Tuesday TV Choice: Stacey & Joe (BBC1, 8pm)
It’s been a busy few months for husband-and-wife Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon.
The latest series of her show, Sort Your Life Out, in which she helps families to take control of their clutter came to an end last week, as did Joe’s new series Batch from Scratch: Cooking for Less.
And now the couple are back with a six-part fly-on-the-wall show following their lives.
Neither of them are strangers to reality TV. Stacey first found fame on The X Factor in 2009 where she finished second, and then the following year was crowned Queen of the Jungle on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Meanwhile, Joe got his big break playing Mickey Miller on EastEnders (he recently reprised the role in the lead up to the soap’s 40th anniversary) before doing his own stint on I’m a Celeb in 2008.
He also won the series and landed a presenting job on the spin-off I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, NOW!, which is how he met his future wife.
They also both have a large social media following in which they share aspects of their lives, but the couple admit that making this series has still been a bit daunting.
Stacey says: “2024 was the year me and Joe pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones. We took on different projects and tried new things. It’s been so amazing and nerve-wracking all at the same time, and we just want to keep doing that in 2025, starting with Stacey & Joe.
“We’ve loved showing a different side to our family’s fun and chaos. We can’t wait for you to join us at Pickle Cottage this year.”
They share the cottage with their ‘pickles’, Zach, Leighton, Rex, Rose and Belle, who are aged between 16 and one (Joe also has a son from a previous relationship), four ducks and two dogs. Viewers are given what we’re promised will be an honest take on life as a modern blended family, as Stacey and Joe juggle caring for their brood with their busy work schedules and ambitious passion projects, including building a two-acre fishing lake.
Or as Joe puts it: “There will be the normal madness of a family with lots of kids, plenty of animals and two busy parents. Here we go.”
In the opening episode of the series, which was filmed in the summer and autumn of 2024, it’s the couple’s second wedding anniversary and Joe needs to get some last-minute presents for his wife. Well, as we’ve already established, he has been busy lately so perhaps he’s got an excuse for not being organised.
Meanwhile, in a part of the series many viewers will be able to relate to, Stacey’s older sons have been trying to get out of doing chores, forcing their mum to put her foot down.
So maybe it’s just as well that school is out for summer, meaning they can all take what will hopefully be a relaxing holiday in Turkey.