Escape to the Chateau’s Angel threw her parents an incredible fiftieth wedding anniversary party on last night’s programme, but viewers were distracted as they swooned over Dick’s handsome tattooed son and demanded he return every week to the show.
Now on its sixth series, the series follows the ambitious couple as they renovate the 45-bedroom Château-de-la-Motte Husson in France, which they bought in 2014, for £280,000.
Last night’s episode of the Channel 4 show saw Dick, 59, and Angel, 48, who are parents to Arthur, six, and Dorothy, five, organise the ‘party of a lifetime’ for her parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.
They were joined by James, who appeared with his father and mother Brigit Weiner in the BBC series It’s Not Easy Being Green in 2006, which followed their family’s attempt to live as green a life as possible.
Now a professional chef, James, 35, arrived to help create a dream menu for Jenny and Steve based on meals from each of their favourite countries.
‘I didn’t think this program could get any better and then elder son comes to visit,’ one viewer wrote. ‘Oh my he’s gorgeous! Channel 4 give him his own show immediately!’
Viewers of Escape to the Chateau were wowed after Dick’s son James, 35, from Cornwall, made an appearance on the programme last night
Tattooed hunk James impressed viewers last night after appearing on Escape to the Chateau alongside his father Dick (pictured together)
Another wrote: ‘Just when I thought I couldn’t love #Escapetothechateau anymore, along comes James *Swoons ever so slightly.’
Angel’s parents, Jenny and Steve, have appeared in the series Escape to the Chateau before, and long helped their daughter and son-in-law Dick with their home.
Angel’s parents initially looked around the chateau with them before they bought the property, and later even moved to France to help with the renovations.
And despite it being the middle of the wedding season, Dick and Angel were fully focused on one of their biggest events in the year – her parents wedding anniversary.
Viewers were wowed by James on the programme, with some demanding he return to screens every week
The couple invited over one hundred guests to the chateau for a weekend of celebrations, including an evening BBQ followed by drinks on the terrace.
Angel admitted it was likely to be tough, saying: ‘We’ve just finished a wedding and it’s been the hottest weekend of the year, and things are a little bit more tiring when it’s hot.’
While Angel worked out the logistics of her parents party at the chateau, Dick travelled to Wales to buy an Asquith Mascot bus for the family.
He said he had grand plans to change the bus into a family camper van, revealing: ‘The shell is what we’re after.’
The hunky tattooed James left viewers swooning after his appearance in the Channel 4 programme last night
After a 400 mile journey through three countries, Dick bought the van home to a delighted Angel, who exclaimed: ‘It is so much better in real life.’
And it wasn’t just the camper van and party to plan, as the couple discovered a large hole filled with muddy water at the bottom of their garden in a wooded area.
Conscious it might be an old ice house, Dick called it ‘a bit of a deathtrap’, and suggested they put a fence around it ‘if nothing else’.
But despite how busy the couple were, Angel was determined her parents would have the wedding celebration they’d always wanted.
Angel was determined to throw her parents the ‘party of a lifetime’ at the chateau for their 50th wedding anniversary
Meanwhile Dick travelled to Wales to buy an Asquith Mascot bus, which he hoped to transform into a family camper van
The couple drafted in some extra help in the form of Dick’s son James, who drove from Cornwall to the chateau in order to join his family for the celebration.
Later, Dick joined his son in the walled garden at the chateau to select herbs and flowers that could be used in the menu.
An enthusiastic James called the garden ‘beautiful’, before asking: ‘Are we allowed to just take whatever we want?’
The couple unveiled the Asquith Mascot bus to their two young children, with Arthur and Dorothy exclaiming they loved it
Meanwhile Dick was also tasked with building a fence around a hazardous old ice house at the bottom of the chateau garden
He cut off chunks of sage and mint before picking his father’s strawberries and grabbing a handful of elderflower, which he later used to create a fine sugar to top an ice cream sundae dessert.
With over a hundred guests at the chateau, the couple hosted an evening BBQ, with James and Dick preparing 50 rotisserie chickens before embarking on the rest of the menu, which included Jenny’s own special potato salad.
And on the morning of their fiftieth wedding anniversary, James helped Dick and Angel by serving the ladies in the house a champagne cocktail with a homemade cream scone.
With Dick and Angel busy running the chateau, James wowed viewers when he arrived in order to help his father out
James, who works as a professional chef in Cornwall, helped to prepare the menu for Angel’s parents wedding anniversary
With the champagne tea reception out of the way, the catering team of Dick, James and Arthur turned their attention to the evening menu.
By six o’clock the rain had stopped and the party began, with Dick and James serving up eight completely different dishes themed on the couple’s travels around the world.
Angel admitted: ‘It was a hard menu, they’ve travelled the world and they have memories attached to all these things.’
But as soon as the whole menu has been served, it was time for James to leave so that he could go back to work in Cornwall.
James went on to help his father rotisserie 50 chickens before helping to cater for the rest of the evening BBQ for Angel’s parents
Jenny and Steve were delighted with the family’s efforts to throw them their dream fiftieth wedding anniversary party
Later Angel thanked her parents in a speech and called them ‘wonderful’, saying: ‘We are who we are because of you two.’
Despite the impressive party effort, viewers seemed distracted by the professional chef, with many taking to Twitter to praise his good looks and cookery skills.
One commented: ‘Is anyone else watching #EscapeToTheChateau? How hot is Dick Strawbridge’s son? He cooks too! What a treat.’
James, who works as a professional chef, helped his father create a dream menu for Angel’s parents Jenny and Steve
Another posted: ‘How fit is Dick’s son James!’
One added: ‘Urgh James Strawbridge…I can’t cope.’
‘I am loving this next series. Arthur is adorable, his sister Dorothy is smart and beautiful as Dick Strawbridge said,’ one posted. ‘Happy 50th to Angel’s lovely parents! James was gorgeous, bring him back as a regular please!’