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Original poster

Anyone watching that Kevin McCloud programme?

201 replies

SwedishEdith · 08/06/2015 21:32

Missed the beginning - are they living on that island alone? What are the kids going to do when they're teenagers?

OP posts:
DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 13/06/2015 17:35

Misled?Confused They were very clear about their business.

Having had a similar childhood, not quite desert island but travelling to very remote areas I felt sorry for the kids and was glad the eldest was going yo boarding school. I remember feeling very removed when I went to school,tbh it's taken most of my 45 years to feel like I fitted in.

Can't wait for next week.

TorresTourist · 13/06/2015 19:26

I can't help thinking it's fine now but they are so reliant on each other. That's fine whilst they are both healthy but if one has physical or mental health problems then where is that going to leave them?

juneau · 14/06/2015 18:18

I agree that the programme was misleading - it made it look like it was just them living on the island completely alone - with the nearest other humans on other islands. That, to me, felt very, very lonely indeed. I'm actually glad for them (particularly the wife and kids), that they have guests staying regularly so other people to chat to and socialise with.

For myself, I cannot, for the life of me, imagine living like that. Hats off to them for their pioneering and adventurous spirits. Fancy taking THREE DC, including a toddler of 18 months to go and live on an uninhabited island 45 mins from even basic civilisation, living in tents for a year with all those mosquitoes Shock. That's basically a year-long camping trip with three small DC. Mind-boggling!

susiedaisy · 15/06/2015 19:00

He's in Chile tonight, sounds interesting.

Annarose2014 · 15/06/2015 19:21

Tbh something tugged at my spidey senses watching it, as it seemed a bit like an ad.

I didn't think they had a business already set up cos apparently there were only 2 building on the island according to the progrwm, but I remarked to DH "These people will have a B&B business set up when this airs"

Now I'm starting to call bullshit on a lot of it though - there's no way a "personal chef" could feed all those tourists on her crappy veg garden. It seems they're not as reliant on fish and bananas as they implied.

I thought it looked horrible though, all mosquitos and hurricanes and earthquakes and spiders and clammy sweaty heat. Yeeeuuuch!

ilovechristmas1 · 15/06/2015 19:21

tadpole39 Tue 09-Jun-15 17:03:18
They should have mentioned the tourism business, it puts a whole different slant on their experience, I feel a bit misled having seen that website.

this

Annarose2014 · 15/06/2015 19:23

I assumed he picked up whalewatchers at a busier location and dropped them off again. It wasn't at all clear that the whalewatchers lived there with them!

susiedaisy · 15/06/2015 19:57

I didn't get the impression that tourists lived on the island with them. Was that actually said?? I heard them say occasionally taking tourists whale watching and I assumed that meant he travelled in his boat to wherever the tourists were Collected them took them watching and dropped them off. But that is just IMO

Smurfingreat · 15/06/2015 20:23

Whilst I agree that the programme was somewhat misleading, some of it was actually fairly true to life in my opinion.

I have actually been to Vava'u the main island where Kevin was picked up from the dock, and it does take for-bloody-ever to get there! Go to NZ, get on another plane for four hours past NZ, get on another plane for a couple of hours and then by road to the dock.

Whilst they would have to buy some food in, a veg garden is a necessity, as the market on the main island has whatever the locals have grown and you can never guarantee what will be available. The actual shops for stuff like beer are about the size of your average one corner shop and are full of very random items... From memory there are no shops on the other islands in the chain, everyone has to come back to Vava'u, and if the weather is too bad to use a boat you're stuck until it is. And if the weather is too bad for the supply ship, tinned food gets very boring!

There are a few other expats around and they tend to get together to socialise when they can, and quite a few have kids of a similar age, with most going to boarding school when they reach their teens. You also get lots (in relative terms) of visitors coming in by yacht and staying a while.

All that said, you wouldn't catch me living there in a million years, whilst a two week visit to stay with friends was an amazing experience, it is way to remote and incestuous (the mad expats - not the locals) out there for me.

Oh and in terms of building using what was on the island - I've never seen rebar (iron mesh for reinforcing concrete) growing in the wild!

Original poster
SwedishEdith · 15/06/2015 21:24

Pooing into a bin bag

OP posts:
DustBunnyFarmer · 15/06/2015 21:31

Oh and in terms of building using what was on the island - I've never seen rebar (iron mesh for reinforcing concrete) growing in the wild!

I thought the same about the cement holding everything together.

expatinscotland · 15/06/2015 21:33

I turned off tonight's one. These people are idiots. And they must all be independently wealthy.

DustBunnyFarmer · 15/06/2015 21:40

Dangerous boar hunting? Climbing active volcanos? Getting bat guano from sea caves? The insurance on Kevin and the camera crew must have cost the production company a fortune. It's looking less like a kooky property show, more like 50 ways to dispatch Kevin McCloud.

Gotta say, if this is what living in London drives you to, I'm glad I live in leafy backwater UK.

susiedaisy · 15/06/2015 21:43

Kevin seems out of his depth IMO

DustBunnyFarmer · 15/06/2015 21:44

DH and I missed the first 20 min. How long have these numpties been camping out in the wilds of Chile? DH says this bit with the nutty local rambo and his boar hunting dogs is playing like the beginning of a low budget horror movie. Now dogs fighting Shock Sad

DustBunnyFarmer · 15/06/2015 21:45

Agreed Susie

susiedaisy · 15/06/2015 21:45

By time this couple get set up with the house build garden etc the oldest two kids will want to go back to the UK.

susiedaisy · 15/06/2015 21:48

I think if the family fall out with any of the locals they will be cutting off jagos nut sack.

expatinscotland · 15/06/2015 21:49

'By time this couple get set up with the house build garden etc the oldest two kids will want to go back to the UK.'

Yep. Just like the other family. They cannot be educated properly, either.

Buying a motorhome much cheaper.

DustBunnyFarmer · 15/06/2015 21:58

Yes, no mention so far of education for the kids, unless it was in the first 20 min that we missed.

DustBunnyFarmer · 15/06/2015 21:59

Except for crack machete skillz.

susiedaisy · 15/06/2015 22:00

No they didn't mention education at all.

DustBunnyFarmer · 15/06/2015 22:00

Just seen next week's trailed and already want to slap the Dad.

susiedaisy · 15/06/2015 22:02

Agree next week's dad sounds like a smug twat

Kinraddie · 15/06/2015 22:23

It's frustrating when you don't really find out how they manage the practicalities - education, what if they're ill? What if they need new glasses? Do they go to a dentist? Do they ever go back to uk to visit, do family and friends visit them? Do they read books? I'd rather find out that sort of stuff than see them hunting boar.