22 Kids & Counting | Series 8 Preview (Channel 5)

Britain’s biggest family are still growing – more children, more laughter, more life lessons, more trouble, more strife, more joy, more making-up, more fall-outs. More drama.

Last year the Radfords learned many difficult lessons – as their 22 kids grew up, so did the list of problems Noel and Sue Radford were expected to solve. There’s no family in Britain with more births, marriages and deaths to negotiate, and this series is a cavalcade of some of their trickiest family dramas to date.

Daughter Sophie is undergoing a separation from her husband, but can Noel and Sue convince her to fix things for the sake of the kids, or should they support Sophie going her own way?

Josh seemed to be experiencing teenage growing pains, but then he seemed to completely withdraw from the outside world. After a series of panic attacks mean that Josh won’t leave the house for months, Noel and Sue realise that they’re going to have to do something they previously thought impossible… It presents the Radfords with the most difficult challenge any of them have ever faced.

Elsewhere, Millie and Harley’s marriage is rocked to its core when a series of unfortunate events place their finances in jeopardy; Ellie’s ‘perfect’ relationship with boyfriend Stephen is pushed to breaking point; and Max struggles to live his teenage dream of being an engineer, when some bad news threatens to derail his crucial exams.

A tenth wedding anniversary is a milestone that every couple hopes to celebrate. For Sophie, the Radfords’ eldest daughter, and her husband Joe, that moment is fast approaching. Sue is thrilled – any excuse for a party – and she ropes in some of the girls for a road trip to scout out posh venues for a celebration to remember.

But behind the scenes, Sophie is hiding a painful truth: all is not well in her marriage. Unhappy and conflicted, she faces an agonising dilemma. With a home and three beautiful children to consider, does she try one last time to make it work – or accept that it may be time to go their separate ways?

Sue and Noel struggle to know how best to advise her. Having never faced serious challenges in their own marriage, this is uncharted territory. What they can offer, though, is unwavering support for Sophie and the grandchildren – the kind only Britain’s biggest family can provide.

Elsewhere, another milestone looms as Millie and Harley’s eldest, Ophelia, turns five and prepares to start school. Now a cheeky, chatty little girl with a wicked sense of humour –to Harley’s discovery – Ophelia can’t wait for her next big adventure. From trying on her school uniform for the first time to counting down the days, her excitement is infectious.

For Millie, however, the moment is bittersweet. As she loosens the reins, she’s also confronted with an unexpected and deeply worrying issue. A mistake in some paperwork by Harley threatens to reveal that Ophelia is not his biological daughter. With emotions running high, can they fix the error before it’s too late

22 Kids And Counting returns Sunday 1st February at 8pm on Channel 5.