Field Family Gimme a Break

Are your holidays a little bit hit-and-miss?

-Are your parents' choices below par?

-Oi! >

Well, I'm Joe Swash and it's time to get back on course,

cos this is Gimme A Break,

the show where you take control of your family holiday.

On Gimme A Break, it's the kids who decide where to go and what to do.

Parents don't get a look in,

especially when it comes to the holiday rules.

Breaking the rules can only lead to one thing...

trouble!

Today, I'm in Berkshire,

and the lucky family who will be getting a break are...

The Fields.

Making up this fantastic fivesome are...

King of cycling, 11-year-old Max.

Queen of dancing, nine-year-old Molly.

And budding artist, seven-year-old Katie.

Plus, there's shopaholic mum.

And camera-crazy dad.

So, why do Max, Molly and Katie deserve to be given a break?

Dad's normally in charge of the family holiday.

He's like "Come on, come on." He's so impatient!

If I'm ready, I want everybody to be ready,

and it does test my patience a bit.

He's trying to hurry us up and make us eat our breakfast at light speed.

Most of our holidays are in the caravan and it's always bad weather.

We've not been lucky with the weather at all.

We don't get any sleep, because Mum is always snoring.

Well, I would say that I don't snore at all.

And I'd say I don't snore at all.

Mum and Dad's snoring sounds a bit like this...

SHE SNORTS

Our mum and dad both have cameras, so they take our pictures

when we're in front of landmarks, monuments, museums.

You kind of do the group thing, whereas I'm happier...

I'm happier to stand in the background

and just take pictures of the kids.

Come on, smile for me!

One of my favourite activities on holiday would be

occasionally popping into shops.

I mean, shopping's worse than museums.

It's time to show them that we can surprise them

with stuff that is fun for us, and for them.

So, Mum and Dad, I've spoken to this lot and it seems to me

it's time to breathe some new life into your family holiday.

-Am I right guys?

-Yeah!

-Can you explain yourself?

-We think we do a good job.

We look after them, if they think they can do a better job, your turn.

Ooh, Mum and Dad!

-Guys, can you do better?

-Yeah!

-Are you sure?

-Yeah!

Right, Mum and Dad, it's the Gimme A Break parent promise,

so can you both read it aloud, with your hands on your hearts.

We, the parents of Max, Molly and Katie,

hereby hand over control of the next family break.

-Yeah! How you feeling? Do you feel powerful?

-Yes!

I think it's time for me to find out what you guys want from a holiday.

Shall we go? Let's go. Come on!

So, what sort of adventure, Max, would you like?

Somewhere where it's dry.

Somewhere that's a little bit warm, a little bit sunny.

-What about you, Molly?

-Stuff that you might not be able to do again.

Unique experiences. What about you?

Well, I would just like some sort of adventure,

where there's a bit of fun in it.

-Nothing too strict.

-Yeah.

I've got quite a lot to go on. What I'm going to do is go off,

put all your ideas together and come up with two breaks.

-Who's in charge?

-Us!

-See you later.

I've lined up two breaks that will help our tremendous trio

forget all about the cramped caravan.

But before they choose, they must solve some curious clues.

-Ooh!

-Put this bus in reverse and take a soldier from the sea.

Add the two together for a cool activity.

Do I look like a lunatic?

-Is the soldier from the sea a marine?

-I think so.

Bus in reverse

spells sub. I think it might be a submarine.

Who wants to go in a submarine for their holiday?

Not live in there Katie.

Can you see me?

-Yes.

-I think that doing a submarine activity would be loads of fun,

and I like the idea of not getting wet while being underwater.

Well, they've sunk this clue

but will they have to have the next one spelled out for them?

-Got it.

-Give it to me.

Follow this map to find a treasure trove of destinations.

That might be the water.

So we need to head to the water and go there.

We either here...

-or here.

-And we want to be over here.

I can see something!

Oh my gosh, it's letters. Maybe we have to spell something.

Yes, probably spells something.

-Bro... Bros... Bar...

-Bros.

Bar... Barbados!

I think it will be really fun and exciting to go on a trip to Barbados.

It's been plain sailing so far, but will break number two trip them up?

Get dressed up and have a skip,

there's a clear clue here about your trip.

-Yay!

-This one's mine!

Maybe there's a dance that involves skipping.

Maybe we tie people up with them.

They're clearly bowled up over by this clue. But what does it mean?

It might mean Scotland, because they all start with "sk",

so it might be skipping, skittles, Scotland and skirt.

I'm afraid not, Molly, but if you can guess

where the next clue is "from-age", you'll be back on track.

-They're delicious!

-Let's look at what's under number two.

-Urgh!

-Cheese.

That's definitely French.

Croissants. Croissants are French, so it's definitely France,

cos the cheese and the French fries are definitely French.

HE WRETCHES

I think that the cheese stank!

They seem confident that they've sniffed out

where the breaks will be, but let's see if they're right.

You get to find out what Break Number 1 is.

-Yes.

-I can reveal to you that

Break Number 1 is a Caribbean dream holiday to...

-Barbados. Does that sound good?

-Yes.

-Do you want to have a little look?

-Yes.

-Come on then.

Your caravan will feel a million miles away on this sunsoaked break.

You'll have the ride of your life

when you try your hand at water-skiing.

You'll make a splash when you swim with turtles,

and you'll even explore the deep

with an out-of-this-world submarine ride beneath the waves.

-Are you pleased?

-Yes.

Tell me about the clues for Break Number 2.

We found some skittles, some skirts and some skipping ropes.

What are the first three letters of all of them words?

-S-K-I.

-What does S-K-I spell?

-Ski.

-So you might have some skiing.

Break Number 2 is a wild winter adventure in France.

-That sound good?

-Yes.

-Shall we have a look?

-Yes.

-Come on then.

You'll be slip sliding away from those holiday blues

on this magical winter break.

You'll carve up with the piste

when you hit the snow and try your hand at skiing.

You'll get to have a go at dog sledding,

and you'll explore the mountains on an exciting alpine skidoo safari.

-Are you pleased with Break Number 2?

-Yes.

OK. Well, I'm going to leave you to it so you can make your minds up.

I'm a bit tired, so I'm going outside

and get a bit of a spring in my step.

When I come back, you can tell me what one you've chosen.

I want to go Barbados.

I want to go to snowy land.

Ha-ha. Here we go.

We're going to have to resort to rock, paper, scissors.

Rock, paper, scissors.

Rock, paper, scissors.

Rock, paper, scissors.

-Come on, win again, Max!

-Rock, paper, scissors.

It's all down to the last round.

I better jump back in there.

Is it going to be Break Number 1, Caribbean dream holiday to Barbados?

Or is it going to be Break Number 2, a wild winter adventure in France?

-Break Number 1.

-Break Number 1, fantastic.

-You're going to be going to Barbados. I'll book it?

-Yes.

-Booked.

I'll be popping back later on to tell you how you can

win a last final treat.

Now all you've got to do is answer

two questions out of three correctly and you win.

If you don't, Mum and Dad will get the treat. We don't want that.

-No.

-Now after three, remember?

-Who's in charge? One, two, three!

-Us!

So, they've swapped the caravan for the Caribbean

with this dream break to Barbados, but how will Mum and Dad cope

with this action-packed tropical adventure?

And who will snap up that final treat?

With the break just around the corner,

it's time for the kids to take control of the suitcase

and decide what Mum and Dad are going to wear.

I could be wearing these clothes for the next week.

We so have to put this in.

-It looks like baby sick!

-I don't think our children know how to fold

clothes, so there's not going to be an awful lot of folding.

I'm going to fold it up. No, I'm not!

Mum will dread wearing this.

If it's somewhere cold, it's going to be skimpy T-shirts and shorts,

if it's somewhere hot it'll be my thickest overcoat.

Look at these. We found his checked trousers!

# Hula-hula-hula... #

Probably the worst-case scenario would be not enough underwear.

-Look at these.

-I don't want do this.

I'll sit this one out.

Do we think the kids are going to be mean about this?

-Yes. Big time!

-I think they're going to score a couple of points.

It's time to spill the Caribbeans and spell out the dream destination to Mum and Dad.

One, two, three...

Go!

-Oh, wow!

-Fantastic!

That's fantastic.

'We couldn't have imagined Barbados.'

That's absolutely fabulous!

Absolutely brilliant.

7am, and the Field family are beginning their journey.

They have an hour long taxi ride to the airport

and then an eight and a half hour flight from London to Barbados.

Hi, this is Molly.

It's 45 minutes till we leave,

so we've got to hurry up. Let's go!

Wagh!

Over 60 miles of wet, sandy beaches and warm clear waters makes Barbados

a top holiday destination in the Caribbean, with more than half a million people heading there

every year, and after a short bus ride from the airport,

the Field family have arrived at their luxury resort.

Dibs on this side! Woo!

Before they can bed down, they need to reveal what they've packed

for Mum and Dad.

-Ooh, a nice, thick jumper, that's going to come in useful(!)

-I packed that!

-Thank you, Katie, yeah.

-I thought it looked like baby sick.

They were like, "Why did you pack that?"

You unerringly managed to go through everything

I've never worn before because it doesn't fit or I can't stand it.

I think I've probably got two sets of clothing,

which pretty much goes with the two sets of underpants that I've got.

-I think we only packed one of these.

-Just the one. Fantastic(!)

I think their reaction was hilarious.

Thank you. If was going to mark the kids generously for the packing, it would be one out of ten.

-This is disastrous!

-Now I've seen the kids' packing, I think

it's made me a little bit more nervous about this holiday than I was previously.

It's the family's first full day in beautiful Barbados,

but before they can go anywhere, Mum and Dad need to know who's boss.

It's time for the holiday rules.

Hello, everybody.

ALL: Hello, Joe.

Kids, are you enjoying your break so far?

Yeah, definitely.

Good stuff. Mum and Dad, it's time to deliver your holiday rules.

-Uh-oh.

-Uh-oh.

OK, can you go left a little bit?

Uh...right. Just a little bit more.

Does this remind you of anybody?

-These guys are fed up of constantly being photographed on holiday.

-That's not fair.

You'll be glad of all those photos when you're older.

Sorry, guys, not good enough.

Rule number one is, Mum and Dad are not allowed to take photographs.

Not one single photograph, the whole holiday?

Even if they don't notice?

Mum, Max, Molly and Katie are bored to tears of your favourite holiday pastime -

browsing in shops without buying anything.

Is this true?

I just do an awful lot of browsing before I buy anything.

Well, rule number two is, Mum is not allowed to browse unless she buys something.

-OK...

-Dad, my friendly little spies tell me

that you hate waiting around while people are getting ready on holiday and you love hurrying them up.

That's true.

Rule number three is, Dad, you're not allowed to be impatient or say to anyone, "Hurry up."

-I quite like that rule.

-I hate that rule.

Mum and Dad, if you break these rules, there will be consequences.

Dad, I hear you like to look good when you go out,

so the kids want you to wear a grass skirt and a coconut bra.

To be honest, the kids never let us out in the evening

anyway, so going out with a grass skirt and a coconut bra is almost worth it.

Really, Dad? I think you're just trying to act cool.

Mum, you like to go out with perfectly straight hair.

So, if you break a rule, the kids will style your hair however they like.

No! That's nasty.

I will check back with you later and tell you how you can win the final fantastic treat.

In the meantime, remember, the kids are in charge. Bye!

I brought a camera so we could take lots and lots of pictures so we can remember it by, and I think

maybe I'll just have to get used to looking good in a grass skirt.

OK, Mum and Dad, are you up for anything?

We're up for anything. Yeah.

Good. Because today we're going to be getting very wet

and we're going to be jumping in at the deep end,

because today, we are swimming with turtles!

-Wow! That's fantastic!

-Fantastic!

Don't get too excited, Mum and Dad. This ain't no pleasure cruise.

Heave, heave!

Is that all you've got?

Come on, put your back into it...

SHE SCREAMS Oh, sorry!

When it's all the way down to the bottom, we'll tell you you're winding it the wrong way.

With all the hard work done, they can relax and enjoy the view.

It's a shame nobody's got a camera.

Hang on. What's this?

Naughty, naughty.

You know the rules.

Luckily, there's no time for snapping.

They need to learn about the dos and don'ts of swimming

with these amazing amphibians from Josh, their captain.

Don't chase the turtles. They need to come up and breathe air.

Don't physically grab hold of the turtle shell

and don't wiggle your fingers in front of the turtle's mouth.

They'll think you're trying to feed it. OK?

Green turtles are found in large numbers off the coast of Barbados.

They can live to be over 80 years old and can weigh in at around 130 kilograms.

It is really fun because, like, you can see the turtles' expressions

and occasionally you see a sting ray.

Unlike Mum and Dad, they can hold their breath underwater for several hours at a time.

It's brilliant. It's really, really fun.

I just saw one close up.

It just came to my face!

That was really awesome.

Special. I mean, you just don't get to do that.

Now that I've got a taster of the actual activities,

I'm looking forward to the rest of the break.

It's day two in Barbados, and the Field family are fuelling themselves up for another fun packed day.

Max in particular is making the most of his all you can eat buffet breakfast.

Max, just what have you got on your plate?

I've got a pancake,

an almost finished sausage...

-With maple syrup on it?

-And ketchup.

Um, I've got some bread with raisins in it,

a muffin and something that looks like a swirly pastry thing.

If you eat all that, Max, I've just got to hope if you are sick, you're nowhere near us on the boat.

On this break, it's the kids in the driving seat, and they must decide how to get to their first activity.

ALL READ: Will you choose to travel in style in...

-a luxury stretch limousine...

-No!

-Or a cool convertible jeep?

-Yay!

Yay! Jeep, Jeep!

So, will they go for their very own blinged up luxury limo

or will they feel the wind through their hair in an open-topped jeep?

The choice is all theirs.

We've decided. We're going in a...

ALL: ..limo!

Oh...

Oh, my God!

-Wow. Right, where are we going today?

-Try and guess.

Going on a speedboat?

I don't... I can't take the pressure.

It's time to put Mum and Dad out of their misery and divulge what's next.

We've spent every holiday stuck in a small tin can.

It's always wet outside and we're always getting cabin fever,

so today you'll feel right at home because we're going...

KIDS: ..in a submarine.

-Oh, excellent.

-Fantastic!

Deep down under the water?

That's right, Dad. It's a submarine.

After a short boat ride to deep water, it's time to dive, dive,

dive, and get this under sea adventure under way.

We're going down already.

The submarine can dive to 45 metres, which is the equivalent of more

than ten double decker buses stacked on top of each other.

As they head below the surface, a whole new world is revealed.

-I can see loads of fish now.

-Yeah...

Whoa, is that a shipwreck?

Wow, look at that.

The shipwreck was actually sunk on purpose to create an artificial reef

for the hundreds of species of marine life that live around it.

I really, really like the submarine ride. It's awesome.

Next, the submarine heads to a coral reef

which is over 20 million years old and teeming with fish of all sizes.

Just when you think it can't get any better, it does.

-Look at them.

-We've huge fish on our side.

I thought the submarine might be really scary

but it's really lovely and I like seeing all the different fish.

Just seeing all the stuff outside, it's amazing.

After the excitement of the submarine, it's time to unwind

and for Dad, it's another chance for a sneaky snap,

but this time, he's pushed it too far.

SIREN Code red, code red.

Caught red-handed dad.

You'll have to pay for that.

Day three in Barbados and it's time to turn up the heat.

Mum and Dad, this break, you've been enjoying yourself way too much.

So today, we're doing something a lot more fierce

because we're doing water-skiing.

Excellent. We're going to be brilliant, aren't we?

Don't speak too soon, Mum. You're going first!

How do you think Mum will do? Badly?

I think she will do brilliantly.

After several failed attempts, she finally finds her sea legs.

Yes, come on!

But not for long.

I've obviously just got very bad legs. My legs would seriously not get me up.

Now it's time for the professionals.

CHEERING

Excellent, Molly.

It's actually really fun trying but it's a bit scary.

That was really fun.

Last up is Dad and Mum can't help getting a snap for the family album.

-What are you doing? That's a rule break.

-No, Mum, that was a rule break.

SIREN

There's no use hiding the camera now, mum. That's a definite rule break.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

KIDS CHANT: Go, Dad, go, Dad!

CHEERING

Unbelievable. Brilliant, loved it.

It's time for Mum and Dad to pay the price for their snap-happy carry on.

Be gentle with me.

How do I look?

Pretty cool.

Can I just have...a classic French plait or something?

Oh, superb.

-Like it?

-No.

It's almost time for dinner

and that means a nice lengthy stroll around the hotel.

My biggest complaint about my outfit is not the fact

that I've got a coconut bra on, but I've got a coconut bra

that doesn't fit.

I'm not very happy about what the kids have done to me.

Quite frankly I look ridiculous.

With Mum and Dad dressed for dinner, Max, Molly and Katie reveal the Gimme A Break Bajan Beach Banquet.

Oh, wow, look at the table.

Oh, my goodness. Is this for us?

Mum and dad, tonight we're going to have a feast

and we're going to pick what you have.

That's a bit of a worry. It's a Gimme A Break menu.

-So what's on the menu then Katie?

-Worms?

Spicy West Indian meat curry.

-That sounds good.

-Yum.

-Flying fish with pumpkin mash.

That sounds good too.

-I like the sound of that.

-Baxter's Road chicken with macaroni pie.

Burger and chips.

-OK.

-Hot dog and chips.

We've decided what you're having.

Drum roll, please.

Baxter's Road chicken with macaroni pie.

OK, that sounds interesting.

-It does sound interesting. I haven't got the vaguest idea what it is.

-No.

Well, Mum, it's actually a popular Bajan dish that comes from a place in Barbados called Baxter's Road.

-It's like barbecue sauce...

-That's good.

I think Mum and Dad really like their meal which is a shame

because I didn't want them to like it.

I think we've done better than you guys.

I'm enjoying my meal so much that I'd almost forgotten about my hair.

The banquet is about to get even better.

Dessert is a giant cake in the shape of a Caribbean sugar mill.

-It's gorgeous.

-Beautiful, isn't it?

-Oh, thank you very much.

-I'm going to have a rock.

Oh, Molly, these are good!

Oh, wow...

Who wants a bit with icing on the end?

The whole banquet was fantastic.

The sugar mill cake that came out was really nice.

It was a good way to end up our whole Gimme A Break banquet.

The Field family's breathtaking break is almost over but there's one final treat to be won.

Max, Molly and Katie have the chance to turn the tables on Mum and Dad's

camera antics by winning their very own waterproof digital cameras.

-Hi, Max, Molly and Katie.

-ALL: Hi, Joe.

I'm going to ask you three questions about your break.

If you answer two correctly, you win the treat.

If you get it wrong, Mum and Dad are going to bag their own cameras

and you'll never escape the constant snapping.

Question one, which activity did Mum and Dad prefer -

was it A, the submarine ride or B, the beach banquet?

Can I have your answer, please?

A, submarine ride.

OK, here is what Mum and Dad said.

The activity we preferred was the submarine ride.

-Yes.

-Well done, guys.

If you get the next one right, those waterproof cameras are all yours.

Question 2, what was Mum's most embarrassing moment?

Was it A, being the worst at water-skiing, or B, her horrible hair consequence?

B, the hairstyle.

Here is what Mum said.

My most embarrassing moment was my horrible hair consequence.

Yes!

Congratulations, guys, you've won the treat.

Well done.

ALL: # Neh, neh, neh-neh, neh! #

I had a fantastic time. Brilliant, brilliant holiday.

I've enjoyed our break because we did

some things that we'll never be able to do ever again.

This break has been amazing and I don't think we'll ever

be able to top this.

To sum up this break in three words, I'd say -

absolutely, positively fantastic.