Wife on Strike

In this episode we head north to meet two families where the unfair division of labour at home forces both wives into taking drastic action. Gaynor runs a hair salon and is married to Paul, a property developer. They live in a beautiful house in Bolton and are parents to sixteen-year-old twin boys. It's a pretty perfect snapshot of family life, so what's not to like? The issue is Gaynor does "75%" of the household chores and thinks the twins are old enough to start putting in a shift too. Dad Paul has different ideas and doesn't want their abode to become a workhouse.

Down the road in Oldham, we meet Sarah and David and their 16-year-old son. Sarah, a part-time dog groomer, feels she's somehow morphed into a maid at home and is not happy about it. She does everything in the house including a lot of cleaning up after their bulldog and she wants more out of life. For husband David, an operations manager, the old-fashioned status quo is working. He's the bread winner but unwilling to ever make toast. He hasn't got time for chores (or dates for that matter) and can't let anything get in the way of his beloved Man City.

Both wives revolt, make their demands and bond over the menopause, becoming "HRT Sisters". Their husbands' immediately "rude" responses do not go down well. Paul pushes back on Gaynor's plans to enlist their kids' help and David and his son can't get their heads around an omelette, let alone the mess resulting from their bulldog's dinner.

The wives do not give up and neither do their friends, even when things get frosty. Can David seize love with a homemade salad? Can Paul talk to the boys about women's issues?

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.

Having met in the police force over 20 years ago, Sam and Gary give new meaning to ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop'. At 60, Gary is a big softie who has always wanted the best for his children. However, it's becoming clear that he might have been too easy on them and his desire to indulge them as little princesses may have backfired.

Sam works full-time at their shared storage business, but she is also left to do everything around the house. Now, Sam thinks it's time for Gary to step up and learn what it means to run a household and get their teenage girls to finally take some responsibility and gain independence.

Once Sam goes on strike, Gary realises the extent of her never-ending workload. Despite saying he's keeping on top of it occasionally he lets his guard down to reveal he isn't coping without her. He also learns how much mess the girls create - most of it!

Meanwhile, Simone shares her immaculate home with her partner Michael and daughter Mia, but his messiness has got her joking about moving into her own granny annexe in the garden.

Michael is an ex-chef who loves to cook elaborate meals, but his cooking style results in a mess that Simone finds unbearable. And his passion for trainers and collecting all sorts of things - from old chairs to car batteries - has left Simone at breaking point.

She is convinced that Michael and Mia don't respect her desire for a cleaner home. Underneath all the banter the situation is getting her down, and she doesn't think Michael fully understands where things have gone wrong.

Michael starts off by laughing about the strike but as time goes on, he gets angry about what she's done and it doesn't sit right with him as he's pretty sure he does his fair share at home.But can they work through their difference of opinion and all start to see things from another perspective?

Two more couples swap who does the household chores, with Vicky taking over from her partner Sean, despite being far from sure that he does as much as he thinks he does. Can she inspire her daughters to get their hands dirty with the pets and will she begin to accept that things have to change? Chrissy has been looking after her father in the shared family bungalow as well as managing a full-time job and doing all the family chores and is determined to ensure that John could step up to the plate if needs be.