Davina McCall is hosting My mum, your dad (Picture: ITV)
Love can feel like a young person’s game. Find it in your twenties, your early thirties at a push, or reside yourself to a life without any romance. That’s at least how reality TV can make us feel.
Just look at the reaction to anybody who doesn’t fall into the early twenties bracket on Love Island – Laura Anderson and Charlotte Sumner felt the brunt of a backlash for committing the ultimate crime – being 29 and 30. Other dating shows such as Married at First Sight and Love is Blind seem only to include a token older person who rarely gets the most air time.
Well now, middle-aged Love Island has entered the chat or My Mum, Your Dad to use its official title. The format’s introduction to ITV could signal the start of a new reality era where the romantic lives of those over 40 are put front stage and centre.
In the first episode, we’re introduced to six single parents looking for love, and their children who nominated them to take part.
Amongst the singletons are Sharon who is struggling to trust after being cheated on, Monique who was dumped by text and hasn’t had the confidence to get back out there and Clayton who has spent his whole life rushing love which has left him alone.
The early standout parent is Roger – a single father after his wife suddenly died from melanoma just one year ago. He is attempting to navigate dating for the first time in 37 years and we’re pretty sure is going to have the whole nation rooting for him.
My Mum, Your Dad was originally referred to as middle-aged Love Island (Picture: Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock)
Jessica signed her dad Roger up to take part (Picture: ITV)
Host Davina McCall whose general affection for the cast is easy to see quickly arrives on the scene to inform his daughter Jess, and the rest of the offspring of the shock twist. They will secretly be acting as ‘relationship experts’ deciding what happens in their parents’ dating life for the next two weeks.
While we get the same juice as other dating shows – groups gathering and discussing who is most their type, awkward first dates, and even men getting overly excited at bombshell arrivals – there is an extra layer with this new series – back stories that aren’t always possible with younger daters.
Watching fully grown adults getting their second (or third, fourth or fifth) chance at love is one thing, but equally as special is the unique dynamics of a parent-adult child relationship put on full display.
The single parents have been nominated by their children (Picture: ITV)
They want their parent to be happy. They worry about their parents finding someone in the same way their parents once worried about them when they went out on a Saturday night. We get to see children care for their parents the way they have for them their entire lives.
‘It’s time to put yourself first,’ they encouragely tell their parents as they are dropped off at the lavish country house.
While there are a lot of jokes about cringing at their parents and possible new step-parents, there is a real heart to the show, which has already had series in the USA and Australia.
Prepare for many laughs and more than a few tears.
My Mum, Your Dad starts Monday 11th September at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. It airs every weeknight for two weeks.
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It’s a tear-jerker too.