Build a New Life In the Country Episode Rating Graph

David and Hilary Body dream of creating a new life in France with their two daughters. As they plan to run barge holidays on the French canals, they're renovating a rusty old cargo vessel, with a view to it becoming the family home in winter and a much-needed source of income in the summer. Will they escape the daily grind, or will their plans of leaving Essex run aground? The family bought a run-down Dutch barge, Lotte, for £120,000, and have already spent £30,000 on getting her seaworthy. This means that they have just £20,000 to finish the renovation. If that wasn't difficult enough, winter is setting in - and their teenage daughters, Sophie and Katy, are getting fed up of life without central heating and other creature comforts on a muddy mooring in Essex. In order to get the boat ready for the summer season, the Bodys end up relying on the proceeds from the sale of some possessions on the internet. However, when the weather takes a turn for the worse, their dream of crossing the Channel hangs in the balance like never before...

Charlie Luxton follows the progress of Leicestershire couple Scott Nicholas and Rachel Owen who are trying to restore an 18th-century Georgian rectory in Great Casterton, Rutland, in just three months. The property needs extensive repairs, including the roof, plumbing and heating, after being neglected for the past two decades, and bad news awaits the pair when the contractor gives them a quote of £200,000 for the work

Steve and Lorraine Kinsey from Stoke have had enough of the stresses and strains of city living. Steve has two jobs leaving no time for family life. So they’re moving to the Norfolk Coast for a fresh start, and a life where they can enjoy the countryside and beaches with their two sons. They’ve bought a 300 year old listed barn and have ambitious plans to create a stunning contemporary family home. But with limited funds they’ll have to do all the work themselves and with no experience. It’s going to be make or break for this couple.le in their dream location.

This week, Charlie meets a couple who have uprooted their three young daughters to start a new life in beautiful Barbados. Dawn and Marcus plan to build a large, open-plan home with a guest apartment for rent. But they face an array of challenges, from hurricanes and labour difficulties to the demands of a foreign environment. Dawn and Marcus want to give their three young daughters an amazing childhood in the Caribbean. They are fed up with their busy, stressful lives in London and want a more relaxed existence so they can spend more time together as a family. Dawn’s mother is from Barbados and moved to Britain in the 1960s. Seven years ago, Dawn’s family inherited a 10,000sq ft plot of land on the island and they have wanted to do something with it ever since. The plan is to build a large home with a swimming pool, guest studio and separate two bedroom apartment, which they can rent out to generate an income. The build will cost £200,000 and they have £50,000 to live off for the year during the build. Dawn, Marcus and the children move to Barbados in the autumn. They hope to start the build as soon as they arrive and plan to move into their new home by the summer. Although Marcus runs his own construction company in the UK, he has never before built his own house. He will be fully involved in the project, overseeing the work and mucking in to help the local builders. The project faces numerous challenges, from hurricanes to termites as well as the difficulties of sourcing local labour and transporting materials to the island. Once the house is completed, Marcus hopes to use the family home as a showpiece and springboard to set up a business designing similar properties for locals and ex-pats. The couple hope this business will support their new life in the long term. Marcus believes there is a strong market for ‘modern homes’ rather than the “mock colonial horrors” scattered across the island. Since they met 11 years ago, Marcus and Dawn have never lived outside London, so they face the challenge of adapting to the pace of island life. Although they will miss family and friends, they are looking forward to the adventure of a lifetime 4,000 miles away from the UK...

This week, Charlie meets a couple who have moved their four young children from Oxfordshire to France to begin a new, idyllic life. Keith and Antoinette dream of converting a 19th century chateau-style mansion in Languedoc into a family home and B&B. However, increasing financial demands threaten to derail the project. When Keith and Antoinette met six years ago, they had two children from previous relationships. Since then, they have had two more children of their own. However, Keith’s long working hours running his own company have left them with little time together as a family. Having always dreamed of moving to France, the couple have finally taken the plunge. Their hope is that the children will lead an idyllic village life and become bilingual. However, in order to finance the build, Keith has to sell his IT business in the UK. While Keith divides his time between England and France, Antoinette faces the huge task of project-managing a team of French builders – a job made even more difficult as she does not speak fluent French. She also has to keep an eye on the four kids. The plan is to have the guest accommodation ready to rent for the summer season – but when the couple’s financial situation worsens, their hopes of a better life begin to recede. Can Keith and Antoinette realise their dream?

Charlie Luxton visits Beachy Head cliffs in East Sussex, where a couple face mounting costs and legal wrangles as they try to transform one of England's oldest lighthouses into a luxury B With £500,000 already spent on the ambitious project, Charlie believes they have underestimated the cost of the renovation and the problems multiply as they deal with strong sea winds, a perilous access road and a delayed schedule.

Relocating to different parts of the UK and abroad

Ian and Elpi move from Wigan to the Lancashire countryside, where they plan to transform a Grade II-listed windmill and an Eighties-era house into a modern family home. While Ian works long hours at his solicitor's firm, Elpi takes on the role of project manager despite having a one-year-old son to look after, but she becomes disillusioned with the conversion when the budget runs out before the build is complete

Charlie Luxton meets a Leeds couple who want to turn a run-down croft on the Isle of Harris into a campsite. As they wait for their application to be approved, they rely on their savings to do some much-needed renewal work, including installing electricity, but with legal difficulties and the cash running dry quickly, the pair have to find alternatives to keep their dream alive

Architect George Clarke helps a building surveyor and his wife, who have grown tired of city life and the expense of their mortgage and wish to downsize to the Lincolnshire countryside. With a budget of £90,000, the couple plan to renovate a small chapel and convert it into a three-bedroom home. They also intend to retire from their jobs and open an equestrian livery business

Charlie revisits a couple who planned to convert a dilapidated lighthouse in Eastbourne into a luxury B He discovers how the pair helped finance their ambitious scheme by convincing builders to pose for a nude calendar, and learns why unexploded bombs from the Second World War left the would-be hoteliers wrangling with the council over permission to build a road to the premises.

Charlie revisits a young couple who tried to convert a Grade II-listed Yorkshire farmhouse into a stylish modern home.

Architect George Clarke helps a Buckinghamshire couple escape their demanding jobs and relocate to Scotland, where they intend to modernise a 120-year-old farmhouse with their own designs. Businesswoman Carol becomes project manager and aims to be settled before Christmas, but bad weather and delayed planning permission put the date back, forcing the family to spend more time apart

George Clarke meets Frank and Alice from Cambridge who decide to move to rural Croatia, planning to convert a dilapidated stone house and its idyllic surroundings into a nature retreat with six log cabins for guests. While things seem to go well at first, difficulties with the local authorities, the language barrier, and a divining rod soon cause problems for the project. Last in series

Following a heart attack scare aged 29, workaholic Mick Wilmer from Grimsby needs a complete change of life. He’s given up his job in a chemical plant to move to the rugged south west coast of Scotland with his wife Jenny and their two children. Their dream is to set up and run a small farm, and build a home from the ruins of a 600 year old farmhouse. Their budget is a mere £90,000 pounds, which quickly disappears, leaving the family with rising debts, and Mick facing exhaustion as he battles night and day to hold onto their dream.

Architectural designer Charlie Luxton takes over as presenter, following British people who dream of living in perfect rural locations. He starts off in West Yorkshire, where married couple Ian and Becky Sheveling have given up successful careers to convert a Grade II listed farmhouse and barn into a stylish modern dwelling. But although Charlie is impressed by the couple's drive and determination, he is astounded by their plans to establish a hillside vineyard with no experience of the wine trade