ashley's dad and Terry
tackle the roof.

What's happened, cos we've got
a tree overhanging,

all of the old leaves have turned
into sort of, like, a mulch.

And the ivy has grown into
that sort of soil.

So not only is it rooting down
at the bottom of the wall -

it's rooting actually on
the roof as well.

Now, this is one of the roots that
I've managed to get off.

And you can see the size of it,

and this is why it's doing
so much damage to

the whole structure, really.

So I'd say it's important that
we get it all off now.

We're not going to be replacing
straight away,

so we still need to do
a bit more work,

but just getting this off so it's
not going to cause any more damage

to the wall and the roof, really.

I'm dirty, I'm wet.

I can't get any further over that
way cos they're still working there,

so I'm going to go and get a shower
and cook some mince pies.

I've got my Christmas hat on,

so I'm in the Christmas spirit.

It's Christmas-time, so make
everyone happy with some food.

I've got my mincemeat ready.

My pastry's pre-made
because it's so nice in France

and it's so cheap that I just
buy the pre-made stuff -

I can't make it as cheap
and as nice as what they do.

My high-tech cutter, it's
the right size for my tins,

so I'll cut my pastry out
with this.

They really don't do mince pies
in France.

Terry and Tracy absolutely
love them.

Being here and working together,
well, it makes Christmas

and family time so much
more special.

We appreciate each other a hell of
a lot more than

what we ever did.

Well, that's them all done,
ready to go in the oven.

10-15 minutes and we'll be able
to enjoy them.

With home-made mince pies
on their way

and the stable under way,
things, as they say,

are AWAY in the manger
at this chateau.

Down in the Charente,

there's just two weeks
to go until Bart and Sarah's

first-ever chateau shindig.

Today we are hoping to get
all the lights finished

and that involves five beams,
five chandeliers,

five sets of fairy lights.

So sounds easy and straightforward,

but when you've got roofs which are
about four metres tall,

five metres, would you say?

I think five. Five. It's going to
be a little bit of a chore.

As they're fairly new to the area,

Bart and Sarah are keen to make
an impression.

Oh, nice to be out of the rain.

Oh! Ooh.

So what we're looking to do is
transform this barn into

a beautifully, subtly lit,
sparkly Christmas atmosphere.

OK, so where do we start?

I think fairy lights first. Yeah?
Measure them out.

Yeah. I'll run up, and while I'm up
doing the centre of the beam

I'll put in the hook for
the chandelier.

Ooh!

You take the plug end that way. OK.

So roughly at, erm, 11,
11 and a half metres...

THEY LAUGH

..I need you to come back to me.

Oh, hold on a sec.

I'm getting a bit caught up.

So my middle one needs to be
a little bit longer.

So this one's a bit too long.

That's it. Like that.

I think that's quite close.

That's good. Awesome!

We've had to go big on the lights

cos one string on these beams is
just going to have no impact.

This scale is just 100 to one,
and that includes the cobwebs.

Instead of having bright bulbs,
cos they were just too overpowering,

we've got these candles cos,
A, they look more authentic,

and, B, they give off a lot nicer,
more gentle light.

Looking good. Looking good!

OK.

It's quite exciting, having
my vision in my head coming alive.

Once the last light's perfectly
in place...

How's that, my lovely?

Beautiful, darling.

..it's time to see
if Christmas is coming to

La Grande Maison la Pinelle.

Ha-ha, ha-ha! What do you think?

It looks incredible.

I love it!

I think it gives it
a really festive feel.

Yeah. You know what we need now?
Mm-hm? Is a fake snow machine.

Oh!

What, indoors?

Yeah? No. OK.

I think this is perfect as it is.

OK. Right, that's that done.

Onto the other 4,322 things we need
to get done before the party.

Dream on. Come on. Come on.

Come on, you lot.
I'm ready for... Off we go.

I'm ready for a beer.

There is an enormous amount
to do before Bart and Sarah can

open their gates to their guests.

100 miles away,
Tim and Owen have turned

the leftover gingerbread dough
into Christmas cookies.

They're all ready
to start decorating,

so we're armed with our colours,
and I think we're going to see

how we go. Are you joining me, Owen?

Yeah.

Luckily, Granny has equipped them
with all the necessary tools.

Or perhaps not.

I thought it'd be more
like frosting.

I think Granny has got us
the wrong things entirely!

I think these are just
food colourings.

No, no, no, no. Don't eat it,
don't eat it.

You're going to... No. Wait, wait,
wait. Wait, wait, wait.

What? Let's clean you up before
it goes too far!

Is food colouring basically paint?

Basically.

Yes.

To avert a Christmas catastrophe,

they'll have to magic up
their own icing.

Go for it.

You've got to get it really dry
and stiff.

Look. That's just perfect.

What we could do, we could divide
this out, and then we add

the food colouring that
Granny got us.

Next door, Chris is busy turning
an old gold curtain into

a brand-new sack for Santa.

Tim and I, when we were kids,

a lot of our happy memories
revolves around Christmas.

So it's what we're trying to do
for Owen as well.

There - look.

Powwww!

We want him to have beautiful,
magical Christmas memories.

I'll make this one Santa.

There we go.

So that will become Santa's sack.

Just needs to do its job.

It just needs to be able
to carry gifts.

That's it.

Come on!

Almost there.

Look at that.

Lovely! That...

That's perfect!

Ooh!

Oh, look who it is...

It's all done, is it? ..as if
she knew there was food!

I'm really hungry.
I want to taste that.

Mm!

Yours look good.
Mine taste all right.

It's really good.

Thank you so much, guys.

Today's been great.

We've discovered that we have made
a few oversights -

or Granny has - with the icing.

But we've rectified that.

Owen's been absolutely magic
in the kitchen.

Mummy has eaten all of the cookies,

but it's all gone fine.

Cos there was a cookie on the side
and it had black icing on it,

I thought it was icing
but unfortunately it wasn't.

It's actually food colouring!

So it's a little bit
more concentrated.

And I think it's still there!

How to catch a thief.

But with Santa on his way
and gingerbread chateaux to build,

this mischievous pair need
to get a move on.

Coming up...

Are you in the hole, Ash?

It's a holey day at the stables
for Terry and Ashley.

Watch it go over!

And Chris and Tim are hoping for the
most wonderful time of the year.

It's either going to be
delightfully joyous...

..or it's going to be carnage.

At Chateau de Lalacelle,

the stables have been cleared
and a lot of dirt removed.

Next year, Terry and Ashley will
convert it into a house

for Auntie Paula.
But in the meantime

they feel they should at least
spruce it up.

Try and make it a little bit
Christmassier for Paula.

When it comes to Christmas,
we always go all-out.

It's just one of them things.

Terry and Tracy love Christmas,

and making this place
Christmassy is just magical.

And the first thing they're
pining for...

Yep, sides are off.

..is a 15-foot tree?

The ones underneath are
going to be an issue.

I can squash the sides in here.
Are we going from there?

Shall we go right
the way underneath?

It's always good fun with logistics
like this and a tree this big.

There we go.

We can go a bit faster.

So just going to be the challenge
of getting it up now.

Here you go.

Lovely.

So we're putting the based on first?

No, I'll stand it up. You're going
to stand it up first?

Yeah. And then we'll get
the base on.

Yeah. And then two can hold it.

Might be winter,

but you soon build a sweat
doing anything like this.

Are we in the hole, Ash?

It's in, yeah. You can stand now.

I'll come round.

GRUNTING

Watch it go over!

On the other side.

There you go.

Right.

Once Terry secures the base,

they're on pines and needles!

Oh, God. Can we let go?

Yeah. Should be able to let go now.

Woo!

How beautiful is that?

It's absolutely gorgeous.

So the next stage is to start
getting all the lights on

and making it look nice
and Christmassy.

With it being a big tree,
we need big lights.

So there's about 5,000 lights
going on the tree this year,

which should light it up nicely.

Be able to see it from space, maybe.

Hey!

Yep, you go round.

I'll throw it up as you go round.

The inside of the stables also
hasn't been fir-gotten.

It's just these and then
we're finished, are we?

Yeah, we'll get these in and then
bring Paula down for the surprise.

A week ago, the stables were covered
in grime and overgrown ivy,

with rotten doors
and piles of clutter.

Today, it's packed with potential.

The rooms are clear,

the floors scraped clean.

Original ironwork showcases
the building's history,

and hopefully by next Christmas
this old stable will be a new home.

For now, though, all that's needed
is Auntie Paula.

Surprise! Merry Christmas! Surprise!

Oh, it's lovely!

And inside are...three wise men,
bearing gifts.

There you go. What do you think?

Thank you. Thank you.
Do you like it?

It's stunning. Yes. It's...

Rustic!

No, it's lovely. It's...

So we've all chipped in
to get it all sorted for you.

Once we get the tree in place,

obviously we've done a little
couple of final touches

with the garland and the lights
in here...

It's not quite ready to move in yet,
but it won't be long.

No, but it's a first stage to
getting you here and...

Yeah. See what it's like. It will.

I've been cooking for yous as well.
Ooh!

Does anyone want one?
Freshly baked mince pies?

Freshly baked mince pies.
Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, everyone. Thank you.
Enjoy!

I think today's gone pretty well.
Yeah.

I think Paula's happy with it.
It's going to be her home.

And being able to imagine it
and just seeing it with that

little Christmassy feel, it makes
it feel a bit more real, I think.

It's been a busy few days,

and just the start
of another big project.

But it's time for this family...

Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas. Cheers!

..to put their festive feet up.

At Domaine de la Barde,
it's the day of the party

and Tim has some DIY to do
but it's not on his usual scale.

I've baked off all
of the gingerbread now.

I've done all the templates,
cut them all out, baked them.

I've got all of my houses ready
to assemble.

I'm going to use a box of beer
to build around

so that there's something can
support it all a bit.

You just use the icing as cement.

And now I'm thinking,
if I kind of pad it,

cos what I don't want
is any of it falling inwards,

I think this is going to hold.

Once the icing has set
I can take all this off.

I think today's going to go
one or two ways.

It's either going to be
delightfully joyous, festive,

full of merriment, or it's going to
be carnage and it's going to be

a house full of kids high on sugar.

But, as they say, if you bake it
they will come.

Come on in, come on in,
come on in. Ah!

So welcome to our Christmas
wonderland.

Ooh! Look, look, look!

Wow.
KIDS CHATTER

We're going to divide into teams
and then you're all going to work

together to decorate the houses.

TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH:

Do you want a hat?
Do you want a hat?

Quick, everyone get a hat!

Soon, Owen and his fellow elves
are working hard to create

show-stopping chateaux.

It's the chateaux-owners
of the future,

all coming together in one room.

It's a meeting of great minds
and extraordinary people.

This is, exactly what
Christmas is about.

The boys' house is looking very much
of a boys' house.

It's very quirky,
very interesting.

The girls' house is looking
very neat.

Lots of accessories going
around the house.

It's all 100% edible.

It's all 100% sugar.

OK, is everybody finished?

The judging committee have spoken,

and they said...

..you have all won.

CHEERING
Everyone is a winner.

Bravo, bravo.

Tout le monde a gagne.

Tout le monde gagne!

What a beautiful day.
That was lovely.

The gingerbread houses stood up
to their punishment

and looked fantastic.

Owen, if you want to ring
your bell...

Owen!

And you can take your friends
to get their prizes.

Come on, then. Come on, you guys.

Next door, Santa may be snoozing,

but his new sack's packed
with gifts.

Well, everybody's really happy.
Owen is so happy. He had a blast.

Everybody had just a wonderful time.

I mean, even us. I enjoyed
every bit of that.

I enjoyed it. I loved it.

Is Amelia here?

Yeah!

Oh, here you are, Amelia.

There you go.

Murray?

LAUGHTER

Murray!

There you are, Murray.

That's OK.

Owen.

There you go. Merry Christmas.

This is the magic life
that we came looking for

and we've got a beautiful community
with beautiful friends

and happy kids, and just, you know,
this is life, innit?

And this is Christmas.

And isn't it wonderful?

Next time...

Timber!

..decking the halls is
an uphill struggle.

It's absolutely typical with
anything you do in this place.

A wine cellar project is snow joke!

Everything, as always, takes
about four times longer

than you anticipate.

And Sarah's ho-ho-hoping for
a Christmas miracle.

We still have to put all
the lights up.

We've still got to get
all the food out.

And we've only a couple
of hours to go.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media