The Ashams - Greece Gimme a Break

This is Gimme A Break, where kids take control of the family holiday.

On Gimme A Break, we line up three awesome trips to choose from.

The kids pick their favourite, and then they are completely in charge.

Today, it is all about the Assam family. Meet the Assams.

Dad, Mum, 11-year-old Colette, and 10-year-old Jem.

So, why do the kids need to be given a break?

On holiday, Dad is always reading guide books.

It would be a waste of time not to be learning something.

It is as interesting as watching a pea.

We always go to vineyards, and me and Jem have nothing to do

-because we're not allowed to taste the wine.

-Boring, boring, boring.

Mum never does anything when we do our activities.

My mum always wears skirts so she can get out of things easily.

Sometimes I will wear a skirt so I don't have to do climbing.

We do spend a lot of time in the car.

It just takes days and days.

All we do is listen to Dad's really horrible music.

# Don't stop me now

# I'm having such a good time. #

Family holidays are supposed to be where everyone has fun.

-Are you two ready to be given a break?

-Yeah!

I have here the Gimme A Break parents' promise. Say those words.

We, the parents of Colette and Jem,

hereby hand over control of the family break.

-That sounded pretty good to me, eh?

-Yeah!

At no time can you break that pledge.

We have got some holiday chat to do. Come with me.

-We have got rid of the parents. Does that feel good?

-Yeah!

'So, what will Colette and Jem choose for their next family break?'

-We need to find you an adventure mountain.

-A plane. No, ferry.

-Your parents, will they mind about that?

-Yes.

-Yeah, but who cares?

-Because who's in charge?

-Us!

So, we have lined up three fab breaks to choose from.

But can they crack the cryptic clues that are waiting for them

and guess what's on offer?

First up, Colette and Jem check out a tree house.

I can see something!

-It looks like chocolate and a picture of a mountain.

-Switzerland!

-I found it!

-Where?

-Oh, cheese.

-Where's cheese from?

We thought it would be either Norway or Sweden.

Cool! It could be something to do with climbing chocolate mountains!

Not climbing chocolate mountains!

A chocolate mountain. That really would be something.

Off to track down break number two. We've arranged a bit of pampering.

-They look like tracks.

-It could be a trekking holiday. Let's go in.

We are going to do you a mud mask for your face.

-Maybe this is a humiliating Jem holiday.

-Why would I choose that?

-Hump, as in a camel.

-Oh!

It was something to do with camels.

-A dead good holiday.

-Ah, Dead Sea!

Just break number three left.

Will they get a taste for this one?

-It looks like there is some sort of food.

-There is a card. You read it.

Oh, that is horrible. That is really horrible, that.

It could be like a cruise or something.

It could be a beach holiday where we go sailing.

I think it might be a cruise. Or it might be in France.

That's it. Clues over. Have they guessed the breaks on offer?

I've got your three holidays here. Would you like the full details?

-Yeah!

-Sure? Because I could let your parents choose...

-No, no, no!

-Are you sure?

-Yes! We are in charge.

You are in charge, and I think you deserve to know. Break number one

-is a Swiss mountain adventure.

-Cool!

-Let's find out more details.

This explains the climbing around a tree house for Swiss cheese.

You could climb a glacier,

have fun in the snow and have a high-wire forest adventure.

No skirts here because it could be as cold as -10!

It's too cold to grow grapes. There'd be no vineyards.

-Yeah!

-It would be all about you guys having fun. What do you think, Jem?

I think it is good. I wouldn't say it was the best in the world.

-OK, you think we can impress you even more?

-Can you do better?

OK, break two is totally different.

You get to travel around the Middle Eastern country of Jordan.

You could be trekking across this amazing country,

staying in a traditional tent and riding on camels.

Your dad would be banned from having a guide book.

Jem - the mud mask? Well, your break ends with a visit to the Dead Sea.

Travelling around Jordan would be pretty different.

-How would you feel about going on a camel ride?

-Oh, wicked!

-Cool.

-Have you been on a camel ride?

-No. Mum and Dad have, but we haven't.

Would you like all the details about break number three?

-Yeah!

-OK, here's the low-down.

A water sports adventure week on a Greek island. Check this out.

This break would be jam-packed full of water sports activities,

from sailing to water-skiing. If you're sick of Mum not joining in,

then this could be the one for you. It's wall-to-wall action and speed.

A trip to a Greek island, loads of fun, loads of sun,

-loads of water sports, loads of adventure.

-It could be the one.

Water-skiing. How much would you like to see your mum water-skiing?

10 out of 10!

It would get your mum on the water, on some water skis.

One of these is going to be their break.

But they've got to decide which one.

What's it going to be?

-Break three!

-You're going to Greece!

-Why did you go for that?

-Because it is going to be hot and nice,

and ice cream and ice cream and ice cream.

It is the right weather for ice-cream.

And I think I really look forward to the activities.

-And getting your mum doing some stuff as well!

-Yeah!

I will be popping up throughout your holiday to see how things are going,

and I will be setting you a test.

If you pass the test, you will get yourselves the most amazing treat.

If you fail the test, your parents will win the treat.

So, the Assams, who have always had boring holidays

looking around vineyards and buildings,

are off for a week of watersports to Greece

where, believe it or not, the national anthem has 158 verses.

Will Mum cope with doing activities rather than being the bag-carrier?

-Stand up!

-Oh!

And who will win the final treat?

See, I told you!

With Mum and Dad not knowing where they're going,

Colette and Jem get packing.

How many pairs of pants do we need?

-What is that?

-Horrible.

-Dress? No.

I have this feeling they've packed lots of trousers and no shirts.

Or, slightly worse, lots of shirts, no trousers.

Even though they are heading off for a water sports break,

Colette and Jem are packing their dad a suit and tie.

I don't know whether we will be able to fit any of our clothes in.

It's really early and Colette and Jem can't wait to get going.

Well, almost.

Jem woke up very nicely. Wakey, wakey. ..Colette turned over.

I've got tummy ache because I'm nervous.

Yeah, so have I!

We need to go now.

Quarter past five!

I thought I might have got a clue by now, but I haven't.

Jem's got the tickets, so I can't see on there.

-Colette has got the passports.

-But we are still smiling!

Up in the air, and it's time to reveal all.

Good morning, everyone.

I do have a special announcement for Mum and Dad of the Assam family.

Colette and Gem are taking you on...

a Gimme A Break watersports holiday to Greece.

Thank you for flying with us today.

I think some of it will be scary.

It certainly won't be sitting, reading a book on the beach!

It's gonna be great fun getting wet,

assuming they've packed my swimming trunks and a towel.

They don't know what we've got in store for them.

The Assams hot foot it to their hotel and check out the room.

Cool, we've got our own balcony! I think that might be Crete.

Actually, it's Corfu. But never mind! Get unpacking.

Let's see what they've done then.

-Ah-ha!

-Great folding.

-Good folding.

-Shoes?

-Smart shoes. Yes, they'll be useful for a watersports holiday.

Ties are good. I especially like the black tie for a funeral.

And you've brought me a suit! Marvellous! A nice, crumpled suit.

The clothes are really crumpled.

Look. They have chosen...

your lovely shorts!

They bought me a sarong. That's so last season.

-That skirt is for you, Dad.

-Oh, is it?

-And the same with the top.

They did me a fairly good job and packed a good range of things.

It's a shame the same can't be said for Rich.

-Chaps, there is one problem.

-What?

How many trousers have you packed for Daddy?

Obviously not enough.

It's the lack of trousers I'm concerned about. Out of ten, for me,

I'd give them five, for the number of ties I've got.

They're unpacked, settled in, and to see exactly how they get on

we've given them Gimme A Break's very own Fam Cam.

This is the beach.

And round there are all the yachts.

The Assams get a good night's sleep before the watersports begin!

Well, that's the plan.

-Stormed all night tonight.

-It's been the worst night ever.

The nice, hot beach Colette and Jem were hoping for

is being hit by a force eight storm.

Yeah, it wasn't the use of the beach towel I expected.

The water is just streaming down the steps!

It's snowing! It's hailing!

It's raining! It's thundering!

It's lightning! It's windy!

All at once!

Day two was a bit of a wash-out,

except for a gap in the weather when I deliver the holiday rules.

Hi there, guys, it's Jake here.

I just wanted to say, parakalo 1 kilo portokalia,

which in Greek means, a kilo of oranges, please.

Very important, but not as important as the rules of the holiday

as set out by Colette and Jem. Mum and Dad, listen up,

because here they come. Rule number one.

Mum, you have to join in with every single activity, OK? No excuses.

Rule number two. Dad, it's all about you.

Because you drag the kids around vineyards on every holiday,

-you're now limited to one glass of wine a day.

-No!

Lastly, Colette and Jem will decide what time everybody goes to bed.

It's a dream come true!

You'll play for one final treat at the end of your holiday.

I'll tell you more about that later on.

I'm not sure whether I can do that!

You two, what have you done to us?!

I'm not worried about the going to bed one

because Jemmy falls asleep really quickly

so he won't know whether I've stayed up early or late!

It does only say one glass of wine, doesn't it? So they're... Ooh.

Day three. At last they're able to venture to the watersports beach.

We're going sailing, hopefully on a small boat and then on a bigger boat.

The Assams are afloat!

They've never been sailing on holiday before and it shows.

My dad's performance? Not particularly good!

I just had it completely sussed.

I just knew what I was doing, going round,

and I just picked up the wind so fast!

But the fun doesn't last for long.

It's raining again, look.

We had to stop sailing. I really wanted to skipper my own boat.

I certainly think tomorrow's going to be a challenge for me

cos I'm a little bit anxious about getting up there on the water skis.

Sorry, Mum, day four and the weather is perfect, so waterskiing it is.

But Dad doesn't quite have the look.

How you doing? Make sure you have your knees right up to your chest,

your heels tucked up into your bum. The boat's going to start going.

As it does, all you do is tuck yourself up into this position.

From here, what I can do is easily stand up.

All I'm doing is using my legs.

The family rule about me having to join in everything -

this was the one thing I thought, I'm not sure if I can do this.

So I'm just going to try and take it at my own pace,

and if I get upright for five seconds, I think I'll be satisfied!

My mum is pretty worried. My dad, probably worried.

I'm probably the only one that's excited.

We've had a little chat and we think ME should go in first! Woo hoo!

Into your start position.

-We certainly haven't done anything like this before.

-No.

I've never done this... in a vineyard.

There we go. OK, Jem, are you ready?

-Yeah.

-OK, so just stay like this.

Stay like that.

That's right. And now slowly start to stand up.

Arms straight, remember your arms. Ohhh!

With the the family watching, Jem gets them off to a flying start.

Arms straight. There we go.

Jem, shark!

Colette seems to prefer spending more time IN the water than on it.

Nearly. Stay like this. Stay like this.

Colette, you just need to get the hang of it!

Yeah, cheers, Jem. Great advice.

Next for the Assams is Dad, who gets up really quickly.

Until Colette and Jem put him off.

-Dad, come on! Fall in!

-Fall in!

< And give them a big wave!

I think it's a bit mean the kids have made me wait till last, actually!

No need to look so nervous! You will enjoy it.

Here we go. Just stay like this, stay like this, slowly, slowly.

Knees forward. And up! Ohhh.

On normal holidays, Mum never joins in with the activities.

But family rule number one says she must,

so she puts on a brave face and even manages to stand up!

That's fantastic.

Heels into your bum.

Colette and Jem get everyone straight out on the water again,

except the weather's now so good, there's no wind.

THIS is an activity holiday!

But Jem's got a plan.

Can I have one double kayak and two single kayaks?

And to finish the day with a final adrenaline rush,

Colette and Jem head out on a catamaran.

I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't needed to go to the loo.

-MUM:

-This is my legs. We have some nice bruises here.

We can see some nice bruises coming down here.

I'm hoping tomorrow I don't get as many bruises. I have enough already!

In kayaking, our boat capsized.

It was just like...trying not to swallow the water to get a bad tummy.

I think I might get a bad tummy.

Jem doesn't get ill so he drags everyone into town for a meal

where the kids decide Mum and Dad deserve something special.

-No, the ugly one for Dad.

-And then that one for Mum.

-Yeah!

-Come on.

Oh, what's this?

We ordered you an ugly fish.

OK, guys, I'm just pouring out my one glass of wine I'm allowed to have.

-Look at this bottle.

-I'm only having one glass(!)

Look how much of the bottle that one glass has used, Jem.

This probably is the best holiday I have ever had.

When I found out it is going to be water sports, I just thought,

I've just got to jump in, literally, and get on with it.

And I'm glad that I did that because I've actually had a very good time.

Compared to past holidays, this has been one of the best.

No vineyard is nice, except now they're talking about olives.

We are going to bed and Mum and Dad have to go to bed,

or at least get into bed and be ready to go to sleep by twenty to.

But there's a problem. Someone is out past their bedtime.

-Where have you been?.

-I went to get milk for tea tomorrow morning.

-You've got to face consequences now.

-What are my consequences?

You'll have to wait until morning.

PHONE RINGS

-Hello?

-Hello.

You've been booked in for a water skiing lesson in one hour. Enjoy.

I am very, very tired.

But if they want to go water-skiing this early in the morning,

then I am going to do it in style.

You packed it. I'm going to wear it.

-But you were meant to wear it when we went out for dinner.

-Oh, was I?

Ooh, that's lovely!

Now, that's what I call a wet suit!

So far, not one of the Assams has managed to stand up on water skis

using the rope. But Jem's got one last chance.

Nice one, Jem. You've done the family proud.

With the break coming to an end, it's time for Colette and Jem

to try to win the final treat.

The Assams are taken by speedboat to a 40ft yacht, complete with butler.

Just three questions stand between Colette and Jem and their treat.

This is the moment you have either been very excited about

or been dreading. You're about to play for the final treat.

I'm going to ask three questions.

Get two right and you win the treat.

However, if you don't, your parents will win.

Here comes question one. Good luck.

What did your mum say was the worst thing about this break?

Was it, being cold for the first two days?

Or not being able to wear a skirt?

No, that wouldn't be a mum thing.

No, I think it would.

-I remember.

-B.

You're saying B, not being able to wear a skirt.

Here's what your mum said.

Feeling very, very cold for the first two days of the holiday.

See, I told you!

I told you. I knew that was a mum thing.

You've got more chances.

OK, guys. You've got to get this one right. Question 2.

What did your dad say was the best thing about the holiday?

Was it the food?

Or was it the whole family doing things together?

Um...

-That's hard.

-I think it's B.

-I think it was A. No, B.

-B.

-Mum said it was B.

-B.

-B.

You're saying B, the whole family doing things together.

OK, here's what he said.

The best single thing has been all of the family doing things together.

Yay!

Well done. OK, the pressure is still on, though.

You've got to get this last question right to win the treat.

Get it wrong and your parents win the treat.

OK, here comes the final question.

Question 3. What one word did your dad use to describe the break?

Was it awesome?

Or interesting?

I think it could be A, Jem.

It might be B.

Colette, Jem, I need an answer now.

Shall we go for A?

A?

-OK.

-A.

You're saying A, awesome.

The whole treat depends on this.

Good luck. Here's what your dad said.

If I had to describe this holiday in one word, I would say awesome.

Colette and Jem have won the dream end to their break.

The yacht is theirs for the rest of the day.

When Jake said it was correct,

I was just like, "We have got the whole boat to ourselves? Woo-hoo!"

Brilliant!

At the start of their trip, Colette and Jem's watersports adventure

involved more water than they bargained for.

But the kids proved they could take charge of a break everyone enjoyed.

And the icing on the cake was the luxury yacht.

That, and Mum and Dad scrubbing the decks.

It's felt great not being in control. I love it.

A family, sporty holiday.

We would do another holiday like that again. Well done, kids.