The Family - Who's who?
Britain’s most cherished social institution, The Family, is the subject of fresh scrutiny ahead of a major new Channel 4 documentary series, starting on Channel 4 on Wednesday 17th September 2008 at 9pm. Find out who's who!
SIMON HUGHES
Age: 44
Place of birth: Chatham, Kent
Role within the family: Father
Describe yourself in three words: Positive, interested, loving.
What does being in a family mean to you? Family is a commitment, a responsibility and a privilege.
Father of four, Simon, sees himself as the ‘one who has to pretend to be in charge’. Very recently made redundant, he is currently looking into work opportunities
Simon met Jane at 21 and married her a year later. They have been together for 22 years. A proud father, he admits that he is at his happiest when they are all together at the dining table.
A big music fan, Simon’s passion is jazz, blues and rhythm & blues. He plays five different saxophones and often plays along with music loudly in the house – much to the annoyance and embarrassment of his children.
Simon feels that his biggest accomplishment is 22 years of marriage to Jane, who is the closest person in the world to him.
On being filmed for The Family, Simon says, ‘We thought it would be great for future generations of the Hughes family to have a look back on.’ He hopes that his granddaughter, Ruby, will be able to show it to her children so future generations of the Hughes can ‘look back and they’ll see how we talked, what we ate, what we drove, how we lived, what we wore, it’s a four month snap shot of our lives’.
JANE HUGHES
Age: 40
Place of birth: London
Role within the family: Mother
Describe yourself in three words: Bossy, kind, shoe and handbag mad.
What does being in a family mean to you? Belonging. Family is about people who love and care for each other unconditionally.
Mum to four children, Jane, works for a local charity – a job she feels incredibly passionate about. Jane married Simon the day before her 18th birthday. She became a grandmother for the first time at 39, after her eldest daughter, Jessica, gave birth to Ruby, who is now 11 months old.
Jane describes herself as the ‘peacekeeper and general dogsbody’ of the family, who believes that humor is the most important aspect of raising children. She thinks that the hardest thing about being a parent is ‘not always getting it right’. Young at heart, she enjoys spending as much time as possible with her children.
Her priority in life is her family and her ambition is to grow old and be happy with them.
She says that the opportunity to take part in The Family was ‘an adventure’ and says that she’s fully prepared that there might be bits of the programme they hate. ‘It’s like holding a mirror up', she says, ‘I don’t think that’s a bad thing sometimes to see how you are and how other people see you.’
JESSICA LEE (née HUGHES)
Age: 22
Place of birth: Canterbury, Kent
Role within the family: Eldest daughter
Describe yourself in three words: Messy, artistic, fashion mad.
What does being in a family mean to you? Family is everything. If I didn’t have my family I’d be lost.
Jessica is the eldest of the Hughes children and lives nearby with husband Pat Lee. After giving birth almost a year ago to her daughter, Ruby, Jessica is a stay-at-home mum.
Close to all of her family, Jessica feels that she confides in her mum about everything, but her siblings can sometimes find her bossy.
Jessica’s ambition in life is to be a ‘good mum’, but her biggest fear is Ruby ‘growing old too quickly’ – and the dark, which she’s still afraid of, despite being 22.
EMILY HUGHES
Age: 19
Place of birth: Canterbury, Kent
Role within the family: Middle daughter
Describe yourself in three words: Emotional, loud, difficult
What does being in a family mean to you? I have been very lucky… I couldn’t live without my parents
Emily is the self-confessed trouble-making party animal, who admits to being one of the reasons behind most of the domestic disputes. Emily can often be found heading out with friends to a party or club during the week and at weekends – much to the grievance of her parents, who are desperate for her to stay in more.
As well as going out, Emily enjoys watching TV and has a passion for showbiz gossip.
Emily hates getting up in the morning, preferring to stay in bed as late as possible. She works in a late shift in a sales team, allowing her optimum party recovery time in the mornings.
She describes her family as ‘crazy’ and thinks that people will either love her or hate her with no in-between, and confesses to having ‘loads’ of annoying habits which drive her family up the wall.
CHARLOTTE HUGHES
Age: 17
Place of birth: Canterbury, Kent
Role within the family: Youngest daughter
Describe yourself in three words: Weird, quiet, amusing.
What does being in a family mean to you? Getting on with each other most of the time. Fighting, laughing together, looking after each other and feeling safe.
Charlotte is currently studying for her Baccalaureate after gaining 9 GCSEs. She works part time in a shop and has just passed her driving test at the first attempt. She saved up to buy her own car.
Being a middle child, Charlotte thinks her role is to ‘lighten the mood’ in her family. She is often at her desk studying, but admits to being disorganised when it comes to scheduling time for her school work, often leaving things until the last minute.
Despite feeling closest to her eldest sister Jessica, she is inspired by all of her family. She would eventually like to marry and have a big family with at least four children, much like her own.
Charlotte loves listening to music and she would like to meet Jennifer Lopez. As well as music she enjoys watching TV, especially ‘interesting documentaries’.
When she was younger, Charlotte became the district shot put champion for under 14s girls division.
TOM HUGHES
Age: 14
Place of birth: Canterbury, Kent
Role within the family: Only son and youngest child
Describe yourself in three words: Fun, energetic, loud.
What does being in a family mean to you? People I love and trust.
As the youngest of the family, Tom describes his role as ‘the child’. He may be young, but he has big ambitions – his aim in life is to ‘take over the world and become a billionaire’. Tom describes his family as ‘close, loud, bossy, hungry and busy’, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
A typical teenage boy, 14 year old Tom’s biggest inspiration is Batman and he would like a job as Danger Mouse. A huge fan of death metal music, he would love to meet EMO rocker, Oli Sykes, the lead singer of his favorite band Bring Me the Horizon.
Tom reads the tabloids in his spare time – between plotting to rule the world and biting his nails; one of his self-confessed annoying habits.
