Dick & Angel Return for Ninth & Final Series

The Strawbridges return to the screen this autumn (8 x 60 min episodes) for more heart-warming family adventures, innovative renovations and spectacular celebrations in their ninth and final series of Escape to the Chateau.

For those who have followed their journey, fear not; Channel 4 has commissioned Escape to the Chateau: Secret France (wt) due to air in 2023. It follows Dick and Angel’s adventures, unlocking the secrets of France and, with the couple’s desire to seek the unexpected and the extraordinary, anything could happen!

In the new series of Escape to the Chateau, The Chateau is open for business after two years of closure and is making up for lost time – hosting weddings, events, and its biggest ever Christmas extravaganza to mark the end of an unforgettable era. It’s truly ‘The Year of Celebrations’.

But before the celebrations can begin there are some pretty sizable jobs to finish. To streamline operations, Angel plans to turn part of the sous-sol, once The Chateau’s cider store, into the Atelier de Marriage aka The Wedding Workshop, where everything ‘wedding’ will be stored, organised and created. To help bring this back to life, Dick and Angel go on the hunt – repurposing an original cider barrel which once lived in the store and turning an old garden trellis into a Flower Storage Chandelier to assist when making the stunning bouquets, buttonholes and wedding flowers.
Amongst the organising and entertaining, The Chateau continues to share its secrets. A neglected corner of Dick’s beloved Walled Garden reveals a folly-like room hidden by ivy, ripe for transforming into something elegant. The folly soon finds its place, becoming not only an enchanting wildlife observatory for the family but also the focal point for family entertaining.

Meanwhile, to ensure all essential jobs are finished before their friends and family visit in December, the ‘extension’ Angel has joked about for years takes shape in the form of a winter garden on stilts and Dick falls in love with another of The Chateau’s ‘big jobs’. In addition, the replacement of the 62 windows is finally underway and the last remaining part of the attic is turned into a family games room designed to take Arthur and Dorothy from their tweens to their teens.
As the year comes to a close, the family reminisce about the last seven years since they moved to France. They look back at their home which had no electricity, water or sewage, and no way of paying for itself and reflect on their journey that many have been a part of. They want to thank all those who have helped them along the way and what better way than with a party – a Christmas extravaganza! Dick, Angel, Arthur and Dorothy end the ‘year of celebrations’ on a high, surrounded by their family and friends and, most probably, fireworks.
Dick and Angel Strawbridge say, “Escape to the Chateau has been our family journey; our decision to buy a Chateau with no water, electricity, heating or sewage has taken us on the adventure of a lifetime and we could never have imagined what would unfold. The good, the bad and the ugly…we have cherished every second and love that we have a visual record to show Arthur and Dorothy when they’re older.

“We’re so grateful to everyone who continues to support us and we’re looking forward to what the future holds. As one Chateau chapter ends, so another Chateau story begins…’’

Clemency Green, Senior Commissioning Editor for Channel 4 says, “Across nine series we have seen the chateau rise from its ruins into the beautiful home and venue it is today. We look forward to working with Two Rivers and Chateau TV to follow Dick and Angel as they turn their attentions to new projects and new adventures, firstly unlocking the secrets of beautiful France in a brand new travel series.”