TV TALK #10 - MY FAMILY SEASON 10

MY FAMILY SERIES TEN

The last two seasons of My Family were made back to back in the one year and split to form Series Ten  and Series Eleven.

The main element of comedy that jumps out of Series Ten is the vast amount of physical comedy. Hilarious scene's fill the season and most particular is the scene where Ben and Susan manage to get a DNA sample of newcomer Craig from a bread stick at the dinner table.

Some fantastic guest stars feature in this series beginning with Penelope Wilton playing an assessor of people with disabilities Rosemary.




Most of you remember Penelope from Downton Abby and you will certainly enjoy her portrayal as the passionate advocate for the disabled in the episode Wheelie Ben.




Two new characters are introduced in this series but they don't figure all that regularly. They replace Alfie who has moved on and Roger Bailey only appears in the second half of the season. The two new characters are both love interests for Janey and Michael.



An Australian comes knocking on the door as he is the son of a friend of Ben's many years ago. His name is Craig and he is played by British actor Ben Uttley.

Whilst Ben's Australian Accent is a bit over the top, he certainly nails it better than most manage to. He captures the larikin side of Australian men and carries off the himbo charm quite nicely.

He wins the heart of Janey with his good looks, hot body, and devoted interest to be who she wants.



The major character development in Series Ten is the writers have chosen to make youngest Son Michael gay. After years of chasing girls, kissing girls, dating girls, believing he got a girlfriend pregnant, and going at great lengths to get "some" with a girl, it is very hard to accept that just because he has a shorter than short haircut and wears tight T-shirts to show he has started going to the gym, he is suddenly gay. And he is not just gay, he has a boyfriend - enter the new character.



Michael's new boyfriend is Scott Marsh, funnily enough he looks pretty stereotypical of a young gay man. He is played by British actor Nathan Brine.

We actually meet Scott Marsh's father before we meet him as Ben happens to out him, and Scott and Michael have a relationship that is best described as boring. They apparently break up in one episode but suddenly they are back together and their story lines are as interesting as that. It would have been far more interesting to see what life could be like for Michael as a gay man, not just couple him up instantly


So after reading a lot of exposition already I should present the episodes for you :-)

Episode #102 Wheelie Ben
Ben gets cheques in the mail for being disabled but when he tries to give them back they wont accept that he isn't disabled. When the Assessor comes to the house to inspect it, she misinterprets how the family treat him and invests in his treatment with a motorised wheel chair. Penelope Wilton stars.



Episode #103 The Son'll Come Out
Michael comes home drunk and confesses to Ben that he is gay. When Ben tells Susan she does not take it too well. She is fine that he is gay but angry and upset he chose Ben to come out to. Meanwhile Ben outs Michael's boyfriend to his father.  Zoe Wanamaker's funniest moments ever in this episode.


Episode #104 Desperately Stalking Susan
Susan's neighbour is obsessed with her and builds a shrine in her honour. When Ben gets on to it he tries to bring him down but instead Susan and Ben end up tied to a chair and their captor is strutting around in one of Susan's dresses.






Episode #105 The Melbourne Identity
Craig Willoughby arrives and informs them that his Mum is an old friend of Ben's. It turns out that Ben and his mother were more than just friends. Janey is immediately smitten with Craig and dates him and this is when Ben and Susan seek to obtain his DNA to see if Craig is actually Ben's son.




Episode #106 He's Just Not That Into Ben
When Ben goes to a gay bar to retrieve Michael's phone he is annoyed that not one person hit on him. He goes back again with Michael and still no one shows interest in him, that is until one man follows him home which then of course freaks Ben out.



Episode #107 Slammertime
Ben thinks he has the place to himself for the weekend but the police take him down to the station on suspicion he mugged a lady. He is put in a line up and is selected as the mugger. He meets two criminals who then pay him a visit at home when he is let out. Ben loses the house and his identity.




Episode #108 Ben Behaving Badly
Janey asks Ben to look after a home-care patient who is not allowed to leave the house. Naturally Ben is fooled into taking him out and after a series of adventures he continually gets outsmarted by the old man. A highlight is a performance of Mr Bojangles by Robert Lindsay as Ben.



Episode #109 Harper Vs Harper
Ben and Susan begin arguing over many things when their bed breaks and they end up separating and driving their children and Roger completely nuts. In the end they make them get back together so that they can get their own lives in order.


Episode #110 Janey's Choice
Janey gets proposals from both Craig Willoughby and Kenzo's father Mark. She doesn't know who to choose and Ben and Susan promote the one they prefer. Roger also decides to propose with full Mexican band and costume. She turns them all down and so Craig asks her to simply be his girlfriend.



Episode #111 Mary Christmas
In the last ever double episode Christmas special we see two stories back to back. The Christmas story is the first episode and it finally looks like they are having a happy Christmas and in the second episode Susan attempts to top neighbour Mr Casey's New Years Eve party with Ainsley Harriot catering.



For a sample of Series Ten I have chosen Michael's coming out episode

EPISODE #103 - The Son'll Come Out

Enjoy more My Family

J G S