The WORST episodes of Escape to the Château
Every episode of Escape to the Château ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Escape to the Château!
Angel and Dick Strawbridge swap their two-bed flat in Essex for an abandoned French château. Can they bring its 45 rooms and acres of land back to life?
#2 - Camper Van
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/1/2019
There never seems to be much down-time at that sumptuous French château for owners Dick and Angel Strawbridge. Even as the summer ends after their busiest ever season and the last wedding of the year is nearly over, there’s still a lot to do. While most people would put up their feet and have a Pernod, Dick and Angel welcome an armada of vintage Citroëns that call in at the castle for a rest and breakfast during a fund-raising charity tour of France. And the family, including youngsters Arthur and Dorothy, work on their latest project, doing up a 1980s Asquith bus.
Watch Now:Amazon
#4 - Storage & Memory Furnishings
Season 8 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/14/2021
Arthur and Dorothy are now seven and eight, and growing up fast. They will soon need separate bedrooms - so Angel comes up with an ingenious plan to create a mezzanine. As the re-slating of the roof continues, Dick and Angel not only launch into knocking down walls and building new ones but preserving old wallpaper, creating memory furnishings from the kids' old clothes, as well as finding time to pick some strawberries in the garden.
#6 - Escape to the Château at Christmas
Season 6 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/22/2019
After another busy year, Dick and Angel prepare for Christmas with an exquisite festive menu; some beautiful Christmas crafts; friends, family, and some special guests.
#7 - Bling Birthday Party
Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/27/2022
After eight long years, the peach tree in the walled garden is finally fruiting, and Dick, Angel, Arthur, and Dorothy can't wait to try the very first peach ever grown by the Strawbridge family. Dick and Angel will also soon be hosting a very important 50th birthday party for one of their closest friends, Sophie, without whom they would never have met.
Watch Now:Amazon
#8 - Great British Garden Party & the Roof
Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/7/2021
Dick and Angel throw a garden party for Arthur and Dorothy's friends, with traditional games including handmade giant dominoes and a treasure hunt around the Chateau grounds. Angel makes a layered jelly with ice cream and another of her specialities - rose petal and honey sandwiches. Meanwhile, the scaffolding arrives and work can start on re-slating the Chateau roof for the first time in 150 years.
Watch Now:Amazon
#9 - Riverboat
Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/15/2019
As autumn arrives at the chateau, Dick and Angel start a new project, turning a 35-foot eight-tonne riverboat into luxury guest accommodation, with bespoke fabrics and decking.
#12 - Sloe Gin, Library & Ceiling Rose
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/22/2020
With autumn just around the corner, it's a chance for the Strawbridge family to make the most of the wild larder on their doorstep. Dick is determined to make sloe gin, while Angel presses on with her plan to create a library in the pepper pot tower.
#13 - Escape to the Château at Christmas
Season 7 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/25/2020
In this festive special, the Strawbridges take inspiration from Christmases past in a 19th-century ledger they find in the attic, and create a winter wonderland complete with an ice rink.
#14 - Summer Kitchen
Season 9 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/20/2022
The summer's drought and high temperatures have left the moat's water level lower than ever, and the family work together to save the fish. Over in the walled garden, the recent transformation of the folly has opened Dick and Angel's eyes to the potential of the area around it. They want to enhance the space by creating a new outdoor entertaining area.
Watch Now:Amazon
#16 - Fishing, Foraging and an Elevator
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/4/2016
Keen to expand the business, Dick and Angel Strawbridge consider moat fishing, woodland foraging and installing a lift. Will the chateau survive such a monumental conversion?
#17 - Moat, Pineapple Chandeliers and a Wedding
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/19/2016
Dick and Angel are due to marry in just a few weeks, expecting 200 guests. But room after room still needs to be restored, decorated and furnished, and the moat still needs fixing.
#18 - Games Room and Hidden Treasure
Season 9 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/4/2022
Dick and Angel visit one of the last unexplored areas of the attic. Among the dust and cobwebs, they uncover more of the chateau's unexpected treasures, including an old train set. With the children growing up fast, Dick and Angel want to create a place for them to call their own - a room filled with vintage games as well as new ones. Dick and Angel have bought a classic Renault 4CV dating back to the 1950s that's in need of restoration.
Watch Now:Amazon
#19 - Colour Boards, Rendering & an Old Gadage
Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/5/2021
Angel sets about restoring the Chateau's walls to their original glory using computer mock-ups to try and match the existing colour. Part of a traditional device used for making cider is discovered while clearing out the piggery, so the hunt is soon on to locate the rest of it. Inspired by the ancient piece of machinery, the family collects apples to make their very own juice.
#20 - Mollusc Madness & Key Moulding
Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/12/2021
Work continues on the chateau's roof and exterior walls, but Dick and Angel uncover more issues... And can Papi Steve make a second front door key from the huge 150-year-old one?
#21 - Escape to the Château at Christmas
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/23/2018
Dick and Angel are preparing for a magical Christmas at the château, with festive treats for family and friends, including Dick's walnut wine and a super-sized Christmas tree.
#22 - Pop-Up Restaurant, Orangery, Celebration
Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/13/2020
The whole family help to build an open kitchen and create a pop-up restaurant in the orangery to celebrate Dick and Angel's fifth wedding anniversary. Plus: a special fairy-tale carriage delivery.
#23 - Chateau Roof & the Preserves Cupboard
Season 8 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/31/2021
Dick and Angel start work on the biggest, messiest and most expensive job they've ever done at the Chateau - repairing, re-tiling and re-insulating the whole of the original roof. They also transform the preserves cupboard and go hunting in the walled garden for ingredients to make home-grown mint tea and rainbow sweetcorn relish.
#24 - 19th-Century Folly Retreat
Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/13/2022
In the spring, the family turn their attention to the beloved walled garden. On the north-facing wall, there is something rather special hidden beneath the ivy that they would like to tackle; a 19th-century folly in need of renovation. Before Angel can transform the interior, Dick has to tackle the overgrown bamboo forest.
#25 - Chickens, Heating and a Blank Canvas
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/12/2016
With just £20,000 left in the coffers the refurb problems feel endless for Dick with time running out. But Angel is on a creative roll. And the family buy some chickens.