Not sure if we mentioned it, and to be honest we haven’t really talked about it a lot, but we were featured on a little TV show here in the UK called ‘Escape to the Country‘. We applied back in mid-May and found ourselves filming in beautiful Wiltshire in early June in what was a bit of a rollercoaster mini adventure.
It was an incredible experience going through the complex interview process and then actually doing the filming and we obviously wrote a blog post all about it when we returned.
It was all very exciting and we had a lot of interaction with a lot of our normal blog followers but fairly quickly we settled back into our lives with the promise that the BBC would let us know when our programme would actually be screened.
Legal Wrangling
Having almost forgotten about it we were surprised to receive an email a month ago from the legal arm of the production company with slightly heavy overtones. Apparently they had seen our ‘little blog‘ and noticed that we had written a blog post all about our experiences during filming the show. They proceeded then to remind us that we had signed contracts not to reveal any details from ETTC and attached the legal documents for us to read!
Interesting huh? They were right and we had signed but for goodness sake ……..
So I took the post down as instructed and saved the world from impending destruction.
The Live Show
So the time did eventually come and the live transmission was actually today. Yes TODAY! We were on BBC1 at 3 o’clock this very afternoon and it was slightly terrifying to say the least. We told a few people in advance as we just wanted to see it ourselves before it became common knowledge (or common viewing or whatever).
With a bottle of peach schnapps and our hands over our eyes we settled down to view the show earlier today fearing the absolute worst. Seeing yourself on a video on your phone is bad enough so what was being on TV going to be like? Well not as bad as we imagined to be honest.
After an initial horrifying few minutes we relaxed a little and actually quite enjoyed the show. Strange that they cut the first property we viewed from the final show. I think it may have been a bit bare and basic as it was very old and extremely small. All of the other properties looked a lot nicer on TV than they seemed at the time, clever filming I suppose. And some of those conversations we had with the host, Alistair, the healthfood shop lady, and the barge owner were a hundred times longer than the throw away lines they showed. So interesting to see what made the final cut.
Ultimately we thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of applying and participating in the show, it was a wonderful experience and we got to stay in a posh country hotel for a few days and see so much more of beautiful Wiltshire. We won’t ever forget our Escape to the Country.
Wonder if anyone else saw it?
Out-takes
Well not exactly out-takes but one of the self-made videos that we had to film as part of the interview process. There were so many! But this one made us laugh a bit!
Should definitely have been in the show!
05/10/2021
JWalking 
I’ll have to seek that out!
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And I just did! Very enjoyable, you did well. I’ve never watched that programme before – my impression is it’s a big advert for the local tourist board and the house hunters are secondary to that.
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I think you hit the nail on the head, that’s exactly what the show is. A big advert for towns and counties. Fun to do though.
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I thought it was excellent, I am proud to say that I know some celebrities 🙂 xx
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Yes you do! It was ok wasn’t it, not as cringe worthy as we both feared.
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I can’t remember if you did mention it before…but I love the show and will have to look for it. Unfortunately here in Canada we are mostly getting the very old repeats. Very fun to watch!
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It could be a while until you get it, I shouldn’t worry too much though. Probably more fun for us than viewers.
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I actually really enjoy the show. I love seeing all the different areas of the country as well 🙂
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Showcases England really well doesn’t it?
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I’ll be on the lookout when we eventually have 2021 episodes airing here.
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Wonder when that will be? Don’t get too excited though ……
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We’re seeing 2019 episodes at the moment.
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oh wow, bit of a wait for us then. Could be for the best though!
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I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. 😀🤭
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To be honest it really wasn’t. We were expecting the worst but it was pleasantly quite good.
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Oh I’ll have to look that up! Reaction to the original post seems a bit heavy handed, you didn’t write about it in a way that compromised anything. Your posts have been a very interesting insight into what actually goes on behind the scenes vs the final, edited and polished programme. The magic of television eh? Does the house hunting continue? We are still looking, we only ever seem to establish what we don’t want rather than find what we do. Process of elimination, perhaps!
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It was a bit on the heavy side but I suppose we did sign a contract. Slightly over the top though. Still looking for a property down here but like you not found anything we like just loads we don’t! Where are you looking?
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We’ve been looking everywhere. UK and overseas. The double edge of military life. It teaches you that you can live anywhere, but how to choose when anywhere is possible.
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It’s so much more difficult when you can virtually live anywhere isn’t it? Just need to try and narrow down the actual location.
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They always ‘manipulate’ the film to suit their aims, but at least you had a great time and the world didn’t end!
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It was fascinating to see how it’s all done and actually be a part of it. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
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I can’t believe they sent you a threatening email over that post! I didn’t catch it, but I’ll have a look on iPlayer.
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Seems crazy doesn’t it? As if we would affect BBC viewing figures? Ha. It was better than we expected.
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I shall look out for it. We get Escape to the country here. Hope you find that place with a roof to keep your trousers dry one day.
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Still looking for somewhere to live Chris, not easy but we’re pretty patient and won’t give up.
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Just watched the programme and was very impressed with how you both came across. Well Done! Thanks also for bringing it to my attention as it’s not a programme I would usually watch but I enjoyed it especially with you being the stars of the show.
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Thanks, we were dreading seeing it but actually weren’t too horrified to see ourselves on tv. Very strange but quite an experience.
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I wonder if there is any way to see it in Canada! Apparently your little blog is not so little to cause them to act like that.
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Don’t know if it’s shown at all in Canada, could be a few series behind. Strange how they were so heavy handed legally isn’t it? You would think they had better things to do.
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Can’t wait to see it.
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It was ok, not too cringe worthy. No idea when you’ll get it down under though.
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I’ll keep an eye out.
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It wasn’t anywhere near as bad you told me Jon.And you were far more positive about the properties than you had suggested. Or is that down to the clever editing? Still a little claim to fame being on a TV show. What did the kids think of it???
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How cool is this???? What a great experience 🙌
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It was so interesting to see how a tv show is made. Not sure about being the main participants but certainly something we will never forget.
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