The show consistently ranks as the top-rated programme in its daytime time slot on BBC One, and has a significant global social media presence.

The houses they visit can include rentals, new-builds, kit-homes, market town addresses, renovation projects, or even plots of land with potential for building.

Episodes also feature countryside imagery, information about the counties, towns, and villages, and interviews with local residents of various ages and backgrounds to gather their opinions about the area.

In 2021, the show underwent significant changes to reflect modern-day countryside living and address contemporary rural issues.

Produced by Talkback UK, and aired from 2002, the premise of the show is that a person/family wishes to relocate from their current city home to a more peaceful and rural retreat.

Series 3 included a Catherine Gee episode starring actor/writer Ian Murphy, who was relocating from Nottingham to Lancaster.

[3] The format of the show changed in series 6 to accommodate viewer demand to see more houses and more local information [citation needed].

[5][6] Presenters for these series included Sonali Shah, Jonnie Irwin, Ginny Buckley, Jules Hudson, Alistair Appleton, Margherita Taylor, and Nicki Chapman.

[15] A related series featuring the same concept and some of the same presenters, but filmed in other countries, Escape to the Continent, was made for the BBC by Boundless Productions.

[20] Escape from the City is an Australian version of the show produced by Fremantle Media Australia, which aired on ABC TV from 3 January 2019.

[21] It is presented by Jane Hall, Simon Marnie, Bryce Holdaway, Del Irani and Dean Ipaviz.

In the Netherlands, Escape to the Country has been broadcast since April 2011 on SBS 6, and is available on BBC channels distributed by cable operators.