The Radfords were left heartbroken when the dreams of Sue & Noel’s son Casper, 11, were shattered
BRITAIN’S Biggest Family is back on screen and tonight we saw 11-year-old Casper’s dreams shattered.
In tonight’s episode, the first of the new Channel 5 series of 22 Kids & Counting, Casper took part in a football trial, in a bid to get scouted by a Premier League club.
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But the youngster, who is a huge Liverpool fan, was devastated, and Noel and Sue were left heartbroken after receiving some nasty things. news.
Noel, 53, explains: “It would be absolutely fantastic to see one of your children become a top athlete. That would be a dream come true. Not just for them, but for us too.”
Sue, 49, joined in the conversation: “A lot of our kids get given all sorts of things and then they lose interest.”
But unlike many other kids in Radford, 11-year-old Casper had a clear dream: to become a professional soccer player.
Read more about the Radfords
Playing football in his garden, he beamed: “I’m best at dribbling. A lot of people at my school call me the next one best thing.
“My dream is to become a professional footballer and play for Liverpool.”
Noel explained: “Casper is much more focused of all the kids. He is determined to achieve what he wants.”
After this, Sue agreed: “Casper would play football all day, every day, if he could. He loves it.”
In a desperate attempt to give his son a head start, Noel shared: “I spoke to a friend whose son is at the Liverpool golf course. books and he said Casper needed to be scouted, so hopefully we can go from there if he gets scouted by a Premier Club.
“As a father, you want to make your children’s dreams come true as much as possible.”
While Noel was working in the family cake shop, he received a phone call: he had signed Casper up for football training and Premier League scouts would be there.
Excited by the news, the father of 22 beamed: “He’ll be over the moon. Hopefully Liverpool are there, that’ll make his day.”
Another Radford kid, 15-year-old Max, helped out with the training and soon the day of the football trial arrived.
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
But Noel, who first met Sue when she was just seven, seemed concerned, as he admitted: “I’m a bit worried about him, there are some big boys here. Some of them are as tall as me.”
Despite this, Noel’s worries were quickly put to rest, as after scoring a goal that even the scouts noticed, Noel shared: “At the end, Casper was on cloud nine, he was over the moon. He loved it.”
But unfortunately for the young man, his dreams were shattered later in the episode after a phone call.
The Radford Family’s TV History
The very first episode of 22 Kids and Counting aired on Channel 5 on 22 February 2021.
After the success of the first season, which consisted of only four episodes, Channel 5 commissioned a second season of ten episodes, which will air in 2022.
They commissioned a third series, with a Christmas special airing in December 2023.
The fourth season was set to air in January 2024, but fans were disappointed when it ended after six episodes.
Sue and Noel assured viewers that they were only taking a short break and that the next episode will air on July 21.
You can watch all previous episodes of 22 Kids and Counting on My 5, here.
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 as well.
“But unfortunately that didn’t happen, he just didn’t get through.
“It will be annoying, he had his mind set on it.”
How does the Radford family of 22 survive?
As Britain’s largest family, it’s no surprise that Sue and Noel Radford have hefty bills.
Together they have no less than 22 children and seven dogs, which makes some people wonder how they manage their money.
The Radfords support themselves with proceeds from Noel’s bakery, The Radford Pie Company, which is located near their home.
On their websiteit says: “Since 1999 we have had our own beautiful bakery, providing (and feeding) our large and growing family, as well as the local people of Heysham and Morecambe.”
The family expanded their business to process online orders in the UK.
The business is a family affair, with Noel at the helm and a number of their children helping out.
The older children, who work at least part-time, do not travel for free, but have to pay a small amount of rent to their parents.
“We seniors do pay a little bit of board and lodging. Granted, it’s not much, but I’m also trying to save for my own house at the moment,” their daughter Chloe said in a video on the Youtube Channel.
Sue added: “We’ve always said that if you want to buy somewhere, renting is a bit of dead money, so we’d rather you save that money and stay home for a bit longer.
“I also believe that they should pay board if they earn money. Our parents always raised us with the idea that we had to pay board.”
Noel and Sue are known for not relying on benefits to support their prolific brood, and for living off their pie shop.
They also indicated that they make money from brand partnerships on social media.
The Radford family stars in their own reality TV show 22 Kids and Counting, which has been running for four seasons.
Brand expert Andy Barr believes Noel and Sue were paid less than £10,000 per show.
He told the Daily mail: “The average fee per episode will be in the thousands, rather than the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands that people often think is the case with these types of TV shows.
“If they continue to request a fourth or fifth season, then they can ask for a higher fee.”
He estimates the Radfords earn £5,000 per episode.
Clearly devastated, Noel took Casper out of the madness to their ‘millionaire’s mansion’, a 10-bedroom house in Morecambe, Lancashire, to tell him the news.
As the young man tucked into an ice cream, his father explained, “Remember when we went to the soccer game and you were hoping a scout would pick you? Unfortunately, this time you weren’t scouted.
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“They said they were happy with your performance, but that day no scout thought you were ready to make it to a club yet.”
Undoubtedly devastated, the 11-year-old looked down and admitted, “I’m a little sad.”
Looking back on the situation, Noel admitted: “It’s heartbreaking. His little head went down.
“I think he had to hold back his tears.”
But Noel wanted to remain hopeful and reassured Casper: “One day you will be on the pitch at Anfield.”
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