Birmingham Project Parent

'Welcome to Project Parent, the show that lets you take charge

'of your single parent's life.'

Hello?

BOTH: Hi, is that Angellica?

-Yes, it is.

-It's our mum. She hardly ever goes out.

-Oh?

-And when she does, all she wears is trainers, T-shirt and jeans.

-This is serious. I'm on my way.

-BOTH: OK!

(Sorry, sorry, sorry.)

Today's project managers are Molly and Harry.

They're on a mission to glam up their mum's image...

Ding-dong!

..find a Hollywood hero to take Mum on a fun night out...

OK, me hearties.

..and create mayhem in the Project Parent surveillance van.

-Do the funky chicken.

-THEY ALL CLUCK

Welcome to Project Parent, the show that puts you in control

of your mum and dad's life.

And with a little help from me, you get the chance

to spruce up their wardrobe and kick-start their social life.

Today I'm in the Midlands

to meet a brother and sister who want their mum

to ditch her old, boring T-shirt and jeans

and swap it for some Hollywood glamour.

Today's project managers are 11-year-old Harry

and nine-year-old Molly.

They live with their little brother, Henry,

and their cocker spaniel, Clarence.

Their mum is 38-year-old nurse and movie fan Dawn.

My life is very hectic.

Our mum never has any time for herself cos she's always working

and always doing things for us.

Mum! Where's my tea?

It's coming!

Our mum wears the same things every day.

This is her wardrobe.

She always wears trainers, jeans, black tops.

SO last year!

I think Harry and Molly think my wardrobe is dreary, dull, too dark.

Just got no glitz and glamour to them, whatsoever.

We think that our mum's fabulous, so she needs to show it in her clothes.

-Our mum's ideal man would have...

-Tom Cruise's hair...

-Brad Pitt's eyes...

-Jackie Chan's chin...

-And Jim Carrey's nose.

WOLF-WHISTLE

Oh! And must like dogs.

I don't trust Harry and Molly to take control of my wardrobe.

I dread to think what they're going to do with me.

I feel excited about taking control of my mum's life.

Give her a taste of her own medicine!

I'm here to help Harry and Molly to kick-start Mum's social life.

I've brought along stylist Darren Kennedy to sort out her look.

Darren's got the inside track

on what's hot and what's not in Hollywood.

So he's the perfect man to give Dawn a movie-star makeover.

-Hello!

-Hi!

-Hi!

-This is our mum.

-Ah, this is Dawn.

-Hello.

-We've heard loads about you.

Guys, I believe your mum just wears jeans and T-shirts.

-Yep.

-Yep.

-shall we look at her wardrobe? After you.

Dawn, shall we have a girly chat about your social life?

-What social life?

-Precisely.

Guys, from the look of this wardrobe, it looks like a uniform.

Why do you think she always wears black?

She doesn't like to stand out from the crowd.

Talk to me about these jeans! Do you think they give her a nice shape?

No.

When you see her in these, what do you think?

She doesn't really care about herself.

Why do you dress the way you do?

I'm quite conscious about my weight and my size.

I'd rather not draw attention to myself.

Talk to me about the footwear, because I'm horrified!

She'll pretty much wear flats on a night out.

-What shoes would you like to see her in?

-High heels.

-How high?

-Two inches.

-Two?!

-That's about that high!

-No, it's about that much.

-That's three inches.

No, cos an inch is that big.

That high!

THEY LAUGH

Dawn, tell me about this non-existent social life of yours.

Well, I work nine to five,

really busy, running around after the kids.

I'm so tired at the end of the week. Then come home and do the housework.

So...very rare.

So how DO you want to change her wardrobe?

We want her to have more colour and we want her to wear more dresses.

Like glitz and glamour. Hollywood showbiz.

Who would your ideal man be in the celebrity world?

Definitely Johnny Depp.

Savvy that, my dear.

Tall, dark and handsome.

And someone who can make me laugh.

-I'll see what I can do!

-Thank you.

What's your ideal wardrobe, then?

I'd like Mum to wear leopard-print high heels...

A purple dress...

-Lots of diamonds...

-Little bit of hair extensions...

-Curly hair, the same colour...

-That spray which makes your hair shiny.

How do you feel about Molly and Harry taking control?

Absolutely petrified, anxious.

Dreading to think what they've got in store for me.

-Are you ready to be project managers?

-Yeah!

-Yeah!

That's what I like! Give me five! Give me ten!

Dawn is lovely. I think she lacks a bit of confidence

and she's looking for a Johnny Depp type, so I see her name in lights -

-Hollywood style.

-I'm glad you do! Have you looked in her wardrobe?

-No.

Black, black, black and jeans.

There's no glamour, nothing feminine, no dresses.

It'll be a tough slog!

The race is on to find Dawn a leading man for her big night out.

To help us sort the heroes from the zeroes,

we're going undercover in this...

the Project Parent surveillance van.

With its hi-tech surveillance screen, microphones and cameras,

this is the perfect place to interrogate our wannabe matches,

who'll be sitting here, in the Hot Seat.

Moo!

And if Molly and Harry don't like what they've got to say,

there's always the buzzer.

Harry, Molly, what do you think of the Project Parent Surveillance van?

-Wicked.

-Well wicked, man.

We've searched high and low and lined up

three fellas to audition for Harry and Molly.

First is Andy. He's into yoga and likes animals,

so should be a hit with dog-lover Dawn.

Next is Garry. Like Dawn, he's a keen dancer,

who loves to strut his stuff on the dance floor.

Last up is Darren. He's into music and movies,

which is fabulous news, darling, for film-fan Dawn.

And if these three lack star quality,

there's a back-up plan in the shape of Nicola - Mum's best friend.

You're in control. They can't see you.

You can make them do what you want.

-Moo!

-With a little help from their bovine assistant,

Harry and Molly are ready to let rip!

-Do you want to call the first person in?

-Bring the first person in.

PHRRRT!

THEY LAUGH

Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Our mum loves dogs. Put on this collar and ears.

Give us your best dog impression.

HE GROWLS AND BARKS

THEY LAUGH

HW WHIMPERS

-Very good, I admit.

-Thank you, thank you.

We love Johnny Depp in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

Can you sing the Oompa Loompa song?

# Oompa Loompa, do-ba-dee-doo

# I have a perfect puzzle for you

# What do you get when you guzzle down sweets? #

-He's so much like the proper one!

-He looks like one, as well!

THEY LAUGH

Dip this tomato in melted chocolate and eat it.

Oh, I hate tomatoes.

-Tough!

-ANGELLICA LAUGHS

-It's bad.

-Go on, go on.

-Yum!

-No!

-Very good!

-It's not as bad as you'd think, actually.

-Eat more!

-Save us a bit for later, please!

-No problem. There's plenty left.

-Very good.

-OK, thank you.

-We like you a lot. Thank you for doing our test.

-Brilliant.

-He was cool.

The tomato was not quite so much fun with the dipped chocolate.

That wasn't quite to my taste.

Bring the second person in.

-Hello!

-Hello!

Our mum loves Johnny Depp in Pirates Of The Caribbean.

Impersonate him using these props.

OK, me hearties, we're going after the treasure.

We've got to go over the stormy seas and down the shipwrecked islands,

over to Dead Man's Bluff.

Very good voice.

Our mum loves dancing. Show us your best moves in the chair.

-He looks so silly!

-Yeah.

Fantastic.

Our mum loves dogs. Put on this collar and ears

and give us your best dog impression.

HE HOWLS

-Is that a wolf?

-No, a big dog.

THEY LAUGH

HE HOWLS

That'll be enough now, please.

Thank you.

Dip this tomato in the melted chocolate and eat it.

Right in.

Is it good?

It tastes lovely!

THEY LAUGH

Wipe your face now, please. OK, thank you very much for taking our test.

Oh.

Eating a chocolate tomato was a bit weird.

Apart from that, it wasn't too bad.

PHRRRT!

HE LAUGHS

What was that noise?

I've not had any lunch.

THEY LAUGH

Our mum loves dogs.

Put on this collar and ears and give us your best dog impression.

HE GROWLS AND BARKS

He's our kind of dog.

ALL: Aww!

What's the most embarrassing thing you have EVER done?

I suppose I've slipped over in front of a lady I was trying to impress.

-Not very embarrassing, is it?

-I know. Sorry.

Our mum loves dancing. Show us your best dance moves.

THEY LAUGH

That's more embarrassing than your most embarrassing moment!

Our mum loves Johnny Depp in Pirates Of The Caribbean.

Impersonate him using these props.

You'll always remember this as the day you were on CBBC.

THEY LAUGH

-What can you see through the telescope?

-Thank you.

'What Darren CAN'T see is the ink on the eyepiece.'

Press down hard.

Ships...and the sea.

That's enough. THEY LAUGH

Thank you for taking our test.

Goodbye.

Give him a round of applause.

I really want to get chosen. It'd be really good, so hopefully I will.

OK, Harry and Molly. You've seen all three.

Now you've got to choose two to go through this afternoon

to have a fun activity with your mum.

First, tell me a bit about each person.

-Let's start with Andy.

-He was really funny and really made us laugh.

-HE GROWLS

-Anything you didn't like?

He looks a bit like an Oompa Loompa.

# Oompa Loompa, do-ba-dee-doo. #

What about Garry?

His dog impression wasn't that good.

HE HOWLS

He sounded a bit like a wolf.

He could have tried harder, really.

Let's move on to number three, Darren.

PHRRRT!

He was really funny and when he sat on the whoopee cushion,

his reaction was quite good.

I've not had any lunch.

Finally, your mum's best friend, Nicola.

-Shall we keep her in the mix?

-Yeah.

This is where you now tell me who is going home.

-Have you discussed this?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

It was a very, very hard decision, but we chose Garry.

Obviously a bit disappointed that I didn't get further,

but it was a three-way race. Any of us could have been ejected.

Any of us could have got through.

Time to walk the plank, mate.

So three have become two, plus Mum's best friend Nicola.

We've arranged for one of them to join Dawn for a VIP film screening.

But, with a wardrobe full of drab, colourless clothes,

what will she wear on the red carpet?

Mum, Dawn, is stuck in a rut.

Her uniform of T-shift, jeans and trainers lacks any glamour.

Molly and Harry want to give her a glitzy Hollywood makeover,

but if Dawn fails to buy into their dream,

this shopping trip could become a disaster movie.

To get Dawn's transformation from mum to movie star

off to a flying start, we've come to one of Birmingham's

-most exclusive department stores.

-Right, it's time to shop.

We'll split up here and find things we all like.

But first, there's some rules.

No T-shirts, no trainers and, above all...

BOTH: No jeans!

-Sounds crystal clear. How do you feel about that?

-Bit apprehensive.

-But I'll try!

-Best of luck. Pick up a few bits and pieces.

-OK.

-OK, good luck. Come on, guys.

-Bye!

-Bye!

-Anything on this rail you like?

-No.

Whoa! That's nice!

You've got a good eye for colour, Harry.

-I reckon a lot of celebrities would wear it.

-I like the one sleeve.

I like the material and the colours.

It's very, very glam.

Meanwhile, Mum's sticking to the fashion rules,

but she can't seem to find anything she likes.

I just wouldn't wear that.

I've never worn anything red. The colour. It's just not me.

Luckily, Harry and Molly are having a bit more success.

What is it about this you like?

I like the pattern. And it's velvet.

I like the feel of that.

Beautiful fabric. It's worth trying. Are we happy?

-Yeah!

-Yeah!

After a hard afternoon shopping, it's now time to find out

if any of the outfits will give Mum

the movie-star sparkle they're after.

How do you think she's feeling?

-Nervous.

-A bit scared. She was like...

Are you ready, Dawn?

-Let's count her in.

-ALL: Three, two, one!

-Oh, wow.

-Whoa!

Really, really nice.

-It's gorgeous.

-I like the style. I like all the frills at the top.

And where she's tied the bow.

That's the beauty of this dress. It's a wrap dress,

so the dress cuts you at the skinniest part of your body.

Thumbs up.

Whoo!

It's a bit short. It's over her knee, so...

Wow.

I like it cos it's a nice length.

And it's a solid colour.

Perfection again.

-Whoa!

-Wow!

-That is A-mazing!

-That is stunning.

I like the shoulders.

I like the shape of it, the length.

It looks perfection.

-Whoa!

-Oh, that's really nice!

-That is gorgeous!

-Now, that is worth waiting for.

-Oh, do you hear him?!

How do you feel in it?

I love the top half. But I'm a bit conscious whether that's too tight.

-And the length.

-You can get away with the length. Any shorter, no.

And actually, this panelling, which you probably haven't noticed,

just emphasises your waist and brings your curves in.

Anyone who's not confident about their shape needs to make sure

they buy well-cut clothes.

Makes you look slimmer, taller and makes you smile!

Ding-dong!

Harry and Molly have selected three glam outfits for their mum.

The big question is, which will they choose for her fun night out?

Busy mum Dawn's social life is virtually non-existent.

Harry and Molly are looking for a fun guy to take her on a night out.

So far, they've narrowed it down to Andy and Darren,

but it's now time to step it up and introduce them to Mum.

To see if Andy and Darren have what it takes,

we've arranged for some professional ballroom dancers

to put them through their paces.

Harry and Molly will be watching them

from the surveillance van,

while Mum is also rigged up with an earpiece.

Under Project Parent rules, she must do whatever Molly and Harry ask.

You OK?

Hiya.

First up is Andy.

Our professional dancers have put together a routine

which Andy and Dawn have to master.

After a quick demo, our amateurs are on their own.

-Remind me what you're looking for.

-Someone prepared to be embarrassed.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-He'll definitely get that today!

Andy's taking the routine in his stride.

He's a good dancer.

What he doesn't know is that Harry and Molly won't be judging

his fancy footwork.

Forget the ballroom bit. It's really boring. Do the funky chicken!

Doing the funky chicken?

Say to him, "Let's do the funky chicken!"

-Do you want to do the funky chicken as well?

-We can do. Go on.

CHILDREN LAUGH

-Bet the kids'd rather us do this, make a fool of ourselves.

-Probably!

THEY CLUCK

-I like the funky chicken.

-Funky chicken's good.

Go back to ballroom.

-Ooh, have you had enough? Do you want to do ballroom?

-Yeah.

What's your final trick?

Mum, pretend you've twisted your ankle and see what the man does.

-Ow! Ooh.

-You all right?

-Yeah. Hang on.

Be dramatic.

Oh, no. It really does hurt.

Be really dramatic.

-Do you want to sit down?

-Oh! Yeah.

Oh, I'm all right standing like this.

He said, "Do you want to sit down?"

He's holding her hand to support her.

-Are you all right, yeah?

-Yeah.

Well done, Mum. That's it now. Good job.

Thanks for the dance and for learning the funky chicken.

-I hope to see you again.

-Nice to meet you.

Well done.

THEY LAUGH

I thought Dawn was really nice, good fun. We had a good time,

and, yeah, it was fun.

Next up is Darren.

-Hello.

-I'm Darren. You must be Dawn.

He needs to tuck his shirt in.

One, two, three, four.

-What are you going to ask her to do?

-Mum, tread on his toe.

THEY LAUGH

-Sorry. Sorry.

-It's OK!

Just keep doing it.

Watch out this time.

I know.

-CHILDREN LAUGH

-Sorry.

Stop dancing...

do the funky chicken and tell him to do it.

-Do you know the funky chicken?

-No.

-You know it, don't you? Do it to the funky chicken.

-OK!

Do the chicken sound, too!

SHE CLUCKS

THEY LAUGH

THEY CLUCK

Mum, how about you sing... THEY SING THE BIRDIE SONG

SHE SINGS THE BIRDIE SONG

HE JOINS IN

THEY JOIN IN

HE SINGS, SHE CLUCKS

You've done a good job. Now you can stop.

I'm hot. Want to do the proper one?

Pretend you've twisted your ankle and see what he does.

Ow!

THEY LAUGH

-I didn't realise I'd caught you. Sorry. You all right?

-Aww!

-Do you want a chair?

-It's hurt.

-He's very caring!

-Here you are.

-Oh, thank you.

I'm going to cry!

-Do you want me to phone somebody?

-Mum, get up!

You all right?

He's a real gentleman.

-It's all right now.

-You sure?

-Yeah.

Say goodbye.

-Thank you.

-And you.

-Enjoy tomorrow.

-I will do.

-Well done!

-She hurt her foot or her ankle,

but she was holding her shin...

But I went along with it and played the chivalrous gentleman

and got her a chair and helped her up.

Right, guys. They've mixed and now it's time to...

ALL: Match!

I've got my Project Parent folder here with my pictures.

Let's get the show on the road.

Andy, he came in first. Do you like him?

-He's a really good dancer.

-His chicken impersonation was good.

-Then Darren came in next.

-He wasn't much of a dancer.

What did you like about him?

When she twisted her ankle, he got her a chair so she could rest it.

-How did that make you feel?

-Blessed!

We've seen those two, we've still got Nicola.

You've got to make a choice. Who's it going to be?

BOTH: It will be... Oh...

that one!

So today's the day of the big reveal.

And we've found the most sensational outfit for Dawn.

-She'll look fabulous.

-Definitely not boring.

-Definitely not.

And we'll give her a Hollywood hairstyle and A-list makeover.

-She'll have the full red-carpet treatment.

-Let's hope she likes it!

So we've got the dress. Now it's time for the hair!

What have you got in mind?

-Hollywood glitz and glamour.

-Make her look like a move star.

Glitz and glamour. So basically,

I think the big thing for your mum if to lift it off her face.

You've a beautiful face, but your hair is severe,

so it's not giving any depth to your features.

We'll give it volume, a bit of a wave and maybe an up-style?

-What do you think? Is that Hollywood enough for you?

-Yep.

Take one last look at yourself,

because...that shall be the last time you see yourself...

until the big reveal.

Dawn's makeover is well under way.

Time for Harry and Molly to turn their attention to the next task.

Andy, Darren and Nicola are waiting to see if they'll join Dawn

on her glam night out.

BOTH: Hello, this is Harry and Molly.

We have chosen you to go out with our mum. Well done.

So dress smartly, and a car will pick you up in an hour.

BOTH: Bye!

All stations go!

Harry and Molly have invited friends and family to a local hotel

to unveil Mum's movie-star makeover.

I can't wait to see Dawn dressed up -

she's usually in jeans and T-shirt.

It'll be nice to see her glammed up. It'll help her confidence.

How are you feeling about seeing your mum?

Nervous. Anxious.

-Excited.

-Shall we get her in?

ALL: Yeah!

OK, let's count her in.

-ALL: Three, two, one.

-Mum!

GASPS AND CHEERS

Wow!

-Do you like it?

-Yes!

What's the biggest change? What are you most excited about?

Her make-up, and she doesn't usually wear dangly earrings.

-And high heels!

-She's wearing tights!

On a scale or one to ten, ten being amazing...

47!

-1,000!

-Shall we put her out of her misery?

-Yeah.

-Shall we show her herself?

Let's do it, guys.

Dawn, turn round. How are you feeling?

-Nervous, as usual.

-Were you expecting that reaction?

-No, it's wonderful.

-On the count of three. Three, two, one!

-Well?

-It's lovely. Thank you. It's a shock,

-seeing this there, and...

-How do you feel?

-Wonderful.

-Do you?

-I really do, yeah. Like a lady.

-Like a LADY!

-I'm a lady!

You ARE a lady!

-Bit of a movie-star vibe. You feeling it?

-Very Hollywood.

Just what the kids ordered!

-Are you proud of them?

-Yeah, I am.

-Aw!

-Done really well.

Haven't you? Really well.

When I saw her, it made me feel really happy to be her son.

I thought Dawn looked really beautiful.

She looked like a film star. It was really good.

Our mum's new look looked really fantastic and lollipop-tastic.

Before her makeover, Dawn wore a dull uniform of T-shirts and jeans.

But now Harry and Molly's glitzy new look has transformed her

into a Hollywood starlet.

-How are you feeling?

-Nervous. Anxious.

All that remains is for Dawn to meet

the mystery co-star who'll accompany her to a private VIP film screening.

Let's go see who it is.

Hello!

Hello!

-You look lovely.

-Thank you.

Cool, isn't it? Bye!

Bye!

-You look really nice.

-Thank you.

'I wasn't that surprised when the kids chose Darren.

'The kids know what I liked.'

Dawn looked really glamorous. She could have been in LA.

It's been really fun being a project manager, cos we've taken control

of our mum's style and made her look really fantastic.

It's been lovely.

Stunning didn't even begin to describe what she looked like,

so I think we've done a very good job.

It's been absolutely fabulous.

It's been a really good experience for me and the kids. It's been fun.

Took me out of my comfort zone, but, overall, it's been really good.

Our mum is the most important person in our lives.

-She means the world to us.

-Yeah, so we really want the best for her

and we think we've tried our hardest to do it, so...

hopefully it's changed her lifestyle.

Ooh. That's a wrap.

-Dawn looked every inch the perfect film star.

-Good afternoon.

Thank you, sir.

"Dear Project Parent, my dad's favourite outfit

"is a beige safari suit,

"and he spends his spare time train-spotting"?

This is serious!

Another parent, another project.