Oh the horror! Last night was the last episode of the Family, but what a lovely one it was!

The episode opened with Jane doing some cleaning at the weekend, but Simon wanted to go out. Jane was having none of it, despite the fact that Simon pointed out she was off all week and therefore could clean then. Still, she wasn’t being convinced and pointed out that she was getting root canal work done and shopping for wedding dresses on Monday. Both prospects brought sympathetic groans from Simon.

Read more & comment »

This intimate portrait of family life concludes with the wedding of Jessica to her fiancé Pat. As Jessica and Pat tie the knot, Simon and Jane reflect on their own marriage. Their affection shines through, to youngest daughter Charlotte’s horror: “Can you actually stop that? Dad’s the grosser one. Stop it. Why are you doing that?”

Read more & comment »

How relieved Emily must be to have not been the focus of someone’s wrath for ten minutes! Last night, it was Tom who was the bad seed of the Hughes family with his mini-rebellion regarding having a pierced ear. Not only was Emily not the bad child for a while, she also had the opportunity to side with her parents and berate someone else; it must have been like a holiday for her! She didn’t escape entirely though because Simon’s still on at her to get a better job and keep ‘normal’ hours, and as Emily has a prospective new boyfriend on the horizon, there was plenty for him to tease her about.

Read more & comment »

This intimate portrait of family life continues with 14-year-old Tom flexing his adolescent muscles and locking horns with the other man in the house: his dad. When Tom starts wearing an earring, Simon confronts him.

Read more & comment »

This show is the highlight of my week and tonight, Simon takes on the role of peace-maker when Jane complains that Emily has been stealing her clothes. Before long, a lock is put on Jane and Simon’s bedroom door, which stops both Emily’s pilfering and access to the only bathroom in the house.

Read more & comment »

Jonathan Smith’s intimate portrait of family life continues with mum Jane and dad Simon locked in a battle of wills with headstrong daughter Emily. As dawn creeps into the Hughes household, so does Emily, returning home after another night out on the town. But all the partying seems to be taking its toll, not just on Emily but on the rest of the family. During one argument, Tom notes that Emily has “gone into major angry mode” while Jane expresses the exasperation of mothers everywhere when she complains that her daughter “doesn’t take any notice of me”.

Read more & comment »

Researchers have said that a daily dose of reality TV helps bust stress and improve concentration according to The Sun. I knew there had to be a reason why I am such a laid back, easygoing, yet focused sort of person!

The newspaper reports that shows like Big Brother, X Factor and The Family (which I watch on an almost daily basis by the way!) were found to improve social interaction (it’s all that water cooler chat) and reduce stress levels.

The study also suggested that watching comedies helped people to feel more relaxed, but current affairs shows increased anxiety. A group of psychologists studied TV viewing habits for Virgin Media and concluded that viewers’ diet of programmes should be balanced just like food.

Read more & comment »

Poor Simon… I say it every week but it’s worth saying again; poor Simon.

On last night’s show, Valentine’s Day was looming, but the atmosphere was far from loving in the Hughes household. Simon was, as ever, exasperated by the kids behaviour and he wasn’t impressed with Jane either who he still feels isn’t being supportive enough.

Emily is still going out and partying at all hours, dressed in what amounts to dental floss and sequins and 14-year-old Tom is being more irritating by the day. On last night’s episode, Tom had a friend over and as teenagers are wont to do, decided to show off in front of his friend by being rude to Simon. He repeatedly told him to shut up, to get out and then nearly got into a physical brawl over computer games, and whilst Tom’s behaviour was without doubt unacceptable – he’d be minus a head on his shoulders if he was mine – being told to “go play outside” when he’s nearly 15 was odd. Read more & comment »

Director Jonathan Smith’s intimate portrait of family life continues with mum Jane and dad Simon clashing over their teenage children’s behaviour. Feeling unsupported in his attempts to discipline the children, Simon is near the end of his tether and taking it out on everybody; perhaps not the best preparation for a relaxing Valentine’s Day. Will the smile return to his face in time for a romantic meal for two with Jane?

Read more & comment »

Well, it had to happen sometime and it happened last night; Tom’s halo finally slipped and nearly strangled him as he and Emily got into a scuffle and he annoyed his dad so much, he had his new bedtime privileges suspended.

Now, I don’t know whether me and my family are the weird ones, but I felt that for a boy of fourteen – nearly fifteen – Tom acts, and is treated like, a boy of about eleven. Is it just me or do you feel the same? Let us know because I’d be really interested if it’s just me who thinks so. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing – kids grow up way too fast – but I did think it a bit odd. Read more & comment »

British family the Hughes opens the doors to viewers in a major new eight-part observational series, documenting universal themes of family life. For nearly four months the Hughes family was filmed around the clock. In this week’s episode, Bedtime , dad Simon and mum Jane go out for the evening and leave Emily in charge. When 14-year-old Tom won’t go to bed on time, a fight breaks out between brother and sister, the consequences of which will stretch the family to the limit. Read more & comment »

The second part of The Family last night was affirmation that it’s definitely must-see viewing so if you missed it, you can catch up on Channel 4’s website. It also confirmed for me that the Hughes women are manufactured in the same factory that brought us The Corrs. They are the living image of each other and I for one struggled to tell them apart at times.

The family were at loggerheads again last night as both Emily and Charlotte chose to keep secrets from their mum and dad, Simon and Jane. Charlotte wanted to leave school and so was secretly bunking off and Emily had taken a job selling shots in a club, which she wasn’t overly keen to tell her dad about. Read more & comment »

The Family’s second episode is already upon us, and in tonight’s show the girls of the Hughes family are less than happy.

Charlotte is having a hard time in school and Emily has applied for a job which would not impress her dad.

You can watch two clips from tonight’s show below and catch the whole show on Channel 4 tonight at 9PM.

Read more & comment »

I am so glad I watched The Family on C4 last night and what a brill family they are! If you missed it, you can catch up for free on 4OD. In brief, last night’s first episode of this new series focussed on the Hughes family; mum Jane, dad Simon and children, Tom, Emily, Jessica and Charlotte.

One of the things that stuck me throughout the show was that Simon, bless him, is a lodger in his own life and it’s his wife Jane who clearly wears everyone’s trousers. Simon says of himself, “I’m the one who has to pretend to be in charge” but the truth is, he’s pretending to pretend to be in charge. I can totally relate to the poor man because my own family has always been dominated by headstrong females and Simon had that hunted look that’s one which I’ve seen on the faces of many of my sisters – and my own at times – partners. Read more & comment »

The Family is Channel 4’s newest reality type series which is set to lift the lid on British family life is due to launch on Channel 4 tomorrow night at 9PM. The eight part documentary series will present a revealing portrait of a modern British family unit, documenting the everyday dilemmas and decisions that are typical of those faced by families up and down the country from teenagers testing the boundaries to simply maintaining a happy married life.