-Property-hunting Brits have been snapping up dream homes abroad for years.

-Oh, wow!

-But some won't settle for just a room with a view.

-This is not a house.

It has 50 rooms and standing 1,200 years.

-Their hearts are set on saving the ghost villages of Europe.

-It's massively important.

It makes me feel proud and nervous to do the right thing.

-In this series, we catch up with the British guardian angels moving heaven and earth... -Phooey.

-...to save abandoned hamlets, borgos, and quinta across the continent.

-I don't know the number, and I don't speak Spanish.

-We meet some brand-new owners, too... -Oh, dear.

-The last year has probably cost me over £200,000.

-...uncovering ancient mysteries and holding history in their hands.

-What is that?

-[ Laughing ] I don't know!

-Will they be flying high... [ Cork pops ] -Ooh!

-We've got windows!

-Yeah.

-...or falling flat?

-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

-Hold on.

Hold on.

-Oh.

[ Sighs ] -Oh!

-[ Gasps ] -Our village saviors are throwing themselves in at the deep end as they restore the past to build their future.

-We bought a village.

-We bought a village.

-We bought a village.

-We're still buying villages.

♪♪ -Today, our village saviors are moving full steam ahead with renovations.

But in France, the 400-year-old walls win the battle over modern power tools.

-Um, it's not -- nothing to do with me.

The tool -- it's making a weird -- -Oh, yeah.

Someone always blames the tools.

-No, no, no, honestly, it's making a really weird noise.

Look.

[ Motor sputtering ] -Oh, geez.

Dear, that doesn't sound good.

-It smells a bit, as well.

-You may have blown it up.

-And at a rural hamlet in the Limousin, the costs could be going through the roof.

-Look at all this, just falling apart.

-How's the wall looking?

-Probably needs rebuilding.

I just don't think it's stable enough to take anything.

-Meanwhile, in Italy, it seems even at the decorating stage, progress in these ghost villages can be painfully slow.

-Ow!

My finger!

-Oh, seriously?

-Yeah.

Can you just... -Oh, I don't understand what's going on.

-My finger was stuck in there, you twit!

-You didn't tell me it was stuck.

I thought it just pinched you.

♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ -There are vast tracts of rural France where the landscape seems untouched by history.

But amongst the bountiful fields and the forests, there are empty settlements that once supported thriving communities.

Just north of Poitiers, Le Galiserie is a prime example.

Built just over 400 years ago, it's a manoir, a traditional manor house where a noble family would have lived with servants in the outbuildings and peasant farmers in cottages nearby.

But La Galiserie had been empty for over a decade when Sean and Lolly, from Sussex, picked it up for a song.

♪♪ -This one all-in was 141,000 euros.

So, I think it converted to about 120 GBP.

-So, that was really good.

-Yeah.

It's given us a nice budget to actually do what we would like to do to it.

-Sean and Lolly want to convert it into a home, a holiday complex, and a place for athletes to do warm-weather training.

Sean was a world-class 400-meter runner himself, and he's now channeling his Olympian spirit into saving the village.

-I kind of have a competition in myself of, okay, so if I need to chop a tree down, how long is it going to take me to chop this tree down?

I'm going to give myself four hours to get this tree down.

And I'm always told to slow down a little bit.

"It'll still be there later," but it's -- yeah, I have that drive to get things done.

-The couple do have a job on their hands.

As well as the grounds to re-landscape, they have about 20 rooms to renovate, and they can't easily access most of the upper floors... -Need to remember not to tread on my coat.

-...because the staircase in the tower was stolen.

-Oh, gosh!

So, this is going to be a guest bedroom, B&B.

Um, huge room.

So, we're going to put a lovely en suite this third of the room.

And the reason it's going here is we want to have a lovely rolltop bath in front of this picture window.

-The walls of this ghost village haven't echoed with life and laughter for decades, but Lolly and Sean are determined to rekindle the atmosphere of the past by preserving as many of the original features as they can.

-The beams up here are just phenomenal, and how they actually got them up them up there and put them in place is just... -Phenomenal, yeah.

-Mind-boggling, really.

♪♪ -It's May.

And while there are a lot of big jobs to do, like plumbing, heating, doors, and windows, the contractors Sean and Lolly need aren't yet available.

So, in the meantime, the couple are concentrating on the small-scale work they can do themselves.

-So, yeah, it's just over here.

-Today, they're in what will be Lolly's utility room.

-Righty-ho.

-It's thought to be the oldest part of the manoir, dating back to 1560, and the couple want to expose the medieval stonework by taking off the crumbling layers of lime mortar that cover it.

-Dig in?

-Yeah.

-And just literally push in, and the hammer will vibrate.

-Right.

Okay.

-Um, and just tap underneath it.

Do you think we're ready for it?

-Well, I'll give it a whirl.

-En courage.

-Thank you, darling.

Um, you went in?

[ Tool whirring ] ♪♪ Um, it's -- it's a bit vibratory, I must say.

I think my hand will probably be a little bit like that by the end of the day, but, yeah, easy.

It's not bad.

Ask me in five hours.

[ Laughs ] [ Whirring ] -As Lolly gets down to business, Sean heads outside to start building planters that will be a feature of their sunken terrace.

But it isn't long before Lolly needs some help.

-Um, it's not -- nothing to do with me.

The tool -- it's making a weird -- -Oh, yeah.

Someone always blames the tools.

-No, no, honestly, it's making a really weird noise.

Look.

[ Motor sputtering ] -Oh, geez.

Dear, that doesn't sound good.

-It smells a bit, as well.

-Yeah, I think it's probably full of dust, but, um... [ Motor sputtering ] Yeah, that's not good.

You might... You might have blown it up.

-Oh, God.

-No.

You have.

It is -- it is broken.

-With no choice but to put the utility room on hold, the couple decide to carry on with the planters outside instead.

-It's going to have a little walkway around all around it, and then you can tend to your veggies either side.

I think it looks immense, actually, and I'm really proud of Sean because it's the first time he's built anything like this.

Yeah, I think it's cutesy!

I love it.

-Over the next few weeks, Lolly and Sean intend to fill the planters with greenery, and if Mother Nature takes care of the rest, they'll soon have somewhere special to relax between jobs.

-Yeah, no, I love it.

I love it.

I love it!

♪♪ -High on a hill in the Italian region of Abruzzo is a village with its roots in the eighth century.

The history of San Benedetto began when an order of monks laid the foundations for an abbey, and local families built their homes in its shadow.

Medieval feuds meant the villagers surrounded their settlement with high walls to create a castello, or fortified commune.

-The way it's structured, you can see that there would have been different areas for different families.

-Yeah.

-And I think in the medieval times, this would have been absolutely fascinating.

I just think it would have, like, been really noisy, noisy and stinky, actually.

♪♪ -But in 2008, the castello was empty and unloved when Andrew and Katja threw it a lifeline.

They bought it for £100,000 and moved here from Brighton, with plans to turn its 50-plus rooms into a home with holiday lets.

-We made a trip.

We came over and we looked at it and we loved it.

We could see potential in it.

Of course, it didn't look like this.

It was very, um, ramshackle, unkept, rustic.

But we could really see past all that.

-Andrew and Katja were keen to breathe new life into its walls and unlock its mysteries, like the ancient stones in the basement that could have been used as a wine press.

-There's a huge tank under there.

Probably they threw grapes in here.

They trod on them.

The wine went through that hole in there.

They stored it in there, and they got it out with buckets.

That's the only thing I can think of.

-But less than a year after the couple bought San Benedetto, an earthquake hit the village and the surrounding area.

The castello's walls were cracked, its ancient tower severely damaged, and in some places it was reduced to rubble.

Government contractors spent ten years making it safe, but Andrew and Katja have been left without power, central heating, doors, or windows.

They have to use boards in the window gaps, and since the castello has about 50 windows, just letting the light in is a painstaking business.

♪♪ -It takes a couple of hours -- doesn't it?

-- to put everything back.

Things blow in, but you can see how bloody difficult they are to get off again.

-The couple are now waiting for the local authorities to approve their plans for the next phase of renovations.

-What's better than a bit of light?

-But until they do, the project is stuck in limbo.

♪♪ It's November 2021, and while Andrew and Katja wait for their plans to get the go-ahead, they've decided to start unpacking some of their treasured belongings.

-These are items that literally I grew up with.

Haven't actually seen them for a few years, so it's going to be really exciting when we come to -- -There's three rooms of stuff like this we've got now and a garage.

-My parents had antiques handed down to them from the family.

They bought quite a few items themselves, as well.

So, they're things that I've always known, so... -It's great to have them here.

-One of Katja's most prized possessions is an old painting of one of her ancestors, who was himself an Italian.

-And he was always in the dining room.

-So, it'd be more than fitting to hang his portrait again in the country of his birth.

-So, this is my great-great- great-great-great-grandfather, Franz Maria von Schweitzer.

And he was born in 1722, in Verona.

He was a silk merchant, a banker.

Mozart apparently wrote that "I dined with the wealthiest man in Frankfurt, Mr. Schweitzer, Herr Schweitzer," which was him.

Unfortunately, all his wealth didn't get passed down, which is a shame.

-It's a real bugger, that.

-But we have we have these nice items.

-Welcome back, dear fellow.

-Yes.

Welcome back.

-Another of Katja's 18th-century Italian ancestors was given a very special seal by the Holy Roman Emperor.

-This is, uh...

This is very old and quite something, this.

-Yeah.

Here's a signature from Leopold... King Leopold II.

-King Leopold.

-Leopold II also happened to be Marie Antoinette's brother.

-Who was the Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia.

-And all these countries.

-From 1790.

-I think it is services rendered.

-To the empire.

-And this is to show their gratitude.

And they're giving the royal seal to them.

-Andrew and Katja still can't move back in, but at least it feels like they're now within touching distance.

And with some of their belongings unpacked, the castello is at last beginning to feel like home.

-We're going to have this on display probably in the reception in a glass cabinet somewhere.

♪♪ -Coming up... -It's stunning.

-It's just so special.

-In France, two village saviors begin to see the fruits of their labor.

-I don't get tired of hearing people's reactions... -Yeah.

-...because you just think, you know, "We did this."

-And at La Galiserie, Sean and Lolly's DIY goes from bad to worse.

-What have you done?

Plan "B."

-Plan "B"?

♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ -Rural France is dotted with abandoned villages that have been left behind by the march of time, places like Montmagner, which dates back to the 12th century and was once a busy hamlet with a posthouse and a coaching inn at its heart.

After horses and stagecoaches gave way to petrol engines, Montmagner reverted back to agriculture.

But when the last generation of farmers passed away, it could have been lost forever until Ted and Lesa, from Essex, fell in love with what remained.

-I think what did it for us was the history.

And back then, when we bought it, we didn't know a lot of the history we know now.

But what we did know, I think, just hooked us.

-We just bought it.

-And even when we went home, there was still no discussion about was we doing the right thing, wasn't we?

We just bought it.

-We just bought it, and that was it.

And then it was, you know, the rest is history, as it were.

-Yeah.

-Ted and Lesa have already transformed three crumbling rooms into holiday apartments and opened a little café.

But they need to keep generating income to pay for the next phase of renovations, turning an old piggery into a gîte.

-So, we purchased the property for about £160,000.

And I say today we've probably spent about the same and in no way, shape, or form are we anywhere near finishing.

So, this is the thing.

Any income we get subsequently is just thrown straight back into the property.

-It's September, and with plenty left to do, it's vital they keep juggling renovation work with being hosts.

Today there are five guests checking into the hamlet, and Ted and Lesa are also cooking an evening meal.

-I always try and get my desserts out of the way first because I end up forgetting about them otherwise.

-Their first arrival, Tony, has already settled in, but now everybody else is here.

-Can I help you with the bags or anything?

-We got one bag.

-Yeah?

You'll be all right for that?

Let me show you to the room.

-Great.

-And it gives Ted the chance to show off the renovated rooms.

-So, you've got -- -Quite stunning.

-Yeah, so you've got a little kitchen area there, where you've got your coffee machine, and there's tea-making facilities, a little oven there, you know, anything like that.

But I know you're having dinner.

-We're only for the one night.

-You're having for dinner tonight, yeah.

-Yes.

-Now we just come from San Sebastian.

It was lovely, but, I mean, it was just an ordinary hotel.

-Yeah.

-This is just so special.

-Oh, good.

I'm glad.

I'm glad.

-Lovely.

-I'm glad.

I don't get tired of hearing people's reactions... -Yeah.

-...because you just think, you know, "We did this."

-Yeah.

-"We built this."

So, this is your room.

I'll go in and just turn the lights on.

-Fab.

-All right?

-Great.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Lovely!

-Chris?

Mind your head, mate, because it...

This is Julie and Chris.

And this is Cameron.

-Hello!

-Julie.

-Julie.

-I'm Chris.

Nice to meet you.

-With everybody settling in, the pressure is on for Lesa because one of the guests has ordered duck à l'orange, which she's never done before.

-You're not gonna YouTube it?

-No, I'm just going to wing it.

I'm not really sure how it's supposed to look, but I think... this is right.

-It's very pink.

-Is it okay?

-Very pink.

-Too pink.

-I don't know.

Well, this is the thing.

If it's too pink for him, he'll probably send it back.

-During the 17th century, when Montmagner had a coaching inn, food would have been served here, too.

Rich passengers from the stagecoaches might have dined on delicacies like heron, wild boar, and fruits candied in honey, while the workers were more likely to be eating stews of cabbage, onion, and turnips.

Back then, as now, the cooks would have known the importance of keeping their customers satisfied.

So, as Lesa serves her diners, she keeps her fingers crossed.

There you go.

Bon appétit.

-Soon the verdicts are in.

The duck was very nice in the orange sauce and very nice wine, as well, to go with it.

-The wine's going down very well.

And the ratatouille was amazing.

-Excellent and great company.

♪♪ -There's three crumbles.

I've got a crème brûlée here, as well.

-I have a crème brûlée.

-You're a crème brûlée.

Let me sort Julie's out with a crème brûlée.

-It's been a successful and lucrative night, and Montmagner is thriving again.

The menu may now be a modern one, but under Ted and Lesa's stewardship, the warmth of the hospitality is following in a long and noble tradition.

-It's been good, though, isn't it?

-It has been good.

It's been really nice, and I like the fact that the guests have been, you know, chatting away and haven't stopped talking.

I think they've thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think things look really good.

Yeah, yeah.

I might have some money to finish the piggeries.

-[ Laughs ] -Let's hope so.

♪♪ -Back in La Galiserie, Sean and Lolly are busily trying to piece together the history of the 400-year-old village they're now attempting to save.

Although most of the old fixtures and fittings have long since disappeared, there are still some signs of the people who lived here before.

-Voilà.

Perfect fit.

Love it.

[ Gasps ] -So, if you hold onto this... -[ Laughs ] No, I'm not going down.

-And I'll lower you down.

It's only 30 meters down.

-In centuries past, the villagers all drew their water from wells, and Sean and Lolly have discovered the winding mechanism for one that may have supplied dozens of families.

-Oh, I don't like heights.

So, that looking down there is not doing the greatest thing for me.

So, who's going in first?

Oh, I don't like looking down there.

So, that would have been the original pump, a pump that they've put in here somehow.

There's a great big metal rod down it.

-Wells were once as familiar to the landscape as barns, fences, and hedgerows.

They were the chief source of drinking water and irrigation.

But since they could be anything up to 30 meters deep, digging them out by hand was dangerous.

As the heavy buckets of earth were pulled out on ropes, lives could easily be lost if they fell onto the digger below.

-Well, it's not been used for a while.

-The dust.

[ Laughs ] -Good way of cleaning it.

-[ Laughs ] -There's water down here.

-There is water down there.

-Yeah.

♪♪ Beautiful!

Just need to send a bucket down there next.

-Send a bucket.

Clean it up.

-Yep.

See, this to me is treasure.

I love things like this.

And why they ever took it off, I don't know.

-The couple would love to devote more time to researching the history of La Galiserie, but the renovations are a priority at the moment.

Luckily, they have some help today from Lolly's son Charlie, who's still working on the sunken terrace, and Sean's mate Nigel, who's hoping to turn an old animal shelter into a cocktail lounge.

Lolly has some friends coming over from the U.K. this afternoon, and this will be her first chance to show off what's been achieved so far.

-We don't know what time they arrive.

We think maybe 4:00, so maybe another three hours.

So, we want them to have the wow factor and go, "You guys have done really well."

So, that is 65.5.

-So, if you measured from there... -So, if we measured from that one mark.

-That should be where you were.

-65.5.

-Sean and Nigel's main task today is to put up a heavy glass-and-steel shelf that came over from the U.K., and it's going to be quite a struggle.

-Can't wait.

I'm excited.

I love things like this.

-The stone walls are about two feet thick, and drilling through them takes strength and skill.

♪♪ -Cool.

-I've got the weight if you want it.

All right.

Okay.

-You did say WD-40, didn't you?

-Yeah.

[ Both laugh ] -No pressure.

It's awful, really, because this -- I wouldn't like to be doing this.

I don't like hovering over them to watch them work because there's nothing more off-putting, really.

But I'm just excited about seeing it happening.

-Eventually, the holes are ready for the shelf's supporting spindles.

-Keep trying to get it square as you can.

-That's more so.

♪♪ -Sean and Nigel followed the old adage of measure twice, cut once, but unfortunately they measured twice in the wrong place.

♪♪ -You got it upside down.

-No.

-No, it's the right way up.

-Sorry.

[ Chuckles ] -Plan "B."

-Plan "B"?

-It's time for a breather and a lunch break.

When Galiserie was built 400 years ago, villages were isolated, and there was no public transport, so most journeys were made on foot or horseback.

Sean hasn't got a horse.

But he does have a bike.

-Right.

I'm off to get the baguette.

-At least Lolly does.

-I'll see you in a minute.

-And he's borrowing that to buy lunch from a baguette vending machine a couple of miles away.

For a former Olympian like Sean, though... -Time me!

-...everything is a competition.

-Because he's so competitive, is anybody timing him?

-Yes.

-Someone's got to time him.

-Sean makes mincemeat of the 2-mile journey.

But there's bad news.

-That's a long way.

They've got no baguettes.

The machine's broken.

[ Laughs ] All that way.

I've also lost my car keys, which doesn't help.

So, the next village is a 15-minute drive.

So, I need to find them so we can eat.

-With Lolly's friends due in just a few hours and no shelf yet up in the cocktail bar... -Time is a-ticking on.

-...and no lunch in sight, Sean definitely has a mountain to climb this afternoon.

Coming up...

In Montmagner, they're hosting an artisan market, but Ted may have outstayed his welcome.

-Oh, my God, it probably is time I got off.

I think it's 10 to 3:00, and I should have been off quite a long time ago.

-And can Andrew and Katja find inspiration for their own decor at a stunning stately home?

-This is the sort of color scheme and type of pattern I was thinking of.

-It's September in Montmagner... ...and exactly a year since Ted and Lesa opened to the public.

-Un, deux, trois... -Deux, trois... -Twelve months ago, the local mayor cut a ribbon, and the event attracted quite a crowd.

But just as many people are arriving today.

-If anyone's waiting for a tour, it'll be about five minutes.

-They're hosting an artisan market in the grounds, and with guests checking in tonight, too, it's going to be busy.

Amongst the highlights of the day are the guided tours, which give Ted and Lesa a chance to show what their lost village has become.

-This part of the house was built by the Marcoul family in 1360, so it's almost 700 years old.

-The tours are a labor of love for the couple.

It gives them both a thrill to share their passion and to walk in the footsteps of the past.

♪♪ -The other features about this room, which I really love, is this old door.

This door, We have been reliably informed, is of the age.

So, we also had a gentleman recently who said this archway, sorry, this doorway, with the chamfering, is 15th century.

-The tour is going really well.

We've done a couple of tours.

Ted's just doing one now.

I'm doing the next one.

Um, the first one we did was all English.

The second one has been English and a few French.

I think we've got more French in the third one now, which I'm about to do.

But tour is going really well.

People are really loving it and appreciative of it.

♪♪ [ Speaking French ] So I'll take you inside.

-While Lesa carries on with her tour, Ted takes to the stage in the field with the artisan stalls.

In the U.K., Ted often worked as a musician, and he still takes every chance he gets to entertain.

♪♪ [ Applause ] -Thank you so much.

Thank you.

I'm just looking at the time because I think it's probably time I got off.

Oh, my God, it probably is time I got off.

I think it's 10 to 3:00, and I should have been off quite a long time ago.

[ Laughs ] -Over in the apartments, Lesa's just finishing the last tour of the day.

-This beam had over 400 nails in that.

-And it seems the guests have fallen for Montmagner, just as Ted and Lesa did.

-We loved it.

-Really informative.

-Yeah.

-The history of the house is just unbelievable.

-It was a fantastic show, wasn't it?

-Yeah, it was great.

It was, you know, the quality of work that... and the ability to fit in everything into the space that you've got.

It's really excellent.

-I love it.

I love showing people around, and I love their reaction to it.

And I love the fact that we're showing them areas, not just the good areas, but the bad, as well, because it makes them want to come back, doesn't it?

-As the artisan stalls pack up, Ted and Lesa can't clock off just yet.

Lesa has cakes to bake for the tearoom tomorrow, and soon there are overnight guests to check in.

-Bonjour, Monsieur Dan!

-Well, hello!

-Hello!

-How are we?

-I'm good.

How are you?

I'm Lesa.

This is Ted.

-I'm Ted.

-Hello, Dave.

Tracy, yes?

-Oh, yes.

Nice to see you.

-How are you doing?

-Tired.

Yes.

-Hi.

[ All laugh ] ♪♪ -So, by the time Ted and Lesa do call it a night, they're both fit to drop.

-I fancy a little tipple.

-I think you deserve one.

-Yeah.

Just -- I'll tell you what.

I'll lay here, and you get one of them wine boxes.

Just tip it down.

[ Both laugh ] -Their open day has been a huge success, and the money it's raised will help pay for renovations in the piggery, which start in earnest next week.

-My feet are killing me.

-I know!

My knees are just shot to pieces.

♪♪ -Back in Abruzzo, Andrew and Katja are on a field trip to find inspiration for the ceilings in their castello.

The couple have about 50 rooms to decorate, and although some will stay rustic and unplastered, others will be much grander affairs.

About half a dozen rooms in the castello have vaulted ceilings, with a self-supporting arch that draws the eye upward and makes the room feel more spacious.

They're typical of an Italian mansion house of the 16th century.

-If we got professionals in to do our ceilings, it's going to cost a fortune.

So, um, I don't see why we can't do it ourselves.

-Mm.

Yeah.

And I know that she's capable of doing it because I've seen her artistic talents before.

She's very good.

-So, today they're visiting the neighboring village of Santo Stefano to see some that have been beautifully restored.

♪♪ La Dimora Sessanio is now a hotel, but it's an example of a palazzo, a palatial Italian house with links to nobility.

And this one has been in the same family for over 100 years.

-This is a sort of color scheme and type of pattern... -That's what I thought you'd say.

-...I was thinking of.

-It's a beautiful room, isn't it?

-Okay, well, I'm going to have to take lots of pictures.

-Yeah.

-Wow!

[ Gasps ] -It's amazing, isn't it?

-Wow.

-The building itself is 600 years old, but the opulent decor dates back to the 18th century.

The motifs are all beautifully hand-painted directly onto the plaster, and on one of the bedroom ceilings, there's a stunning depiction of a quilt that seems to invite guests to a restful night.

-Well, I just want to get painting now.

-I thought you'd get inspired by that.

-Yeah.

Yeah, and hopefully it won't be too long before we can really start moving along.

-Yeah.

[ Birds chirping ] -Fresh from their visit to La Dimora Sessanio... -So, I want to see if I can make that light a bit better with a bit of dark.

-...Andrew and Katja are using some tester colors on one of the walls in their castello.

-It's gonna be one hell of a job.

It's quite exciting, though.

I'm going to definitely give it a go.

Well, we thought we'll start with this room, which is the living room, so as our private room and, in fact, the whole sort of theme of the living room, we want it to be blue and gold.

Just love that combination.

-Inspired by the colors they've seen today, they also want to add twinkling stars.

-The stars are going to go all over the ceiling.

♪♪ -I think they're exactly how they should be.

-It's all medieval-y, aren't they?

-Yeah.

Well, that's the right blue.

-Isn't it?

-The couple feel they found the perfect design for the walls.

They just need to do some tests on the ceiling.

-How's that?

That'll do?

-Yeah.

That'll do.

-Painters in the past would have had to build huge wooden scaffold towers to decorate a ceiling like this, 15 feet from the ground.

Andrew's tower is light aluminum, but it proves problematic when he needs an extra ladder.

-Unhook the ladder that's nearest to you and push it up.

Just unhook it at the bottom.

-Unhook at the bottom?

-Lift the outside ladder, and it will go up in the air.

Hold the other one.

You have to unhook it at the bottom.

-What am I unhooking at the bottom?

-Where is the hooking bottom?

-You'll see.

Look on the bottom rung.

They're hooked together.

You have to pull it down.

And so, lift it up slightly and pull down the outside one.

Push that up.

Hold the other one.

No, hold it down.

This one needs to come up.

-Yeah.

You're not being very clear, Andrew.

So... -Now, hook it over that step.

Look.

Put the things over the step.

-Ow!

Right on my finger.

-Oh, seriously?

-Yeah, look.

Can you just... -No, I don't understand what's going on.

-My finger was stuck in there, you twit!

-Oh, you didn't tell me it was stuck.

I thought it just pinched you.

Okay.

I'm sorry.

-Even the best partnerships have their awkward moments.

But by the end of the evening, Andrew and Katja are back in sync and feel as if they've made some good decisions.

-The combination of the blue and the gold just works so well together.

We've learned something.

-Yeah, we've decided.

We've decided on the color.

So, that's it.

Let's leave it.

The simpler, the better.

♪♪ -I think it's going to get better.

♪♪ -Coming up... -I'm ready when you are.

-Yeah, we're nearly there, nearly there.

-Will the cocktail bar at La Galiserie be ready for guests?

-Well, hopefully it's going to fit this time.

Redrilled the hole, so... -Fingers crossed.

-Fingers crossed.

Yeah.

-And work starts on the piggery.

-It looks like a building site.

-But is the job bigger than they expected?

-This is kind of what they should look like.

Someone has well and truly eaten that.

-Its October in Montmagner.

And at last work on the piggery has started.

The building dates back to the 12th century, and Ted and Lesa plan to turn it into a gîte.

They've even moved in so that they can rent out their own apartment in the château.

Over the last two years, Ted and Lesa have done most of the renovating themselves.

But now that Lesa is busy in the tearoom, she won't be able to muck in in quite the same way.

-I'm just a bit gutted that I'm not involved in it.

-Well, baby, you got enough work cut out, you know, doing all the restaurant, and, you know, you got entertaining to do, which is important because that's money-earning.

And there'll be plenty more in there.

-Today, Ted is getting some help from his friend Karsten, who's over from Denmark.

And his first task is to jet-wash the tiles that came from the piggery roof.

Since they haven't been cleaned in generations, they are covered in moss.

But there's a problem.

-There's not enough pressure.

Doesn't -- it's not enough power on it.

-Sorry, mate.

We know there's water coming out here.

That's no good.

♪♪ -No good.

-With the jet washer in need of repair, Ted and Karsten decide to take the timber off the roof instead.

They're going to start with the lats, the thin planks that run horizontally.

-Let's give it a go, shall we?

-Yeah.

-You got a little lumber in there.

That's one.

A few more to go.

-We got it.

-[ Laughs ] I would like to salvage the rafters as much as I can if they're good because it's dried out.

It might not be necessarily straight, but it'll be useful because it's all oak.

And, you know, as we know, oak is very useful but tends to be very expensive.

So, anything I can salvage will be good.

I think the lats -- it's softwood anyway -- so, you know, they'll dry out and be kindling.

-But as Ted and Karsten begin to take out the lats with a lump hammer, the back wall begins to crumble.

♪♪ And when Ted tackles the slats at the apex of the roof, there's even more loose stone.

-Look at all this, just falling apart.

-It's clear it's going to be a much bigger job than he anticipated.

-How is the wall looking?

-Only probably needs rebuilding.

-It's not crumbling or anything?

-It's all crumbling.

Well, all the stud marks crumbling.

I've already had one stone out of it.

All this concrete's got to come off.

♪♪ [ Dog barking ] I just don't think it's stable enough to take anything.

I think it all needs to be rebuilt, which is time and effort.

So, all the stone has come down.

[ Barking continues ] [ Birds chirping ] -With the lats now dismantled, Ted and Karsten tackle the thicker beams, the rafters, and the purlins.

Ted was hoping to keep them in situ, but they're showing signs of rot, so they need to come down, as well.

If they aren't careful, though, there's now a risk that the walls might come tumbling down, too.

-Because you see that lat now is like this.

This is crazy.

♪♪ -It's been a day of fits and starts, but by the time Lesa comes around... -Wow.

-...it's mission accomplished.

-It looks like a building site.

-I know.

-And Ted is looking on the bright side again.

-It would have been nice to get all the tiles cleaned, but the pressure washer gave up the ghost.

But we got all the timbers out of the roof, which is really good, although it's probably caused more problems than it's solved.

This is particularly interesting.

This is one of the rafters, and that's the reason why we had to replace the roof.

And this is, you know, this is kind of what they should look like.

♪♪ Someone has well and truly eaten that.

-Ted and Lesa had given themselves six months to renovate the piggery, but now it looks like it might need more time.

When renovating old buildings like this, you never know what secrets lie in store.

♪♪ -Well-done.

-Yeah.

-I never expected you to get this far.

-Okay.

-Well-done.

-Thank you.

♪♪ -Back in La Galiserie, there's just over an hour to go before Sean and Lolly's friends arrive from the U.K.

So, while Sean and Nigel have another go at the shelf in the cocktail bar, Lolly is off to put some finishing touches to the guest bedroom.

-And I've got to get a couple of candles.

So, this is my candle store at the moment.

♪♪ Right.

Up I go.

I've done this many a time.

Love this room.

Right.

I'm in.

-It isn't complete, and nothing's actually plumbed in yet, but Lolly's created the illusion of a lovely, relaxing room.

-So, this eventually will be our en suite, set up as it's probably going to be, generally, apart from having a shower in this corner.

We're going to have a really big shower.

So, this is the bed, and this is another charity find.

Um, I love it.

Does it make a difference to people's stay?

I think it does.

-Back in the cocktail lounge, the new holes are soon drilled, and it's time for the moment of truth.

-Well, hopefully, it's going to fit this time.

Redrilled the hole, so... -Fingers crossed.

-Fingers crossed, yeah.

-Okay?

-I'm ready when you are.

♪♪ -Here we are.

-Perfect.

-Yes, Nige, you're the main man.

♪♪ Yeah.

It looks amazing, doesn't it?

With the pewter and the pewter in the bar, once we get some mood lighting, it'll look stunning.

-After the shelf is filled with bottles, the cocktail lounge is ready.

And Sean and Lolly's timing Couldn't have been better because their guests, Martin and Lisa, have arrived.

-I can't believe you're here!

[ Dog barks ] -It's thirsty work driving over from the U.K.

So, where better to whet your whistle than the newest cocktail bar in midwest France?

-Oh, wow, that is amazing!

-Do you love it?

-I love it.

I love it.

Bar!

-You're going to spend.

a lot of time in here, I think.

-Yes.

Are you sure?

That's not like you.

That's a little one.

I'll do Marty's.

Marty is having one, isn't he?

-Yeah, I think so.

-I can't begin to tell you how excited and happy I am that they're here.

-You can just see it coming to life and just seeing how beautiful it's going to be.

It's, um...yeah.

Getting the Lolly treatment, which it needed.

-Lolly and Sean were hoping to give their friends the wow factor, and they've definitely done that.

Yeah, I just love the fact that they've made the effort, actually, to come and see us, you know?

Very lucky.

-Yes.

very lucky.

And it'll be awesome.

It'll be a very awesome weekend.

-Tonight, they'll give them a proper tour.

But as the shadows grow longer and the sun begins to set, it's time for a really good catch-up.

Sean and Lolly have barely begun their renovations, but their energy and spirit have already transformed this once-abandoned village.

Thanks to them, La Galiserie is now emerging from the bleakest chapter in its 400-year-old history.

And like our other village saviors, they're building a legacy for the future.

♪♪ Next time, the walls at La Galiserie are on shaky ground.

-The cracks are a worry, and they were a worry when we first looked at the property.

But, well, it's been here for up to 600 years, and there are no foundations underneath, so everything will move.

-In Montmagner, roof repairs could be a step too far.

-No, I've had enough.

I want to get down now.

[ Laughter ] -And in San Benedetto... Is there a sting in the tail?

-It's huge.

So, yeah, we do have quite a lot of scorpions here.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪