Month: September 2024

My Mum Your Dad Season 2 – My Verdict 

My Mum Your Dad – S2

After appearing in Season 1 of ITV’s much hyped My Mum Your Dad I was keen to see what Season 2 had in store and I wasn’t disappointed….with a few caveats. 

I’m not going to lie, seeing the new cast in the same sumptuous Manor House near Chichester and walking the same path brought out mixed emotions, it was a sensory overload as the sights, sounds and smells all came rushing back. 

An initial eight middle aged parents entered the house with 4 men and 4 ladies pacing around the lush garden nervously trying to get a handle of what they’d gotten themselves into. You could almost read their minds. Shit just got real.

First up was Vicky (50), the cute blonde temptress with the most glorious South Wales accent plucked directly from a scene of ‘Gavin and Stacey’. Then in walks debonair Danny (49) whose demeanour told you straight away he was a carrying a big weight on his shoulders. Jenny (51) from Manchester, bubbly and vivacious but with an emotional soft centre and prone to tears. Cumbrian Christian (46) who couldn’t sit still for 2 minutes, loud, overconfident but with a good heart.

The funny María (51), a radio presenter, full of personality who loved talking about sex much to the embarrassment of her daughter. Andy (50), the witty Black Country dark horse who grew in stature as the show went on. The understated and attractive Clare (53), a solid girl but obviously low on confidence and the quiet and reserved David (53) trying hard to overcome his stutter and open himself up in front of the others.

Before the end of week 1, three more joined the retreat. Chris (47), a tall, good looking lad from Hull, the glamorous Stephanie (44) who looked like she didn’t take any prisoners and finally Paul (47), the smooth and super friendly Dad back for more after appearing in Season 1.

I will touch on the adult casting a little later but where this show excels is with the kids in the ‘bunker’. All are open and honest and know their parents better than anyone. These are the real stars of the show (along with the incredible soundtrack).

Everything the kids say is drenched with love and tenderness and you can’t help but smile with them as they watch their parents as they’ve never seen them before (and never wanted to) and also feel their embarrassment as their parents consistently prove them right (and not in a good way). They are a credit to their parents and no words can describe how vital they are to this show, they are its heartbeat.

So there we had it. 5 mums and 6 dads all ready, willing and able to make a connection with each other. And here is my first issue. Why the odd number – 11? It doesn’t make any sense not to have the 6th mum to give more variation and an extra personality to the show. I can only think that there was a last minute drop out or a casting dilemma where they genuinely couldn’t find a suitable candidate from thousands of applications or maybe the producers were playing mind games? Whatever, it was an anomaly that didn’t sit right.

The show is about mid life dating and single parents wanting to get back on the horse after being confronted by an empty nest. Episodes 1-5 were very enjoyable setting the scene nicely but with 2 notable bombshells.

Firstly Danny spluttered out (at the first opportunity) that the burden he’d been carrying around with him was that his marriage broke down due to him having an affair. It was a big reveal and a sobering reminder, after all the meet cutes, that the cast, like most, had been through a lot to get to this moment.

Secondly Maria revealed that she’d split up with her husband after he came out as gay and it’s moments like this that define this show. Who couldn’t have been moved as Maria and then her daughter eloquently described, through tears, their feelings and how this seismic event had affected their lives.

By the end of week 1 there were a couple of notable connections as the popular southerner Danny and likeable northerner Jenny were drawn to each other and Vicky, after a dabble with the over excitable Christian, gravitated towards David preferring to take it nice and slow although David’s snail pace was to become an issue later. 

2 possible couples in a week isn’t a bad return but the rest didn’t ever look like coupling up and soon the retreat descended into a friend-zone workshop as Andy, Maria, Clare, Chris and Christian became the support group for the others. Disappointingly low on sexual chemistry but the upside was that this enabled the show to move into new territory by airing issues that might not have otherwise been broached, the theme quickly changing from romance to one of shared experience and self help which will have had mid-lifers nodding to their screens all over the UK.

As with season 1, episodes 6-8 plodded along, the most difficult to maintain momentum as the scene had been set and we all waited patiently for the finale. 

Danny became more confident and charming, Jenny morphed into a giggling love struck teenager and it was delightful to be a part of their journey and see a genuine connection. Meanwhile, dithering David couldn’t close the relationship deal with Vicky whose emotions were more up and down than a Barry Island rollercoaster. It was uncomfortable viewing but that’s what makes this show so appealing. Real people, real issues, real problems and lots of us have been there before.

The ever dependable Davina McCall was more involved this time around (and so was her wardrobe assistant) as she flounced between the houses holding the show together playing the role of the experienced matriarch to perfection giving gravitas and understanding with plenty or knowing nods along the way.

The use of the kids in season 2 was much better too as they had direct access to their parents, giving them the words of encouragement they badly needed at vital moments. The big reveal of season 1 that the kids were watching and pulling the strings seems to have had an impact this time as the parents knew all too well to watch their P’s and Q’s and this lessened the edge a little (Maria notwithstanding).

Paul had a brief flirtation with Steph describing her as ‘interesting’ more times than I care to remember and Steph’s description of Paul’s nose brought one of the best lines of the season when Maria said it would be better to sit on. Bullseye! 

Paul and Steph rollerskating badly in ill-fitting helmets with awkward conversation had me wincing but still oh so watchable, which is the essence of the show. Their relationship petered out at the end which was no surprise, I’m not a body language expert but it didn’t look great from the start. Did Paul coming back work? He’s a good friend of mine so I loved watching him but I also understand the online backlash questioning why they brought someone back rather than giving a newbie the chance to find love and share an amazing experience.

So as it became glaringly obvious that Andy, Maria, Clare, Chris and Christian were now nothing more than just good friends (check their social media to confirm this) and, more importantly deprived of the drama of season 1 (guilty as charged) the producers played a blinder, changed course and went full steam ahead on the wholesome route…and it worked beautifully.

You can only work with the cards you are dealt and this is where season 2 was completely different from before. It was an enforced masterclass of wholesome mid-life real world experience and the cast more than stepped up to the challenge, sharing experiences with their hearts on their sleeves but the downside was that not many sparks were flying and this is a dating show after all.

Another small gripe would be the casting of 3 forty-something alpha(ish) males into a house where the females never ever looked likely to be a match. It wasn’t a surprise that only 2 couples left the house together but the rest played their part well although I think Andy and especially Chris didn’t get enough screen-time to fully show off their personality.

Episodes 9 and 10 were superb and the final dates were low key which worked a treat. The ‘2 months later’ catch up montage at the end rounded off the season nicely and tied up all the loose ends.

Comparing season 2 to season 1 is like comparing apples to oranges. They are different but both tasty in their own right and embraced their own identities. In hindsight it could have been boring if it was the same again but what is clear is how the show resonates deeply with a middle aged demographic but also appeals to all ages courtesy of those pesky but incredible kids. 

On this showing it looks like season 3 will happen and who knows where that journey will take the next batch of parents but that, right there, is the secret of My Mum Your Dad…we will have to watch to find out.

‘My Mum Your Dad’ available on ITVX

Apply to be on ‘My Mum Your Dad’ – CLICK HERE

Click Bait Forums Confusing the Real Ibiza Problem

Happy September!

I’ve been reading through a few Ibiza forums of late and the outrage from a certain segment shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. Clickbait posts and blogs (I know that’s a bit rich coming from me) about the modern day Ibiza with faux shock and horror. 

Too expensive! VIP culture! Overpriced restaurants! RIP-off services! Housing crisis! 

It’s all relative but it’s worth reminding ourselves of the reality rather than perception, which can be very different. 

Ibiza can be expensive. It’s had over a decade of incredible growth and as a tourist destination it’s expensive next to Turkey but cheap next to Monte Carlo so where’s the barometer start & finish exactly? There’s been a boom over the last 15 years and prices have increased exponentially but the island was undervalued for many years which was part of its charm. It was gloriously hippy chic and you could live on the island for relatively little money. 

But that was then and this is now. The market changed around 2010 and the new religion of social media meant that all the myths and secrets weren’t so secret anymore. Ibiza opened up to the world and sold its soul to the god of money. Truth be told, it had been doing it for decades but the market pushed up prices to levels that the older ibicencan generation could only have dreamed of, the spoils became bigger.

But here’s the rub. Ibiza’s perennial secret is reinventing itself when it has to so if the 5 star VIP market dries up then you can be rest assured that things will change ‘pronto’. It always takes a couple of years to drip through and readjust but it will happen if it needs to, as sure as as night follows day. 

Overpriced restaurants? Absolutely but that’s a mark of a world class destination and what is ‘overpriced’ anyway? Some of the finest gastronomy can be found on the white isle these days but guess what, you don’t have to go there. You can easily go to a local restaurant and eat delicious food for a fraction of the price. Delicious Paella and bottle of wine for less than €50 is easy to find if you don’t follow the herd.

Also let’s not forget that Spain is one of the cheaper places in Europe for a trolley full of food from the supermarket.

Ask yourself a question. Why do so many people want to live on the island? There’s jobs all over Spain, all over Europe yet the workers want here. I’d hazard a guess and say that one of the main reasons is that Ibiza affords a way of life that is difficult to compare. There’s no life like island life

Anyway, I digress. Of all the negatives I read online there’s only one that is truly important, the rest is manageable and market driven. The lack of housing for essential workers is now at crisis point. The big companies have a duty to house their own staff, it’s on them but nurses, doctors and teachers aren’t as lucky. 

Make no mistake. The rest is just petty griping with a bit of jealousy thrown in but when the person who’s job it is to save lives can’t find or afford to live on the island then we are all in trouble, as you never know, it could be you or your loved ones who have to pay the consequences. 

I wrote about the housing crisis 7 years ago and I’m sad to say that across 2 separate island governments nothing has changed, it’s as bad as it’s ever been and videos of tent villages and rows of camper vans only confirm a major problem that is growing fast.

So when you are reading those click bait forums that offer only problems and no solutions understand that, like anywhere, Ibiza has its challenges and is not to everyone’s liking but when the push comes to shove there’s only one real problem that needs urgent attention. The rest is just garnish.