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Help! We Bought a Village Season 4 Episode 2
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🎞 Please join our official group to watch the full series for free, as quickly as possible.
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FunTranscript
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.
00:21The key is to never look down.
00:23To do something remarkable.
00:25It's a mammoth task, really.
00:27Resurrecting Europe's lost villages.
00:29I think any sort of rational person would probably not try and do that.
00:34In this series, we meet the brand new pioneers.
00:38I think I'm a bit all over the place. It's like it's a big day.
00:41Delving into their village's past.
00:44I 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 boat.
01:14Oh, bless you.
01:16Or will it all fall down around their ears?
01:20Oh, come on, smash, smash, smash, smash, smash, smash!
01:24Oh, dear.
01:25As they try to restore the past to build their future.
01:30Because there's a whole village to be built yet.
01:36Today...
01:37Brace yourself.
01:39Oh, bloody hell, you're not kidding.
01:40Our heroic saviours in Normandy risk life and limb.
01:44Hang on, whoa, whoa, whoa.
01:45It seems to be loose.
01:47As their village threatens to fall apart at the seams.
01:51You can see, it's just literally mud.
01:55It's just holding everything together, it's mad.
01:59Guests at a ghost village in Italy are overwhelmed by their room without a roof.
02:04Oh, my God.
02:06Oh.
02:09This is... Oh, my God.
02:13It is so rare that I don't find any words,
02:16but this is now happening.
02:20And at a hamlet in Western France...
02:22Oh, God.
02:24It takes some heavy lifting and plenty of help from the neighbours...
02:29Drag it inside.
02:31OK.
02:32That's OK.
02:33Nicely done.
02:34...to get a fire going for the first time in years.
02:38We have flame.
02:57When you're trying to restore an entire ghost village,
03:00it's vital to be able to turn your hand to a wide range of jobs.
03:05And south-west of Rouen, in the old farming community of La Boulière,
03:09Kent couple Paul and Yip have found that multitasking is now just second nature.
03:15We are workman, project manager, finance person, bank, architect.
03:25You know, we're all of those things, because we can afford none of those things.
03:29Since 2021, these landscape gardeners have been the custodians of five cottages,
03:40two barns, a hayloft, a bakery and two acres of land.
03:45But they've also just taken on a sixth cottage,
03:48after it unexpectedly came up for sale.
03:51We've recently acquired this with the same thinking that we've had all along, really,
03:57is wanting to piece La Boulière back together.
04:00Yeah.
04:00Feels more secure to know that we now own this.
04:03Yeah.
04:04And it's the oldest property in La Boulière.
04:07Yeah.
04:07250 years old.
04:09It's exciting.
04:11Although other priorities mean it hasn't yet risen to the top of Paul and Yip's to-do list,
04:15they can't wait to get inside and start transforming it into another potential revenue stream.
04:21This is not going to steal our attention away from everything else,
04:28but it is going to be running alongside all the other works we've got going on here.
04:35We've just added another two plates to the poles, haven't we?
04:37It's June, and Paul and Yip have had to refocus their attention away from the village
04:49because Paul's mum is ill, and 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, but that project is now on pause.
05:03Some jobs are too urgent to delay, though,
05:07and there's a building in the village that's crying out for Paul and Yip's help.
05:12It is a nightmare.
05:14It's quite a challenge, yes, I must admit.
05:17I'm not looking forward to it.
05:19The middle cottage in their row is increasingly unsafe,
05:22so Paul and Yip need to do some emergency work on the front wall.
05:26The wall is split, and it's starting to separate inside and outside.
05:34You can see daylight through the wall. It's not good, is it?
05:37So we need to bring it down probably halfway past that window
05:40until I know where it's all good stonework.
05:43We've been dreading it a bit, haven't we?
05:45Yeah, it's quite a risky thing because 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.
06:11It's great for rebuilding.
06:12All these stones that I'm chucking down,
06:17they 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,
06:26and then I can start taking all this down to where it starts to come out,
06:30which is about down there.
06:31There is a lot of work here.
06:32And we've got just us two.
06:35No loader.
06:36Next, they need to start dismantling the wall by hand, one 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.
06:59But their methods are following in the footsteps of the original craftsmen.
07:06The builders who went before them could 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.
07:25Welcome to your late 40s.
07:3050s?
07:31Not for me yet.
07:33They're making progress, but it isn't exactly fast.
07:36And without an extra pair of hands on the ground to empty the bucket,
07:40it could take days.
07:42Paul, Yip and LeBullier are locked together in a fight for survival,
07:47with little more than sweat and determination on their side.
07:51And they know it's a battle they might not win.
07:54Do 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 was 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 to the original Greek Olympics.
08:24Just above the modern town of Tursi stands 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.
08:41But emigration, demographic decline,
08:44and successive earthquakes
08:45led to the complete abandonment of this town about 50 years ago.
08:49It's a trend that Martine, an ex-wine merchant from Norfolk,
08:54is desperately trying to reverse.
08:57I would imagine the last time that really this was populated
09:09was in the 50s.
09:10Most people left because there was no work,
09:13so basically, you know, the towns are abandoned.
09:16I'm fascinated by this coat of arms
09:19because it has the skull and crossbones on the bottom.
09:24And this is a beautiful palazzo which is for sale.
09:31There's something like ten people living in the whole of Rabatana now,
09:34where once it would have been thriving with schools and shops.
09:38So, yes, it was very sad that the whole thing was just abandoned.
09:44A joke.
09:45There are more cats than people, but there probably is.
09:49Martine has been living amongst the ruins of Rabatana
09:51for the last 16 years.
09:54After buying and renovating various derelict properties,
09:58she now runs what is known as a defused hotel,
10:01with four elegant apartments she saved from collapse.
10:05The more that I was here,
10:06the more I realised that there were so many possibilities,
10:10that, you know, there'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,
10:23and Martine is hard at work on her next renovation project.
10:28We found Veronica's secret place.
10:31What are you doing in here, Veronica?
10:33Eh?
10:34It's a cellar underneath the rooms she calls the Mandarin Suite,
10:38and thought to be at least 400 years old.
10:41This will probably be made into, like, two bedrooms
10:44with an en-suite bathroom.
10:45If 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 and look at the convent,
10:52I mean, it would just be incredible,
10:54with these beams exposed and all of this lovely stone.
10:57Martine has already spent a day chipping away at the old plaster,
11:01and she's hoping to make more progress today.
11:04Look, you see, it's just...
11:10It comes off so easily.
11:15I think that it's just been damp coming in here for a long time.
11:21Wow.
11:22Could look pretty fantastic, couldn't it?
11:24Can you imagine finding some buried treasure?
11:27Something from the Knights Templars,
11:28because apparently they came through here with everybody else.
11:32After the best part of an hour,
11:34it's not buried treasure Martine has found,
11:36but some mysterious stones.
11:41There are quite a lot of black stones, like 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,
11:50because there's obviously no sign of a chimney or anything here.
11:52It'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.
12:03The builders of the past
12:04recognised the importance of 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.
12:27You know, when a project's finished,
12:28it's like finishing a good book.
12:30You'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.
12:46Coming up...
12:48I don't think it's that bad, honestly.
12:50Yeah, look.
12:51Ow!
12:53Our village saviours are playing with fire in France...
12:57I always wanted to be a chimney sweep.
13:00And...
13:01I must be nearly through.
13:08It's the moment of truth for Paul and Yip in La Bouillière.
13:11What I don't want to do is for this lot to fall,
13:14because 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 have similar-sized populations,
13:34there are over 2 million more homes lying empty on the other side of the Channel.
13:39Sometimes properties are abandoned in France because of the high cost of renovations
13:44or complicated inheritance laws.
13:47But in rural areas, it's often just down to the dwindling number of jobs on the land.
13:52The ghost village of Chicheville in Western France is a prime example.
13:58And it could have been lost forever if it wasn't for two British saviours.
14:09The guy that we bought it off when we signed at the Nataire, on that day, he was 99.
14:16And he said his great-grandmother was born in the house.
14:20So that's going back a bit.
14:27Tony and Terry are antique restorers from Gloucestershire,
14:31who are now the proud custodians of three houses, half 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. We can't afford that.
14:52Can'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 it, it might be €5,000, €6,000.
15:00By the time we've improved the drainage, redo the electrics, some work on the roof,
15:05we think we can bring it in, maybe £90,000.
15:16It's November.
15:17So before winter spreads its icy tentacles across the village,
15:21Tony and Terry are turning their attention to keeping warm.
15:25There's also damp in the farmhouse that needs drying out.
15:29So the couple have a plan.
15:30So here's our lovely wood burner.
15:35The burner is made of steel plate, so it weighs well over 100 kilos.
15:40That's 16 stone, or about the same as a well-fed Great Dane.
15:45I 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.
16:04Nice pair of reversing that.
16:06Bang in the middle.
16:07Look at that.
16:07Tony has once again called on his good friend, Peter,
16:12who's brought his son, Toby, for extra manpower.
16:16Try a little bit.
16:19Oh, God.
16:21Cut him.
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...
16:31..gets the job done.
16:36I don't know why you're making such a fuss.
16:39It isn't over yet, though.
16:41After 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 finally makes it across the threshold.
16:57Where are we heading?
16:58Through here.
16:59OK.
17:01Are we lifting or sliding?
17:02No, we're lifting.
17:03We're lifting.
17:03Are we?
17:04OK.
17:06I'm dragging it all the side.
17:07OK.
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 bill's in the post.
17:27Their 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 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
17:54and since Tony doesn't have a good head for heights,
17:57he's happy to let Peter take the lead.
18:01Hey there, Tony.
18:02Are you there, Peter?
18:04I'm here.
18:05OK, when do you want to start?
18:06We'll have it ready.
18:08Let's go.
18:10Yeah, go on, you push and I'll pull.
18:12This is where Gladden didn't paint the wood burner.
18:14Nice and steady, because it keeps getting caught.
18:19Yeah.
18:21Right there.
18:24Take a bit of tension off.
18:25I always wanted to be a chimney sweeper.
18:27Job's a good one.
18:29Well, we've just got to light the fire now,
18:31see if it works.
18:37We 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,
18:50like 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.
19:01Here's to a good day's work, I'd say.
19:03Yeah.
19:04Cheers.
19:05Well done.
19:13In the lost village of La Bouliere,
19:17Paul and Yip have discovered exactly what's at the root
19:20of their crumbling wall.
19:21You can see it's just literally mud,
19:25just holding everything together.
19:27It's mad.
19:29Back in the 18th century,
19:30when the village was built,
19:31the 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.
19:45But 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 slit 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 the thick timber beam
20:18at the top of the wall to reach the stones below.
20:21They can't use a chainsaw
20:23because anything too vigorous
20:25could cause a collapse.
20:30I'm already creating quite a lot of movement here.
20:33Yeah.
20:38I feel like a spoon would be quicker.
20:41What do you get in there?
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 back-breaking work.
20:51Oh.
20:53Come on.
21:04Come on.
21:12It's great, that is, Poppet.
21:14It doesn't feel great at the minute.
21:16Is that the end of the timber?
21:18There's one more, Poppet.
21:23At 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.
21:37I must be nearly through.
21:39Oh.
21:40There you go.
21:40All 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.
21:54So 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
22:06with me on it.
22:07Paul and Yip reposition the tower.
22:11Lovely.
22:14Right, are 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, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
22:28It seems to be loose.
22:30OK, right.
22:31OK.
22:37Ooh, 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.
23:01There'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,
23:13cos there's a whole village to be built yet.
23:19Coming up...
23:20In Rabatana,
23:22Martine is behind schedule
23:24and racing to get her remarkable room ready.
23:27As the days 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.
24:29Up until the 1950s,
24:31this room could have housed a whole family
24:33and possibly their animals too.
24:35The 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
24:51over a thousand years ago.
24:54It reminds me of a Riyadh,
24:56maybe, in Morocco.
24:57So, 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.
25:08A Riyadh is a house
25:10centred around an inner courtyard,
25:13usually 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.
25:25Martine 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.
25:43It 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.
25:54I think it's my favourite, really,
25:57with these arches.
25:58And, er, yeah.
26:00So the Larabatane
26:02is 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
26:13and then when I managed to buy it,
26:15it was just incredible.
26:17Oh, my God.
26:26Oh, my God.
26:28Oh!
26:31This is...
26:32Oh, my God.
26:34Gary and Birgit
26:35have travelled nearly a thousand miles
26:37to be in Rabatane,
26:38but it's clear they already feel
26:40the destination
26:41is worth the journey.
26:45Super romantic.
26:47Romantic.
26:47Super romantic.
26:49Our second honeymoon
26:50is ready to start now.
26:55Like Martine,
26:57Gary and Birgit
26:57have completely fallen in love
26:59with the idea
27:00of sleeping under the stars
27:02in the middle
27:02of this stunning ghost village.
27:06It 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.
27:15Yes, yes, certainly.
27:17Everything is fine.
27:18Prego.
27:20So this is
27:21where you'll be staying.
27:25After settling in
27:26and getting ready for bed,
27:27the couple prepare
27:28to step back
27:29into history.
27:32Beautiful.
27:34Look at that.
27:36Isn't it beautiful?
27:37We have here
27:38the open sky.
27:39Just like the first visitors
27:41to Rabatane
27:42over ten centuries ago,
27:44they can snuggle down
27:45and marvel
27:46at the night sky.
27:48Have you seen
27:48any view like that?
27:50I did it
27:50when I was a child
27:51last time.
27:53Yeah.
27:54For Martine,
27:55sharing the splendors
27:56of this once-abandoned village
27:57is a source
27:58of never-ending satisfaction,
28:00but she knows
28:02that goodwill alone
28:03is no guarantee
28:04of its future survival.
28:06The revenues
28:07her guests bring
28:08are vital
28:09if Martine's mission
28:10to save the rest
28:11of Rabatane
28:11is ever going to succeed.
28:15Golden dream.
28:17Sleep well,
28:17my darling.
28:18Back in Sheeshville,
28:30Tony and Terry
28:31have a job
28:32in front of them
28:32that they haven't
28:33been looking forward to.
28:37I'll come with you
28:38and grab some more.
28:39All our saviors
28:40are passionate
28:41about preserving
28:42the history
28:43that lies under
28:44every stone
28:44and behind every door,
28:46but sometimes
28:47things are beyond
28:48redemption.
28:50Today is the
28:50outbuilding day.
28:51Yes.
28:52We've got to do it
28:53but it's a bit sad.
28:54I know.
28:55It's an old building
28:56probably dating back
28:57100,
28:59150 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
29:07but while its custodians
29:09have been away
29:09in the UK,
29:11it's slowly been
29:12surrendering
29:12to the elements.
29:15Unfortunately,
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
29:45that 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 there, yeah.
30:08On your tippy toes.
30:09But Tony's doing his best
30:10to conquer his fears
30:12and is climbing
30:12the scaffold too.
30:15Would you hold your hand?
30:16Yeah.
30:18All the time I'm up here,
30:19I think.
30:21There's a massive
30:22bloody gap there.
30:23I 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 wool
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
30:54like this,
30:54it'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,
31:05I begin to think
31:06there's so much ivy in it,
31:07we might as well have left it
31:08because it'd never fall down.
31:10As the foliage
31:11is stripped back,
31:13more of the original
31:14building is revealed.
31:15But it's a bittersweet
31:16moment for 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
31:26clumps of ivy
31:27that 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 on terra firma...
31:56Go for another one.
31:57Mind your head, sir.
31:58Terry climbs the scaffold.
32:01I'm more stressed
32:02than I was going out there
32:03myself.
32:05I'm well impressed.
32:07It's nice to get hands-on
32:10with 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 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.
32:40Is it me or is it going a bit dark?
32:44It's going down, I think.
32:46Especially under the trees there.
32:47I might just do a couple of minutes
32:49and call it a day, I think.
32:51Because I don't want to climb down
32:53the 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.
33:14But 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 on
33:31in the house.
33:32We've got to make some progress.
33:33We've got to make some progress.
33:34Yeah.
33:39Coming up...
33:40I'm so excited.
33:41I can't believe it.
33:42..has 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 Bolliere
33:53be ready for its first guests
33:55of the season?
33:57Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
33:58This isn't good.
33:59This isn't...
34:00I don't want that collapsing
34:01like that.
34:02We're just trying to stop
34:03and have a lunch.
34:16Back in southern Italy,
34:18Martine is up early
34:19picking apricots
34:20from a nearby organic farm.
34:22These 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 local 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
34:47like three.
34:48She's like,
34:48it's my job.
34:51Martine plans
34:51to use the apricots
34:52in 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
35:01than this.
35:01It's absolutely delicious,
35:02isn't it?
35:03Hmm.
35:07Delicious.
35:07Two days later,
35:10she's busy simmering
35:11the fruit with sugar
35:12to create
35:13a delicious breakfast treat.
35:15Basically,
35:16the recipe is
35:16a kilo of sugar
35:17to a kilo of apricots,
35:19juice of one lemon
35:19to each kilo.
35:21So there's three kilos
35:22of fruit here.
35:23The history of jam making
35:25goes back at least
35:26to 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 back
35:34to 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
35:47about 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.
36:01Next,
36:01the jars are turned
36:02upside down
36:03to create a vacuum
36:04that starves
36:05any unwanted
36:06microorganisms
36:07of oxygen
36:08and once it's cooled,
36:10it'll be ready
36:11for her guests.
36:13As 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
36:31Mandarin apartment,
36:33there's a little
36:34two-room abandoned home
36:35which could be about
36:36to 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.
36:54Oh, my goodness.
37:00Considering the house
37:01hasn'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.
37:26No, I don't think so.
37:27No.
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
37:42in the piñata
37:43or they would
37:44cook things
37:45on the brachi
37:46on the cinders
37:48and, you know,
37:49you've got all
37:49of the equipment here
37:50for 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.
38:02A lot of these
38:02bathrooms would have
38:03been added on
38:04in the 50s
38:04when water
38:05first came into
38:06the houses
38:07and two of the
38:08houses I've bought
38:08didn't even have
38:09water connected.
38:10Curious to see
38:11how this extra room
38:12was created,
38:13Martine takes
38:14a walk outside.
38:15You see these
38:16all over the place,
38:17these toilets
38:18attached and
38:19basically that's
38:19all they are
38:20because they don't
38:20have to shower
38:20or anything in there,
38:21just a hand basin.
38:22And, yes,
38:23I mean,
38:24you're sitting
38:24suspended over
38:25basically a couple
38:26of bits of metal
38:27stuck into that wall.
38:29Nobody's actually
38:29gone thoughtfully
38:31into it and 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
38:39the state 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
38:50Rabatana
38:51is no longer
38:52just a labour
38:52of love,
38:53it's also now
38:54her life's work.
38:56I'm really,
38:57really,
38:57really interested
38:58and, yes,
38:58I'm very,
38:59I would be
38:59absolutely distraught
39:01if I couldn't
39:01get it.
39:10In Normandy,
39:11Paul and Yip's
39:12glamping horse
39:12box is prepped
39:13and ready to welcome
39:15two returning guests.
39:17But as the front wall
39:18of the middle cottage
39:19is still precarious,
39:21Paul and Yip need
39:22to make it safe
39:23before their guests
39:24check in.
39:24We're on the stage
39:27three of this,
39:28aren't we?
39:28Yeah.
39:29Today we're going
39:30to finish taking
39:31these stones down.
39:32So where are we going?
39:33About halfway down
39:34the 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.
39:41Here we go.
39:49Since the couple
39:50have no professional
39:51training,
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 in place.
40:11They've been
40:12together for 20
40:13years and their
40:15history goes back
40:16to childhood.
40:19Paul says that
40:20he was aware of me
40:21at school.
40:22I don't think he
40:23was aware of me
40:24as much as I was
40:25aware of him.
40:26You were the
40:26troublemaker in your
40:27Burgundy stay press.
40:31Yeah,
40:31I was aware of Yip
40:32when we were at
40:33school, but he was
40:35in a different...
40:38Friend group.
40:40Friend group,
40:40I suppose,
40:41and you were a
40:42bit more academic,
40:45weren't you?
40:46Yeah.
40:47I suppose in
40:47comparison to you.
40:49I'd had it by the
40:50time I'd got to Yip
40:51school.
40:52The school I went
40:53to where Yip was
40:54was my third
40:55school.
40:55But anyway,
40:56that's another
40:56story.
40:58Quite 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
41:06job a few weeks
41:07ago, finishing it
41:08today should be a
41:10breeze.
41:12We'll have this
41:12done in a jiffy,
41:13won't we?
41:13Yeah.
41:14Tea and toast on
41:15its way.
41:17But it isn't long
41:18before the stones
41:19start to give way.
41:21Oh, oh, oh, oh,
41:22oh, 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, that
41:31one.
41:32This one.
41:33We're just trying to
41:34stop an avalanche.
41:36Some stones have
41:37started to move.
41:38Just trying to see
41:39where it should be
41:41and what's holding
41:41what.
41:43It's just very
41:44precarious at the
41:45moment.
41:45Really precarious.
41:48Oh, oh, oh, oh.
41:50Crisis averted.
41:58Oh, oh.
42:00And after a few
42:01more hours of hard
42:02graft.
42:05God.
42:07The couple are at
42:08last on the home
42:10stretch.
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 to
42:20come out, clean all
42:21the joints out, sweep
42:23all this down, and
42:24then we're kind of
42:25almost there, aren't
42:26we?
42:30Well done.
42:32You well done.
42:33Take this round.
42:33Paul and Yip finish
42:34up just in time to
42:35roll out the red
42:36carpet for their
42:37guests, George and
42:38Mary, who've driven
42:39all the way from
42:40Somerset.
42:42Third time
42:43returning guests.
42:48Oh, look, it's just
42:49so...
42:50wonderful, isn't it?
42:52It's great to see you
42:54both.
42:55It's nice to be back.
42:58One dramatic change
42:59that's happened since
43:00Mary and George were
43:01last here is at the
43:02barn that overlooks the
43:03horse box.
43:04Oh, my goodness.
43:05The top section of that
43:07fell down on its own.
43:08Oh, did it?
43:09And then we dismantled
43:10the rest of it.
43:13It's a reminder of how
43:14quickly the sands of time
43:16are running out in La
43:17Gouliere and how huge the
43:19challenges that Paul and
43:20Yip still face.
43:21Because the buildings are
43:22so old, you feel like just
43:24a blip in the long line of
43:27proprietors that it's had.
43:30So we want to kind of do
43:32what we can, but knowing that
43:33in terms of keeping some of
43:35it alive, at least, we're part
43:37of this place's history,
43:38aren't we?
43:38The couple are channeling
43:42their love for each other
43:43into resurrecting this
43:44ancient village and helping
43:46her come back to life.
43:48Like any relationship, it
43:49can lurch from agony to joy
43:51in a heartbeat, and there's
43:53no guarantee of a happy
43:54ending.
43:56But with three such strong
43:57entities as Paul, Yip and
43:59La Gouliere, anything is
44:01possible.
44:03Most people come to France
44:06and it's a big enough
44:07project to buy a house that
44:09needs fully renovating.
44:10Yeah.
44:11But you've got a blooming
44:12village.
44:13You've got a home there.
44:15I've got the old couple
44:16and all that.
44:22Next time...
44:23Shall we go and have a
44:24little look?
44:24Yeah, come on.
44:26Paul and Yip rescue another
44:27house in La Gouliere.
44:29Oh, wow.
44:30Construction work in
44:31Rabatana begins after
44:32years of waiting.
44:34It was an amazing surprise
44:35and I was just so happy.
44:36So happy.
44:38But it comes with a risk.
44:40If they happen to hit one
44:41of the rocks on the
44:42keystone, it could all just
44:45collapse.
44:46And in Sheeshville...
44:47Just imagine it's me.
44:48OK, I'll do that.
44:49Tony and Terry hit the
44:51ground running.
44:52Wow.
44:53You hit it twice as hell.
44:54You hit the ground running.
44:55And they're so happy.
44:56You hit the ground running.
44:56Bye.
44:57You hit the ground running.
44:58And I care.
44:59You hit the ground running.
45:00And they're all alone.
45:01OK, I'll do that.
45:01And they're too close to you.
45:02And they're too close to me.
45:03So happy.
45:03But I've got to hit you.
45:05But if I didn't want to
45:06be a nice day...
45:07I'll do that.
45:08And they're too close.
45:09Oh, yeah.
45:10It's pretty close.
45:10Yeah.
45:11Yeah.
45:11Yeah.
45:12But I'm so happy to
45:13come ahead and see.
45:14I've got to be a nice boy.
45:15Oh, my, my boy, my boy, my boy!
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