The show follows the lives of Ann and David Darrell, originally from Essex, who decided to renovate an old chateau in Slovakia and turn it into a luxury boutique hotel.
[2] Controversy surrounded David Darrell when it was revealed, following the transmission of the programme, that he was being pursued for £950,000 for alleged fraudulent practices that occurred during his time as an Insolvency Practitioner.
Appearing on the talk show Richard & Judy, Ann Darrell stated that "It's all real" and held her head in embarrassment at some of the events.
that the show is loosely based on real events but re-shot in an exaggerated manner to provide higher comedy value.
In addition, the earlier series about the couple, A Place in Slovakia, also contained many comedic elements, and there were no suggestions that this was scripted.