- Title: Wifeswap
- Date: 28th January 2003
- Description:First series in which two women who have never met agree to swap homes,children and husbands for two weeks to see what they can learn about their own lives. The women have to cope with a new spouse,be mother to other people's children and then meet up with the other couple at the end of the two weeks to tell each other how it all went. During the first week the new wife is expected to do everything that the real wife does at home and to the same standard whether they agree with it or not. The second week then brings about the opportunity for the new wives to show these families how they do things and how they think they can improve the family's lives. The families,usually coming from very opposite worlds,inevitably clash on issues such as child rearing,house keeping and life style choices Narrator: Ken Lorimer Produced and Directed by: Rob McCabe (Episode four) Rob and Anne Bagley have been married for 18 years and have two children; 15-year-old Jessica and 12-year-old Alice. They live in a modern household with Anne working as a manager in Ikea and Rob doing most of the housework including cooking,cleaning and washing. Anne says it works but the only problem is that sometimes Rob's cleaning isn't quite up to her standards. Anne's biggest fear is that the new wife will come in and be more efficient then her as she admits to being a perfectionist and has a need to always get things right and do better then anyone else. Graham and Diane Kelly have been married for 23 years and have two children,Tina 15 and Joe 18. Graham works as a baker and doesn't do anything around the house,despite Diane working as well. Diane does all the housework and looks after the kids and Graham tends to hang out in his shed moving things. Graham believes that a woman's place is in the home and that illness is all in the mind. Diane has a nice rest on her first week at the Bagley's house and although she seems to get on well with Rob she tells the camera he is too nice and she wouldn't want him as a husband. In her second week she gets rid of Rob and lets the girls throw a party,it becomes clear she is not the submissive housewife she first seemed and actually enjoys having all the chores to do and an absent husband leaving her to have fun with the kids. Anne does well to bite her tongue in the first week with going to work and doing all the housework and cooking for Graham who stands and watches her. He soon drops the charm and seems to take pleasure in upsetting Anne by implying that she is a bad mother for going to work. Anne manages to get Graham to clean the bathroom and when he tells Diane about it she seems more disappointed then anything and calls him a wimp. Both couples are glad to leave and neither seems to have learnt much. Despite calling her bossy Graham and Diane attempt to apologise to the Bagleys and ask them out for a drink but they politely decline explaining that they don't have enough in common.
- Broadcaster:Channel 4
- Collection: Channel 4
- Genre:Entertainment
- Producer:RDF Media Ltd.
- Programme Episode:Episode 7
- Transmission Date:28/01/2003
- Rights:UK and Eire
- Decade: 2000s