Dick and Angel Strawbridge are making a rather unexpected comeback to television screens later this year, with a 10th series of Escape to the Chateau on the way.
The new episodes entered production last year following a four-year gap since cameras last rolled at Château de la Motte Husson.
The Channel 4 hit, which first aired in 2016 and originally wrapped after its ninth series, will follow the couple and their children Arthur, now 13, and Dorothy, 12, as they navigate a fresh chapter of life in their 19th-century French château.
The beloved programme has tracked the Strawbridge family’s journey since they purchased the dilapidated 45-room property in Mayenne for £280,000 back in 2015.
Dick and Angel Strawbridge and their two children are returning to screens
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INSTAGRAM/THE STRAWBRIDGE FAMILY
The decision to return to screens may come as a surprise to some, given that the couple announced their decision to step back from filming in late 2021.
The pair decided the following year would be their final year in front of cameras, citing Arthur’s move into secondary school and Dorothy’s last year of primary education as reasons for the move.
But now they’re ready to let viewers into the chateau once again, with Dorothy’s desire for her own bedroom sparking quite the overhaul at the family home.
Dick and Angel spoke to GB News at The Game Fair 2026 to discuss the changes fans can expect in the new series and how their children have adapted to life in front of the camera.
Dick and Angel Strawbridge spoke to GB News at this year’s Game Fair
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GETTY“It’s interesting, they didn’t know they were in (the show) to begin with,” Dick said of Dorothy and Arthur. “They haven’t taken to it; they didn’t know that they were on television.”
Dick went on to pay tribute to the crew that created an environment that allowed his children to thrive.
“The people we’ve got (working) with us today – Jonathan (Hales), who’s a series producer in series 10, which we just finished, he was a producer, director, and was a cameraman for five years,” Dick went on.
“(Dorothy and Arthur) were just so pleased to see Jonathan, because he’s part of the family. And that was their life. And then, when they got older, they discovered they were on television.”
Dick and Angel star in the series alongside their family
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YOUTUBE/ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU
“They never saw (the show),” Angel pointed out. “It was on Channel 4, 8pm, which is 9pm in France. And young children go to bed.
“The big thing, as well, is that we have always had such a tiny crew. So it would be Jonathan, and maybe an assistant. And then maybe a sound person, and someone directing… it was our lives.
“It didn’t ever feel like a TV group. It just felt like home, and it felt very natural to them.”
Cherry-picking the team to let into their chateau has paid dividends. The results are 10 hugely successful and much-loved seasons of Escape to the Chateau – with an 11th on the way.
The Strawbridges’ 19th-century French château
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YOUTUBE/ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU
“That’s one of the things we did right. We’ve done some filming recently that we’ve got about 20 people around the place doing it, and that’s television in the old-fashioned way.
“That’s different when you’re having a couple of people; they have to be the right people. They have to absorb into the family. But then you get to see everything, and you capture things that are real, as opposed to capturing a manufactured scene, and our camera crews have been amazing.”
Angel and Dick ensured the team behind the show “had some knowledge which was relevant to the children” before any cameras could roll.
“When Dorothy met them, she immediately was a little bit more reticent, but then, when she warmed up to them, if Dorothy was happy, that was a huge plus,” Dick said. “And Arthur just goes straight forward and just leathers away. And that allows us to actually capture our story in a real way, because the children don’t even think about it.”
Work on the new series means the family’s other projects have taken somewhat of a backseat. Angel conceded that the decision to make another two series of ETTC has meant their YouTube channel has been put on the back burner.
“(We’ve done) a little bit. We have got a YouTube presence, but our energy, if we’re honest with you, has been put into series 10,” she said.
“We filmed last year, and we’re just finishing season 11 as well. So we’re quite excited. And that’s been Jonathan and the same crew that we’ve always had.”
So what have fans missed over the past few years, and what can they expect when the Strawbridges let the cameras back into the chateau?
Dick Strawbridge first appeared on screen with Escape to the Chateau in 2016
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YOUTUBE/ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU
“Things change. Arthur’s taller than me now and Dorothy is a young lady, and that change has taken place very, very quickly,” Dick admitted.
“Every week, something happens in our world, it’s just amazing. You just can’t write the script of it.”
Regarding renovations within the chateau, Dick and Angel revealed that an overhaul to the honeymoon suite has taken centre stage in recent months.
Dick explained: “The honeymoon suite is a major, major undertaking. You have to watch the programme to see this, but it’s a real update. We’ve had a big move around in the house.
Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree are the faces of Escape to the Chateau
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CHANNEL 4“This is all season 10, where Arthur and Dorothy now have their own rooms, and then we had to move out of our room to make that happen. We weren’t quite sure where to go, so we moved into the original honeymoon suite. It was great.”
Angel chipped in: “But we obviously still have the wedding business, and we still do events. We’re doing everything that we set out to do. That was our dream, and we’re doing it, we’re living it.
“But we’re like, ‘Oh, we need to do the honeymoon suite.’ So, we decided it was gonna be a massive barn on the side of the walled garden. And because it wasn’t in the chateau, I feel like I’ve had to overcompensate and be like, ‘It has to be the best thing ever done!'”
And it certainly sounds like it lives up to its name. “This is a huge place with powers in it,” Dick joked.
He delved into the details: “A mezzanine level with a handmade wooden bar, (for example). It’s just the most stunning, stunning place. Its own private swimming pool, private courtyards. All of this was done for our first wedding this year.
“And so many ideas, so little time, and so much sort of French inertia to overcome to get it done.”
A release date for the upcoming series of Escape to the Chateau in the UK remains under wraps for now.
However, with an 11th already in the pipeline, it sounds like fans of the Strawbridge family have plenty of new content to enjoy around the corner.
