LESSONS IN LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS
Birmingham Evening Mail, UK
October 4, 2006, Wednesday
Worcs Edition
TV Choice FAMILY BRAT CAMP (C4, 9pm)
IN PREVIOUS series of this programme, troublesome teens were taken to
strict American camps in the middle of nowhere to see if a spell of
roughing it would give them a chance to think about the consequences
of their bad behaviour and instil some much-needed discipline.
Generally, the experiment seemed to work, but some viewers may have
wondered what happened when the youngsters got back to Blighty –
if their home environment hadn’t changed, wouldn’t they simply slip
back into old bad habits?
It shouldn’t be a problem for the brats taking part in the new version
of the show, as this time they aren’t the only ones who’ll be getting
the short, sharp shock treatment – their parents are going along too.
The dysfunctional families are being shipped off to the Idaho desert
to see if living in virtually Stone Age conditions will force the
mums and dads to accept they are at least partly responsible for
their offspring’s out-of-control antics.
But will the harsh regime bring the troubled clans closer together
or simply force them further apart?
In the first episode, both generations find sleeping in the wilderness
a shock to the system.
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? (BBC1, 9pm)
BARGAIN Hunt presenter David Dickinson may be extremely knowledgeable
about the history of antiques, but it seems he’s less well informed
about his own past.
In the latest edition of this fascinating series, the flamboyant
celebrity goes in search of his roots – a process that’s particularly
poignant for him because he was adopted at birth.
David only discovered this by chance at the age of 11, but his
adoptive parents did tell him the name of his biological mother,
Eugenie Gulessarian, a local woman of Armenian heritage, and it’s
this part of his family tree he wants to concentrate on.
He says: "I think as a little boy, having found out that I came from
this Armenian stock, I’ve always wanted to know more about it. As I
got into my twenties and thirties I did find out more, but eventually
that came to a stop. So I’m hoping that this programme will take me
the full journey."
It seems he’s achieved his aim when he meets a long-lost relative
who can shed more light on his family, and David also discovers some
surprising similarities between himself and his ancestors.
GRAPHIC: HISTORICAL… David Dickinson explores his heritage.’
BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS… families head to the Idaho desert in a
back-to-basics attempt to curb their tearaway teenagers’ out-of-control
behaviour – and get the parents to take responsibility.