Escape to the Chateau is a Channel 4 reality television series, which follows the story of couple Dick Strawbridge and Angela ("Angel") Adoree and their family as they bought and renovated the 19th-century Château de la Motte-Husson, in Martigné-sur-Mayenne, France, while simultaneously raising two young children and starting a business hosting weddings and other events.

[3] Formerly a Lieutenant Colonel in the British Army, engineer Dick Strawbridge appeared on numerous television shows, including It's Not Easy Being Green (2006), Coast (2006), Scrapheap Challenge (2009), The Hungry Sailors (2011), Saturday Farm (2011) and Dirty Rotten Survival (2015).

In Escape to the Chateau, his engineering and cooking experience is highlighted, with his can-do attitude and mechanical expertise at the fore, as work on the château and its surrounding land continues through the seasons.

Adoree provided a creative factor and flair for the show, adding her style and interior-decoration skill to the château renovation, as well as sharing her interest in hospitality and entertaining.

In contrast to many other home shows, the television coverage was never planned, but Channel 4 paid to document the couple's journey, which defrayed some of the expense of such a large task.

The assistance was in the form of the presenter's fee, in addition to the exposure from the show's advertising, which allowed the business to build its popularity as a wedding and events venue.

[17] In 2015, for £280,000 (equivalent to £392,165 in 2023), they purchased a chateau, on a 12-acre (4.9-hectare) property, that listed forty-five rooms, seven outbuildings and a walled garden, and was surrounded by a moat, ten times larger than the average British house.

Despite the apparent advantages, however, the show made viewers aware of the extent of the restoration and the running costs of such projects, which can become a problem for people trying to make a business out of such ventures, as well as the significant personal effort required.

The first one-hour episode of the series was titled "Meet the Chateau", which featured Dick and Angel purchasing the property, including the walled garden, moving in, and then installing electricity and a heating system.

[22] Escape to the Chateau DIY involves Dick and Angel giving their tips to other expatriates in France, who are trying to run businesses from châteaux in conditions similar to their own.