Secret France with Dick and Angel, review: all smiles as Channel 4 says au revoir to the couple

I was devastated when Channel 4 said last year that they would “no longer be working” with Escape to the Chateau’s Dick and Angel. There had been an investigation into alleged clashes between the Strawbridges and that show’s producers, along with an audio file of Angel being really rather unangelic. But their new series, Secret France with Dick and Angel, had already been filmed.

With Dick and Angel grinning and giggling throughout, the embodiment of joie de vivre and esprit de corps, it seemed too good to be true. But Channel 4 have confirmed that Secret France is the couple’s last hurrah. I tried to pretend I knew none of the above, particularly as episode one made no mention of Dick and Angel’s defenestration.

Taken on its own merits, Secret France was a cut above your run-of-the-mill travelogue. You think you’ve seen most corners of the world covered already in travel telly, and in fact you most probably have. Still, I would agree with Secret France’s assertion that in the fuss to gush over Provence, the old trading port of Marseille has often been overlooked.

This may be because it has become associated with gang violence and no-go areas in the quartier nords (helped by items such as “How drug gangs operate in Europe’s most dangerous city” on Channel 4 News last month).

In any case, it was good, and unexpected, to see Dick and Angel doing their surprised-by-joy schtick in some unexpected places. They are soon to be booted off Channel 4 for their alleged behaviour behind the scenes, but in front of the scenes they still know what to do.

So off they trotted to the Maison Empereur hardware store, which to me looked monumental (I like hardware stores). They made their own scent; they found some flamingos. Dick walked about wearing what looked like an upturned bread basket on his head.

Throughout they maintained the crucial appearance of genuine curiosity. Alas, soon they too will be a curiosity, perhaps cast to television’s four winds for harbouring secrets of their own.