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Original poster

Anyone been watching No Going Back?

55 replies

PamT · 08/01/2003 22:36

I love this programme and have to admit to more than a little jealousy in some cases. Last week's update on the family who started the fishing holidays in Brittany made me really jealous but I cringed when the lady gave birth to a 12lb 3oz baby (ouch!).

Although the Tuscan olive farm in tonight's programme looked delightful I really couldn't imagine myself being so isolated and I think the heat would be just too much for me. I certainly wouldn't want to be pregnant and stuck up there on that hill.

Has anyone else been watching?

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Original poster
PamT · 27/01/2003 21:54

IIRC she kept the island and lived there part time but lived part time on the mainland too and I think the kids got some sort of education on the mainland. The follow up that they did showed her in a slightly better light but I still thought she was very selfish for making her family stay there when they were obviously unhappy and frightened. I think the island and the ownership battle was the main reason for her dh/dp's death and she should have done more to help him before he got so bad (he aged so much and looked really ill long before he died). She had had an affair with the head builder man which ultimately led to him being sacked when he decided to bed the cook (she was jealous so didn't want him on the island if she couldn't have him to herself). It later turned out that he had been one of the kidnappers. She became very 'friendly' with the man who ran the rare snakes business. He helped her with the island and she also stayed with him around the time of the funeral I think but she said they were just friends. According to her all the bad press was arranged by her ex who wanted to cash in on the situation by doing stories with the tabloids.

I could never put my kids through that sort of existence and the first sign of danger would have seen me queuing at the airport for the first flight out of there.

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Wills · 28/01/2003 07:59

If I remember correctly at the beginning - before they even got to the island in the first place they reviewed guns and bought some. Personally that would have had me bailing out. I wouldn't want to go anywhere where there is a need for gun to protect my child! thanks for the review.

Original poster
PamT · 28/01/2003 10:18

I know they went straight to the gun shop and the son was handling all the guns. Dh and I just stared aghast at that. Would you be happy with your kids handling guns - or would you really want to live somewhere that guns were a necessity? Not me, now way!

Just seen that next week's programme will be the family who set up the hotel in Wales (didn't particularly like them, I thought the mother was a bit stroppy and didn't handle the staff very well).

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Katherine · 30/01/2003 18:32

So glad this family succeeded this week. For a while I was really worried they didn't have any real plans for making money but they got there in the end despite obviously missing their friends so much. Loved the house as well. Can just imagine DH spending his days rummaging through the tip and expecting me to be excited when he comes home with bricks. Just wish I could make my veg grow like that. Obviously I need to move to Spain!

Wills · 30/01/2003 20:23

PamT - Me too - the mother was just stunning in her arrogance. I will watch with a kind of perverse interest just to find out if they ever found anyone to get on with the mother.

Thought last night's version more sobering. I have started to think seriously about doing this and the stories either have people that are "way out" (Desert island family). Or successful (Brittany lake family).

aloha · 30/01/2003 20:42

But they were so poor! And they worked so hard. And I think she was lonely. She'd basically given up all her friends and family because her husband was having a mid-life crisis. I thought they should include some holiday accomodation in their lovely house and that way they'd have some desperately needed income and a bit of English speaking company too.

Demented · 30/01/2003 22:38

aloha, just what I was thinking whilst watching this, perhaps a self-catering unit or B & B.

willow2 · 30/01/2003 23:05

went to the online chat at Channel 4 after the programme and they are planning to develop some sort of "eco-tourism" style holidays. They have a web site - think it was mothersgarden.org

Anyway, hope they end up having to work a bit less and make more friends!

WideWebWitch · 30/01/2003 23:16

Yes, I thought that about their poverty last night too. When the voice over said 'and after all this back breaking hard work and a year (or whatever it was) of growing they stand to make a profit of ta da! £200!!! Unbelievable. I felt sorry for her too since she seemed to miss the company and social life more than he did. Put paid to notions of rural idyll in foreign backwater for me anyway.

helenmc · 31/01/2003 12:34

made me think again as well. All the other programs depended on tourism for cash.

Frieda · 31/01/2003 13:54

D'you think these people get any cash from Channel 4 for being filmed?

Katherine · 31/01/2003 14:23

Probably not - but at least the tourism ones will get free publicity, although it was probably the publicity which put shot to the food in the swiss one. Would have put me off. Totally agree that this one was more balancing as it showed it wasn't just a bed of roses and yes I did agree she was obviously lonely. Think the language was the biggest barrier and if they can crack that I'm sure she'll make more friends. She spent a lifetime building the ones in Norfolk to its bound to take a long time in another country. Holiday Cottage would be great for them though - less work than a B&B and they can sell their produce to their guests

miggy · 05/02/2003 22:10

Anyone else really cross tonight- billed as update to welsh one, in fact exactly the same programme with one minute voice over at the end-how can they justify that!

Original poster
PamT · 06/02/2003 07:36

I was a bit miffed too, it got to 9.50 and I told dh that we hadn't seen anything new yet. It was a bit of a waste of time really. Apparently the family declined to be filmed - I wonder why? The daughter had been quick to have a 6 month old dd and another one on the way in such a short time but I wondered if her husband really had taken the job because it was a brilliant offer or because he needed to escape.

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willow2 · 06/02/2003 09:34

What update? Quite agree that this was a cheek.

Ems · 06/02/2003 18:39

I'd love to know why they didnt want filming too.

I was lying on the sofa thinking that they were cutting it fine for an update .... and then nothing!

Tinker · 06/02/2003 18:40

How old was the daughter? She was one of those people that was born 50.

carriemac · 06/02/2003 19:21

and was'nt that mother a nightmare!

babyburp · 06/02/2003 20:17

they were so snooty about the bridge club and the fixed price menu - I wonder if they would of been glad of the bridge club when sitting empty during foot and mouth.

AND all those comments about how crap London is with all its traffic and pollution! I mean, they just went over board, if their new life was so great why wheren't they getting their hat and wedding dress from Wales????????? ooooooooooooh I'm cross now.

Tinker · 06/02/2003 23:01

Just remembered the mother's comment about the new sous chef who was profoundly deaf 'but she's still got all her marbles'??!!!!?????

Janus · 07/02/2003 08:58

I have to admit I taped this programme as couldn't be bothered to watch anything but the update. I really hated these lot (well mother and daughter mostly) and was secretely hoping they'd done badly, how horrible of me!! I'm not surprised the young husband got a job outside the hotel, being around that MIL all day!

babyburp · 07/02/2003 09:09

But wasn't the son blowing on about how he could never go back to working for someone again. How being his "own boss", running his parents in law bar (BIG responsibility!!), had meant he couldn't go back to taking orders from someone else.

The whole family talked such nonsense, everything they did was cringing. Yes the mother was particularly worthy of a slap when she was trying to be so PC taking on a deaf chef and then patronising her "marbles" indeed. My mother is deaf, so I took that as a personal insult.

Remember when the mother said - no one is coming out to support us during foot and mouth - well remember her and daughter said to the chefs that they were trying to attract a new clientele. Reminded me of Faulty Towers, when Basil wanted to do his gourmet evening. Except Basil was less of a prat than the mother.

Why change the hotels name, how pretentious.

Of course I wanted them to fail, I was desperate to hear that their marriage had broken up and he had gone back to London. Or they had sold up.

V V V V angry now!

grommit · 07/02/2003 11:18

I missed the end of the program - what has happened to them since the original program?

Original poster
PamT · 07/02/2003 12:01

In the 20 second voice over that was the update, the family declined to be filmed but the daughter had a 6 month old daughter and another on the way, her husband had taken a job that he couldn't refuse in IT and they had taken on a new head chef. I don't think it said much more. The rest of the programme was exactly as it had been shown last year.

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helenmc · 07/02/2003 21:03

there's a BBC version coming on tuesdays - something like 'living the dream' wonder what that's going to be like