Chat Ed : Welcome to this evening's No Going Back: Andalucia webchat with Craig and Sasha and series producer Billy Paulett!
Craig : Hello to everyone, I hope you have all enjoyed this evening's programme.
Sasha : Hi everyone!
Billy : Hello there…
digitalskittles : How has life been since the programme was made?
Sasha : Fantastic. Just so relaxed and we are loving Spain. We enjoy it a lot. It was made about 10 months ago.
Billy : Yes our last trip to film was in October this year though.
Cynds : do you feel that after living the life that you are living now that you could go back to life in England?
Sasha : I don't think I could, although I did enjoy England and I miss a lot of friends and I look forward to them coming to visit. I will certainly be coming back to England so I don't feel that cut off from it. I will still go back now and again.
Craig : I could probably say quite categorically no! It would be very difficult to get back into that routine again.
Gordon Brown MP : Did you find that you were more fond of England than you thought, after having travelled abroad?
Craig : Ooh.. very good question. I think I've always been fond of my home country and it's not through any dislike or loathing of my own country that we moved out here, it was more of a lifestyle choice. I couldn't find the lifestyle that I wanted to live in England.
Katie : Would you consider moving to a different country again?
Craig : Over the last few years I think we have considered lots of different places, but now that we have done it and after all the time and effort and money we have put into it we want to stay here for a good while. It's going so well here too so I think we have really hung our hat here.
digitalskittles : Billy, has producing No Going Back been an interesting project?
Billy : It's been fascinating because you start following people at the beginning of a fantastic adventure and you really don't know how it's going to end, but it's wonderful when it ends like Sasha and Craig’s - when they seem to achieve what they set out to.
Craig : Thank you Billy!
digitalskittles : Is there a book to go with the series?
Billy : There will be a book. It is being produced now to tie in with the next series, which is going to be broadcast next year.
Cynds : dear, sasha and craig, what advice would you give to any body who is considering moving abroad to live? any dos and don'ts?
Craig : The advice I would give is perhaps to of course investigate a little bit of what you are letting yourself in for. Don't let mundane worries stand in your way though. You can do as much research as you possibly can but at some point you have to take that great leap of faith.
Sasha : I think you should not be too worried about any discomfort - to be prepared to rough it a bit and not to expect it to be easy. Speaking the language is a good thing! At least a little bit anyway. Learn some before you come because it will make life a lot easier for you.
DF : Sasha - overall are you glad you took part in the show?
Sasha : Yeah I am glad. I did worry a lot about the outcome and whether it was not going to be favourable because you don't really know what light it is going to come out in. But having seen it I am very pleased now. I would say that it did add stress to the project. The time factor of the deadline of wanting the hotel to be finished in time for the show to go out put a lot of extra stress on us. But overall I'm thrilled to see it now and I'm really pleased with it.
Mummy : Can you get Channel 4 in Andalucia and if not do you miss Richard Whiteley?
Sasha laughs
Sasha : Richard Whiteley! Hehe no you can't get Channel 4 here and we don't have a television anyway!
Katie : Billy, would you consider doing the same things as Craig and Sasha and move to a different country?
Billy : I have often contemplated it and will continue to do so but I think that all of these people who take part in our show are incredibly brave and adventurous and I'm still waiting to find out what I really want to do in life.
Mummy : What project do you have lined up next Billy?
Billy : Well we're doing another series of No Going Back and lots of juicy documentaries for Ricochet Films.
Katie : Did you find it easy to make friends with neighbours in Spain?
Sasha : Yes I think Spanish people on the whole are very friendly and open and it's very easy to get into conversation with them. They are not standoffish at all - they are immediately sweet and lovely.
Foxy : Have you been to those tapas bars and eaten jamon serrano yet? YUCK
Sasha laughs
Sasha : Yes of course! I like it!
Gordon Brown MP : Can you give me an idea of how much better you feel in Spain, regarding the weather and also, do you spend as much money as you would in England?
Sasha : We spend a lot less money and it is largely to do with the weather. It's a much greater outdoors lifestyle and I guess the standard of living and the quality of the facilities is much lower but it's a simpler life and it's not really necessary to have such high standards of living. It's cheaper and more basic. The sun makes a huge difference to your well-being and your lifestyle too.
Cynds : do you feel that doing the program has helped you in the transition of the move?
Sasha : I don't think so, I don't think it helped. I think it's a really great documentary to look back on to remember the move, but I don't think it helped. Filming takes up quite a lot of time and if you're a nervous person then it can add stress. I was always worried about how I would look on film - silly things like that.
Cynds : Billy, I am planning on moving abroad , would you be willing to film me?
Billy chuckles
Billy : Where are you going? What are you doing?
Cynds : I'm going to japan to farm rice
Billy : Sounds fascinating - drop me an email!
Sasha : I hope you speak Japanese!
Katie : Do you know other people that have done the same thing as you? How does your experience compare to theirs?
Craig : Well we don't know many people who have done the same as us. Working in the travel industry as I did before I did know other people in a professional sense that had small tour operating businesses but whilst I didn't always get to meet them I always admired them for what they did and how they achieved it. That was part of the incentive for me personally to set out on our project.
Katty Katrina : Whats the weather like ? does it really rain on the plain in spain?
Craig chuckles
Craig : It's raining tonight here in the mountains but the nice thing about where we live is that we do get four full seasons and only one of them really rains and the other three are truly wonderful and all very distinctive.
Gordon Brown MP : Have you found the locals accommodating Sasha and is the wine nicer than some of the stuff we have in the South West?
Sasha : The locals have been great and very friendly. The wine is great - there is an enormous variety and being close to Portugal there is a lot of delicious Portuguese wine which is almost like champagne and I've had a few glasses tonight in fact!
Katie : Is your life more active in Spain ... do you feel fitter and healthier?
Sasha : Yeah I do. I lost a lot of weight as well so I was thrilled. Largely because the food is a lot simpler and there is not as much temptation around and you are outdoors a lot more. But English food is still incredibly yummy!
Chat Ed : That's it! Thanks for coming and talking to us Craig and Sasha and Billy!
Sasha : Thanks for logging on everyone! We hope to see you here soon. We really enjoyed the programme and thanks to the producer and cameraman especially.
Katie : Thanks Craig and Sasha and Billy
Mummy : Bye Craig, Sasha and Billy xxx
Billy : Goodbye everyone here and best of luck for the future Craig and Sasha!
Katie : Interesting talking to you all
Gordon Brown MP : thank you C4
digitalskittles : Good Luck for the future :)
Billy leaves the room
Sasha leaves the room
Craig leaves the room
