Help! We Bought a Village: Channel 4 release date of property show, locations in Europe - and how to watch

As house prices in the UK continue to rise to record highs, many Brits are looking further afield to get a foot on the property ladder.

There are hundreds of remote villages and hamlets across Europe that have been deserted for years but could provide a welcome opportunity for new investment.

As Europeans migrated from rural communities to urban areas for work over the last century, the population of many small villages dropped to zero.

In the case of many of these villages, locals did not see any value in investing in property that has already been abandoned, but a bunch of plucky Brits think that the derelict buildings could prove to be a gold mine.

Help! We Bought a Village follows pairs of entrepreneurial Brits as they buy up groups of disused properties in Europe with plans to bring a new lease of life to the area.

What is Help! We Bought a Village about?

Each episode focuses on two couples and the village, hamlet, borgo, or cortijo that they have bought.

It follows their efforts to restore the properties they have bought, many of which have fallen into a state of disrepair.

In some cases, the couples are able to buy an entire village for roughly the same as a house deposit in the UK - one couple purchased a hamlet in Normandy for £22,000.

As the couples spend months or even years rejuvenating the properties, they will hope to entice buyers back into the village and turn a profit.

While the time, resources, and vision required to turn dilapidated communities into an estate worth a million euros is significant, these couples think they have what it takes to make their investment a success.

The series also explores the rich history of the destinations the Brits are developing, with many settlements dating back thousands of years.

Where is Help! We Bought a Village filmed?

The series is filmed in a series of tiny villages across Europe, many of which are in idyllic, if overlooked, destinations.

Several episodes follow Francesca and Carl, a couple who have bought a hamlet in Italy with plans to convert it into a holiday complex worth one million euros.

Paul and Yip are another couple featured in the series - they are based in Normandy, France. After living in a static caravan in Kent, the pair decided to buy a row of cottages in La Busliere, a medieval hamlet, and are planning a dramatic restoration project.

Other destinations featured on the show include Galicia, on the northwest coast of Spain, where estate agent Marcial is looking for derelict villages, and a cave village in Andalusia in the south of Spain.

When is the release date of Help! We Bought a Village?

Help! We Bought a Village will begin airing on Channel 4 on Monday 25 July at 4pm.

There are 20 episodes which will be released at the same time on weeknights.

Episodes will also be available to watch on All 4 shortly after they are first broadcast.