Channel 4 drops Escape to the Chateau stars Dick and Angel Strawbridge after bullying claims
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Broadcaster Channel 4 has severed ties with Escape to the Chateau’s Dick and Angel Strawbridge following an independent HR review into the couple’s relationship with the show’s producers. The duo appeared on the programme, which follows the renovation of their 19th-century chateau in Martigné-sur-Mayenne, France, for nine seasons, beginning in 2016 and ending in December 2022.
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On May 17, Deadline reported Channel 4 had ended its relationship with the Strawbridges. According to the report, an independent HR investigation was ordered by the broadcaster after Two Rivers Media (the company which produces Escape To The Chateau) raised concerns about the couple.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: “Following a review, we have taken the decision not to work with Dick and Angel on any new productions in the future.”
Production company Two Rivers Media also confirmed they “will no longer work with Dick and Angel and cannot comment further at the moment”.
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Despite the nature of the concerns not being disclosed by the broadcaster, Deadline’s sources said “there has been a deteriorating relationship between Two Rivers and Dick and Angel’s Chateau TV for various reasons and it all came to a head”.
The axe comes after The Times obtained clips in 2021 of Angel calling a producer a “f***ing c***”. Another clip hears Dick telling a producer “f*** you”.
After the clips came to light, sources from the show’s previous production company, Spark Media, accused the couple of bullying. The sources said they made working on the programme an “anxiety-inducing ordeal”.
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At the time, representatives for the couple denied they were aggressive or had bullied staff.
Dick is a former Lieutenant Colonel in the British Army and before he starred in the Channel 4 show, he appeared on It’s Not Easy Being Green (2006) and Scrapheap Challenge (2009). Aside from the chateau, Angel runs a hospitality business called The Vintage Patisserie which received an investment on Dragon’s Den in 2010.
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