The Family (1974 UK TV series)

The Family
Genre	Reality Television
Directed by	Franc Roddam Paul Watson
Starring	Heather Wilkins Margaret Wilkins Marian Wilkins Terry Wilkins
Theme music composer	Mr Brooks
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	12
Production
Producer(s)	Paul Watson
Running time	30 mins
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC1
Original run	3 April – 26 June 1974

The Family was a 1974 BBC television series made by producer Paul Watson, and directed by Franc Roddam. It was a fly-on-the-wall documentary series, seen by many as the precursor to reality television. It was similar to an American documentary called An American Family.

It followed the working-class Wilkins family of six (led by Margaret and Terry, who divorced in 1978) of Reading, through their daily lives, warts and all, and culminated in the marriage of one of the daughters, which was plagued by fans and paparazzi alike.

The show was the basis for two parodies: Monty Python's Flying Circus, in their very last episode which aired 5 December 1974, featured a sketch called "The Most Awful Family in Britain 1974"; and Benny Hill, on one of his 1975 specials, did a takeoff called "That Family."

Margaret re-married (like her ex-husband) and became Margaret Sainsbury; she died of a reported heart attack in Berkshire on 10 August 2008, aged 73.^[1]

The format was revived in 2008 see The Family (2008 UK TV series).

References

1. ^ "The Family's Margaret Wilkins, 'first lady' of reality TV, is dead". Mail Online. 19 August 2008. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1047125/The-Familys-Margaret-Wilikins-lady-reality-TV-dead.html. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 

External links

• The Family (1974 UK TV series) at the BFI's Screenonline
• The Family at the Internet Movie Database