Wigan Project Parent

Project Parent lets you take control of your single parent's life.

-Project Parent HQ, how can I help?

-GIRLS: Our mum needs help.

-What's wrong?

-She won't wear a dress.

And she's only got one lipstick - it's brown!

OK, I'm on my way!

Today's project managers are Emily and Megan.

We need to take control.

They aim to change mum's image...

I'd like Mum to wear more colour.

-That's hideous.

-Mummy.

Oh my gosh!

..Find a nice man to take Mum on a glamorous night out.

She likes George Clooney.

And get up to mischief in the Project Parent surveillance van.

THEY LAUGH

The final reveal will be amazing.

I'm terrified.

Oh!

Welcome to Project Parent, the show where you get the chance

to take control of your parent's life.

We'll help re-brand your mum and dad with a whole new look,

and find them the right person to take them out on a glam night out.

This week, we're in the north west to sort out a single mum

who has no social life, and hasn't worn a dress in 20 years.

Today, we're with a family from Wigan.

My name is Megan. I'm nine.

My name is Emily. I'm 12.

They're project managing their mum, 41-year-old Nicky.

I would describe myself as a bit of a hippy.

# Left a good job in the city... #

My mum likes poetry and writing.

She studied French, and she's got a French degree now.

Oui, c'est beau.

She also writes songs like me.

# ..Rolling on the river... #

I am a total romantic.

The perfect man for my mum would be George Clooney for his hair.

John Barrowman for his eyes.

And Matthew Morrison for his nose.

I share a wardrobe with my mum, and I take up almost all of it.

This is my side. And that's my mum's.

She hasn't got many clothes.

I have five pairs of trousers, eight tops,

and I have one pair of nice shoes.

I don't understand why you'd have millions of clothes and shoes

with only seven days in a week.

Shopping for clothes with my mum is a pain.

Changing rooms are evil.

Getting undressed, looking in a mirror,

and having to put stuff on, terrifies me.

We need to take control.

I'd like Mum to meet a Prince Charming

and have a special night feeling like a princess.

Aw!

Nicky is perfect for Project Parent.

Luckily we have help from fashion king Darren Kennedy.

With a sense of style and an eye for what's funky and fun,

Darren will be helping Emily and Megan transform their mum.

-Hello!

-Hello!

-Come in.

-Hello!

-Hello, guys, how are you?

-Fine, thanks.

-Good. Lovely to be here.

-But let's get to business.

-Yeah.

-So, Mum, a cup of tea and a chat?

-Sounds good.

Girls, let's hit the wardrobe.

For a good look at Mum's wardrobe, we've brought everything outside.

-So these are the contents of your mum's wardrobe?

-Yeah.

What's the biggest problem with it?

Obviously the black - black is no colour.

She needs more!

One, two, three, four, five... 11, 12, 13, 14.

There's like 16 things here. And that's the entire wardrobe?

-She doesn't wear half of it.

-Do you bring her shopping?

We try. She doesn't listen though.

This is bad.

When did you last have a night out, where you felt amazing and special?

Honestly? Probably never. I don't glam.

No, probably never. Maybe my wedding day years ago.

This is going in the bin. This is going in the bin.

-This?

-Bin!

-This?

-Bin!

-This?

-BIN!

Sorry, they shouldn't be here.

If you see your mum buy anything like that again, say,

"No, enough is enough. They're hideous."

In, in, finished. I don't care. I have enough of them.

Warning -Binning mum's clothes without permission

will get you into serious trouble.

-So who is your ideal man?

-Mr George Clooney. It has to be.

I'm your guy, Nicky.

-What is it about him?

-His eyes.

-Stubble, the smile.

-Is that all?

-Don't know if I can get George Clooney. I'll try.

How does your mum want to feel? She likes her jeans and her black.

-To feel like a princess.

-Like a princess?

She feels beautiful inside, but maybe bring some on the outside.

-What's your ideal look for Mum?

-Lots of colour.

A flowy, long dress, and some nice heels.

What's your worst scenario with the girls?

Skirts above the knee, flowery, and being given blonde highlights.

Emily is convinced that I should be blonde!

We want a sort of Sharon Osbourne look.

-Not the colour but with the style.

-Sounds fabulous!

How do you feel about letting them take control?

Terrified! My stomach is churning. Very nervous.

-Ready to be project managers?

-We're ready.

Nicky is lovely. But she's looking for George Clooney. Aren't we all?

No blonde and she doesn't want to show her legs.

OK, so no high expectations - a good start(!)

Can't wait for tomorrow to quiz the boys. It's going to be really fun.

I want a George Clooney scruffy look - if you've got one!

Finding someone special to take Mum out is no easy task.

But our Project Parent surveillance van is the coolest place to start.

It has high-tech gadgets and gizmos

that will allow the girls to interrogate would-be suitors.

Or with the help of a glamorous bovine assistant.

If the girls are unimpressed, the buzzer is waiting.

In fact, watch out, lads, you're in the hot seat.

We have three guys to be grilled by Emily and Megan.

First is Paul. Like bilingual Nicky,

he speaks other languages, including Thai.

Next is chirpy John. Like Nicky, he has a brilliant sense of humour.

And finally, charming Russ.

He'd impress Nicky by being a true gentleman.

If the girls think the guys aren't up to scratch,

we have a Plan B - Mum's best friend, Jane.

Ladies, the first man we have is called Paul. Send him in.

Come in Paul.

Looks like Emily and Megan have a surprise in store.

-FARTING

-Oh!

THEY LAUGH

Can you speak any languages, because my mum can speak French.

I speak a little bit of Spanish, one or two sentences in French.

Will you put on the French outfit and say some French words?

Very good.

-I can do better than that.

-Er...

We want a knight in shining armour to protect Mum.

Please dress up as a knight and show us how you'd scare off a dragon.

HE ROARS

THEY LAUGH

-Take that!

-He's getting into that. Come on! Get it!

-I think you won the battle. He's very enthusiastic.

-Yes.

On a scale of one to ten, how funny do you think you are?

Oh, about a nine, nine and a half.

Can you tell us your best joke?

How do you make a milk shake?

-I don't know.

-BAH!

THEY SNIGGER

That was rubbish. BUZZER

-Thank you. Bye.

-Bye!

Thank you, bye-bye!

If they're fun, their mum is going to be fun too.

So I'd really, really, really like it. Please vote for me!

-Let's bring on John.

-OK.

FARTING

THEY LAUGH

-Let's have that again. Oi!

-FARTING

Can you describe your personality in three words?

A bit of a joker.

"Bit of a joker."

I like doing things on the spur of the moment.

And I'm never very serious, except when you just have to be,

occasionally when things are getting a bit mad.

That wasn't three words.

Very true, it wasn't three words.

Our mum writes poetry. Can you come up with a poem for her?

There was a young lady called Nicky. In men she was usually picky.

She did love the French, but didn't love the stench

of their breath, because it made her feel sicky.

That was very good.

Our mum is really into music.

Can you sing or play an instrument?

Of course I'll have a go.

# I'll be coming round the mountain when she comes... #

He's not even playing it!

# ..I'll be coming round the mountain when she comes

# I'll be coming round the mountain Coming round the mountain

# Coming round the mountain when she comes. #

Yippee-aye!

THEY CHEER

Yeah!

-All right then. Bye.

-Thank you. Bye-bye.

BUZZER

In the hot seat it was really, really tense.

But now I feel a bit better

because I'm out of the seat and the pressure is off.

OK, let's bring in Russ. Here we go again.

-FARTING

-Oh!

THEY LAUGH

A bit cheeky.

Our mum can speak fluent French.

Will you put on the outfit and say some French for us?

SHE SNIGGERS

We're looking for a knight in shining armour to protect our mum.

-Yes?

-Can you dress up as a knight

and show us how you'd scare off a dragon?

Back off, dragon. Don't come near me.

Stay away. Stay away...

from Emily and Megan's mum. Stay away.

Aw!

I think that would've scared them off.

My mum describes herself as a hippy.

Will you put on the outfit and dance like a hippy?

Cue music.

MUSIC PLAYS

Woo!

Woo!

I wasn't afraid at all of the dragon.

You know, I had the armour, the sword and the shield

and I just went for it.

Emily, Megan, it's deliberation time.

Time to discuss, because we've got to get rid of one,

so shall we go through each one?

-Yes.

-All Right. Shall we start off with Paul?

-Rah!

I thought he was very enthusiastic

and I liked it when he was a knight and he was slaying the dragon.

-But I thought his jokes were rubbish, really bad.

-Not very good?

So let's move on to number two, John.

FARTING

I think that John was very good because he liked the same things

as my mum and, like, was outdoorsy and walks and stuff.

But I thought he spoke a bit too much.

-But isn't chatty good?

-Yes, but Mum wouldn't get a word in.

-Yes.

Finally, we had Russ.

Mon nomme est Russell.

Um, I thought he gave everything a good try.

He was dead sweet and he was like...Ah!

Stay away from Emily and Megan's mum.

And then we've got your mum's friend, Jane.

-We'll just keep her in for the moment.

-Could be a possibility.

Exactly, we never know what's going to happen.

-So, have you made a decision?

-Yes.

-You sure?

-Yes.

-Who's going?

-This one.

-Who's that?

-Paul.

-Paul? Say goodbye.

Where it went wrong? I don't know, really. Perhaps it's the jokes.

Perhaps they didn't like that.

You hit the nail on the head there, buddy.

There's still one more hurdle for the remaining two suitors,

before project managers Emily and Megan

choose who will whisk mum away to a winter wonderland.

But first, the girls will need to find the perfect princess dress

to match their Sharon Osbourne hairstyle for mum.

You'd better believe it.

Mum Nicky hasn't worn a dress for years.

Sorry, they should never have come in here. They're hideous.

The bad news is, she's not only terrified of shopping,

but she thinks dressing rooms are evil.

The good news is fashion guru Darren Kennedy is on hand to help.

The girls have never seen Mum glammed up,

so we've come to a big department store

full of trendy designer dresses.

But will Mum still be drawn to the trouser section?

So here's the deal - we're going to split up.

-Nicky, you're going shopping on your own.

-Really?

Girls, you're coming with me. Megan, how are you feeling?

Excited, because I've got power over my mum.

-How about you, Emily?

-Excited because I've finally got control.

-One very simple rule and that is...

-No trousers.

-Do you think you're up to it?

-I'll do my best.

And we shall meet you back in the dreaded changing rooms.

-Ha-ha-ha! OK, see you later.

-Bye.

-What about that green dress?

-That is pretty magnificent.

-Yeah.

-I love the white at the bottom.

-Yes, the kind of dip die.

-It's a really on trend and it's very feminine.

-Yes.

-Very Princessy.

-That's a keeper. What d'you think of that?

-It's quite nice, that.

It's Princessy, but not too Princessy.

Tell me about this, why you think this would work?

-It brings you in there.

-But I don't like the fabric.

Fabric, I think it might be a bit casual.

It's been 20 years since Nicky has bought a glamorous dress

and she's lost all confidence in shopping.

Argh!

I've done my sweep already. None of this is nice.

You see, I scanned it,

in about two seconds and made a huge assumption that...it's all horrible.

-You like this?

-Yes.

-Well then...

She could have a black belt to tone it down in the middle,

like, block the colours out.

That's hideous. I would never, never wear anything like that.

It's got a nice black but then, bright red flowers.

That's hideous. The thing I said, with big flowers, that's just...

I couldn't wear anything like that.

It's time for Mum to finally face her fears.

This one.

-I particularly said this was disgusting.

-She don't like it.

Mum will be trying on clothes chosen for her by Emily and Megan,

something she's never done before.

-(How do you think she feels?

-Nervous.)

-(Do you think she's nervous?

-Yes.)

How do you feel? You can't even talk.

OK, Nicky, we're going to count you in. Three, two, one!

-You look amazing!

-You're having a laugh.

-We think it's beautiful.

-Megan agrees with me.

-Well nice.

-It is.

I like the belt, because it brings her in.

And the flower print makes her look dead girly.

So you've got this belt, so keep that right under there.

It just gives you this amazing silhouette there.

-Thumbs up or thumbs-down, girls?

-Thumbs up.

-Nice shoes.

-Girls, what's the verdict? Thumbs up, thumbs-down?

-Thumbs in the middle.

-Thumbs in the middle.

GIRLS SQUEAL

-Wow.

-Oh!

-It is beautiful.

-It's gorgeous, Mummy.

-It looks beautiful.

-Oh!

-Wow, I can't believe she's wearing that.

Did you ever think?

-No.

-I thought they would be the last shoes she ever wanted.

Thumbs up, thumbs-down?

-Thumbs-up.

-That was very definite, wasn't it?

-Mummy?

Oh my gosh!

GIRLS GIGGLE

-Is this, "I like it" laughing?

-Yeah. You look well nice.

I think it's nice.

You know what I'm starting to like? This length dress.

-The red one!

-And this style dress, I like.

-Not keen on the orange.

-And actually trying things on.

20 years, you've been hiding all this away,

under jeans and under hoodies,

when really you should be showing it off.

Thumbs up, thumbs up, thumbs up.

Emily and Megan have narrowed their selection of dresses down to three,

but you'll have to wait and see which one they've chosen

for Mum's glamorous treat.

Unexpectedly, I never thought Mum would look

so beautiful in an outfit that we picked.

Still in the running to take Mum on a special Princess outing

are John and Russ, but there can only be one Prince Charming.

It is a tough decision but luckily,

Emily and Megan have a cunning little plan to mix and match.

Because our mum likes everything French,

we've invited John and Russ to join her in a cookery class.

-We want to find out who's kind and funny.

-And of course, charming.

Unbeknownst to Russ and John, Nicky is wearing an earpiece,

so Megan and Emily can give their mum secret instructions.

Mum, can you hear me?

-How do you think your mum's feeling right now?

-Nervous.

-Yeah?

-Yeah. I don't think she'll know what to expect.

So let's see how they get on in the kitchen.

First to meet Nicky is Russ.

Hello. Hi, I'm Nicky. Nice to meet you. What have we got to do?

-I have no idea.

-Me, neither. No idea at all.

-It's a bit awkward.

Luckily, Alex the chef is on hand, to break the ice.

You've got to pay attention, because it's quite difficult.

Stirring...

Time to make a classic French dessert, les crepes -

pancakes, to you and me!

Over it goes.

-That looks nice.

-Amazing.

-That's how you do it.

I'll See you guys later. Have fun, have fun. Bye-bye.

NICKY LAUGHS

Eventually... There it goes.

-Too much fat in there.

-That is dreadful.

-That is awful.

It's disgusting!

Is that a pancake or a pork chop?!

Is there anything you want to test or throw in there?

We want to see how competitive he is and how funny he can be.

Mum, have a competition to see how high you can throw the pancakes.

-How d'you reckon about having a bit of a competition?

-Yes.

-A tossing competition?

-No problem.

-Yeah?

-How are you with losing, though?

-I'm fine.

-Can you cope with it?

I'm a very good loser. Ready?

-Woo-hoo!

-Yes!

CRASH OF CROCKERY

-Oh.

-Do you want to come back to yours?

Squirt the cream on his pancake without him knowing,

all over his pancake.

See? It's already better than the other one.

Woo! Ha-ha!

-It will make it easier to eat.

-It's an improvement.

-These are amazing pancakes.

-Didn't we do well?

-It's quite good.

-He's done a good job.

-High five. Great to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-Take care.

-See you later.

-Well done.

-Argh!

My pancake did go a bit wrong, but I'm hoping the girls

overlook that and invite me to meet their mum again.

Not if our second monsieur has anything to do with it.

Next up is John.

-Hello.

-Hello, I'm John.

-Hi, I'm Nicky.

-Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

-Single cream.

-You like France, I hear?

-Yes. I did a French degree.

-They're very chatty.

-Yes.

-Shall we see how kind he is?

Mum, pretend you've lost your ring on the floor.

Oh, you know what? I had a ring on.

-You had a ring on?

-Can you see it?

It's a small, silver ring.

He's getting... Helping her, he's getting in there.

-He's doing more - looking through the batter, through the light.

-Yeah.

-Is it there?

-No, I can't...

I'm sure I had a ring on this morning. I'm sure I did.

-I didn't notice, I'm afraid, sorry.

-I think he's trying.

He's acting like a gentleman.

Test his sense of humour and squirt cream all over him

while he's not looking.

This one goes.

-All over him?

-I mean, the pancakes.

-'Uh-oh. Quick, stop her.'

-Not really.

-Really?

-Hello, can you hear?

'Too late, she's off.'

Thank you(!)

-That's fine.

-Look at mum! Ha-ha!

-Oh, look!

-You liked it.

-You asked her to squirt it on him?

-I didn't mean to.

-Ta-da!

-Look at that.

-Look at that.

-Bon appetit.

-Aah.

-Thank you very much, well done.

Ahhh!

-It was great to meet you.

-Take care.

-And you. Enjoy France.

-Thank you, goodbye.

-Well done, that was good.

-Argh!

I had a really good time with Nicky and I think the cooking went well

and I'd really like to find out some more about her.

-Right, Emily and Megan, this is a tricky part for you?

-Yes.

You've got to make a decision -

who's going to spend some quality time with your mum?

But, before you tell me the name of the person,

-shall we just have a little bit of a recap?

-Yes.

Yes? To make things a bit clearer in your mind.

I've got my pictures here to help you.

So, we had Russ, John and your mum's best friend, Jane.

Russ was first in the kitchen. What were your thoughts?

When Russ met my mum, it was a bit awkward with the conversation

and they didn't really bond very well.

But I thought, by the end of it, the conversation got better,

and the pancake thing was quite funny because he burned it

and the squirty cream thing and he had a little giggle at the end.

And then John came into the kitchen. Did you like him?

Well, I thought when John met my mum, they connected very well

and it was, like, a good vibe and it flowed very well.

But, oh, my goodness, wasn't the cream in his face hilarious?

-That was so funny.

-That was, like, the best bit.

And we've got your mum's friend, Jane. What do you want me to do?

I think we should keep her in, just to add a bit of spice.

-And suspense?

-Yes.

-That's a possibility.

-OK.

-So let's mix them up. Have you had a good chat?

-Yes.

Have you decided who it's going to be?

-I think it's going to be...

-Yes, who's it going to be?

BOTH: I think it's going to be that one.

There's one final stage before mum turns into a princess

and meets the prince the girls have chosen for her.

So, it can only mean one thing - makeover time!

Let's hope the girls are up for it.

So, Nicky, you've just had your hair washed.

You're about to guess the colour.

Girls, how are you feeling? Lot of responsibility for you guys.

-I'm excited to see what it's going to turn out like.

-We want it to work

because it was our idea and we do not want her to look silly.

Mum doesn't know what we're doing. How are you feeling?

-Very sick to my stomach.

-Don't be!

Listen, if you don't like it, you can always change it.

-Hair always grows back.

-You can dye it.

-You can.

Take one last look at yourself, because it's the last time

you'll see yourself until we're complete.

Mum's Sharon Osbourne hairstyle is well underway,

'but she's not the only one who needs to get ready.

'Emily and Megan have to make a very important phone call.'

Who have they chosen to take mum out?

PHONE RINGS

We've picked you to go on a special night out with our mum.

Come to the castle.

For 20 years, mum has dressed head to toe in black.

Rarely has she wore make-up and only wears trousers.

This will be the first time the girls have seen her glammed up.

Project managers Emily and Megan have family and friends together

to reveal mum's new princess look.

Very nervous.

I don't know how Nicky's feeling, because I'm shaking.

I can't wait to see Nicky walking through the door.

Have they pulled it off?

CHEERING

You look amazing.

-What do you think?

-You look dead good.

I never thought she would look like that. She looks nice.

Whoa, baby, don't cry.

Nicky has spent the entire day having her hair and make-up done

and has not looked in the mirror.

Will Emily and Megan's new Sharon Osbourne-inspired hairstyle

be a shock to their mum?

Three...two...one!

Oh, my gosh!

No way!

Oh, my gosh!

-How does it feel?

-Great. I feel really elegant.

-Wow.

-She looks amazing.

-She looks well good.

She really does. I didn't think she'd look like that.

I'm so happy. A little hug.

I like seeing my mum at the end. She looked dead pretty.

-Sorry.

-I think me and Megan did very good.

Because she looks really pretty and from, like, jeans and a jumper,

it's a real transformation. She does look like a princess.

I think they were overwhelmed.

I don't think they've seen me look like this.'

So gorgeous.

Mum's fairytale hasn't ended.

Her prince has arrived. But you have the girls matched with their mum?

-Ha, ha, ha! Hello.

-Nice to see you again.

-You, too.

Gosh, that's good, as well.

-You look very beautiful today.

-Thank you very much.

-I've got some flowers.

That's really kind of you. Thank you.

-We've got no time to waste. Let's go.

-OK.

-Bye!

See you later, girls.

I'm very proud of Megan and I'm proud of myself

and I think my mum looks amazing.

I think that John was the right guy to pick for my mum.

They're going to have a wonderful time together.

The girls have made a great choice. I've had a great time with John.

-Really, really nice guy, yes.

-She looked like a princess.

She's a lovely person.

We have quite a lot in common and it's obvious that her enthusiasm

for life has been given to her children and they're lovely, too.

I think by doing this we've boosted my mum's confidence

and put a smile on her face.

Cheers.

'Today - I'll never forget it.'

It's an unforgettable experience

and I feel proud to be their mum.

To make her smile and to make her so happy has been brilliant.

-You know what, Cow? I'm really, proud of Emily and Megan.

-Moo!

They did a fantastic job as project managers

-and Nicky looked every inch the fairytale princess.

-Moo!

Want me to read you a story? No problem, I love stories.

"Once upon a time, there was a mum who lived in a bright, yellow

"knitted jumper and only... left the house to get milk"?

Cow, this is a horror story. Hoove it!

Another parent, another project.