Escape to the Country

Out here in Oz, Escape to the Country is our favourite end of week show, screening @ 8.30pm. My favourite host is Catherine Gee. Once you adjust to a very small percentage of the people on the show actually buying anything it's fine. Generally I watch and tape this as for some strange reason it doesn't look like DVDs are available. Generally have a British atlas next to the TV so pinpoint where they are looking.

Some episodes are better than others. It all comes down mainly to the type of houses and areas the people are looking to move to. That's about 80% of the appeal, 20% the contestants themselves. Whether or not it's because most of the people are yet to sell, the buy rate feels like about 5%.

I can't believe some of the properties these people pass over.

After Escape there's another guilty pleasure, another English show "60 minute makeover" Hosted by Claire Sweeney whose very easy on the eye, warm and charming the challenge is to redecorate a number of rooms in a house in 60 minutes. Generally a team of about 30 contractors descend onto a house under the guidance of a weekly designer, many of whom reappear throughout the series.

Quite like some of the designers and some of the outcomes (done in two thirty minute bursts with a tea break in between) are stunning.

Really like the programme however I feel that the presenter and also the views should have more respect for the properties and their owners. They are all walking into the property with outdoor boots and shoes which could possibly be wet, dirty and muddy, why do they not remove their shoes. Surely it's the right thing to do.?

I think it is Season 2 that I'm watching on Netflix in the U.S. and am quite enjoying this version of a house-hunter show. So far, none of the buyers have actually purchased a house so it's different from American shows of this type that end with a house being chosen and then usually there is an additional conclusion of what changes (if any) the buyers have made to a property and seeing them entertaining guests. Nevertheless, for me this is an interesting travelogue of the U.K. and I enjoy seeing the villages and the interiors of various types of residential dwellings which are quite different from American homes. The British often make do with a lack of certain conveniences in their homes and it seems 2-story homes are generally preferred over single story. This contrasts with the American market where such things as separate laundry rooms, multiple bathrooms, and a garage has been the norm since the 1960s. Single story homes in the U.S. have been very popular for decades, and since the late 1980s a ground floor master bedroom suite in a 2-story house has been a "luxury" offered by builders. The presenter-hosts of the show are all engaging as they provide historical facts about the counties. One of them, Jules Hudson, seems to have a very limited wardrobe as he's been in the same blue jeans for every show so far.

This series is easily my favourite of all the home/ house series shows and watch it when ever possible.bi automatically dream of having the opportunity to be in a position to buy in areas in a house they show on each show, such beautiful country sides. Highly recommended to anyone loving the English country side...

It's amusing to see how the Brits live. 99% of all showers are curved units vs what we have in the US and almost no alcove tub/shower combos. 99% of tiles in the kitchens are 4x4. Toilets are usually old fashioned and 99%of bathrooms also don't have vanities/cupboards! Not many built in closets, even in houses built in the 21st century!

The gardens are why i watch as the houses are mostly not for me. Oh the gardens...how wonderfully lucky Brits are to have rain and old walls and a national passion for growing. Where I live, few ppl garden, lawns r about it.