Escape To The Country star Jules Hudson's jaw-drops over show's most expensive budget

Escape To The Country host Jules Hudson was given an eye-watering budget when two guests decided to move back to the U.K. after living in the Netherlands for over thirty years. Jules, 54, was given a whopping figure of £1.5 million to find them their dream home.

Back in 2021, the popular BBC show saw Mike and Carol meet up with Jules in the Peak District in a bid to find a luxurious abode. Mike and Carol wanted to return so they could be closer to their children.

Jules was under strict instructions to find them a property that boasted a large downstairs area, three to four spacious bedrooms along with at least two annexes. They made it clear that they needed the house to sit on land if there was no outside living space.

The couple said it was crucial to have a living space away from the property, so if the house did not have it then they required some land to build on it. Carol told the property expert they were able to splash out and tick off everything on their wish list.

Jules did not beat around the bush and asked them: “Shall we talk about your budget for this move? Who's going to confirm it for me?” Initially, he thought it may be a few hundred thousand as that is what the average property went for in the area.

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.

“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.”

Jules was left startled: “I have to confess, I think £1.5million is the biggest budget I've ever had to play with on this show.”

Feeling the pressure he went on to say: “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 that offered a range of different features.

First on the list was a beautiful 18th-century home in Kettleshulme Cheshire worth a staggering £1.5 million.

The second home was in Marple Bridge, Stockport, which fetched an enormous price tag of £1.3 million.

Finally came The Mystery House in Weston Derbyshire, which turned out to be a beautiful humble farmhouse.

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.

Escape to the Country is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.