Ben Fogle, the relentlessly cheerful explorer of unusual lifestyles, returns for another season of gawking at people who’ve opted out of the rat race. This time, he’s trekking to Eastern Europe, specifically Bulgaria, a country grappling with population decline, to meet a British family who bought a dilapidated farmhouse—sight unseen. Yes, you read that right: sight unseen. While some might question the sanity of such a purchase, Fogle seems determined to find the heartwarming core of this potentially disastrous real estate venture.
Jordan, Lewis, and their two children are the intrepid renovators at the heart of this episode. Fogle, never one to shy away from manual labor (or at least the appearance of it), will reportedly pitch in with the renovations, wielding a trowel and repurposing salvaged materials with the best of them. Expect shots of Fogle covered in plaster dust, interspersed with earnest conversations about the family’s motivations for swapping Blighty for the Balkans. We’ll undoubtedly hear about their past struggles and their hopes for a fresh start, all while Fogle nods sagely and admires their pluck. The question is, will their Bulgarian idyll live up to their expectations, or will it be another cautionary tale for the house-hunting hubristic?
Tune in to Channel 5 on Tuesday, 7 January, 2025, at 9:00 PM to find out.
