Dick Strawbridge and his wife Angel are back for a second series of Escape to the Château: Make Do and Mend on C4.
And they’ll no doubt be hoping certain unpleasant rumours might die down soon…
The couple have been forced to deny they are “abusive” and “spiteful” on set.
So what’s the show about, and what have they been accused of?
Here’s everything you need to know!
Read more: The Handmaid’s Tale season 3 catch-up: What happened in the Channel 4 show?
Escape to the Château: Who are Dick and Angel Strawbridge?
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Francis Strawbridge MBE is an engineer and former army officer turned TV personality.
He is often referred to as Colonel Dick.
He first appeared on TV as an engineering and environmental expert on various shows, including Scrapheap Challenge.
He’s also a regular guest presenter of BBC Two’s Coast.
Dick and now wife Angel Adoree – real name Angela Newman – appeared in the fly-on-the-wall property show Escape to the Château for the first time in 2015.
The programme followed Dick and Angel through the purchase of their abandoned château and subsequent renovations.
Their French home Château de la Motte-Husson is located in Martigné-sur-Mayenne, France.
There has subsequently been numerous sequels and spin-offs.
There is an 18-year age gap between the pair – Dick is 61 and Angel is 43.
Angel, the founder of The Vintage Patisserie, married Dick in November 2015.
Dick and Angel have two children, Arthur Donald (born 2013) and Dorothy Francis (born 2014).
He was previously married to Brigit A. Weiner in 1982, with whom he has two children, James George (born 1984) and Charlotte Elizabeth (born 1986).
Dick and Brigit separated in 2010.
Escape to the Château: Dick and Angel accused of being abusive
The couple have been forced to deny allegations made by former crew members.
Earlier this year, employees of Spark Media – the independent production company that filmed the first four series of the renovation show – made allegations against the couple.
Numerous former Escape to the Château staff alleged the couple were “aggressive and abusive”, according to The Times.
An ex-employee claimed: “I haven’t experienced anything as pernicious and spiteful as Dick and Angel and working with them took a very heavy toll on staff.
“It was almost like being in an abusive relationship, waiting for what small thing one of them would blow up at and turn into a massive deal.”
However, Dick and Angel have since vehemently denied the claims.
Angel told The Telegraph: “If you asked every single person on our team, they would all say that Dick is completely chivalrous.
“He will always be that person opening doors, helping people, and if anyone upsets me, he will be the first person to take control of the situation. He is very protective.”
She added. “These anonymous people – we don’t know who they are – we probably only met once.
“One of them, the main one we think, we only met for a couple of hours.
“The people who were here for any length of time were family; the kids knew them and we really opened up our world to them, so you can imagine that it felt very sad to read a lot of that stuff.”
Read more: The Great British Bake Off 2021: When does the new series start on Channel 4?
How many episodes is Escape to the Château: Make Do and Mend?
Escape to the Château: Make Do and Mend on C4 is six episodes.
Each episode is one hour long, including those pesky adverts.
How to watch Escape to the Château with Dick and Angel?
Escape to the Château: Make Do and Mend starts its second run on Thursday June 24 2021.
The episode will then be available to watch immediately after on All 4, the on-demand channel from C4.
All previous seven series of Escape to the Château are currently available to watch on All 4.
The subsequent spin-offs like Escape to the Château at Christmas, Escape to the Château: The Great Outdoors and Designing the Dream are also available to watch.
Escape to the Château series one – what happened?
The first series of this latest Escape to the Château spin-off went out during lockdown one last year – or the OG lockdown as we like to call it.
Dick and Angel Strawbridge were forced to put their wedding and events business on hold.
Instead they helped British TV viewers remotely with their DIY projects.
Dick and Angel Strawbridge helped families across the UK tackle their design and DIY dilemmas, with the help of their children Dorothy and Arthur.
Escape to the Château: Make Do and Mend episode one
Dick and Angel Strawbridge help Kate and Erik restore their 150-year-old sash window and turn their small landing into a beautiful space for all the family.
Angel reveals the art of creating repeat patterns on fabric, as a unique solution to Jo and family’s desire to display their precious vintage family photos in something other than a frame.
Meanwhile, Dick solves Suzanna and Luke’s conundrum of how to turn a treasured wardrobe into a showcase for shoes, by designing ingenious shelving inspired by a visit to the kitchen.
Escape to the Château: Make Do and Mend returns on Thursday June 24 2021 on C4 at 9pm.
Are you a fan of Dick and Angel? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.