PICK OF TODAY’S TV

HELP! WE BOUGHT A VILLAGE, 4PM, CH4

WE’RE used to seeing people transforming single properties, but this new daytime series takes things one step further. Here, we meet the brave individuals who are pouring their life savings — not to mention countless hours of backbreaking effort — into restoring whole villages that have fallen into a state of disrepair. With the trend across Europe for people to turn away from agriculture and seek employment in the cities, there’s no shortage of remote rural settlements abandoned to the ravages of time and nature. Among those hoping to breath new life into these forgotten places are Yip and Paul (pictured), landscape gardeners from Kent, who have snapped up a derelict village in Normandy. And boy does it need work! We also meet Francesca and Carl from Yorkshire as they seal the deal for a hilltop hamlet in Italy — the views are stunning, but with a mountain of tasks ahead of them, the couple won’t be able to enjoy them any time soon. Meanwhile, the owners of a medieval walled village in south-west France are hiring out the historic stronghold as a fairytale wedding venue, and it will require a military operation to get everything ready in time.