Northampton Project Parent

'Project Parent puts you in control of your single parent's life.'

-Hello?

-Is this Angellica?

-Yes, it is.

My mum dresses like a gipsy and has been on her own for two years.

-She needs to find Prince Charming. Can you help me?

-I'm on my way.

Oi! Moo-ve it! We've got work to do.

'Our project manager is 11-year-old Manon.

'She's on a mission to overhaul her single mum's image...'

She's got a dodgy sense of style.

'..choose a chap to take her out...'

He looks a bit like Raymond Blanc.

'..and get up to mischief in the surveillance van.'

Mum, can you paint his face?

Welcome to Project Parent,

where you're the boss of your mum or dad's life.

You can totally transform your single parent's image and send them on a fab evening out.

Today's project is a mum from Northants

whose dress sense has a certain... je ne sais quoi.

This is Claire.

-She's 43 and she's from France.

-Bonjour.

Today's project manager is her daughter, Manon.

I'm Manon. I'm 11 years old. I'm half French.

Fantastique!

The best thing about Mum is she's a free spirit.

-The worst thing is her dodgy sense of style.

-I love this style.

She calls it gipsy chic.

I started to wear this kind of gipsy look when I was 16.

-I never ever follow fashion.

-She wears long skirts and dresses.

Just browns and oranges.

She wears a lot of headscarves.

They're all right, but with EVERYTHING?

Who needs a billion headscarves?

The way I dress, the curly hair, is part of my personality.

It's time for me to drag her kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

I have been single now for two years.

If I created an ideal man for Mum,

he would have hair like Gordon Ramsay, but brown,

eyes like Orlando Bloom, nose like Hugh Grant,

-and a smile like David Beckham.

-WOLF WHISTLE

I want to do something for my mum. She's done so many things for me.

-It's time I repaid her.

-I trust Manon completely.

Nevertheless, I'm a little anxious.

I don't want the change to be too drastic.

'It's a tough project, but Manon won't be facing it alone.

'She's recruiting her best friends, twins Olivia and Alex,

'to help transform her mum.'

-Are you ready to take control?

-BOTH: Yeah!

'Manon's assembled her team

'and I've assembled mine - top stylist Darren Kennedy.

'A fashion guru, he has the task of sorting out Claire's wardrobe

'while I tackle her social life.'

-Hello.

-Hi. Come in.

-Thank you.

-This is my mum.

-You must be Claire.

Bonjour. Enchante!

Manon, we got your SOS message and hot-footed it here toute de suite.

I see the clothes. Is that what we're dealing with?

-It is.

-Shall we get stuck in?

-OK.

-Claire, we should leave them to it. Let's have a cup of tea.

-OK.

Manon, at first glance it looks very...gipsy.

Lots of browns, reds, oranges.

That's as gipsy as you can get. Does she wear it with that?

All the time. You can't lose her in a crowd. Mad hair! Mad clothes!

-Claire, you've been on your own for a few years.

-Yes, two years.

I went on a few dates but never found Prince Charming.

-Are these her only trousers?

-Yeah.

-Is this a matching cardigan thing? Does she wear them together?

-Yeah.

I'd say the locals get some fun out of that!

What do you look for in a guy?

Well, being French, I want passion, romance, creativity.

How many headscarves does one person actually need?

She's got every fabric known to man.

-There you go! How you feeling?

-Warm!

-Does she need all these scarves?

She's got big frizzy hair so I guess it controls her hair.

-Who would be your ideal guy?

-A chef called Raymond Blanc.

Bonjour, Claire.

-He has a lot of charisma and passion.

-And he can cook!

And he can cook!

Your mum needs a makeover. What would your ideal look be?

I'd like her to have hair like Leona Lewis.

A nice dress and a chunky belt, like Beyonce.

High boots, like Kylie Minogue.

-Let's go from gipsy geek to Parisian chic.

-I like it!

-How do you feel about Manon taking control.

-A little bit anxious.

Scared, obviously, but I trust her.

-Are you ready to be project manager?

-Yes.

-You can handle it?

-Yeah.

Gimme five!

-How did you get on?

-Interesting.

The wardrobe is full of reds, browns, autumnal colours. Very gipsy, nothing chic.

Claire says she wants someone with passion, creativity and charisma.

-She likes Raymond Blanc.

-But of course.

We've got a lot of work to do.

I'm really looking forward to sorting out my mum's life

and interviewing the guys in the surveillance van.

Manon has set out what she wants and the search is on to find a fella

to accompany her mum on a fancy outing.

And it all starts in here,

in our super-dooper, super-cool Project Parent surveillance van.

'Kitted out with all the state-of-the-art gizmos Manon could wish for

'to grill the guys in our hot seat.'

Mooo!

'Manon won't quiz them on her own.

'She's called on one of her twin assistants, Alex.'

-Are you ready to step inside the van to interrogate the man?

-Yeah!

Let's do it.

The three fellas we've lined up for interrogation are...

He's artistic and writes his own poetry.

He loves making people laugh and wants to become a comedian.

He once went pig racing.

In case none of them come up to scratch,

we've got Mum's best friend on standby.

Now, if you don't like what you hear, press the buzzer.

Invite the first person in.

-Hello. Please tell us your name.

-My name's Amit.

My mum loves cooking. Have a big mouthful of this delicious treat.

Tell me how lovely it is.

-It's an eclair stuffed with garlic and cheese!

-Eugh! Terrible!

-Did you enjoy it?

-It was delicious.

-Go on. Finish the lot.

Mmmmm!

-You're not biting it!

-I am!

-One bite.

-Ready?

Yes!

-What did it taste like?

-Tastes yummy. The best thing I've ever had.

-Can you juggle?

-Ooh, I've never done this. I can give it a try.

-He's good!

-I've never done this before.

-I think you're lying.

-I can do it with my eyes closed.

BUZZER

How fast are your reactions?

Super-fast! I once caught a coffee falling off the table without spilling a drop.

Please can you reenact that?

-LAUGHTER

-Amazing!

Good acting. Thank you. Bravo.

-Please leave the chair.

-Bye bye.

-What do you think?

-He's really good.

-I think he could be a contender.

My chances are maybe eight out of ten? I think they will probably choose me.

'Next up, it's comedian Nick.'

Describe your personality in three words.

Funny, happy and honest.

My mum loves French romance.

Can you play the accordion and sing a French serenade?

TUNELESSLY: # Mademoiselle!

# I love you

BUZZER # Mademoiselle... #

-Please stop.

-Yes.

-It is hurting my ears.

-I'm so sorry.

My mum loves animals. What's your favourite animal?

-I'm actually a dog lover.

-Bark like a dog.

-Ruff! Ruff!

-Bark like a little dog.

YAPS

-Really good.

-Thank you.

My mum loves cooking. Have a big mouthful of this delicious treat.

Tell me how lovely it is.

Mmm! That's GORGEOUS!

Mmmmmmm!

-Are you enjoying the cheesy garlic eclair?

-I love it.

You said you were honest. Are you being honest now?

-Yes!

-He's really funny.

-What's for dessert?

-How talented are you?

Can you do any impersonations using the big glasses?

OUT OF TUNE # I'm a soul man

# I'm a soul man! Do-do-do... #

-Now my eyes are hurting as well.

-Sorry.

-Ouch.

-Thank you.

-Goodbye.

-Bye bye.

The kids grilled me like I was cheese on toast.

Next up is animal-loving Pete. He's got a special treat in store.

SQUELCH

-That sounded quite stinky.

-It doesn't smell too good.

My mum is French. Put on the costume and impress me by speaking your best French.

-The onions stink!

-Are you sure that's not you?

No. I managed to waft that one away.

Can you play the accordion and sing a French serenade?

# Mais oui

# Let me

# Take your mum out for tea

LAUGHTER # Mais oui, mais oui

-# Take your mum out for tea. #

-That's brilliant!

-Congratulations.

-Thank you very much.

Show me your best dance move.

MUSIC: Dynamite by Taio Cruz

Yeah!

-Yeah!

-Woo! You rockin'!

LAUGHS I'm so not. It's hilarious.

My mum loves animals. What's your favourite animal?

-A hippo.

-Do your hippo impression.

Aargh! ALL LAUGH

That's all they do. Which is what I like doing.

My mum loves cooking. Have a big mouthful of this delicious treat.

-Can I eat it like a hippo?

-Yeah. One big bite!

SCREAMS AND LAUGHTER

I have decided I will never eat like a hippo again.

-Goodbye.

-Thank you.

-Goodbye.

Not a good idea when it tasted of cheese and garlic.

We've seen all three guys.

I want to hear your thoughts, starting with Amit.

-He was a really good juggler and he made us laugh.

-Nick?

-Ruff.

-He was really trying hard.

He looks a bit like Raymond Blanc, which Mum might like.

Mais, non. He looks nothing like me!

-And Pete?

-SQUELCH

-Pete was really funny.

-He made us laugh a lot!

But it got a bit much when he ate the whole garlic eclair in one go.

-We've got Hilary. We'll keep her in?

-Yeah.

-Have you been discussing who might be going home at this stage?

-Yeah.

And we decided that Nick was the one to go.

-So, it's au revoir.

-Au revoir, Nick!

The kids! They were fun, they were fair, but they were hard.

'For Pete and Amit, there's one more challenge before Manon decides

'who'll be sailing with Mum on a classic canal boat.

'First, Mum's in desperate need of a classic outfit.'

Claire has worn the same style since she was 16, and that's quite some time ago.

Manon thinks a change of fashion is well overdue.

She'll have to use all her powers of persuasion to convince Mum to ditch her gipsy skirts and headscarves

for something more suave, more sophisticated,

and, well, a bit more French chic.

'For the shopping, Manon has changed her team formation,

'switching Alex for his twin sister, Olivia.'

We're going to split up.

Girls, you're with with moi! Mother, you're on your own.

-Before you do, there's a rule.

-No long gipsy skirts.

No orange or brown. And no headscarves.

< How do you feel? I'm going to try my best.

OK, we'll see you shortly. Bonne chance.

-What do you think about this, guys?

-I love it.

'Manon wants Mum to dress with more French style. What does that mean?'

Paris is the centre of the fashion world.

French chic is classic, elegant, tailored pieces - what Claire lacks in her wardrobe.

-I really like these.

-They're nice. There's no pockets on the bum.

If you want to make your bum look smaller, get rid of the pockets.

'Despite Manon's rules, Claire's drawn to the type of clothes

'she's been wearing since she was 16.'

Usually, I go for the same items.

Probably a long skirt, large cardigan, same colours.

And probably a scarf in my hair. You can never have too many scarves.

I think I'm not confident enough and I'm too scared to change.

How did you get on? Voila! Headscarf?

You have something like this! I do.

Just as well we did better. Off you go. You're going to change.

-How are you feeling?

-Really excited.

-How do you think she's feeling?

-Nervous.

OK, let's count her in.

ALL: Three, two, one!

< What do you think, girls?

I think it's a bit short.

The top half is nice. The bottom half doesn't look good.

< Ooh la la!

-What do you think?

-I think it looks great. I love it.

Different to what she normally would wear. It's chic and elegant.

I could see myself walking down the street in Paris.

< Wowzers!

I love it! I love everything about it!

-It's just what I wanted.

-That, for me, defines French chic.

The little details just make it so subtle but so fabulous.

< Wow!

-I REALLY like it.

-I really like that.

This ticks a lot of boxes. Black is very flattering.

This gold draws attention right up to your lovely face.

And emphasising your little waist.

It's a dress made in heaven! Sent from the gods!

'Manon and Elizabeth have chosen their favourite chic French looks.

'Find out later which one they go for.'

Manon's quest to transform her mum's image is under way.

So is her search for a fella to take her mum on an evening out.

In the running are Amit and Pete, and Mum's best friend, Hilary,

in case neither guy passes Manon's final test.

Now it's time for Manon to paint a clearer picture of who she thinks

would be best suited for her mum.

My mum is creative and loves art so I've decided to invite Pete and Amit

to a painting class to test artistic flair

and see if they are picture perfect for my mum.

'Manon and Alex will be taking control.

'Claire will wear an earpiece so they can feed her their instructions.'

She smiles like that when she's nervous.

'First up, it's arty Amit.'

Hello. Hiya. How you doing? Lovely to meet you.

'Our wannabe artists Claire and Amit will paint a bowl of fruit

'as demonstrated by art tutor Camille.'

Voila. Your turn now. Good luck.

Bonne chance. Bonne chance!

'Manon and Alex won't be judging their brush work.'

# Frere Jacques, frere Jacques Parlez-vous...? #

Dormez-vous? # ..Dormez-vous? # >

'They're more interested in how Amit gets on with Claire when they start sabotaging the class.'

Mum? Your first task is pinch his grapes, please.

You don't mind if I have your grapes?

No! I'm hungry.

I'll have to start again now. LAUGHTER

Right, I'm going to improvise.

AMIT: I need a few rouge...

Take a big bite out of the red apple.

Don't mind if I have the apple? AMIT SIGHS

All right.

-Well done, Mum.

-Put the apple back.

I've already annoyed you. I'll put it back there.

-What's he doing?

-Sabotaging your mother's painting.

He has a good sense of humour.

What's that? It adds character.

He needs a moustache as well.

You don't touch my painting. I won't touch it.

'Time's up. Has Amit done enough to impress Manon and Alex?'

-Thank you. I had fun.

-I think they got on really well.

I didn't mind. It gave me an excuse to sabotage hers!

'Next up, it's Pete.'

Hello.

Pleased to meet you. And you.

'Can he put himself in the frame for being picked?'

Turn his pineapple upside down.

Doesn't look like a pineapple.

What if you do it like that?

What about that? Yeah. That's better.

Mum, can you paint his face?

We can...

Don't! It's all right.

I didn't mean to do that.

This is going to turn into a war!

Mum, can you paint a portrait of each other?

What about doing each other's portrait? I'm up for that. Yeah.

Give him a really big green beard.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Yes. Green!

A long beard.

I can imagine you with a very long beard.

I look like a pineapple! LAUGHTER

Little eyes.

< And a moustache. And a moustache.

-Perfect.

-You did really well, Mum.

Lovely meeting you. Lovely meeting you, too.

We're off to make a decision.

OK. Make the right choice.

I'd like to think that I'd get picked, but there's some stiff competition.

We're in the studio. They all did a really good job.

This is decision time now.

Tell me what you think of them, then if you've made a decision.

-Start with Amit.

-I really liked him.

-My mum and him clicked straightaway.

-Any negatives?

-None at all.

It took a while for them to warm up then they really got on.

We've still got Hilary in the mix as well.

-Have you come to a decision?

-Yeah.

-And who's it going to be?

-It's gonna be...

-that one.

All that remains are the finishing touches to complete Mum Claire's chic makeover.

We'll reveal who Manon chose later.

It's time to transform this gipsy into a sophisticated French lady.

Ooh la la!

# Say ooh la la Say zoom

# Come on, come on Say ooh la la... #

We're at the crucial part, the hair. What have you got in mind?

I was thinking a more richer brown colour and maybe a little less wild.

I think you're absolutely spot-on.

-I would recommend a sleek long curl. What do you think?

-Yeah.

Very flowy, very natural. Let's do it.

Take one last look at yourself for the last time before the big reveal.

'Mum's not the only one who needs to get ready for the big night out.

'Amit, Pete and Hilary are waiting to find out if they've been chosen.'

I have decided to pick YOU to take my mum out for a special treat.

Get your best clothes on and be ready to pick her up later.

'As the final touches are applied to Claire,

'Her friends and family arrive to witness her transformation.'

Knowing her for 12 years, it'll be good to see her looking different.

We're used to seeing her in floaty skirts, layers and leopard prints.

I think she'll be nervous because her friends will see her new look.

'Everyone in place, the moment has come for Claire to reveal her brand new style.'

-You do the count.

-Three, two, one...

Come in!

GASPS

-You look amazing!

-C'est vrai?

-Manon, what do you think of how your mum looks?

-She looks absolutely amazing.

-Are you proud?

-Really proud.

You haven't seen yourself. Are you nervous? Yes.

Come on over here.

On the count of three. Manon, you lead.

Three, two, one!

It's not me!

Who's that?

Oh!

I'm lost for words! It's beautiful. I love it.

I feel completely different.

A bit of va va voom? Yes!

This French chic you wanted!

DARREN: The hair?

I like the hair. It really looks lovely.

Stylish. A drastic change. That's what we wanted.

Thank you, my darling.

Claire looks so glamorous. When she walked in I thought, "Wow!"

My favourite thing about the hair is it's not that big any more.

'I'm feeling really pleased about how Mum looks'

and what I've done to her.

She looks absolutely amazing.

'Since she was 16 Claire has dressed from head to toe like a gipsy.

'Now, this French mum is oozing Parisian sophistication.'

Mum's style is beautiful,

fashionable, sleek, French, chic.

'But who's pulling up to whisk her away?'

-Manon, are you ready?

-Yeah. I can't wait.

You're getting in that!

LAUGHS

My favourite painter!

How you doing?

CLAIRE: Shall we go?

-Bye!

-Au revoir!

CLAIRE: 'The whole experience is like a dream.

'Manon wanted her mother to go to the ball with Prince Charming.

'I'm very pleased with the choice she made. Everything is wonderful.'

Claire's great to talk to, lovely to get on with. The setting's lovely.

Sorry. You're still pinching my grapes!

I really am proud of myself. I think I've done a really good job.

I am very grateful to Manon.

She created magic. She's been my fairy godmother.

It's been wonderful to do something nice for Mummy. She really needed it.

That's another Project Parent sewn-up.

Mooo!

What's that? It's an emergency?

Moo!

There's a mum who gets her tips from Ugly Betty and Horrid Henry?

-Mooo.

-We'd better get going.

-Yeah.

-Thanks.

-Another parent.

-Another project.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd