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?
#1 - Attic & a Celestial-Inspired Sky Bar
Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/28/2021
Angel discovers that the chateau has a vast attic space running the length of the building and rising to the ridge of the roof. While Dick is glad to have some more storage space, Angel has bigger plans - transforming it into a space-inspired bar complete with balconies from which they can watch the stars. The project will require skylights, a new staircase and unique use of insulation - but proves worth it when a cloudless night provides the perfect chance to look for shooting stars.
#2 - The Party of a Lifetime
Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/24/2019
Dick and Angel are warming up for one of the year's biggest events - Angel's parents' 50th wedding anniversary, which involves inviting more than 100 people to a huge party. There's a bespoke menu to plan and prepare, so Dick has called in the cavalry, with his son James arriving from Cornwall. Together with some help from Arthur, the Strawbridge boys have their work cut out as they create dishes they hope will strike a chord with everyone.
#3 - 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.
#4 - Autumn Renovation
Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/8/2019
As the beginning of autumn arrives, Dick Strawbridge passes on his conker skills to the family, before the serious business resumes and the next phase of the renovation begins. Dick and his wife Angel Adoree get to work converting the old tack room into a grand entrance way. Angel knocks down walls and upcycles an old glass door, while Dick lays a new concrete floor.
#5 - A Boat in the Moat
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/10/2019
It's springtime at the chateau, and with the wedding season just a few weeks away, completing phase two of the basement project is becoming an urgent priority for Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree. To cater for all their summer guests, a much-needed utility and laundry room is about to be plumbed in. Angel comes up with a unique way of preserving the 150-year-old wallpaper, while Dick wrestles with a rake while working on the meadow.
#6 - 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.
#7 - 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.
#8 - Supersized Workshop
Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/15/2020
Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree's to-do list is as long as ever, and with no guests, weddings or events at the chateau this year, they use their engineering and design skills to tackle some major projects. First on the list is transforming one of the old outbuildings into a supersized workshop for chateau-sized jobs.
#9 - Wash House, Trench & Vintage Bike
Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/29/2020
Dick and Angel start work on turning the old wash house into a bathroom for their boat on the moat. Angel's imagination runs wild when they discover a huge trench. And a vintage bike gets a refurb.
#10 - Orangery, Daybeds & Unexpected History
Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/6/2020
Dick and Angel Strawbridge attempt to renovate the orangery with the help of a roofing expert and some pre-loved slate, all the way from Wales, They also discover some unexpected history beneath their feet, and Angel finds two old daybeds in need of upcycling.
#11 - 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.
#12 - Gardening & the Coach House
Season 8 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/24/2021
Dick, Angel, Arthur and Dorothy share more enchanting tales from the Chateau, as they continue the renovation of their 19th-century fairytale home and grounds. With weddings and events on hold for the second year, Dick and Angel bite the bullet and make the big decision to tackle the exterior of the Chateau. The roof and outside walls are their biggest project to date and the Chateau quickly becomes a building site.
#13 - 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.
#14 - 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.
#15 - 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.
#16 - 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.
#17 - 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?
#18 - Escape to the Château at Christmas
Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/19/2021
Dick, Angel, Arthur and Dorothy enjoy a magical festive adventure in this Christmas episode, with a family celebration inspired by a very special part of France - Colmar in the Alsace region, close to the German border. They discover an enchanting medieval town that makes Christmas feel more magical than ever. It's not long before they are taking part in a festive treasure hunt, sampling local baked delicacies, trying their hand at fondue, and discovering the ice and crémant wines that the region is synonymous with. Back at the chateau, the Strawbridge traditions are not forgotten. Angel, her mum Jenni and Dorothy head out into the chateau grounds to collect the fir and foliage to make the annual Christmas wreath.
#19 - Atelier de Mariage
Season 9 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/30/2022
The Strawbridges return with more heart-warming adventures and innovative renovations. Dick and Angel prepare for wedding season, as the 'Atelier de Mariage' starts to take shape.
#20 - Natasha and Victoria's Big Day
Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/6/2022
The chateau prepares for their first wedding in over two years, as Dick and Arthur prep a seven-course wedding breakfast, and Angel and Dorothy create dried-petal confetti cones
#21 - 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.
#22 - 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.
#23 - 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.
#24 - Escape to the Château at Christmas
Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/18/2022
The Strawbridges prepare their festive celebrations, and want to thank everyone who has helped them along the way with the château's biggest party yet. All hands are on deck collecting and decorating the Christmas tree, preparing a festive feast, and carrying out time honoured family traditions. Dick, Papi Steve, Arthur and Dick's eldest son James head to the beaches of Brittany to collect oysters.
#25 - The Strawbridge Suite Swap
Season 10 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/30/2026
A new year brings big changes as Dorothy designs a dreamy, cloud-inspired bedroom. While she settles into her sanctuary, Dick and Angel move into the Honeymoon Suite.