Wife on Strike

In two thirds of households across the UK the responsibility for chores fails on one person. Now, in two separate homes in London, two women have had enough and put their partners to the test as they go ‘on strike'.

The Bensalem family, made up of Dad Wassim and Mum Laura, plus their five kids, as well as Laura's parents and two dogs all live together in south east London. The couple have been together for 16 years, however the domestic load falls entirely to Laura who caters, taxis and generally looks after the household. In a dramatic move, she announces to her loved ones that's she's leaving and Dad Wassim is forced to step up.

Until now Laura has been preparing three separate dishes for her family, taking all the kids to school and dropping Wassim at the train station, as well as cleaning, vacuuming, dog walking and keeping on top of the washing. Without Laura at home, Wassim has to try and juggle it all - but the first stop for dinner is the local takeaway.

Fifteen miles away in Romford, married couple Claire and Sean are also struggling to balance the domestic load. Claire who works full time from home is fed up with being responsible for all the chores. Having nagged her husband for years to step up, thing still haven't changed, and so she too is leaving.

But after 23 years together, Sean is at sea without his wife and ends up turning to 19-year-old daughter Joy-Anna, who attempts to sort out the washing and assist with the school duties for her younger brother.

With the two women safely ensconced in a local hotel, they are able to monitor just how their other halves are getting on via footage, and what they see doesn't always go down well. Can their men turn it around?

Determined that this grand gesture will have an effect, the two mums send in their friends to pass on some words of wisdom to their husbands and hand over a list of tasks and requirements for the future.

By the end of the week, each couple meet on neutral ground in an effort to try and implement some long-term changes. Will Wassim win his battle to make his children more independent? And can Sean stick to a rota at home? Will Laura still end up cooking three meals for her family? And can Sean master the washing machine?

34 year old David is an incredibly hardworking and patient father who would do anything for his two daughters and his husband Luke. But step father Luke, a self-confessed "gay Gemma Collins" is more than happy for David to take on all the responsibilities, admitting that he doesn't do much beyond singing and dancing with the girls... despite his lack of involvement when it comes to cooking and the housework, Luke is desperate to have another child with David. However, David has his doubts about this and needs Luke to prove to him that he's willing to share the load and take on more responsibility around the house.

While on strike Dave learnt that he needs to possibly be less soft on Luke, and that he shouldn't take no for an answer. Luke learnt that he can't afford to lose the family and stable gay relationship that he always wanted… but can they work through their challenges?

Stuart and Nikki had a whirlwind romance - they got married within 5 months of knowing each other and had their first baby before their first anniversary! 16 years later they are still going strong and share their lives with three kids.

Stuart, who works with fire prevention services, and Nikki, who is a teacher in training, both constantly bicker about who does more around the house. Even though he confesses that he doesn't know how to use the washing machine, a lot of the housework falls on Stuart's shoulders.

Nikki, on the other hand, doesn't deny that he does a lot around the house, but she feels like she does more than he gives her credit for - she will change the sheets, do the laundry and the hoovering! But the truth is, Nikki gets some help from her secret weapons - the kids. She puts them to work to help her tackle her to do list

Karla has been with her fiancé Carl for 10 years, but with a houseful of kids and a busy job, she's had enough of him not understanding what it takes to keep the household ticking over. She says Carl's version of cleaning is just spraying air freshener in the room!

They have been engaged for six years and says she won't marry him until he steps up and shows her appreciation. She's desperate for more time to herself and whilst Carl gets to go out for his regular haircuts and coffees with the lads, she's been missing out.

Just days into Karla's strike, Carl is already at breaking point as he tries to take on some of his partner's duties. The constant "Dad!" "Dad!" "Dad!" drives him up the wall and the kids survive almost exclusively on a diet of pizza. However, with some encouragement from a friend and some time to reflect, both parties realise things at home have to change, if there is to be any chance of wedding bells.

In a different household, Sarah is a hardworking, full-time mother and full-time content creator who does all the hard graft at home. She hoovers, dusts, mops, cleans the cupboards, gets the kids ready for school, mothers her 9-month-old baby, works daily from home, cooks, does the dishes, does the kids' homework, cleans the kids' mess, washes the clothes. She even manages to rustle up a late breakfast for husband Kwaku when he nips home from his job as a care worker.

But Kwaku believes the housework is mainly Sarah's responsibility as she is a woman and therefore the "homemaker". He feels cultural reasons are why the dynamic is at it is, just like his Mum did all the work at home so he expects this from his wife. He even starts to compare the two women in his life, which doesn't go down well. However, after being left alone at home with the kids, and some sleepless nights, he soon realises that perhaps things may need to change if his ambitious wife is also going to have a chance at fulfilling her dreams.