22 Kids and Counting was back on TV yesterday, but viewers all had the same complaints about the new series.
The Radfords, who rose to fame in 2021 when their reality show aired on Channel 5, opened up their 10-bedroom home to fans for the fifth season, which premiered late last week, on July 21.
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In the coming scenes, viewers will see father Noel delve into his biological family history, daughter Millie deliver important personal news and young Casper left heartbroken after his dream of becoming a professional footballer is shattered.
Noel said: “We got an email from the football trial people. We were really hoping for the best that he would get picked by a scout and for a club and everything else.
”That was his dream and our dream too.
“But unfortunately that didn’t happen, he just didn’t get through.
“It will be annoying, he had his mind set on it.”
The 53-year-old father shared the devastating news with the aspiring football fan, who was keen to play for Liverpool FC. He told Casper: “They said they were happy with your performance but that day no scout thought you were ready to make it to a club yet.”
But determined to keep hope, Noel Casper reassured: “One day you will be on the pitch at Anfield.”
However, just minutes into the series’ first episode, viewers took to social media en masse to report the same problem, claiming that the series had become “fake.”
On X, formerly known as Twitter, someone wrote: “More scripted, fake nonsense. #22kidsandcounting.”
Another agreed, adding: “The latest instalment in the constructed and scripted fake lives of Britain’s biggest family @channel5_tv #22kidsandcounting.”
Someone else echoed the sentiment, writing, “This used to be an interesting show. Now it’s just a scripted soap.”
A fourth social media user said: “Jesus! It’s not even 5 minutes old and it’s already thought up and scripted.”
Who’s who in the Radford family?
The Radfords are the largest family in Britain, with 22 children.
Below you see the children from oldest to youngest:
- Chris – born on May 7, 1989
- Sophie – born December 13, 1993
- Chloe – born July 31, 1995
- Jack – born on April 9, 1997
- Daniel – born March 3, 1999
- Luke – born October 1, 2000
- Millie Radford – born August 29, 2001
- Katie – born November 14, 2002
- James – born October 17, 2003
- Ellie – born May 6, 2005
- Aimee – born April 21, 2006
- Josh – born July 3, 2007
- Max – born December 11, 2008
- Tillie – born on May 2, 2010
- Oscar – born October 22, 2011
- Casper, – born on October 3, 2012
- Hallie – born on June 3, 2015
- Phoebe – born July 24, 2016
- Archie – born September 18, 2017
- Bonnie – born on November 6, 2018
- Heidie – born on April 3, 2020
In the new episode, the entire group spoke candidly about their career aspirations. One of the kids wanted to become “a unicorn,” while another was determined to become “a crazy farmer,” and yet another hoped to pursue a career as a “figure skater.”
Mother Sue, 49, said: “I think when I was a kid I wanted to be a flight attendant.”
Hubby Noel confirmed: “You did, didn’t you? Yes, you did.”
He continued: “I think the only thing I ever wanted when I was growing up… was to have a picture of a red Porsche on my bed.”
Fans then discovered that the couple had no intention of having a whopping 22 children at all, with Noel even claiming that they had ‘always wanted three’.
The couple are together parents to Chris, 34, Sophie, 29, Chloe, 28, Jack, 26, Daniel, 24, Luke, 22, Millie, 22, Katie, 21, James, 19, Ellie, 18, Aimee, 17, Josh, 16, Max, 14, Tillie, 13, Oscar, 11, Casper, 10, Hallie, eight, Phoebe, seven, Archie, six, Bonnie, four, and Heidie, three.
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