Help! We Bought a Village Season 4 Episode 2

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Transcript

00:01Owning a property abroad is the ultimate goal for most Brits.

00:05It's like a dream come true. It's just so magical.

00:09But for some, a conventional home just won't do.

00:13A lot of it was ruins, but we fell in love with it.

00:18They're setting aside their fears.

00:20The key is to never look down.

00:23To do something remarkable.

00:25It's a mammoth task, really.

00:27Resurrecting Europe's lost villages.

00:30I think any sort of rational person would probably not try and do that.

00:35In this series, we meet the brand new pioneers.

00:39I think I'm a bit all over the place. It's like it's a big day.

00:42Delving into their village's past.

00:45I think that's powder flask.

00:47And we revisit those who already made the bold leap.

00:53And are still battling to keep their dreams alive.

00:57One year. One year without some disaster.

01:00But can they win the race against time?

01:03At the moment, it just feels like everything's falling down and nothing's going up.

01:06To turn crumbling buildings into family homes and successful businesses.

01:11It's a really big moment.

01:13Oh, bless you.

01:15Or will it all fall down around their ears?

01:21Oh, come out, come out, come out, come out, come out, come out, come out.

01:24Oh, dear.

01:26as they try to restore the past to build their future.

01:30Because there's a whole village to be built, yeah.

01:36Today... Brace yourself.

01:38Oh, bloody hell, you're not kidding.

01:40..our heroic saviours in Normandy risk life and limb.

01:44Hang on, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. It seems to be loose.

01:47..as their village threatens to fall apart at the seams.

01:51You can see, it's just literally...

01:53..mud. It's just holding everything together, it's mad.

01:58Guests at a ghost village in Italy

02:00are overwhelmed by their room without a roof.

02:04Oh, my God.

02:06Oh!

02:08This is... Oh, my God.

02:13It is so rare that I don't find any words,

02:16but this is now happening.

02:18And at a hamlet in Western France...

02:22..it takes some heavy lifting

02:27and plenty of help from the neighbours...

02:29..drag it inside.

02:31OK.

02:32That's OK. Nicely done.

02:34..to get a fire going for the first time in years.

02:40We have flame.

02:41When you're trying to restore an entire ghost village,

02:48it's vital to be able to turn your hand to a wide range of jobs.

02:52And south-west of Rouen, in the old farming community of La Boulière,

02:57Kent couple Paul and Yip have found that multitasking is now just second nature.

03:02We are workmen, project manager, finance...

03:07..advance person...

03:08..advance person...

03:09..bank...

03:10..architect.

03:11You know, we're all of those things because we can afford none of those things.

03:16Yeah.

03:17Since 2021, these landscape gardeners have been the custodians of five cottages,

03:23two barns, a hayloft, a bakery and two acres of land.

03:27But they've also just taken on a sixth cottage after it unexpectedly came up for sale.

03:40We've recently acquired this with the same thinking that we've had all along.

03:45We've also just taken a sixth cottage after it unexpectedly came up for sale.

03:49We've recently acquired this with the same thinking that we've had all along,

03:54The same thinking that we've had all along, really,

03:57is wanting to piece Le Boullier back together.

04:00It feels more secure to know that we now own this.

04:03And it's the oldest property in Le Boullier, 250 years old.

04:09It's exciting.

04:11Although other priorities mean it hasn't yet risen

04:13to the top of Paul and Yip's to-do list,

04:15they can't wait to get inside

04:17and start transforming it into another potential revenue stream.

04:22This is not going to steal our attention away from everything else,

04:28but it is going to be running alongside

04:31all the other works we've got going on.

04:34We've just added another two plates to the poles, haven't we?

04:44It's June, and Paul and Yip have had to refocus their attention

04:48away from the village because Paul's mum is ill.

04:51And they're spending much more time in the UK.

04:55The couple did have a plan to move out of the house they live in

04:58and into the derelict cottage next door,

05:01but that project is now on pause.

05:04Some jobs are too urgent to delay, though,

05:07and there's a building in the village

05:08that's crying out for Paul and Yip's help.

05:12It is a nightmare.

05:14It's quite a challenge, yes, I must admit.

05:16I'm not looking forward to it.

05:19The middle cottage in Nero is increasingly unsafe,

05:22so Paul and Yip need to do some emergency work on the front wall.

05:28The wall is split,

05:30and it's starting to separate inside and outside.

05:34You can see daylight through the wall.

05:36It's not good, is it?

05:37Yeah, so we need to bring it down probably halfway past that window

05:40until I know where it's all good stonework.

05:44We've been dreading it a bit, haven't we?

05:45Yeah, it's quite a risky thing

05:47because we kind of don't really know what's going to happen.

05:51But we go into most jobs like that.

05:53The wall is so bowed that it could collapse at any minute,

05:59so the couple need to be careful how they tackle it.

06:03Right, mind there, no cats about, hopefully.

06:06Paul starts by removing any loose stones at the roofline.

06:10It's great for rebuilding.

06:16All these stones that I'm chucking down,

06:17they've slid from this gable end.

06:20They've all slid down and pushed this out.

06:23So I've got to just get all the loose ones off

06:25and then I can start taking all this down

06:28to where it starts to come out, which is about down there.

06:31There is a lot of work here.

06:32And we've got just us two.

06:35No loader.

06:41Next, they need to start dismantling the wall by hand,

06:44one stone at a time.

06:46Well done.

06:48Paul and Yip have put together a rudimentary pulley system

06:51so they can lower multiple stones to the ground at once.

06:54The bucket and rope may be mass-produced from modern materials.

06:58I'm going to lower this down now.

07:01But their methods are following in the footsteps

07:03of the original craftsmen.

07:06The builders who went before them

07:08could have used ox or horsepower,

07:11but Paul and Yip are having to rely on their own muscle.

07:20Well done.

07:22My dear, I'm nowhere near as strong as I used to be.

07:24I know, none of us are, Poppet.

07:28Welcome to your late 40s.

07:30The 50s?

07:31Not for me yet.

07:33They're making progress, but it isn't exactly fast.

07:37And without an extra pair of hands on the ground

07:39to empty the bucket, it could take days.

07:42Paul, Yip and LeBullier are locked together

07:45in a fight for survival,

07:47with little more than sweat and determination on their side.

07:50And they know it's a battle they might not win.

07:55Do you want me to get down and empty that into the wheelbarrow?

07:57Well, don't you have to keep coming up and down?

07:59Well, it is what it is.

08:08The Italian region of Basilicata

08:10was one of the cradles of European civilisation.

08:14Home to mathematician Pythagoras,

08:16it was once an area so populated and vibrant

08:19that it sent its own delegation of athletes

08:21to the original Greek Olympics.

08:24Just above the modern town of Toursi

08:26stands Rabatana,

08:28founded in the 8th century by invading Arabs.

08:32It grew to a peak of around 2,500 people

08:35who farmed the surrounding fields

08:37and lived a traditional Mediterranean lifestyle.

08:40But emigration, demographic decline

08:43and successive earthquakes

08:45led to the complete abandonment of this town

08:48about 50 years ago.

08:50It's a trend that Martine,

08:53an ex-wine merchant from Norfolk,

08:55is desperately trying to reverse.

08:57I would imagine the last time

09:07that really this was populated

09:09was in the 50s.

09:10Most people left because there was no work.

09:13So, basically, you know,

09:14the towns are abandoned.

09:16I'm fascinated by this coat of arms

09:19because it has a skull and crossbones

09:23on the bottom.

09:24And this is a beautiful palazzo,

09:26which is for sale.

09:31There's something like 10 people

09:32living in the whole of Rabatana now,

09:34where once it would have been thriving

09:37with schools and shops.

09:38So, yes, it was very sad

09:41that the whole thing was just abandoned.

09:45A joke.

09:45There are more cats than people,

09:47but there probably is.

09:49Martine has been living amongst the ruins of Rabatana

09:51for the last 16 years.

09:54After buying and renovating

09:56various derelict properties,

09:58she now runs what is known as

09:59a defused hotel,

10:01with four elegant apartments

10:03she saved from collapse.

10:05The more that I was here,

10:06the more I realised that

10:07there were so many possibilities,

10:10that, you know,

10:10there's all this fantastic landscape,

10:13this history, this culture.

10:15So, yeah, that kind of...

10:16It grew on me.

10:17It's August,

10:18and Martine is hard at work

10:25on her next renovation project.

10:28Look, we found Veronica's secret place.

10:31What are you doing in here, Veronica?

10:33Eh?

10:33It's a cellar underneath the rooms

10:36she calls the Mandarin Suite,

10:38and thought to be at least 400 years old.

10:41This will probably be made

10:42into, like, two bedrooms

10:44with an en suite bathroom.

10:46If we're going to put an en suite down here,

10:48put a bath in front of here

10:49so you can lay in the bath

10:51and look at the convent,

10:52I mean, it would just be incredible

10:54with these beams exposed

10:55and all of this lovely stone.

10:57Martine has already spent a day

10:59chipping away at the old plaster,

11:01and she's hoping to make more progress today.

11:04Look, you see, it just comes off so easily.

11:15I think that it's just been damp

11:16coming in here for a long time.

11:20Wow.

11:22Could look pretty fantastic, couldn't it?

11:24Can you imagine finding some buried treasure?

11:27Something from the Knights Templars,

11:28cos apparently they came through here

11:30with everybody else.

11:32After the best part of an hour,

11:33it's not buried treasure Martine has found,

11:36but some mysterious stones.

11:41There are quite a lot of black stones,

11:43like this one.

11:44In that wall as well, there's a lot.

11:46I wonder if they maybe even have been rescued

11:48from another house that burnt down,

11:50cos there's obviously no sign of a chimney

11:51or anything here.

11:54It's likely these blackened stones

11:56were once part of an old fireplace,

11:58and they were taken from other houses in Rabatana

12:00when they were dismantled.

12:02The builders of the past recognised the importance

12:05of reusing raw materials,

12:08and not just for economic reasons.

12:10Stones like these would have had to be dragged

12:12all the way up the hillside from the local riverbeds,

12:15so wasting them would have been unthinkable.

12:19Working away to peel off these layers of history

12:21is a privilege for this passionate village saviour.

12:25You know, when a project's finished,

12:28it's like finishing a good book.

12:31You're bereft, cos it's gone.

12:32And all you've got is memories, really.

12:34But there's still a long way to go for Martine

12:37before her renovations here are over.

12:40Coming up...

12:48I don't think it's that bad, honestly.

12:50Yeah, look.

12:52Oh!

12:53Our village saviours are playing with fire in France.

12:57I always wanted to be a chimney sweep.

12:59It's the moment of truth for Paul and Yip in La Bouillière.

13:12What I don't want to do is for this lot to fall,

13:14cos it's tied into this stonework.

13:17Close my eyes and ears and hope for the best.

13:19Despite the fact that the UK and France

13:33have similar-sized populations,

13:35there are over 2 million more homes

13:37lying empty on the other side of the Channel.

13:40Sometimes properties are abandoned in France

13:42because of the high cost of renovations

13:44or complicated inheritance laws.

13:47But in rural areas,

13:49it's often just down to the dwindling number of jobs on the land.

13:54The ghost village of Chicheville in Western France

13:57is a prime example.

14:00Oh, he's a little bit tired today.

14:04And it could have been lost forever

14:06if it wasn't for two British saviours.

14:10The guy that we bought it off

14:12when we signed at the Nataire on that day was 99.

14:15And he said his great-grandmother was born in the house.

14:21So that's going back a bit.

14:27Tony and Terry are antique restorers from Gloucestershire

14:30who are now the proud custodians of three houses,

14:34half a dozen buildings and an extensive wood.

14:36They paid about £60,000 for the hamlet

14:40and intend to do most of the renovation work themselves.

14:46It's not getting handed over to anyone to sort out for us, is it?

14:50No, no.

14:51We can't afford that.

14:52We can't afford that.

14:53It's the labour.

14:54So, whereas you might do a room and it costs you €1,000,

14:58if you're paying something to do,

14:59it might be five, €6,000.

15:00By the time we've improved the drainage,

15:03redo the electrics,

15:05have some work on the roof,

15:06we think we can bring it in maybe £90,000.

15:16It's November.

15:17So before winter spreads its icy tentacles across the village,

15:22Tony and Terry are turning their attention to keeping warm.

15:24There's also damp in the farmhouse that needs drying out.

15:29So the couple have a plan.

15:31So here's our lovely wood burner.

15:35The burner is made of steel plate,

15:37so it weighs well over 100 kilos.

15:40That's 16 stone,

15:42or about the same as a well-fed Great Dane.

15:46I don't think it's that bad, honestly.

15:48Yeah, look.

15:50Oh!

15:51Their first task...

15:52OK, keep going.

15:54A little bit of right, that's it.

15:56..is getting it from the open barn to the main house.

16:00Whoa!

16:02Spot on.

16:04My spear reversing that.

16:06Bang in the middle.

16:07Look at that.

16:10Tony has once again called on his good friend Peter,

16:13who's brought his son Toby for extra manpower.

16:16Try a left lead.

16:19Oh, God.

16:20Put it back down.

16:22But it's a struggle, even for the three of them.

16:25I did say wear steel toe caps, didn't I?

16:28Luckily, teamwork and a bit of British grit...

16:31Yeah!

16:33..gets the job done.

16:35Ah!

16:35I don't know why you're making such a fuss.

16:39It isn't over yet, though.

16:42After a short drive to the front door...

16:44Oh, what?

16:45I got the light in.

16:48..and with more help from another neighbour, John...

16:51Let them take it.

16:53..the reclaimed wood burner

16:54finally makes it across the threshold.

16:57Where are we heading?

16:58Through here.

16:59OK.

17:00Are we lifting or sliding?

17:02No, we're lifting.

17:03We're lifting.

17:03Are we?

17:04OK.

17:06I'm dragging it.

17:06Ooh!

17:07Oh, OK.

17:08Wow.

17:09That's OK.

17:10Nicely done.

17:11They say it takes a village to raise a child,

17:14but it can also take the neighbours to raise a village.

17:18Thank you, John.

17:19Appreciate that.

17:20Very welcome.

17:21And Tony and Terry feel blessed to be surrounded

17:24by willing friends happy to lend a hand.

17:27The bills and the post.

17:29Their neighbours are just as delighted

17:31with what the newbies are bringing to their community.

17:34Well, the first time I saw this building,

17:36I really thought it was dangerous

17:37and it was sort of a couple of months away from collapsing.

17:40It's been amazing what they've actually done

17:42in the relatively short time that they've been here

17:45in this, I don't know, 200-year-old house

17:47that didn't have much done to me

17:49in that first 200 years, to be honest.

17:50Before they can get the home fires burning,

17:53the chimney is in need of a flue.

17:55And since Tony doesn't have a good head for heights,

17:57he's happy to let Peter take the lead.

18:01You there, Tony?

18:02Are you there, Peter?

18:04I'm here.

18:05OK, when do you want to start?

18:06We'll have you ready.

18:08Let's go.

18:09Yeah, go on, you push and I'll pull.

18:12This is where Gladden didn't paint the wood burner.

18:17Nice and steady because it keeps getting caught.

18:19Yeah.

18:20Right there.

18:23Take a bit of tension off.

18:25I always wanted to be a chimney sweep.

18:27Job's a good one.

18:29Well, we've just got to light the fire now,

18:31see if it works.

18:32We have flame.

18:36We have flame.

18:39The wood burner can now start drying out the damp,

18:41ready for lime plastering.

18:43And when it's time to do that,

18:45Terry and Tony are determined to stay true

18:47to the techniques of the past.

18:49But for now, like generations of farming families

18:52in Sheesville before them,

18:54they can cuddle up in front of a warm fire

18:56and rest their aching bones.

18:59Here's to a good day's work, I'd say.

19:03Yeah.

19:03Cheers.

19:05Well done.

19:05In the lost village of La Bouliere,

19:17Paul and Yip have discovered

19:18exactly what's at the root of their crumbling wall.

19:21You can see, it's just literally mud.

19:25It's just holding everything together.

19:27It's mad.

19:29Back in the 18th century,

19:31when the village was built,

19:32the stonemasons used to pack the gap

19:34between the inner and outer granite walls with mud

19:37because it was a good insulator

19:38and it was easier to get hold of.

19:41Most importantly, of course,

19:42it was also free.

19:44But as La Bouliere was abandoned for over 25 years

19:47before Paul and Yip moved in,

19:49rainwater has seeped into the stonework

19:51and washed away the mud,

19:53making the wall unstable.

19:56That's the trouble.

19:57You know, it only starts with a slipped tile.

20:01Yeah, 25 years of rain through that one hole

20:03was a big deal.

20:04And we're just trying to pick up the pieces, really.

20:07Literally.

20:08And hope they somehow go back together.

20:12With a large section of stones removed,

20:15the couple now need to free up

20:16the thick timber beam at the top of the wall

20:19to reach the stones below.

20:21They can't use a chainsaw

20:23because anything too vigorous could cause a collapse.

20:30I'm already creating quite a lot of movement here.

20:33Yeah.

20:38I feel like a spoon a bit quicker.

20:41What do you get in there, Pop?

20:41It's oak, isn't it?

20:42As the beam is tied into the stonework

20:44at multiple points along the wall,

20:47it's backbreaking work.

20:51Oh.

21:02Come on.

21:04Come on.

21:08It's great, that is, Pop it.

21:14It doesn't feel great at the minute.

21:17It's at the end of the timber.

21:19There's one more, Pop it.

21:23Phew.

21:25At 30 feet up,

21:26this isn't a job for the faint-hearted,

21:29especially as there's no way of knowing

21:31if the beam will fall as soon as it's released.

21:34Brace yourself.

21:35Oh, bloody hell, you're not kidding.

21:36I must be nearly through.

21:39Oh.

21:40There you go.

21:41All right, I felt that relaxed then.

21:43All right, hang on.

21:44So we've spent quite a bit of time

21:46releasing this beam.

21:49What I don't want to do is for this lot to fall

21:51because it's tied into this stonework.

21:53So I need to lift this

21:56and throw it

21:58and just get it off and out the way.

21:59So we need to just move this scaffold tower back

22:02so that I can just lean over

22:04and there's no danger of this hitting the tower with me on it.

22:08Paul and Yip reposition the tower.

22:11Lovely.

22:11All right, you ready for this

22:15because I'm just going to do this.

22:16Oh, God.

22:18Close my eyes and ears

22:19and hope for the best.

22:21I'll spend the life insurance money well.

22:24Don't worry.

22:27Hang on.

22:27Whoa, whoa, whoa.

22:28It seems to be loose.

22:30OK, right.

22:31OK.

22:32Oh, that was close.

22:39Oh.

22:41Well done.

22:43I need a cup of tea.

22:44Strangely emotional, isn't it?

22:46Yeah.

22:48I'm just pleased to have you still alive.

22:51Today, Paul Yip and La Bouillère

22:53have proved they all have the determination

22:55to slow down the march of time,

22:58even if they can't stop it altogether.

23:02There's still more to do on the wall,

23:04but at least it's still standing.

23:06And so are our village saviours.

23:08We have to take risks on this project,

23:11otherwise nothing will get done

23:13because there's a whole village to be built yet.

23:19Coming up...

23:21In Rabatana, Martine is behind schedule

23:24and racing to get her remarkable room ready.

23:27As the day's kind of disappeared,

23:29you think you've got loads of time in the morning

23:30and then all of a sudden the guests are arriving in ten minutes.

23:33And one forgotten corner of Seashville

23:35reaches the end of the road.

23:38Probably dating back 100, 150 years.

23:41Lovely building.

23:42We're going to have to knock half of it down.

23:44Back in the abandoned town of Rabatana,

23:59the tourist season is in full swing

24:01and village saviour Martine

24:03has had to take some time off

24:05renovating her old cantina

24:07to concentrate on running her diffused hotel.

24:10Two guests are on their way to stay in the Mandarin suite

24:14and Martine can't wait to share with them

24:17the room she is most proud of.

24:19For me, this is my most special room.

24:21It's just magical,

24:23sleeping out here with the stars

24:24and with the twinkly lights

24:26and the candles and everything else.

24:27It really is beautiful.

24:28Up until the 1950s,

24:31this room could have housed a whole family

24:33and possibly their animals too.

24:36The roof space above

24:37would have doubled up as a larder

24:39where hams and sausages

24:40would have hung alongside drying peppers.

24:43But with the roof gone,

24:45Martine has taken the opportunity

24:46to conjure up the spirit of the Moors

24:49who first settled in Rabatana

24:50over a thousand years ago.

24:54It reminds me of a Riyadh,

24:55maybe, in Morocco.

24:58So, you know,

25:00without Arabic roots here,

25:02it's kind of where you would sleep

25:04and you'd be completely hidden from everybody,

25:06but you can look at the stars.

25:09A Riyadh is a house

25:10centred around an inner courtyard,

25:12usually with gardens and fountains.

25:15Riyadhs are more often associated

25:17with rooftop terraces

25:18than roofless bedrooms.

25:20But both designs give visitors

25:22the chance to relax

25:23and gaze at the heavens.

25:26Martine can't do any cloud spotting now, though.

25:29She has guests from Switzerland due any minute.

25:33As the day's kind of disappeared,

25:34you think you've got loads of time in the morning

25:36and then all of a sudden

25:37the guests are arriving in ten minutes.

25:38I'm going to start making the bed up now.

25:40It doesn't take too long

25:44to finish the final touches

25:46and Martine can now head off

25:47to greet her guests.

25:51This is the Mandarin.

25:53Lovely, lovely.

25:55I think it's my favourite, really,

25:57with these arches.

25:58And, yeah.

26:00So, the Rabatane is an Arabic village.

26:04So, these houses,

26:05nobody knows how old they are.

26:06We don't find any words.

26:09When I first saw it,

26:11I just couldn't believe

26:12that a place like this existed.

26:14And then when I managed to buy it,

26:15it was just incredible.

26:17Oh, my God.

26:27Oh!

26:31This is...

26:32Oh, my God.

26:34Gary and Birgit have travelled

26:36nearly a thousand miles

26:37to be in Rabatane,

26:38but it's clear they already feel

26:40the destination is worth the journey.

26:43Super romantic.

26:47Romantic.

26:47Super romantic.

26:49Our second honeymoon

26:50is ready to start now.

26:55Like Martine, Gary and Birgit

26:57have completely fallen in love

26:59with the idea of sleeping under the stars

27:02in the middle of this stunning ghost village.

27:05It is so rare

27:07that I don't find any words,

27:09but this is now happening.

27:12The main house is in here.

27:13You don't have to sleep outside

27:14if you don't want to.

27:15Can I sleep in here?

27:16Yes, yes, certainly.

27:17Everything is fine.

27:18Prego.

27:19So, this is where you'll be staying.

27:25After settling in

27:26and getting ready for bed,

27:27the couple prepare

27:28to step back into history.

27:32Beautiful.

27:33Look at that.

27:36Isn't it beautiful?

27:37We have here the open sky.

27:39Just like the first visitors

27:41to Rabatane over ten centuries ago,

27:44they can snuggle down

27:45and marvel at the night sky.

27:48Have you seen any view like that?

27:50I did it when I was a child.

27:52Last time.

27:53Yeah.

27:54For Martine,

27:55sharing the splendours

27:56of this once-abandoned village

27:58is a source of never-ending satisfaction.

28:00But she knows that goodwill alone

28:03is no guarantee

28:04of its future survival.

28:06The revenues her guests bring

28:08are vital

28:09if Martine's mission

28:10to save the rest of Rabatane

28:11is ever going to succeed.

28:15Golden dream.

28:17Sleep well, my darling.

28:18Back in Sheeshville,

28:30Tony and Terry have a job

28:32in front of them

28:32that they haven't been

28:33looking forward to.

28:37I'll come with you

28:38and grab some more.

28:39All our saviours

28:40are passionate about

28:41preserving the history

28:43that lies under every stone

28:44and behind every door.

28:46But sometimes

28:47things are beyond redemption.

28:50Today is the outbuilding day.

28:51Yes.

28:52We've got to do it

28:53but it's a bit sad.

28:54I know.

28:55You know, it's an old building

28:56probably dating back

28:57100, 150 years.

29:00Lovely building

29:01and we're going to have

29:02to knock half of it down.

29:03In its heyday,

29:05this building

29:05was probably a stable

29:06for horses.

29:08But while its custodians

29:09have been away in the UK,

29:11it's slowly been surrendering

29:12to the elements.

29:13Unfortunately,

29:16last winter

29:17we had a lot of rain,

29:18quite a bit of wind.

29:19It's brought down

29:20some of the wall

29:22nearest the road

29:23and on the other side

29:24quite a lot came down.

29:26Now what we're left with

29:27is just one high wall

29:30about that deep

29:31with a massive crack down it

29:33and it's starting to lean

29:35so now's the time

29:36to take it down.

29:38If you park under it

29:39or even stand under it

29:40too long,

29:41it might come down on you.

29:43Just like the cottages

29:45in La Boulière

29:46that Paul and Yip

29:46are wrestling with,

29:47this crumbling ruin

29:48has been built

29:49from stone and mud.

29:51It makes demolition

29:53unpredictable.

29:54Whoa!

29:57Tony's good friend Peter,

29:59who's more comfortable

30:00working at heights,

30:01is taking the lead again.

30:03Have I got to stand on that?

30:05All the way up there?

30:06All the way up here, yeah.

30:08On your tippy toes.

30:09But Tony's doing his best

30:10to conquer his fears

30:12and is climbing

30:13the scaffold too.

30:15Would you hold your hand?

30:16Yeah.

30:18All the time

30:19I'm up here I think.

30:21There's a massive

30:22bloody gap there.

30:24I can't do this.

30:26Awful.

30:28Tony slowly finds his feet

30:30but getting used to the height

30:31is only half the challenge.

30:34So attached, isn't it?

30:36All the way growing in.

30:37Freeing the wall

30:39from the stranglehold

30:40of rampant ivy

30:41is going to be a battle too.

30:44This has been a right pain

30:46to be honest.

30:47The ivy has managed

30:48to find its way

30:50under all the roof tiles

30:51and the roof stones.

30:53But when you've got a wall

30:54like this that's made of mud,

30:56if there's no render on it,

30:57it starts to get its roots

30:58into the mud.

31:00And then you've got problems.

31:02It's just sticking

31:03everything together.

31:05You know, I begin to think

31:06there's so much ivy in it,

31:07we might as well have left here

31:08because it'd never fall down.

31:10As the foliage is stripped back,

31:13more of the original building

31:14is revealed.

31:15But it's a bittersweet moment

31:17for Terry.

31:19So sad to think

31:21that it's actually

31:22going to be coming down.

31:23Now, if you get to

31:24actually see it

31:25without the massive clumps

31:27of ivy that were on it

31:28and really had hidden

31:29everything about it,

31:31hid the fact that

31:32there was a window there,

31:33and it's going to be

31:34quite a lot lower

31:35than it is now.

31:38We've really got to do it,

31:39but it is a shame

31:40because it's

31:41looking so beautiful.

31:44Despite her attachment

31:45to the old building,

31:47Terry isn't about

31:47to shirk her responsibilities.

31:50OK, I'm coming up, Pete.

31:53So while Tony takes

31:54a tea break

31:54on terra firma...

31:56Go up another one.

31:57Mind your head, sir.

31:58Terry climbs the scaffold.

32:01I'm more stressed

32:02than I was

32:03going out there myself.

32:05I'm well impressed.

32:07It's nice to get hands-on

32:09with taking some of it down.

32:12It is quite a lot more tricky

32:15than you imagine.

32:19After a big group effort...

32:21What do you get past the roots?

32:23It's just easy.

32:24There's finally some progress.

32:28That's a big piece

32:29of one of the cornerstones.

32:32It's starting to get

32:33a bit more satisfying now.

32:36But the nights are drawing in,

32:38and the change of season

32:39is working against them.

32:42Is it me,

32:43or is it going a bit dark?

32:44It's going down, isn't it?

32:46Especially under the trees there.

32:47I might just do

32:48a couple of minutes

32:49and call it a day, I think.

32:51Because I don't want to climb

32:52down the scaffolding in the dark.

32:54I don't want to climb down it

32:55in the daylight,

32:56but the dark is definitely...

32:57No, no.

32:59They'll need to do a bit more

33:00tomorrow morning,

33:01but most of the job

33:02is now done,

33:03and the old building

33:04is at a much safer height.

33:06Visa restrictions

33:07and the need to push through

33:09their UK house sale

33:10mean Tony and Terry

33:11will soon be heading back

33:13to Gloucestershire.

33:13But it feels like their village

33:16is slowly rising

33:17from its slumber.

33:19We've got two weeks left now

33:21before we go back to the UK.

33:22Yeah.

33:22So definitely got to get

33:23more of this building down.

33:25Once we've got that down

33:26to a safe level,

33:27which maybe another metre

33:29or so will do,

33:30then we can get cracking

33:31on in the house.

33:32Yeah.

33:32We've got to make some progress.

33:33Got to make some progress.

33:34Yeah.

33:39Coming up...

33:40I'm so excited.

33:41I can't believe it.

33:42Has Martine found

33:44another property

33:44to rescue in Rabatana?

33:47Oh, my goodness.

33:49No, I don't think so.

33:52And will La Bolière

33:53be ready for its first

33:54guests of the season?

33:57Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

33:58This isn't good, this isn't...

34:00I don't want that collapsing

34:01like that.

34:02We're just trying to stop

34:03and have a lunch.

34:11Back in southern Italy,

34:18Martine is up early

34:19picking apricots

34:20from a nearby organic farm.

34:23These are a special variety

34:25called rubis

34:25and they're biological,

34:27so they're organic

34:28and they are absolutely exquisite.

34:31For her,

34:31saving Rabatana

34:32isn't just about

34:34breathing new life

34:35into the empty buildings.

34:36she's also keen

34:37to preserve

34:37the traditional culture

34:39and takes every chance

34:40to support

34:41local artisans

34:42and farmers

34:42like Marinella

34:44who share her passion.

34:46I said,

34:46I'm doing one

34:47and you're picking like three.

34:48She said,

34:48it's my job.

34:51Martine plans

34:51to use the apricots

34:53in jam

34:53that she will provide

34:55the guests

34:55in her diffused hotel.

34:58This is the best.

35:00You know,

35:00you can't get better than this.

35:01It's absolutely delicious,

35:02isn't it?

35:02Two days later,

35:10she's busy

35:10simmering the fruit

35:11with sugar

35:12to create

35:13a delicious breakfast treat.

35:15Basically,

35:16the recipe

35:16is a kilo of sugar

35:17to a kilo of apricots.

35:19Juice of one lemon

35:19to each kilo.

35:21So there's

35:21three kilos of fruit here.

35:23The history of jam making

35:25goes back

35:25at least to Roman times

35:27when fruit was preserved

35:28in honey

35:29to last over the winter.

35:30But it was after

35:31the Crusades

35:32when sugar was brought

35:33back to medieval Europe

35:35that jam really took off.

35:37Martine may be using

35:38a gas hob

35:39instead of an open hearth,

35:41but the recipe

35:42and the principles

35:43haven't changed

35:44in centuries.

35:46But what I really like about it

35:47is there's still

35:48pieces of fruit

35:49that are whole

35:49in the jam.

35:50You put it on bread.

35:51It's just lovely.

35:54While the mixture

35:55is still bubbling,

35:56Martine transfers it

35:58to the jars.

35:59Next,

36:01the jars are turned

36:02upside down

36:03to create

36:04a vacuum

36:04that starves

36:05any unwanted

36:06microorganisms

36:07of oxygen

36:08and,

36:09once it's cooled,

36:10it'll be ready

36:11for her guests.

36:14As fast as I can make it,

36:15it gets eaten,

36:16which is great.

36:21Martine's had a busy

36:22and successful

36:23summer season

36:24and there could be

36:25another exciting opportunity

36:27right on her doorstep.

36:29Just below the staircase

36:30leading to Martine's

36:32Mandarin apartment,

36:33there's a little

36:34two-room abandoned home

36:35which could be about

36:37to go on the market.

36:38They called me

36:39two days ago

36:40to say they wanted

36:41to sell the little house

36:42here and it's so exciting

36:44because it's just perfect.

36:46It's in my courtyard

36:46and it's small.

36:48It's really sweet.

36:49I'm so excited.

36:50I can't believe it.

36:51Considering the house

37:02hasn't been lived in

37:02for more than 50 years,

37:04it's still in good condition

37:05and Martine's mind

37:07is racing.

37:09I reckon

37:10you could take

37:10these floors out

37:11and open it all up

37:13to give a feeling

37:14of a lot more space

37:15but if we got rid

37:17of all this,

37:17it'd just be lovely.

37:19I'd love to get up there.

37:20No, I don't think so.

37:32It's got a little fireplace.

37:34How sweet is that?

37:36I think the fireplace

37:37says a lot about

37:39how they lived here.

37:40They would cook

37:41dried beans in the piñata

37:43or they would cook things

37:45on the brachi

37:46on the cinders

37:48and, you know,

37:49you've got all of the equipment

37:50here for the different

37:51size pots and pans

37:52and things

37:53that they would have

37:53actually cooked

37:54on the fire.

37:55Just before leaving,

37:57Martine notices

37:58an add-on bathroom

37:59right at the back

38:00of the property.

38:01A lot of these bathrooms

38:03would have been added on

38:04in the 50s

38:04when water

38:05first came into the houses

38:07and two of the houses

38:08I've bought

38:09didn't even have

38:09water connected.

38:10Curious to see

38:11how this extra room

38:12was created,

38:13Martine takes a walk outside.

38:15You see these all over

38:16the place,

38:17these toilets attached

38:18and basically

38:19that's all they are

38:20because they don't have

38:20to shower or anything

38:21and they're just

38:21a hand basin

38:22and, yes,

38:23I mean,

38:24you're sitting suspended

38:25over basically

38:26a couple of bits

38:27of metal

38:27stuck into that wall.

38:29Nobody's actually

38:29gone thoughtfully

38:31into it

38:31and decided

38:32how to build that

38:33but I suppose

38:34back then in the 50s

38:35it was great.

38:36What a luxury

38:36to have a toilet

38:37in your house.

38:38The wheels of

38:39estate agency

38:40can run slowly

38:41in Italy though

38:42so it could be

38:43a while before

38:44Martine finds out

38:45if she can save

38:46another little piece

38:47of the village.

38:48For her,

38:49resurrecting Rabatana

38:51is no longer

38:52just a labour of love

38:53it's also now

38:54her life's work.

38:56I'm really,

38:57really,

38:57really interested

38:58and, yes,

38:59I'm very,

38:59I would be

38:59absolutely distraught

39:01if I couldn't get it.

39:02in Normandy

39:11Paul and Yip's

39:12glamping horse box

39:13is prepped

39:14and ready to welcome

39:15two returning guests

39:16but as the front wall

39:18of the middle cottage

39:19is still precarious

39:20Paul and Yip

39:22need to make it safe

39:23before their guests

39:24check in.

39:26We're on the stage three

39:28of this, aren't we?

39:29Yeah.

39:29Today we're going to finish

39:30taking these stones down.

39:32So, where are we going?

39:33About halfway down the window?

39:35Yeah,

39:35about halfway down.

39:37Lovely.

39:37Let me get a sheet

39:38to collect all the

39:39rubbish that's going

39:40to fall off that wall.

39:41Yeah.

39:47Here we go.

39:49Since the couple

39:50have no professional training,

39:52a risky job like this

39:53means having

39:54complete trust

39:55in your workmate.

39:58Luckily,

39:59Paul and Yip

39:59have no qualms

40:00about that.

40:01We're making it

40:02as safe as possible

40:03just by putting

40:06these outrigger

40:07legs

40:08in place.

40:11They've been together

40:12for 20 years

40:13and their history

40:15goes back

40:16to childhood.

40:19Paul says

40:20that he was aware

40:21of me at school.

40:22I don't think

40:23he was aware of me

40:24as much as I was aware

40:25of him.

40:26You were the troublemaker

40:27in your burgundy stay press.

40:31Yeah,

40:31I was aware of Yip

40:32when we were at school,

40:34but he was in

40:35a different...

40:39Friend group.

40:40Friend group,

40:41I suppose,

40:41isn't it?

40:42And you were a bit

40:42more academic,

40:45weren't you?

40:46Yeah.

40:47I suppose in comparison

40:48to you.

40:49I'd had it

40:50by the time

40:50I'd got to Yip's school.

40:52The school I went to

40:53where Yip was

40:54was my third school.

40:55But anyway,

40:56that's another story.

40:58Oh, quite graceful

40:59do I get up there

41:00like a swan.

41:01Shall I come up?

41:02Yeah.

41:05Having broken

41:05the back of this job

41:06a few weeks ago,

41:08finishing it today

41:09should be a breeze.

41:11We'll have this done

41:12in a jiffy, won't we?

41:13Yeah.

41:14Tea and toast

41:15on its way.

41:17But it isn't long

41:18before the stones

41:19start to give way.

41:21Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

41:23This isn't good.

41:24This isn't.

41:24I don't want that

41:25collapsing like that.

41:26Here, I'll take

41:27these ones off.

41:28Oh, God.

41:30Just the mud.

41:30That one.

41:32This one.

41:33We're just trying

41:34to stop an avalanche.

41:36Some stones

41:37have started to move.

41:38We're just trying

41:39to see where it should be

41:41and what's holding what.

41:43It's just very precarious

41:44at the moment.

41:45Really precarious.

41:48Oh, I see.

41:49Oh, oh.

41:56Crisis averted.

41:58Oh, that was.

42:00And after a few more

42:01hours of hard graft,

42:05God.

42:07The couple are at last

42:08on the home stretch.

42:13Yeah, basically,

42:14we've just got some

42:15cleaning up to do.

42:16Yip's going to remove

42:17these handful of stones

42:19there.

42:19All this has got

42:20to come out.

42:21Clean all the joints

42:22out, sweep all this

42:23down, and then we're

42:24kind of almost there,

42:26aren't we?

42:30Well done.

42:32You're well done.

42:33Take this round.

42:33Paul and Yip finish up

42:34just in time to roll

42:36out the red carpet

42:36for their guests,

42:38George and Mary,

42:39who've driven all the way

42:40from Somerset.

42:42Third time returning

42:44guests.

42:48Oh, look, it's just so

42:49wonderful, isn't it?

42:52Paradise in the countryside.

42:54It's great to see you both.

42:55Yeah.

42:55It's nice to be back.

42:58One dramatic change

42:59that's happened since Mary

43:00and George were last here

43:01is at the barn

43:02that overlooks

43:03the horse box.

43:04Oh, my goodness.

43:05The top section

43:06of that fell down

43:07on its own.

43:08Oh, did it?

43:09And then we dismantled

43:10the rest of it.

43:13It's a reminder

43:14of how quickly

43:14the sands of time

43:15are running out

43:16in La Boulier

43:17and how huge

43:19the challenges

43:19that Paul and Yip

43:21still face.

43:21Because the buildings

43:22are so old,

43:23you feel like

43:24just a blip

43:25in the long line

43:27of proprietors

43:29that it's had.

43:30So we want to kind of

43:31do what we can,

43:32but knowing that

43:33in terms of

43:34keeping some of it

43:35alive at least,

43:36we're part of

43:37this place's history,

43:38aren't we?

43:40The couple are

43:41channeling their love

43:42for each other

43:43into resurrecting

43:44this ancient village

43:45and helping her

43:46come back to life.

43:48Like any relationship,

43:49it can lurch

43:50from agony to joy

43:51in a heartbeat

43:52and there's no guarantee

43:54of a happy ending.

43:56But with three

43:56such strong entities

43:58as Paul, Yip

43:59and La Boulier,

44:00anything is possible.

44:03Most people

44:04come to France

44:06and it's a big enough

44:07project to buy a house

44:08that needs

44:09fully renovating.

44:11But you've got

44:12a blooming village.

44:13You've got

44:14a home there.

44:15All the other people

44:16and all that.

44:17Next time...

44:23Shall we go

44:24and have a little look?

44:24Yeah, come on.

44:26Paul and Yip

44:26rescue another house

44:27in La Boulier.

44:29Oh, wow.

44:30Construction work

44:31in Rabatana

44:31begins after years

44:33of waiting.

44:34It was an amazing

44:35surprise and

44:35I was just so happy.

44:37So happy!

44:38But it comes

44:39with a risk.

44:40If they happen

44:40to hit one

44:41of the rocks

44:42on the keystone

44:43it could all

44:45just collapse.

44:46And in Sheeshville...

44:46Just imagine it's me.

44:48Okay, I'll do that.

44:49Tony and Terry

44:50hit the ground running.

44:53Wow!

44:53You hit it twice as hard!

44:54I'm here!

44:56I'm here!

44:57I'm here!

44:58I'm here!

44:59We'll be right back now!

45:00I don't know!

45:00I won't have time

45:01for this...

45:01I don't know!

45:02I can't.

45:02I don't know!

45:03I can't.

45:04I can't.

45:04Transcription by CastingWords

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