Bolton Project Parent

This is the show that puts you in control of your parents' life

-or, in this case, your uncle's.

-PHONE RINGS

Hello, Project Parent, can I help you?

Well, it's my Uncle Mark. He's not had a girlfriend in over six months.

He's wearing his work clothes when he comes home and not changing.

That's awful. I'm on my way, I'm on my way.

Duty calls!

Today's Project Manager is 11 year-old Georgia,

but it's not her parents she's worried about it's her Uncle Mark.

People think he looks like a tramp.

She wants him looking and dancing like her favourite band, JLS.

I'm going to get rid of his dirty work clothes

and put him in something trendy.

-Whoa!

-I think it will make me really nervous knowing that Georgia

-is going to be in charge of what I'm going to wear.

-That is nice.

She gets to pick who he hangs out with...

-Woof, woof!

-I didn't like her.

And of course she'll be up to mischief in the surveillance van.

-Pull a muscle.

-Ah!

Jeez!

This is Project Parent,

the show which gives you control to change your single parent's life or,

in this case, your single uncle's. We give you the chance to give them

a trendy new look designed to boost their confidence

and kick-start their social life. Today, I'm in Lancashire to meet

a girl who is at her wits' end with her uncle's lack of style,

and lack of girlfriends,

which puts him top of the list for this week's project.

Project manager Georgia loves cheerleading

and her favourite band, JLS.

She lives with her mum Sonia, and her brother, Liam.

Round the corner to her, lives Uncle Mark.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-And he loves bulldogs...

-Yeah, you're a good boy, aren't you?

..And his favourite football team, Bolton Wanderers.

Georgia wants to get Mark

out of his work clobber and into something smarter

and find him some new friends, but not the four-legged variety.

I want him to stop hanging out with the dogs and have

more friends and go out more.

This is my Uncle Mark's wardrobe and it's full of jeans

and it has like no colour,

not really nice to go out with holes in your jeans.

When I come home and you're messing with the dogs,

it's easier to wear the work clothes rather than something nice.

I think it is his clothes that are letting him down.

My favourite band member of JLS is Aston Merrygold.

That's what I want my Uncle Mark to look like.

I think it will make me really nervous knowing that

Georgia is going to be in charge of what I'm going to wear

because I don't think we have the same style ideas.

The ideal person for my Uncle Mark

would probably have Cheryl Cole's hair,

Beyonce's eyes, Keira Knightley's nose and Fearne Cotton's mouth.

WOLF WHISTLE

Everyone says I'm a bit mad but I just see myself as normal!

My Uncle Mark is like the best uncle in the world...

..and no-one can get a better one than him!

It looks like this week's project is going to be a real challenge,

luckily I've brought help...

style guru, Darren Kennedy.

He's a top stylist with a sharp nose for fashion.

If anyone can transform Uncle Mark from scruff to buff, it's him.

DOOR BELL RINGS

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Come on in.

-So you must be the Uncle Mark we've heard about.

-Nice to meet you both.

And we came as fast as we could.

Georgia, it can't be all true.

Am I going to have a difficult time?

-It is all true.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Shall we get cracking? Show me the wardrobe.

-Yeah.

OK, Uncle Mark, I think we need to have a chat.

Shall we go and walk the dog?

-OK, then.

-Come on.

Liam, chuck 'em down!

This wardrobe!

What is the story? These are his jeans!

They're his work jeans... and home jeans.

-So he wears them to work and out socialising?

-Yeah.

-And there's holes everywhere!

-Yeah.

OMINOUS MUSIC

While Darren gets to grips with Uncle Mark's fashion misdemeanours,

I find out why he's single.

-Would you like to have a girlfriend?

-Yeah, of course.

So why haven't you got one? What do you think is the reason?

One of the reasons is I always seem to be their best friend

and never boyfriend material... I'm always more the best friend.

These at least are different...

they're not jeans, which is nice.

-There doesn't seem to be any holes in them.

-But he never wears them...

only for dog shows!

Hold on! You're telling me his one half-decent pair of trousers

that don't really fit right, he wears for the dogs?

And he wonders why he's single!

It would be helpful

if I could have a few pointers so who is your ideal woman?

-I suppose that would be Lily Allen.

-Cheers, mate.

She's good-looking, she seems crazy, just seems up for a laugh.

Ha, ha, ha!

OK, so you like her character, like her looks,

so I've got a bit of a hard task there, haven't I!

What are you thinking? Roughly what would you like to see him in?

My ideal outfit is probably pink/red pumps,

trousers that are a lively colour, a red shirt with stripes on it

and his hair long so it can be styled more.

Oh, Uncle Mark is lovely, but you have got a tough job.

Lovely guy, but loves his casual clothes

a bit too much for my liking.

Georgia wants of a hip-hop vibe

so it's going to be interesting

bridging the two, making him feel comfortable

-and making her happy.

-It could be funny!

It's going to be very funny, but back to you, Lily Allen?

Yeah, tricky.

Somebody's who is fun, charismatic, beautiful...

and they have to love dogs.

Yeah, mmm-hmmm.

This is our state of the art surveillance van,

jam-packed with all hi-tech gadgets,

microphones and cameras,

making it the perfect place to interrogate adults.

There's a buzzer, so if you don't like

-what you hear...

-BUZZER

It's from here that Georgia will choose

that special person to go on a fab day out with her uncle.

It's good like being in charge of adults because normally

the adults are in charge of the children.

I have searched and come up with three cracking candidates.

They are... Paula, who likes playing pool and doesn't like The Simpsons.

Sarah, who loves ice-skating and hates tomatoes.

And Lucinda, who speaks fluent French, ooh la la,

and loves quad-biking.

If Georgia is not happy with any of these,

we have organised a back-up option...

Uncle Mark's best buddy, Ste... that's Steven to you and me.

-Shall we do it?

-Yeah.

-Let's see who is number one.

-Hello, my name is Georgia.

-My name is Paula.

-Do you like JLS?

Oh, I do, yes.

# The club is alive

# With the sound of music. #

-That's well good!

-Thank you.

What football team do you support?

Manchester United.

BUZZER

Will you do an impression of a dog.

Woof, woof, woof, woof! Ruff!!

Can you get this lid off this jar?

OK.

-SQUEAK!

-Ooh!

Using what is in the box,

dress up like someone famous and do an impression of them.

Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga.

-Is she Lady Gaga?

-Oh, yeah!

-Let's see, let's see.

How about a bit of Lady Gaga?

Yes, yeah!

# Ra ma, Ra ma ma, ra ma, ra ma ma, gaga, ooh la la

# Want your bad romance. #

That was cool! Thank you, you've done really good.

-Bye.

-Bye.

-She seems really nice.

-What about the Man United thing?

-Man United, Bolton Wanderers?

-Oh, yeah.

I hope I've done enough for them to pick me.

I was myself, I was fun, I responded to the questions well,

I think, so hopefully it all went well.

-Can we have number two.

-Hi, Georgia.

What's your name?

-Sarah.

-She's not smiling!

-See if she smiles when she says a joke.

-Go on.

Tell us your best joke.

-Why does Cinderella get dropped from the football team?

-I don't know.

She kept running away from the ball!

BUZZER

Do a rap about yourself and put the bling on.

# My name's Sarah with a capital "S"

# I'm a bit giddy, I must confess

# I'm carefree and fun and quite simply I'm great

# That's why you should pick me to go on this date. #

-That's good.

-That's quite good.

-Will you do an impression of a dog?

Woof!

CRICKETS CHIRP

Woof?

-Right, that's it, thank you, bye.

-Thank you, bye!

She's all right, but she's not... she don't have a smile on her face!

I've answered the questions and I think I've done well

so yeah, and I've done as best as I can so yes, see how it goes.

Next, please.

I'm Lucinda, Georgia, hello.

Pull your funniest face.

Do an impression of a dog.

Er, ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff.

Er, er!

Rar!

Can you get this lid off this jar?

Aaggh!

What secret skills do you have?

I can turn naughty little girls into frogs,

but I have to do it when I look in their eyes,

so I can't show you until I meet you.

I'm not naughty!

BUZZER

-Thank you, bye.

-Bye!

What do you think?

I like her. She's funny.

-Yeah, she's funny?

-I think Georgia was quite kind with the questions.

I like the secret skill one, because I hadn't thought about that

and I like my answer so, yeah!

Georgia, you've seen all three.

It's decision time.

What are you thinking? Let's do it.

-First, Paula.

-Woof, woof, woof, woof!

She's like a good singer.

# Gaga, ooh la la, want your bad romance! #

But the problem is,

she supports Man United and my Uncle Mark is a Bolton fan.

Oh!

Next was Sarah.

She didn't smile much.

She was quite funny.

She seemed OK.

-And then Lucinda.

-I didn't like her impression of a dog

and she said she would turn nasty girls into frogs.

So, what about your Uncle Mark's mate, Ste?

We'll keep him just for a bit.

-Just for a bit?

-Yeah.

-All right.

OK, well we've got to get rid of one. Who is it going to be?

Sarah.

Bye-bye, Sarah.

I'm a bit upset, but that's the way it happens,

so I can't really do anything about it.

Tough luck, babes!

# You only get one shot... #

So that's one down and three to go.

We've lined up a fantastic outing for Uncle Mark,

but who will Georgia pick to go with him, and what on earth will he wear?

It's not really nice to go out with holes in your jeans.

To fix this and all Uncle Mark's other wardrobe malfunctions,

we've called in super-stylist Darren Kennedy.

I've got a real challenge this week.

On one hand we've got Uncle Mark who likes his clothes worn-in, comfy

and a bit boring and on the other,

we've got his niece Georgia who wants him looking sharp and chic...

a little bit like her favourite pop group JLS.

All I can say is how on earth am I meant to find an outfit that suits?

I don't know, but I've got to get cracking.

Time to hit the shops, unfamiliar territory for Uncle Mark.

My Uncle Mark might be a bit nervous

because like he doesn't know what we're going to pick.

I think it's good to do this for him because it's like a treat and like

he's never had it done before and he's always treating us kind so

we'll treat him like that.

OK, guys, we're going to go our separate ways

but Mark, before we do, I think Georgia has a little rule for you.

-No granddad jumpers and no faded jeans.

-Good, I like it!

You go that way, we're going to go this way

-and we'll see you back in the changing rooms.

-OK.

Good luck. Come on, Georgia. OK, Georgia, where are we going?

-No.

-No, no, no, no.

That's nice, do you not like it?

I can tell by your face you don't like it.

-OK.

-That's nice.

-OK.

-Why do you like this?

-JLS wear it.

It is very JLS yep, let's go there.

JLS is coming up, lots of colour, but my fear is Mark is 30,

he's a young man but he's not 21.

-That is nice.

-Do you like it?

-Yeah.

We have to dress him age-appropriate so he'll look his best.

-Don't like them.

-Any of them?

-No.

-None of them? OK. How about these?

-No.

Meanwhile, Uncle Mark is looking a little bit lost...

there's just too much choice!

At the moment, it's knowing what to choose. I find that quite confusing.

And old habits die hard.

Something like that.

No, no, no, put those jeans down!

Luckily, Project Manager Georgia's got it covered.

You thought you were getting away light, I don't think so!

Have fun!

For the beach.

Minus the socks, obviously!

Look at you, you're impressed!

Whoa!

You're not Simon Cowell!

-Pull them down to your hips, there you go.

-Try this on.

I like the colour choice.

That's a better fit, that.

That is cool!

The accessories, like the man jewellery,

when we hear the word "jewellery" we sometimes think,

women, diamonds, stuff like that.

And this type of thing, is actually quite manly,

and it's what people wear these days and it just finishes off your look.

It's just getting used to it.

Wow! He's well posh!

Thumbs up!

Yeah, fabulous, but where would you wear something like this?

You won't be walking the dogs with this, if you were to wear that.

-I don't like it.

-I do like this look.

It does look more casual than in the shirt, the tie.

Georgia, all we've done here is taken off the shirt and tie,

thrown a little casual white t-shirt on underneath, so it takes

your very formal suit and just makes it that little bit more casual.

-Fabulous, yeah.

-That's what we like to hear!

I never thought my Uncle Mark would look like this.

He looks like a completely changed person.

I probably will change the way I shop.

I'll look and try more things on,

rather than just walking past and just thinking, "That's OK."

At long last, Georgia's picked her top three -

the urban-cowboy look, yee-ha,

the smart-but-oh-so-cool look, and the I'm-off-to-the-beach look.

But which one will she pick for Mark's big day out?

You'll have to wait and see.

High five! Job well done.

I've been wanting to change my Uncle Mark's clothes for a long time,

and today we've done it, so hopefully I've picked

the right outfit for my Uncle Mark.

Uncle Mark hasn't had a night out in months,

but that's all about to change because his niece, Georgia,

is about to take control of his life.

Out of three possible candidates, Georgia has narrowed it down to two,

Paula and Lucinda.

And of course, there's always the third option, best friend Ste.

# The club is alive with the sound... #

Georgia loves the way JLS move,

so we've invited their choreographer, Simeon Qsyea,

to give Uncle Mark and the two candidates a street-dance lesson.

# One, two, three, four

# The club is a live with the... #

And she'll be watching their every move

from the Project Parent surveillance van.

Why have we decided to do street-dancing

with the two girls and your Uncle Mark?

Because my Uncle Mark's always dancing, so like it will teach him

how to dance and they can have a chat as well while they're doing it,

and a laugh with each other.

-Break the ice?

-Yeah.

-It's a nice way to do that. OK, it will be fun.

Uncle Mark is rigged up to an earpiece

connected directly to Georgia's mike.

Hello, Uncle, can you hear me?

So she'll still be in control of things.

-Hello.

-Are you all right?

-Hello.

-I'm Mark.

-Mark, I'm Paula.

-Nice to meet you.

-He's happy!

You've got ten minutes to learn this piece of choreography

and then you're going to have ten minutes afterwards

to practice by yourselves.

-Are you ready?

-Oh, yes!

-Yep!

-OK, cool.

We're going to go round, one,

cross to the back, two, six, seven, eight.

This is one,

two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. One...

They're enjoying it!

Oh, other hand, other hand.

So I'm going to go, I'm going to leave you two.

Ten minutes is all you have to practice.

But it's not just their dance skills being judged,

it's personality as well.

Georgia wants to find out how caring Paula is.

Pretend you've lost a contact lens.

Three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

-Yes!

-Oh...

I think I've lost one of my contacts.

Where is it?

You could help him!

You're not going to be able to see it.

Even I can't see it.

Her caring side hasn't impressed Georgia.

-You going to be all right?

-Yeah.

But will there be chemistry on the dance floor?

Five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Yes!

-That was good, that!

-Yeah!

I'm pleased with my performance.

Hopefully Georgia enjoyed it too

and saw that I was having a laugh together with her uncle.

And hopefully she saw, you know, that we could get on.

Next up, it's Lucinda.

-Hi.

-Hello!

-Hi, I'm Mark.

-Hello, Mark. I'm Lucinda.

-Nice to meet you.

And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, one, two.

And now you're going to have ten minutes. I'll leave you to it.

Right, come on.

-One, two.

-Two, whoops...

-Three.

They're not talking as much, are they?

He's too busy concentrating!

What's needed is a bit of mischief to get the conversation flowing.

On your last go, pull a muscle.

Aargh!

Gee!

I think it's a bit of cramp.

Oh, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't.

-She's helping him!

-Are you all right, my love?

Yeah, should be all right, yeah.

-She's helping him more.

-You're kind of worrying me now.

Yeah, I think it was just a bit of cramp.

What do you think of Lucinda?

Not as chatty as the first one, but she did help him more.

She might have been kind to Uncle Mark, but can she dance?

Sorry!

I hope Georgia does pick me, I hope I have done enough

because it would be fun to go out and get to know Mark more.

So, yes, I want to go.

It's decision time. Georgia's got to pick between Paula,

Lucinda and best friend, Ste.

What are your thoughts on each one?

Well, Paula, she helped my Uncle Mark do the dance moves

and, like, they were talkative,

but she didn't really help him try to find his contact lens.

Lucinda, she was nice because she helped my Uncle Mark

when he hurt his leg, but she didn't really talk to my Uncle Mark.

Now has this decision been easy for you?

-It's not been easy, no.

-Why is that?

Because like they're both wacky and they're both sort of caring, so...

-And wacky's good, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Because you want somebody who's fun and energetic.

-Yeah, like my uncle.

Who's it going to be?

Um...

definitely...that one.

I felt really powerful because everything today was, like, me,

I got to do everything - to be in charge, to be a boss.

It's the last day, and finally,

we're going to see if Georgia's hard work has paid off.

She's chosen the outfit which is the absolutely perfect outfit

for Uncle Mark. I've lined up some beauty treatments, just for men,

and I don't think he's going to know what hit him!

Well, I think we should put the finishes touches

to Project Uncle Mark.

What have you got in mind? What do you want to do?

Remove some of his facial hair because he's very hairy.

Like his hair, I want it this century not like ages ago.

-Are you feeling a bit nervous?

-Yes.

OK, well, take one last look at yourself

because it's the last time you shall see it before the big reveal.

I feel nervous. It feels like being in the dentist's chair,

but I trust you, so we'll see what happens.

Yep, it's true, men can enjoy beauty treatments, too!

My Uncle Mark's never had this stuff before.

When it's all done, hopefully, it will be brilliant!

We're going to send Mark

on an exclusive VIP ride on the Manchester Wheel,

but who will be joining him?

Georgia's got three possibilities lined up and waiting -

Paula, Lucinda, and of course, Mark's best mate, Ste.

It's time to put them out of their misery.

Hi, it's Georgia. I've chose you to go out with my Uncle Mark.

Dress to impress. See you, bye.

Job done.

-And breathe!

-Yeah.

THEY SIGH

Georgia's invited friends and family

to the luxury Project Parent suite

where Mark will be revealing his new look.

I'm feeling quite nervous

because I don't know how they're going to react.

She won't tell me nothing.

When I've asked her, she just won't say nothing at all.

Will he like what you've done, the clothes?

-I think he'll like 'em.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

The moment of truth has arrived,

it's time to unveil Project Uncle Mark.

Georgia, he's ready.

-Is everybody ready? EVERYBODY:

-Yeah!

Three, two, one, come in Uncle Mark!

Whoa!

Give us a twirl!

Whoa!

Well, what do you think?

Speechless!

He looks like a completely changed person.

I've had a manicure,

I've had my eyebrows plucked...

-Do you want to see yourself?

-Why not!

Yes, OK, turn around here. OK.

Georgie, you're doing the reveal,

so are we ready on the count of three?

EVERYBODY: Three, two, one...

APPLAUSE

Fabulous or not fabulous?

-Yeah, fabulous!

-Yay!

What's been the toughest part in this for you?

Not being able to see anything.

-And I'm sure letting Georgia have control?

-Yeah, that's been really...

That's been the best!

That's been nerve-wracking.

Hug!

I'm still in shock, I think.

It's completely amazing.

I didn't expect for him to be so different.

The very close shave made him look a lot younger.

He should keep up with his eyebrows being plucked now, definitely!

A really big thank you. I can't believe what she's done...

Thank you...for taking it on!

So it's out with the old scruffy Uncle Mark

and in with the new, smart version.

I've enjoyed the pampering sessions, the clothes shopping,

seeing Georgia's reaction to the clothes I was wearing

and just seeing my family and friends' reaction

was absolutely amazing.

But Georgia's not done yet.

Who has she picked to go out with Mark?

-Hello!

-Hi!

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Hello, you OK?

-Yeah, great, fine!

-Hello, Georgia.

-You look really nice.

-You OK?

-Yeah.

-Go on.

-Thank you.

-Have a good time!

-Thank you!

-Good choice?

-Yeah, I'd say so!

-Yeah!

What have been your best bits?

Seeing my Uncle Mark look much younger

and seeing him go in a limo with Paula.

And do you think you made the right choice?

Yeah, definitely!

Georgia's made the right decisions today, yeah,

I'm really glad that she's chosen everything she's chosen.

Got some chocolates, thank you.

Mark really scrubs up well.

And he was funny! We've been constantly talking,

quite a lot of laughter there.

TOGETHER: Cheers.

It's going fantastic,

couldn't have asked for a better day out.

And how do you think you and your Uncle Mark now

will go forward from here?

I think we're going to be a bit more closer

and like we'll probably go shopping together more now.

-And I think you've done a fantastic job.

-Thank you.

All I can say is, thank you, Georgia.

Wow, what a transformation! Another successful Project Parent completed.

Moo!

Thanks.

"Dear Project Parent, my mum's stuck in an '80s time warp

"and won't stop wearing legwarmers.

"Please help". We can't hang about.

Another parent, another project.