Thursday 26 December, 2024

A new BBC reality show has couples living alone with their in-laws and it looks excruciating

It’s been described as “gruesomely watchable.”

DOWN THE YEARS, the pantheon of reality TV has produced so many shows that would make you shudder from just thinking about them.

From There’s Something About Miriam to Sex Box, we thought we were cringed out.

But tonight, the BBC is bringing us some potential mortifying gold in the shape of Alone With The In-Laws

BBC / YouTube

The premise is simple, Gogglebox star Kate Bottley is drafted in to help Chris and Stacey prepare for married life after their wedding this summer:

Kate wants Chris and Stacey to spend a few days living alone with their respective in-laws-to-be to explore what they can learn about the person they love from the parents who raised them. And what can their in-laws’ marriage tell them about their partner’s expectations of married life?

So they head off and live with their in-laws for a while

in-laws2 BBC BBC

It’s on BBC Two tonight at 8pm, but the TV critics across the water have already had a gawk – and the reports are in.

The Guardian calls it “gruesomely watchable”:

During the shy, agonised silences at the dinner table, as Stacey tries to probe James about his day, the sound recordist must have worried that the mic had failed. The desired excruciating embarrassment is also delivered in the other half of the experiment, when Stacey’s mum takes Chris salsa dancing. Tears will have been on the commissioners’ wish-list as well, and drop more than once, sometimes unexpectedly.

OK, we can feel the unbearable conversations already.

Each member of the couple has a “questionnaire” about how the in-laws deal with chores, sex and finance

in-laws BBC BBC

Here we go, the good stuff.

The Sun takes us through one such conversation:

Stacey continued: “One of the questions on my list was whether you should wait until your wedding night to have sex?”

That was met with an uncomfortable silence.

She added: “Times have changed. Obviously Chris and I live together.”

Then she ploughed on, as her future father-in-law looked more and more embarrassed.

It’s made by the producer of Channel 4′s Wife Swap, and looks set to hit on similar domestic themes for our entertainment

in-laws3 BBC BBC

Another gem of a conversation from tonight’s episode still concentrates on sex.

Stacey: Were you quite affectionate?

Future Mother-in-Law Julie: I don’t think so. James would never hold my hand. He would get embarrassed about that. If we were away from people we might know, he might.