Escape To The Country host Jules Hudson was stunned when a couple came on to the show with an eye-watering budget of £1.5 million.
In a 2021 episode of the popular BBC property show, Mike and Carol met up with Jules in the Peak District in a bid to find a home nearer their children.
The pair had been living in the Netherlands for the last three decades but had opted to move back to the East Midlands.
Confessing they wanted their future property to boast around three to four bedrooms alongside two annexes and a large downstairs area, Carol and Mike were not shy to dig deep for the perfect home.
But the TV presenter was left shocked when the pair confessed they were willing to shell out a whopping £1.5 million for their dream house.
Escape To The Country host Jules Hudson was flabbergasted when a couple came on to the show with an eye-watering budget of £1.5 million
Carol and Mike (pictured 2021) were happy to splash out on their dream home after moving back from the Netherlands after 30 years to be nearer to their children in the UK
Jules said to the couple: ‘Shall we talk about your budget for this move? Who’s going to confirm it for me?’
‘If we’re talking about a house that needs a lot of effort spent on it then probably about a million is as far as we’d want to go,’ Mike responded.
‘And if it was ready to move into tomorrow, with everything organised, even up to £1.5 million, that’s the absolute limit.’
The baffled host retorted: ‘I have to confess, I think £1.5million is the biggest budget I’ve ever had to play with on this show.
‘But I do want to get it right, so we’ve got a lot of work to do.’
Jules took the pair on a tour across a range of stunning homes in the Peak district area.
They made their first pit stop at a beautiful 18th century home in Kettleshulme Cheshire worth a staggering £1.5 million.
The second house was a stunning contemporary home in Marple Bridge, Stockport, which fetched an enormous price tag of £1.3 million.
Finally came The Mystery House in Wheston Derbyshire, which turned out to be a beautiful humble farmhouse.
After viewing all three gorgeous properties, the buying hopefuls shared that the first 18th century home they viewed was the one which caught their eye.
Regarding the home that was at the tail end of their £1.5 million budget, Carol said: ‘I think for me, the house that stood out was property number one because it was almost ready to move into and it had a lot of things we needed.’
The pair didn’t make an offer on the home but did tell Jules they wanted to have another look around the property.
More recently a young couple who appeared on the show were slammed for being ‘spoiled’ after they unveiled that they had £850,000 budget for their first home.
Escape to the Country followed engaged couple Anna and Jack who shared their desire to own a joint four bedroom in Buckinghamshire.
Fans of the show BBC show were shocked to learn that they nearly £1 million to do it, as the pair confessed they desired ‘plenty of outdoor space, four bedrooms, a utility room, and a large kitchen.’.
It was the first home (pictured) the couple viewed – which came with an eye-watering price tag of £1.5 million – that caught the couple’s eye
Carol said: ‘The house that stood out was property number one because it was almost ready to move into and it had a lot of things we needed
The couple already own individual flats in St Albans, but were now ready to trade their lives in for the countryside for their first home together.
However, Anna, a civil servant, and Jack, a consultant, have since been dubbed ‘privileged’ and ‘spoiled’ by viewers, prompting them to reveal just how they came into the truckload of cash.
Speaking to The Mirror, they said: ‘While I consider this to be largely a private matter, to quell the “mummy and daddy” nonsense, I will say that we inherited in circumstances nobody would choose, and recognise that we are very fortunate to earn salaries that we can leverage.’
Jack also condemned property prices in the UK, insisting that it’s merely impossible for first-time buyers to purchase a home without a huge budget.
He added: ‘Our budget buys a small apartment in most of London, where 9 million people live. This is just plain wrong.’
