Help! We Bought a Village is a new Channel 4 property show following UK investors who have bought derelict settlements across Europe
As house prices in the UK continue to soar to record highs, many Brits are looking further afield to get a foot up the property ladder.
There are hundreds of remote villages and hamlets across Europe that have been abandoned for years but could offer a welcome opportunity for new investment.
As Europeans migrated from rural communities to urban areas to work in the last century, the population of many small villages dropped to zero.
In the case of many of these villages, locals saw no value in investing in already-abandoned property, but a bunch of brave Brits believe the derelict buildings could prove a gold mine.
Help! We Bought a Village follows two British entrepreneurs as they buy up clusters of derelict properties in Europe to breathe new life into the area.
What is help! We bought a village over?
Each episode focuses on two couples and the village, hamlet, borgo or cortijo they bought.
It follows their efforts to restore the properties they have purchased, many of which have fallen into a state of disrepair.
In some cases, the couples can buy an entire village for around the same amount as a down payment on a house in the UK – one couple bought a hamlet in Normandy for £22,000.
As the couples spend months or even years rejuvenating the properties, they hope to lure buyers back to the village and turn a profit.
While the time, resources and vision required to transform run-down communities into a million dollar estate is significant, these couples believe they have what it takes to make their investment a success .
The series also examines the rich history of the destinations the British are developing, with many settlements dating back thousands of years.
Where is help! Filmed We Bought a Village?
The series is filmed in a series of tiny villages across Europe, many of which are in idyllic if overlooked locations.
Several episodes follow Francesca and Carl, a couple who have bought a hamlet in Italy to convert it into a million euro holiday resort.
Paul and Yip are another couple from the series – they live in Normandy, France. After living in a caravan in Kent, the pair decided to buy a set of cottages in La Busliere, a medieval hamlet, and are planning a dramatic restoration project.
Other destinations featured on the show are Galicia on Spain’s north-west coast, where real estate agent Marcial is searching for ruined villages, and a cave village in Andalucia in southern Spain.
When is the release date of Help! We bought a village?
Help! We Bought a Village airs Monday 25 July at 4pm on Channel 4.
There are 20 episodes released at the same time on weekdays.
Episodes can also be viewed on All 4 shortly after they first aired.