Let’s hope you aren’t underwhelmed at the revelation of which prime-time TV show we were featured on! We certainly weren’t, it was a wonderfully interesting and fun experience for both of us.
What’s the show?
You must have heard of it surely? ‘Escape to the Country‘ is described as a British daytime television reality property-buying programme. It’s been running for years and seems to be sold all over the world so is fairly well known. We’ve seen a lot of episodes on and off over the years in different parts of the world.
How did we get on the show?
On a rainy day in early May we found ourselves watching ETTC (I’m sure no-one ever calls it that) and at the end Jo was intrigued by the ‘if you want to appear‘ advert as the show finished. After a brief chat we decided to apply and the initial application was followed by a member of the Fremantle casting team phoning me two days later. Quick eh?
Over the following week we had a phone interview, had to film ourselves in a variety of situations, went through a 2 hour Zoom call, and spent the day with a casting film crew here in Welwyn Garden City. None of this was for the show though, it was all part of the application process. The lovely casting researcher Lucy put together a presentation film to pitch us to the main series production team.
Two days later we heard from Lucy that they loved our back story, who wouldn’t? Next day we were on another Zoom interview with the production team and overnight got told we would be filming the following week! Talk about moving fast.
On location!
As part of the application process we had to obviously decide on criteria for the property search. We asked for something with character in Wiltshire within our minimal budget so were told to meet the film crew at the Guyers House hotel in Corsham near Chippenham.
That was an early start with a long walk, train, tube, train, and taxi to get to Guyers House Hotel. Lovely weather and a stunning location. Imagine us in a posh hotel in the Wiltshire countryside (with complimentary breakfast too). How exciting.
So Tuesday afternoon was spent meeting the crew and having a brief outline of what we would be doing. Then off to the lovely town of Devizes for some filming. We weren’t seeing any properties yet but they wanted us walking down the street, looking in shop windows, and generally acting naturally for the camera. Not easy when you’ve never done it before. They had us looking around the charming Little Eco Shop meeting Jen, a friend of the owner, and chatting before meeting the producer over a pizza in the Aroma Restaurant. Very nice and great to start getting to know everyone.
Property Searching
Wednesday saw us hit the ground running! Early start when we met the one of the faces of the show Alistair Appleton who would be presenting our programme. He seemed a lovely friendly guy and was so interested in our whole lifestyle and travelling story. We filmed lots of intro sections with him about what we wanted and why, with the continual reshooting of every conversation from multiple angles taking a while to get used to.
It may seem obvious to everyone but when they film a chat from the front, then over your shoulder, then over the presenters shoulder, then from distance, it does become very tiring and difficult to keep saying the same things with the initial enthusiasm. We did our best though and Jo was brilliant.
They took us to three properties during the day starting with a tiny terraced cottage in the beautiful village of Kington St Michael. Loved the village but the cottage needed complete renovation, had a really long garden (at the front), and was so small. Not a match for our wishlist at all but it was only the first.
Then we headed for Calne and the tiny village of Quemerford to see a barn conversion. Once again nothing really matching our criteria as it was miles from the village, was pretty small, and was virtually a holiday home. Nicely decorated inside to a high standard but really not at all suitable. Only the second one though.
After a nice sandwich lunch in Calne we headed south towards the lovely village of Pewsey. Now we know Pewsey quite well as we housesat there a while back for James and Harriot and their two dogs Baloo and Mowgli. You may remember Baloo escaped for several hours and caused us a fair bit of worry before his casual return in the middle of the night (The Bare Necessities of Pewsey).
The house they chose wasn’t a house, it was a top floor apartment in a huge country house. Beautifully decorated to an extremely high finish with amazing views out across the village it looked fabulous. But we didn’t want an apartment plus it was a really odd setup. There were four apartments in the house but there were no front doors, everyone had multiple rooms leading off the main hall and stairwell. It was like a big commune. With a huge communal garden too. Probably the opposite of everything on our wishlist.
From Pewsey we headed back to Devizes to the marina. They had organised a chat between us and a chap that lived on a wide beamed narrowboat. Amazingly interesting as he was a fascinating fella that I especially could have chatted to all day. What a way to live? But we were also there to view the fourth property of the day which was a park home in the Devizes Marina Village.
Once again really well finished and a beautiful place for a second home or a holiday getaway but really unsuitable as a main residence. The place was a real surprise with hidden shower rooms, and a hot tub, and wonderful views across the marina. But not a home. Shame once again and that was the first four properties done.
The Mystery House
Anyone that watches ETTC (is it catching on yet?) will know that the final property they view is always called ‘The Mystery House‘. It’s often either over budget or bigger than requested but is usually impressive and we were holding out hope for a big surprise. After the disappointing first four surely they were keeping something special to last?
We headed to the lovely town of Malmesbury with it’s impressive Abbey and quaint independent shops.
After initial ‘walking and looking’ filming we ended up outside a small doorway off the main street. The building was listed (once again one of our no-no’s) and on a busy road (another no-no) and looked tiny. Upon entry it did turn out to be much bigger than expected with wooden beams and hidden stairways giving it oodles of character. It was in need of a total refurb though as very very tired and both kitchen and bathroom would have to be completely rebuilt.
Disappointed? Yes, very. Although we were always positive and upbeat about every property we saw and tried not to moan or be critical we were both extremely disappointed. Not one property was anywhere near what we had asked for and I suspect the film crew knew that. The programme seems to have changed from ‘finding a home‘ to ‘showcasing an area‘ unfortunately which wasn’t exactly what we were after.
Escape to the Country
It may sound like we didn’t enjoy the experience but that isn’t true at all. We had a wonderful week in a fabulous hotel and got to visit so many towns and villages in Wiltshire that we had previously only seen on a map. It brought the whole area to life and gave us a real insight into how lovely Wiltshire really is. And of course staying in a plush country hotel was a real treat for us, not our normal style at all.
We found the filming experience fascinating too although neither of us are naturals in front of the camera as we are both a bit self-conscious and not at all comfortable being the centre of attention. However it was great fun to meet Alistair and the crew of Chel, Rosie, Chris, Julia and Teresa. They were all so professional and really made us feel at home in their ‘world’.
It’s a shame we didn’t find our dream home and we were disappointed that every one of the five properties were well below our budget, in some cases £50K below. I’m not totally sure we were seriously expecting to find anywhere but we had been a little hopeful. But we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and tried to make the most of each part of it.
Neither of us is planning on a career in front of the cameras very soon but you may find us cropping up on a screen near you sometime in the next six months. Be warned!
01/06 – 04/06/2021
JWalking 
Absolutely fascinating! Quite disappointing for you, for sure and makes one wonder if you were showcased for their own purposes rather than for your ‘needs’. But like you say – what an experience and a week in a posh hotel is a huge plus!
Here in the States, they run the show occasionally, but (and this is a big but) the series is only up to 2017…so unless we splurge and buy Brit Box, we won’t see your debut on TV until 2025!!!! HA!
To be fair, we haven’t bought into Brit Box even though it would catch me up to current episodes of Dr. Who…
Hmmm, maybe over the next winter season???
😎
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It was a brilliant experience and that’s what we went into it for really. Disappointing though. Set a reminder to tune into the show in 4 years then! Oh and you’re not up to date on Dr Who? The best show!
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Leave it to you Brits to put out the best and one of the longest running shows, ever! (I remember the black and white episodes on public tv of the late 60s early 70s!!!)
😎
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Ha not sure it’s been running that long but it does seem to have been on forever doesn’t it?
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Wow – sounds an exciting experience! When is it going to be shown on the TV?
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It was great to be involved. They told us sometime in the next 3 to 6 months so we’ll see I guess. Great fun.
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How exciting for you both and what an experience! Would love to see the programme when it is aired so please try to let us know when it’s on. What fun! Marion
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It was really exciting to be a part of, great to see how these things are made. They took hours and hours of footage so interesting to see how the finished show ends up.
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A really interesting post especially the unsuitability of all the properties they showed you as per your criteria.
Obviously that part of their research was seriously off or rushed or there’s a serious lack of suitable listings atm.
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It was fascinating to be involved in but you’re right about their research lacking a bit. There are so many properties currently available that we were so disappointed they didn’t come up with any more suitable.
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How fun! I haven’t heard of this show, but watch similar ones here., my favourite is House Hunters International. I’ll try to look for this one though on some streaming programs. Too bad you didn’t find your dream home. Maggie
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Shame we didn’t find it but we loved our week away and got to see some incredibly beautiful countryside. I’m sure this series is screened virtually everywhere so keep your eyes peeled.
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What fun! And this was one of my guesses. We love watching ETTC, it’s on here on the weekend and they usually show three or four episodes in a row. But, we’re only up to 2018 episodes so I’ll be waiting a while to see you. Even though you didn’t find your dream home you had a fun week doing something really different.
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We had a great week and thoroughly enjoyed it although it was disappointing that they didn’t show us suitable properties. Just be patient and if you binge watch 6 or 7 episodes at a time I’m sure we’ll soon be on.
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We get this show in Aus and I will keep my eye out for you both…although it is probably years away from screening out here! 🙂
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It’s screened everywhere I think but you may be right about it being a few years behind. Not sure it’s really worth waiting for though …
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This sounds like quite the adventure!
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It was fabulous Laci. A really exciting and interesting week away in a beautiful part of the country.
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Brilliant. Disappointing yes but what a cracking experience. I’m going to blame you for being too OCD and picky Ringo! Who needs a home anyway?
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Really disappointing but a brilliant week away exploring beautiful Wiltshire. We’re both a bit choosy in what we like but isn’t everyone? Homes may be overrated!
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What a great week! But I agree, the suggestions do seem seriously odd. I hope you’ll let us all now when your episode is about to air.
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It was such a good week and we thoroughly enjoyed it just a shame they didn’t show us any suitable places. Seemed to ignore our criteria completely. They said it’ll be screened in 3 to 6 months, hopefully they will let us know.
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How very interesting and exciting. How does a dream home fit into your lifestyle? Would the offer of such a place really pull you away from the ‘nomadic’ life you currently enjoy so much?
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It was a fascinating experience. Not sure how a home fits but we’re exploring the option now as the world has changed and it may be time for us to have a base. Just see how it all pans out.
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If you do then I hope it all goes well. Things have changed and new opportunities see arising.
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Maybe they didn’t think that you were seriously looking, because of your current lifestyle, Jonno, but I don’t think they have a great success rate with matching houses to couples. A nice jolly for you, though 🙂 🙂 They are more of a travelogue in some respects. Glad you had fun!
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You may be right Jo in that they didn’t think we were seriously looking. We had a great week though and got to see more of wonderful Wiltshire in the process. A brilliant experience.
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What a great experience, your claim to fame. Looks like you both thoroughly enjoyed it even if you didn’t find your dream house
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It was a brilliant week and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing more of Wiltshire and the whole TV experience. Great fun .
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😎
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Wow what fun! We get that show here in Canada so I will be setting my pvr 🙂
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It was a great experience, not sure when it’ll be shown though.
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You must send out a heads up once you know the date it is airing!
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They said sometime around 3 months but seemed very vague. Let you know as soon as we do.
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Regardless of the outcome, what a fun experience. I recognise some of the places you were from our walks out and about. I’ll look forward to catching the show when it airs. I love watching all the ‘Escape to’ style shows.
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It was a great experience and we loved seeing more of Wiltshire. Such a fabulous county.
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Riveting post Jon & Jo. I didn’t realise you maybe looking for a base. Can’t blame you though, with all what’s been going on in the world recently. Fantastic experience and I can’t wait to see the show! I hope I can get it to see it where I am. It’s a shame all the houses were so far away from what you were looking for.
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Thanks Liz. It was a great experience even though we didn’t get to see anything appropriate. Got to see a lot of Wiltshire though and start the househunting I guess.
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Ooh we get that show here in Aus and I love watching it even if they are years out of date!! I can’t wait to see it and what a great read, the background stuff is very often more interesting so I really appreciate your insights. What fun but also disappointing you didn’t get shown something you wanted.
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It was a wonderful experience even if we didn’t really see anything suitable. Great to stay in a posh hotel, see so much of Wiltshire, and see how a TV show is made. Great fun.
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What a great insight into the making of the show. We seem to stumble across the British show every so often, so we’ll watch out for you. The Oz version Escape From the City is as you say becoming more of a regional showcase but entertaining no less. We find ourselves adding places to our bucket list of visit worthy.
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Not heard of Escape from the CIty but it sounds like the same sort of show. You are so right about them moving from actually finding properties to being are showcases. Interesting for the viewers I guess but disappointing for the people taking part. Still, we got to see a lot of wonderful Wiltshire which was great.
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Yes, Fremantle Media, they are a busy bunch.
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Really interesting to hear the behind-the-scenes story of Escape to the Country. With only five properties to choose from, I’m not surprised you didn’t find anything. We looked at about forty properties in person before finding the house we’re in now, and hundreds more online, so I know it’s not a quick or easy process. Annoying that they didn’t even take your criteria into consideration! I’ve fielded a lot of emails from daytime BBC programme producers that have wanted to film at various museums I’ve worked, but we’ve had to turn down most of the recent requests due to Covid restrictions. I wasn’t there when Bargain Hunt filmed at my previous workplace, but the curators were very annoyed that the presenter picked up a fragile and valuable artefact with ungloved hands after specifically being asked not to touch it. Sounds like your production team were very professional though. I look forward to watching the end result!
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It was such an interesting experience and great to see how a TV show is made. We were seriously disappointed that they didn’t show us relevant properties but it was lovely to see more of Wiltshire and stay in a nice hotel. I’ve heard a few stories like yours about how crews and presenters were not at all considerate of people and locations, but ours seemed really good.
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I used to watch this show a fair bit. Looking forward to this episode!!
I’ve never seen one, where someone actually really likes the houses they get shown…
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