| The Family | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Reality Television |
| Directed by | Franc Roddam Paul Watson |
| Starring | Heather Wilkins Margaret Wilkins Marian Wilkins Terry Wilkins Gary Wilkins Chris Wilkins Tom Bernes Karen Wilkins Scott Wilkins |
| Theme music composer | Dave Brooks |
| Opening theme | Dave Brooks |
| Ending theme | Dave Brooks |
| Composer | Dave Brooks |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Paul Watson |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 3 April – 26 June 1974 |
| Related | |
| The Family (2008) The Family (2011) | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
The Family is a 1974 BBC television series made by producer Paul Watson, and directed by Franc Roddam.[1] It is a fly-on-the-wall documentary series, seen by many as the precursor to reality television. It is similar to an American documentary which had aired the previous year in 1973 (but which had been filmed in 1971), called An American Family.
The series follows the Reading-based working class Wilkins family of six, headed by Margaret and Terry, through their daily lives, warts and all. It culminates in the marriage of one of the daughters, which was plagued by fans and paparazzi alike.[2][3]
The show was the basis for two parodies: Monty Python's Flying Circus, in their last episode which aired 5 December 1974, featured a sketch called "The Most Awful Family in Britain 1974"; and Benny Hill, on one of his 1975 specials, did a takeoff called "That Family".
- ^ "The Wilkinses of Reading: Where Are They Now?". The Independent. 22 March 1999. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "The Family first episode - History of the BBC". BBC. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ "NOSTALGIA: The Family reality show puts real people at odds". Reading Chronicle. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 29 February 2020.