How the other half live

[MollieO]

Bit of a tv evening for me tonight! Anyone else watching?

i'm genuinely interested (mostly as was having this discussion with my mum) were the other family genuine or were they condescending & looked down upon you? also are you still in touch?

laptop thing - enough said, not sure if you have already but if the pc is in brandons room then could you use that table bit for supper times?

your business, not sure if you would be able to have this or not but have you looked into the princes trust - they helped me out - althou I was under 25 at hte time so not sure if it is for the younger folks, also look into enterprize loans - this was all in wales thou a few years back, and I was in a 'deprived' area, so perhaps more funding but maybe worth looking into. - I assume you have a business plan etc etc made up, might be worth seeing what other advice you can tap into with regards to that.

not sure on your money situation/rent etc, but iirc you're in brighton way, which to be fair people is an expensive area - council or not.

Also i've been in that situation as well, it's not easy once you're in debt to get back out of it, it is a juggling act, and I assume that you had debts from pre shaun, as I say not easy to get out of. They still have to be paid as well. So on that front you have come in for some slack, and I imagine you had to do a full disclosure for the programme?

tbh it was the first time i'd seen it, but it made me quite anxious that I want DS to see when he's a bit older that there is folks out there in the UK with less than us, we're not rich (far from it) but we're not in poverty either. S I thank you/the programme for opening my eyes to that side of thing - I knew it existed, but to have the chilrens's POV was really good, esp those of the other 2 LO's.

(oh and also MN isn't that bad a place, loads of advice if you wanna stick around, but might be worth name changing!) lol.

Michaela, I am very glad that you have had your say on this thread. I watched the programme and have been reading the thread, I even commented on it earlier on saying I didn't think we were seeing the whole story, and that I thought you and shaun seemed alright to me.

A lot of the comments on here have made me feel really uncomfortable, they have been so judgemental about you in particular. But that's what mumsnet is like much of the time, which isn't necessarily always a bad thing - I like this "unfluffy" aspect of the forums. However, this particular thread did leave a nasty taste in my mouth, mainly because I watched the programme, and my gut instinct was that what a lot of people have said on this thread about you, I didn't think was true. You and shaun DO seem alright to me, I think you came across as okay on the programme, and your contribution today on the thread has just confirmed this.

I think maybe I am just very cynical when it comes to programme making, especially reality tv, and I think I can see behind all the editing and production decisions.

Oh, I am so pleased that you had the balls to post here and answer your critics. You have dealt with this with so much dignity and good for you for not getting ranty about it. Am pretty sure there a lot of people who wouldn't have been as articulate and polite as you have been in your repose.

michaela, well done for sticking to your guns and coming here to fight your corner.

If you re-read the posts I am sure you will see how well your lovely children came across.

I wonder what your motivation for taking part in the programme was? Was it just the money? You must have realised it would come at a price?

Did you really think you wouldn't be stitched up in some way by the production company, who would have always intended editing footage to fit their storyboard?

It seems the 'rich' couple have had extensive media experience.

Do you think your family were left to flounder a bit?

good for you, michaela.

Michaela, you just come across so differently on here from what you came across on the programme, it really is disheartening to read through the discussion of the programme and realise how much was assumed based just on that, and then get the real view of things from you.

You have balls to come on here and discuss the whole thing. I would have wanted to run away and hide if I had had the flak you have had. So credit to you for that.

This will all blow over, you know. There is a woman who was on Supernanny whose children attend my children's school. She didn't come across particularly well on the programme and I always wonder whether she had people in the street saying nasty things about her when the programme first came out. It is hard not to judge when you've seen something on TV, so good for you that you've sought out the detrimental posts about you and put people right!

ps. I've got my own little Marcus. He is a right charismatic little dude, like your son, but by god he is also a demanding livewire and I appreciate my time away from him when he is at nursery, so I can see where you're coming from in your description of him!

Have you ever posted on Mumsnet before? There are so many great discussions on here, I really hope you decide to stay and participate, even if it's under another name. You have been through an experience that very few of us on here have been through and whatever you post would be seen as very valuable I'm sure.

I'm quite about the annual holiday being a marker of poverty, my parental income could be halved and still be six figures (just, and before tax/NI/pensions etc) and from birth to this summer (I'm 19) I have had (counts on fingers...) 6 foreign holidays, so one every 3-4 years, we never go in the summer so my sisters and myself had all summer to do nothing but annoy our parents!
I don't think a summer holiday is necessary for anyone!

thankyou all for your posts,I am going to bed a much happier lady than I got up this morning!!! I was not happy!!!! I will answer questions you have asked, but remember I have to be carefull what I say,under contract with ch 4,and I fear I may have said to much, but I dont care,I care about Brandon and Marcus,not ch 4.and I care about fairness and truth!! Goodnight to you all, I am really exhausted from all this ,emotionally,as I am sure you can all understand....nite nite now
Michaela

michaela - It would seem ch4 have not kept to their side of the bargain with bits and pieces you asked to be edited, ie. the Brandon in his boxers part. Why should you not say it how it is too? Why do they not want you to sapeak about how you feel it was portrayed.

They have not been decent to you.

anyway, night.

I have just watched this with my dcs on sky plus and it really made me feel uncomfortable, as does the whole idea of the programme really and felt it had almost been edited to be spoof like by Ch 4 (that was my ds1s comment).

I feel sorry if you were manipulated Michaela and most people will know that tv companies edit stuff to suit their own agenda.

I am rather cynical too about the motives of PP i taking part as I think they always seek PR (and if they have Max Clifford acting for them might have thought it would be a good move).

The husband of the rich family had simply inherited his wealth through the etnrepeneurship of his father, tho we all know that plumbers charges are a complete rip off. (Paid #150 last week for about ten minutes work not by PP I might add).

The whole thing just sat really uncomfortably with me.

I know, it has kind of turned me off reality-type TV altogether. Who knows what mis-portrayed stuff we are watching?

It will be interesting to watch next week's programme though. I'm sure we'll all be watching in an entirely different way now.

[cynical emoticon]

after watching this programme i was talking to my parents about it and it turns out that my dad grew up with and was good ftiends with the man that founded pimlico plumbers, the son has not simply inherited wealth from his dad, the dad in fact was brought up in far worse poverty than anything you are likely to have seen, or see on this show, he built up the business from nothing and at the time when his son (the one on the programme) was old enough to work with him they were not anywhere close to being as well off as they are today. obviously any business would see this as an opportunity for good pr, but from what i have been told the family are like they would have done this with the right motives.

Michaela I think you are very brave to come on MN and defend yourself. I completely understand why you would have done the programme but I don't understand what C4 had to gain from portraying your family so negatively. From what I read the programme was made in conjunction with Save The Children and to highlight the issue of child poverty in the UK. If you don't mind me saying so, you came across as a less sympathetic family than the first week's one and surely this defeats the main purpose of the programme.

I hope that this is a turning point in your lives. Your children are a credit to you and Brandon in particular is a lovely bright boy.

sin to be fair thou inhertited or not his dad built the business from nothing worked bloody hard and has instilled in his his child(ren) they have to do the same so has them working with him - a far better parent than one who just hands his child a multi million trust fund.

Whilst I understand where you're coming from michaela, my question/debate with my mum was in general, fwiw I said the other party didn't seem to be your 'typical rich people' if that makes sence and actually seemed very down to the ground, mums reasoning for not watching was due to the potential/majority of wealthy families who are condecending in these programmes.

good morning,ch 4 have me contracted to say nothing bad about them or the programme...gulp....
The Mullins from PP are the lovliest, nicest couple you could ever hope to meet, they are caring and genuine,and normal as you or I,not even slightly patronising in any way.I have great respect for the whole family and yes we are in touch. Oh gosh, my 2 darlings fight like madthings!! they are normal boisterous boys, and so much hard work at times...lol they were made to look like they never argue!!!!! hahahah! bless them.I am feeling a bit burnt by the whole experience, I was naieve to think it would be as they promised.grrrrr.I am madly curious to see next weeks...then I may sell the TV!!Have a good day !

hi michaela
so glad you came on here to tell us your side of the story.
i think you both came across well on the programme,your boys are lovely.
hope you are all well

My comments about PP were a bit harsh, I have no doubt the dad worked really hard to set up and grow the business and of course I applaud that.

The programme still made me feel uncomfortable though.

Haven't had time to read all of this so sorry if repeating, but my two penneth is this:

It was a two bed flat. The boys' room had a single bed plus a bunk bed. Since when was being a 'light sleeper' a reason not to share with a sibling, and if he sleeps that lightly how come they lift him and carry him and plonk him on the futon every night? My God, if not having your own bedroom is a marker of child poverty then we have no hope of ever getting on top of the mess we are in. Where do we stop? When we have paid for everyone to have a four bed detached? I shared with my sister my whole childhood in a small 'two up two down'. It irritated me but it didn't damage me.

Brandon is indeed a delicious and heart-rendingly adorable/polite/well balanced child and he can live with me any day. All the children were sweet actually.

Re the poorer family - they are not his children. They have different fathers and he has come along afterwards. The narrator said the man earnt £200+ per week, plus Michaela's benefits. Not an expert on these things thankfully but why would they be classed as hers when they are living as a family?

She seemed intelligent and employable enough, (if a little woolly and drippy and self-absorbed) surely she could be working, at least in Tesco's or somewhere, after all her youngest child will be getting five free nursery sessions a week, and must be almost at school, and partner works shifts. Unless of course, her benefits are disability allowance for depression or some illness that wasn't apparent?

How they spent the money: They already have one PC. No need whatsoever for another. What a load of pie in the sky, cock and bullshit about a skin cream business. I'm all for having dreams, but she can't summon the energy to wipe down her kitchen cupboards, despite having plenty of time at her disposal, never mind preparing handmade skin creams and marketing them! And as for needing the laptop before she starts....

They only accounted for about half to two thirds of the money when they broke down what the first lot was spent on. I hate that kind of editing. Surely the point of the programme is too understand what they need and why they are in the position they are in. If the rest went on debts, or something else, should we not be told that?

Re: the second lot of money to be spent on the children. £2000? What the freaking hell did they spend £2k on? I only saw some clothes and a bike. Yet she stated to the rich family that she spent every penny on the children. I'd struggle to spend two grand on my three kids in one fell swoop! I don't mean I'd struggle to find the money, I mean I'd struggle to know what to spend it on. They could all have had a computer and a bike and an ipod and a phone plus clothes on that!

OK, just had time to catch up with the whole thing now and see that Michaela herself has posted. Well, I still stand by my points but it is as I expected - those naughty producers have ommitted half the relevant information to suit their own ends, and it would appear that the O'Dwyers have been rather poorly represented. Lesson number 1, never, just never go on TV!

hello
wooley drippy self absorbed here, have been applying for jobs for a while, have my hopes pinned on recent application bearing fruit. Yes it was hard to spend 3500 pound on boys...its a lot....ps2, and on...they got all they could ask for.

so why does you little one have his single bed and a set of bunk beds in his room Michaela?

Why does your beautiful little boy sleep on the sofa? Surely you and your partner should have the sofa - it looks like it is a double.

So the youngest got a new laptop and a bike whilst Brandon got a disk that doesn't work on the pc and you won't let him play it on "your" laptop and what else did he get?

the tv folk called them MY benefits, not me. They are the child tax credits that all folk under a certain income recieve, and the 33 pound child benefit.Boy your fast to jump to conclusions based on fuzzy facts.Brandon got a PS3 with 6 games at 40 pound each....clothes lots of clothes,drawers to put them in....big drawers...he also choose a year of karate classes ,he got 2 prs of itallian shoes he wanted. and many more things. Marcus got gymnastics class, clothes, v tech laptop for kids, vtec game system educational.....kiddie camera....new bike...lots of books...both have a lot of new school uniform...various types of shoes....trampoline....and on and on.Read past posts as I am getting tired of repeating myself. mBrandon has a brand new bedroom, they could not shair a room, read below....Yes it did become hard to spend that amount on them but we were not allowed to put any aside, we had to spend it.

Michaela you referred to being in your mid to late forties (apologies if you are younger, but you said something that gave that impression!) Your oldest child is only 9. Are they a second/later family? Do you have older children not living with you? If not, may I ask what you did for work and housing before they came along? If you find that too personal a question, don't worry, I understand, but I am curious. You don't seem like the kind of person for whom life has stood still since you were 16 and yet your lifestyle/lack of progression in housing kind of suggests you have. For (reasonably intelligent, fit and healthy) people in their forties homes and jobs have not always been so hard to come by as they are now, and I can't help wondering what set of events led you to end up with so little.

OK (crosses posts there!) Sorry, point taken about the benefits - I wasn't jumping to conclusions just wondering under what circumstances they would be only yours that's all! Again, down to irresponsible production and editing.