Firefly

Director: Jonathan Smith

Kent Filming Locations: Canterbury

The Family is a new fly on the wall documentary following the lives of the Hughes family who live near Canterbury in Kent.

The programme makers saw countless families in their quest to find the 21^st Century family. Among the contenders were many so extreme in their behaviour, they were deemed unsuitable, as well as those who wanted to be on TV at any cost. However, when the programme’s director finally met the Hughes’, he chose them as most representative of a ‘normal’ British family.

Father Simon is a businessman who had been made redundant and Mother Jane is a charity worker. They have four children: Jessica, 22, who has a child herself and is due to be married, Emily, 19, who has a taste for clubbing, Charlotte, 17, who is studying for her Baccalaureate and Tom, 14, who is into death metal music and playing computer games.

Over a four month period the family’s every move was monitored by 21 cameras strategically placed around their home. However, the programme concentrates on the family’s home life, so we rarely see them outside their four walls. There is sparse commentary, leaving viewers space to immerse themselves in the Hughes family life. 

Jessica Hughes © Channel 4

The programme comes 34 years after the very first ‘fly on the wall’ documentary series, also entitled The Family. Whilst the earlier programme painted an extreme view of family life, this series is intended to follow a ‘typical’ 21^st Century family and look at the issues they face.

The Family will be shown on Channel 4 from Wednesday the 17^th September 2008 at 9 pm.

Links

• For more information about the series visit http://www.channel4.com/health/the-family/