Holly Williamson and James Needham were still living in Australia when they applied to appear on Escape to the Country.
Although the pair had never visited the north-east of Scotland, they had their hearts set on making the area their new home.
The BBC show gave them the perfect opportunity to explore all Aberdeenshire has to offer for the very first time.
At the end of the episode which aired last month, presenter Jules Hudson announced the house hunters had decided to settle down in Moray instead of the shire.
“The house we ended up buying was one we had sent into the show originally, but the owner didn’t want it to be filmed at the time,” said James.
“So, we went to see it the day after we finished filming.”
Holly added: “If they’d shown us this house on the show, we would have immediately bought it.”
From Sydney to Moray
Last year, the couple made a life-changing move from their two-bedroom flat in Sydney to their dream home in Aberlour.
James said: “”It was just a bit of luck that we found this area and that this house had everything we wanted.
“We knew straight away,” Holly continued. “We put the offer in when we got back to James’s parents house in Northamptonshire and everything was concluded in a couple of months.
“Move in day was at the end of October and it has been amazing. It’s quite a small town so we’ve got to know people pretty quickly which has been really nice.”
Holly, 39, fell in love with Scotland during a holiday in 2017 and said she has always been interested in the country’s history as her great-grandparents were born in Glasgow.
Meanwhile, 41-year-old James was born and raised in England and spent the past 15 years living in Australia.
After setting up their lives together overseas, they decided they wanted to relocate from “busy Sydney” to a cooler climate where they could find a country home in a less isolated location.
“Our lifestyle has become what we have always wanted it to be,” she said. “We’re renovating the house as we go – it’s an exciting adventure.
“It feels like home”.
Great experience on Escape to the Country
Although they did not end up buying any of the houses they viewed on Escape to the Country, Holly and James said the experience gave them a “great introduction to the area”.
Holly said: “About 10 years ago, I saw my first episode of Escape to the Country and I thought ‘one day I’m going to go on that show’.”
They viewed three potential houses across Aberdeenshire – in Towie, Strathdon and a mystery property in New Pitsligo – which were all a “total surprise”.
She added: “We couldn’t guess where we were going because they drive you around and we didn’t know the area.
“We also went to Stonehaven and got to chat to a local guy and his friends afterwards, it was great.
“And, Jules was really fun. He’s been doing the show for ages so he’s really relaxed and made us feel comfortable.”
“He is exactly as he is on TV,” James added.
