Daring you to change your lives
Their can-do attitude has captivated millions of TV viewers as they transformed a dilapidated castle into a beautiful family home. Now Dick and Angel Strawbridge plan to inspire fans when they embark on their first UK theatre tour.
In Dick & Angel – Dare To Do It, the stars of Channel 4’s Escape To The Chateau series hope that by telling their stories they will encourage others to make changes in their lives.
“You can’t write the script that sees the two of us together in a castle with a family, but we made it happen by just doing things,” said Dick.
“We’re not here to convince people to buy a chateau in France, but it’s all about doing things you like and getting stuck in and just doing it.
“You don’t just put an ex-Army colonel and East End girl together in a castle, but this is the story of what happens when you make the right decisions in life.We have an enviable lifestyle because we did it.
“There’s lot of excuses and not many reasons for people to actually go and do these things. Excuses are there to stop people.”
Angel continued: “It’s not just about making a big leap and moving to a different country, it can be taking on a hobby or decorating a room you’ve been putting off doing – that kind of give-it-a-go attitude.
“We have that attitude and we enjoy that about each other.
“We’ll give everything a go – to varying standards of success!”
Dick and Angel, who have been together since 2010, have done much more than decorate a room since bringing the Chateau-de-la Motte Husson in the west of France back to life, as viewers have seen over six series of the show.
“Even when, at the start, it was really cold and not all the sewerage was in place, it was still terribly exciting to have this incredible home with so much potential, ”Angel smiled.
“After a year, we had a sewerage system, a toilet, electricity, all of these luxuries in place, and the wedding business started.
“Room renovation was a different
challenge, a level of normality among the dust. Whether you are doing up a room in a flat or a chateau, it’s the same challenges.”
The tour begins in Edinburgh and the couple say it will lay their lives bare.
Angel said: “We’re breaking the show into two parts.
“The first is pre-chateau, taking in Dick’s Army days to the variety of TV shows he’s been part of, such as Scrapheap Challenge, MasterChef and It’s Not Easy Being Green.
“I’ll also be looking back at my Dragon’s Den past and life in hospitality.”
Dick said:“We’ll talk about the background to the TV series, but ultimately it’s a love story, about how you get two people and their two gorgeous children living in a castle.
“Actually, our kids, Arthur and Dorothy, will be with us for the first half of the tour, while we are in Scotland. It’ll be half-term, and there’s a good chance they’ll join us on stage, too.”
First, though, is Christmas, and the couple can’t wait.
Dick added: “Christmas is family time. Growing up in Northern Ireland as one of seven children, my old man enjoyed Christmas as much as we did.
“Our kids are five and six, so we still have years of magical Christmases ahead of us – we can’t wait.”