As Escape to the Chateau ends, how Dick and Angel became Channel 4’s biggest hit

It’s become one of Channel 4’s greatest hits since it started airing six years ago – but now the charming Escape to the Chateau is finally coming to an end. 

Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree bought the run-down 45-room chateau for just £280,000 in 2015, with Channel 4 launching it’s popular series following the transformation in 2016.

The sprawling 19th century building has now been valued at £2million, with Dick, 60, and Angel, 41, receiving up to £38,000 per wedding. The average price, however, comes out at around £19,000.

But with the final episode approaching on Sunday evening, here FEMAIL reveals the highs and lows the couple have faced over the years – from bullying claims to a booming lifestyle empire.

Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree bought the run-down 45-room chateau for just £280,000 in 2015, with Channel 4 launching it’s popular series following the transformation in 2016 – but it’s set to come to an end on Sunday 

Dick is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army who was previously most famous for hosting the Scrapheap Challenge.

Angel is the founder of The Vintage Patisseries, a glamorous hospitality company. She appeared on Dragon’s Den in 2010 and was offered an £100,000 from Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis for developing her website and business.

Angel married Dick – whom she met through their shared agent – in November 2015.

The couple are raising their two children – Arthur and Dorothy – at the chateau and the children both attend local French schools. 

(pictured in 2016)  The series was coined in 2014 after an executive at Spark Media heard that Angel and Dick were leaving their two- bedroom flat in Southend, Essex, for a new life in France.

The series was coined in 2014 after an executive at Spark Media heard that Angel and Dick were leaving their two- bedroom flat in Southend, Essex, for a new life in France. 

After searching for the chateau for four years, the pair bought the sprawling 19th century building in 2015 after swapping their two-bed home in east London. 

The villa is called Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson and it is in the picturesque Loire region of North West France around 200 miles from Paris.

When they moved in, the property had no electricity, heating or water – and a sanitation system that was emptied in the moat.

The sprawling 19th century building has now been valued at £2million, with Dick, 60, and Angel, 41, receiving up to £38,000 per wedding

The series is full of arguments and tiffs over stressful renovations, precious moments with their children Arthur, nine, and Dorothy, eight and creating happy memories with newlyweds. 

Now the venue boasts a grand reception room which can host up to 200 people, or the salle à manger which can seat 12. The decadent orangery holds 80 people for a wedding breakfast. 

The chateau has since been valued at £2million but the couple also cash in through TV rights from Channel 4 for the series and its day-time spin off. 

Channel 4 made nine series of Escape To The Chateau and the popular show got almost 3 million viewers every Sunday night – making it one of the channel’s biggest hits.

The couple also have a booming merchandise business off the back of the show, with a number of books available 

After searching for the chateau for four years the pair bought the sprawling 19th century building in 2015 after swapping their two-bed home in east London

Its audience is 50 per cent higher than Channel 4 normally get in the same slot.

There have since been claims that from the start, sources claim, the couple — reportedly paid thousands per episode — wanted control.

Dick, insiders said, believed his previous forays in television convinced him he could do better than the crew. ‘He’d say, ‘Put your camera there, or follow that.’ They’d say how f*****g useless we were,’ a source told in 2021. 

One thing that is clear is that at the end of series one, which aired in June 2016, the relationship between the Strawbridges and the original Spark Media production crew had become dire.

At the end of series one, which aired in June 2016, the relationship between the Strawbridges and the original Spark Media production crew had become dire 

The couple reportedly said they would only allow Spark Media to carry on making the series if the show’s director was no longer involved.

As the Spark source depicts it: ‘When Channel 4 gave in to Angel’s request to get rid of him it was like they had the power to continue this approach to anyone they didn’t like . . . Channel 4 let them get away with anything.’

To which Dick and Angel’s representatives retort: ‘My clients made it clear from the outset that only those who were competent and respected the sanctity of our family should work in their home; as they were fully entitled to do.’

The series continued, and by the end of filming series four, in 2017, Spark Media set up a separate production company, Kindling, through which they produced ETTC, with none of the original team.

For the last three series, all seems to have been equable and the couple are currently filming again.

The series continued, and by the end of filming series four, in 2017, Spark Media set up a separate production company, Kindling, through which they produced ETTC, with none of the original team  

The couple have experienced many highs and lows over the years as they renovated a run-down 45-room moated chateau bought for just £280,000

The couple are also involved in the day-time spin-off show Escape To The Chateau DIY.

Dick and Angel host fairytale weddings receiving up to £38,000 per wedding. The average price, however, comes out at around £19,000. 

A six-course wedding dinner plus canapes upon arrival, a cheese and meat table during the evening and an unlimited full bar for the day for the maximum 80 guests will set you back £20,000, a post-wedding brunch £1,600 and hiring the chateau for the weekend is £6,250. 

Their fame has not only allowed them to run a flourishing wedding business from the castle, now worth an estimated £2 million, but led to a merchandising empire. 

As well as weddings, the couple also sell glamping nights for £350 in ‘geodesic domes’ in the chateau’s grounds and £230 ‘days of decadence’ where you can meet Dick and Angel, enjoying lunch and afternoon tea at the chateau.

And the couple even charge guests £75 for a ‘working day in the garden’, with the website saying: ‘Yes to be frankly honest we are charging you to come and work! And in return you have to help make the place beautiful!’. 

TV presenter Dick and author Angel now employ a PR to market their thriving business empire which includes not just weddings but personalised homeware, gifts, soft furnishings, calendars, diaries and cards.

They have a separate ‘Chateau Products’ team based in Swindon, Wiltshire, to deal with all the merchandise inquiries. 

Angel and Dick previously told how they had ‘a massive spike’ in interest during the pandemic. 

The couple have no plans to sell the chateau but could make a profit of around £1.5 million if they put it on the market.

Dick has estimated that they have spent around £280,000 renovating the chateau since moving there four years ago.

An insider previously told how the couple had a master business strategy, saying: ‘They are running the hottest wedding venue in France and they are coining it in.

‘The TV show is an hour long free advert for their various ventures every week on prime-time TV.

The couple (pictured with their children), who met in 2010 and have two children together, Arthur, nine, and Dorothy, eight, confirmed that they ‘have cherished every second… the good, the bad and the ugly’

‘Viewers have bought into the idea they do everything on the cheap thanks to Dick’s skills as an engineer and builder and Angel’s talent as a designer.

London property agent John Adams, who sources chateaus in France for wealthy investors, previously said: ‘Angel and Dick have done a magnificent job renovating the chateau.

‘They could definitely command a premium price because of the flare in their renovations and the fact that so many people have fallen in love with the property after enjoying the show on Channel 4.

Dick and Angel also host fairytale weddings receiving up to £38,000 per wedding. The average price, however, comes out at around £19,000 (pictured with Lynwen Evans, 56, and Geraint Davies, 58, from Ammanford, who tied the knot at the famous venue)

‘It is set in 12 acres with his own moat, staff quarters (currently used by Angel’s parents) and an excellent wedding venue in the orangery.

‘With weddings costing up to £38,000 and the scope to host around 25 a year, you have a £1 million business from the weddings alone.

‘It would be marketed for a price of around £2 million based on its value as a wedding business and there would clearly be a premium on the price because of Dick and Angel’s fame. You would have no problem arranging viewings.’ 

And in 2020, they embarked on their first-ever tour, Dare To Do It, which traversed the UK and saw Dick, Angel and their children sharing stories and tips from their adventures in France. 

The hit Channel 4 show is full of arguments and tiffs over stressful renovations, precious moments with their children Arthur, nine, and Dorothy, eight and creating happy memories with newlyweds

However it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the couple, who have faced accusations of bullying and violence on set.

In May 2021, it was reported that sources close to Spark Media, the independent production company that filmed the first four series of ETTC, had accused Dick and Angel of bullying.

Dick was accused of pushing one crew member around a room, and threatening to throw another ‘out the f*****g window’ while brandishing a hammer. Both were also said to have sworn at TV staff.

Meanwhile, the show apparently haemorrhaged producer directors (PDs) during the first four series: three out of six left prematurely following rows — an exodus ‘unheard of’ in television, it’s claimed.

As well as weddings, the couple also sell glamping nights for £350 in ‘geodesic domes’ in the chateau’s grounds

One source close to Spark Media, previously told: ‘It felt like an island, surrounded by a moat, so it feels very territorial as you go up the drive, not knowing what mood could be greeting you. 

‘Dick and Angel never contemplated anyone’s feelings.’

‘They’re both driven and they’ve both got talent,’ concedes another, but they also say that they’re ‘greedy, thankless and rude — absolutely nothing like they come across on television.’

Dick and Angel — deeply dismayed by the accusations — wasted no time in categorically denying them.

The couple transformed the crumbling castle into an incredible venue to host weddings in France 

Angel designed each room, using her creative streak to do most of the interiors herself to her own unique taste 

 In detailed testimony via their representative, the couple emphasised not only the warm atmosphere among the team that currently makes their show, but also their long-held, high professional standards, which they say has helped bring their chateau fantasy to successful fruition.

And no one can deny that theirs is the original entrepreneurial dream come true, powered largely by the determined Dick, who has decades of experience in television.

With such high standards, the Strawbridges say, of course, comes high pressure — yet, still, their representative stressed that production members associated with the couple over many years found ‘working with our clients at the chateau is a lovely experience.’

They also made accusations of their own of outrageous behaviour among the Spark’s production team.

Dick and wife Angel joined Lorraine this week to discuss the final series of Escape to the Chateau and revealed it’s not the last we will see of them

Meanwhile, Channel 4 denied all knowledge of the row, saying in a statement: ‘Channel 4 does not tolerate bullying or abusive behaviour in any of its productions.

Channel 4 was not aware of any of the alleged behaviour by Dick and Angel as described in these claims, which we understand relate to a period well before the current producers started making the series.’

A former employee from Spark Media told the Mail he had seen the unaired footage of Dick Strawbridge, hammer in hand, threatening to throw a colleague out of the chateau window, while filming series one of Escape To The Chateau.

‘My colleague said, ‘For a change, rather than switching the camera off when Dick is ranting, I’m going to leave it rolling,’ ‘ he claims. ‘They decided we have got to keep some of this offensive behaviour on camera.’

Dick had been putting floorboards down, with hammer and nails, at the time, when the producer asked him to do something again because it had been missed in filming.

‘At this point, Dick looks up and he’s on his hands and knees. He says something like, ‘If you ask me to do something again I will throw you through the f*****g window,’ ‘ says the former employee. ‘To me, it was not said in jest. It was threatening. It was quite intimidating when Dick got angry.’

Strawbridge’s representatives refute the claim, saying: ‘Dick has no recollection of any such incident,’ while the producer in question declined to speak to the Mail.

Series director Tom Thompson – who was present at the time of the allegations – said the claims are ‘all nonsense’.

He added: ‘The Chateau is not just a TV show it is their home and business.

‘I found them professional, hard-working and generous.’

However shortly afterwards, they hinted that the end of the series could be neigh.

In an interview with Daily Mail, Dick said they ‘considered every year’ whether to continue with the programme.

Angel said: ‘It’s always a choice. It’s because we feel genuinely humbled that there’s still an incredible warmth and interest in us out there. 

‘Also, I don’t really have any memories of the first ten years of my life. There aren’t really any photos. 

‘So I think how amazing it’s going to be for Dorothy and Arthur to look back [at the TV shows] and see what we did together, this whole magical childhood.’

In the final series, which started airing earlier this year, the property was 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.

But before the celebrations can begin there are some pretty sizable jobs to finish – including turning a cider store into a wedding workshop, where items for their business will be stored, organised and created. 

Dick and Angel announced the news the series would come to an end in September this year.

In a statement, they said: ‘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 (their children) 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…’

And earlier this week, Dick and wife Angel joined Lorraine to discuss the final series.

Speaking about filming the last episode Angel admitted it was ‘really emotional’ and their nine-year-old son Arthur was crying.

She said: ‘We literally finished filming a week ago and it was really emotional, my mum kept crying but it was really happy emotion.’

‘Arthur was sobbing, it was really beautiful, theres not many times you get all of your family and wedding are one of them but when it’s a happy moment like that it’s great.’ 

For those who have followed the family’s journey, fear not: Channel 4 has commissioned Escape to the Chateau: Secret France due to air in 2023, which will follow Dick and Angel’s adventures as they unlock the mysteries of the country. 

Read more:  

Stars Dick and Angel confirm their upcoming ninth season will be their last and say they’ve cherished the ‘good, the bad and the ugly’

Escape to the Chateau viewers go wild over Dick Strawbridge’s hunky tattooed chef son James as he helps cook up a storm in the kitchen 

Escape to the Chateau stars Dick and Angel say it was ‘really emotional’ filming the final episode their son, Arthur, 9, broke down in tears