Wife Swap (UK TV series)

Wife Swap
Top: British Series 11 Intertitle
Created by	RDF
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Release
Original network	Channel 4
Original release	1 January 2003 (2003-01-01) – 15 June 2017
External links
Website	www.channel4.com/pro%20grammes/wife-swap

Wife Swap is a British reality television programme produced by independent television production company RDF Media and created by Stephen Lambert for Channel 4, first broadcast in 2003 and ran for 7 years before being axed. The show returned for a one off special episode on 15 June 2017.

In the programme, two families, usually from different social classes and lifestyles, swap wives/mothers – and sometimes husbands – for two weeks. In fact, the programme will usually deliberately swap wives with dramatically different lifestyles, such as a messy wife swapping with a fastidiously neat one. Despite using a phrase from the swinging lifestyle, couples participating in the show do not share a bed with the "swapped" spouse while "swapping" homes.

In November 2009, Channel 4 announced that they had cancelled Wife Swap, and no new episodes of the show would be made for the channel.^[1] The final episode was broadcast in December 2009.^[2]

It was announced that Wife Swap would return for a special Brexit episode to air on 15 June 2017 on Channel 4.^[3]

Synopsis

During the first week, the new wife must adhere to exactly the same rules and lifestyle of the wife she is replacing. Each wife leaves behind a house manual which explains her role in the family and the duties she holds. This almost always determines what rules the wives will apply at the "rules change ceremony".

During the second week, the new wives are allowed to establish their own rules, and their new families must adhere to these new household rules. It usually takes a while for the families to adjust to this policy, meanwhile the wives disburse a sum of money to the family they have become involved with, to do what the wives see fit to spend it on.

At the end of the two weeks, the two couples all meet together for the first time, and the wives, along with their husbands, discuss how they felt about the two weeks. This often descends into personal insults and has degenerated into violence at least twice. More often than not, however, both families reach toward a middle ground and express that they have learned from the experience. Sometimes, the table meeting is a very heartfelt and emotional time for the two families who sometimes have complete and mutual respect for each other. A few weeks later, the cameras return to record what changes have occurred since the wife swap.

Spin-offs

International versions

Country	Title	Network	First airdate
Australia	Wife Swap Australia	LifeStyle You	9 January 2012
Belgium	De Nieuwe Mama
Brazil	Troca de Família	Record	28 September 2006
Bulgaria	Смени жената Smeni zhenata	bTV PRO.BG	2017 2009
Chile	¿Quién cambia a quién? Intercambio de Esposas	Canal 13	14 March 2006
Czech Republic	Výměna manželek	TV Nova	2005
Denmark	Par på prøve	TV3	6 October 2003
France	On a échangé nos mamans	M6	13 January 2004
Germany	Frauentausch	RTL II	14 July 2003
India	Maa Exchange	Sony	January 2011
Italy	Cambio moglie	Cielo	2009
Israel	אמא מחליפה Ima Mahlifah	Channel 2 Reshet	2005
Netherlands	Jouw vrouw, mijn vrouw	RTL4	Unknown
Poland	Zamiana żon	TV4	2007
Romania	Schimb de mame	Prima TV	2006
Serbia	Menjam ženu	RTV Pink Happy TV	July 2006.
Slovakia	Zámena manželiek	TV Markiza
Spain	Me cambio de familia	Cuatro
Ukraine	Міняю жінку Minyayu zhinku	1+1	8 March 2010
United States	Wife Swap	ABC	26 September 2004

Celebrity Wife Swap

There have been some celebrity versions of Wife Swap produced:

• Charles Ingram and his wife Diana swapped with Jade Goody of Big Brother and her then-partner Jeff Brazier
• Racing pundit John McCririck and his wife Jenny swapped with politician Edwina Currie and her husband John Jones (known as JJ)
• Magician Paul Daniels and his wife Debbie McGee swapped with journalist and radio host Vanessa Feltz and her fiancé Ben Ofoedu
• 1980s pop singer and Celebrity Big Brother star Pete Burns and his partner Michael Simpson swapped with former footballer Neil Ruddock and his partner Leah Newman
• Comedian Freddie Starr and his wife Donna swapped with Samantha Fox and her partner Myra Stratton
• 1980s pop singer Sinitta and her husband Andy swapped with former Coronation Street star Bruce Jones and his wife Sandra
• Soul singer Alexander O'Neal and his wife Cynthia swapped with wine critic, journalist and television personality Jilly Goolden and her husband Paul
• Rhona Cameron and her partner Suran swapped with fellow comedian Stan Boardman and his wife Viv
• Ron Atkinson and his wife Maggie swapped with Tessa Sanderson and her partner Densign

In the Netherlands "Jouw vrouw, mijn vrouw VIPs" is running since 2013 on RTL4 television. In 2015 a third season is being broadcast.

Notable episodes and special editions

Wife Swap has aired several unique episodes in its history.

UK

In 2005, Channel 4 broadcast two international versions of Wife Swap, one where a British family changed lifestyles with a German family,^[4] and then one where a British family changed lifestyles with an Australian family.

In 2008, Channel 4 broadcast a version where two British families who happened to be living in Spain at the time swapped with one another.

Boss Swap

A spin-off, Boss Swap, was broadcast as a series in the UK.^[5] A pilot for a US series was shown on ABC but was not commissioned. Husband Swap and Vacation Swap pilots were also broadcast in America, but were not picked up for series production. In the Netherlands and Belgium Vacation Swap episodes, are produced as "Jouw vakantie, mijn vakantie".

At least once a husband and a live-in boyfriend swapped while the women stayed with their families.

X-Change

There is an ongoing series on Hunan Television, in which the people being swapped are mostly the eldest children (or in rare cases, youngest or all children) of between 9–16 years old. One of these comes from an affluent family, but with behavioural and legal issues, in which they must surrender all technological gadgets and money (except for the allowances left by the opposite family, or any money they earned or collected). The other is from a poorer agricultural village, often orphaned or with single parents. This show also has celebrity mentors making videos of support for the participants.

In the Netherlands the same format is being used in KRO's Puberruil, broadcast on NPO3. The children are 15–18 years old. most of the time Dutch children are swapped, but there are also episodes named "Puberruil buitenland" where Dutch children are swapped with children in countries like India, Brazil and Sierra Leone. Longer episodes are called "Puberruil Xtra".

In popular culture

• In 2007, Richard Thomas's BBC Two series Kombat Opera Presents included a musical parody of the USA version of Wife Swap, under the title Spouse Change.
• In The Vicar of Dibley, Alice Tinker mentions going on the programme.
• In 2009 during a week of EastEnders, Max Branning and Tanya Branning swapped lifestyles with Ian Beale and Jane Beale for a week.
• The programme was parodied in the children's programme Horrible Histories, where it was called Historical Wife Swap. In the sketch, wives from different positions, such as a Viking and a thrall, or a Pharaoh and a peasant would swap, showing how these people lived. There were seven sketches in total, appearing in series 1-5.

Legal issues

Fraudulent activity

In her 2003 appearance on the programme, Lizzy Bardsley was shown to be living entirely on state benefits, which she continued to do without declaring payments she subsequently received for media work. Prosecuted and found guilty in 2005, she was sentenced to 80 hours community service and ordered to repay £4,879 in overpaid benefits.^[6] In February 2007, she was convicted of child cruelty charges, receiving an eight-month suspended sentence and a two-year supervision order.^[7]

See also

• "Me cambio de familia" (Spanish Version)
• Frauentausch (German version of Wife Swap)
• Holiday Showdown (like Wife Swap, but with holidays)
• Wife Swap - the U.S. series
• X-Change （zh:變形計） - (Chinese version of Wife Swap, but with children)

References

External links

• Wife Swap UK at Channel4.com
• Boss Swap at Channel4.com
• RDF Media