My Mum, Your Dad is a British dating reality show that began airing on ITV1 on 11 September 2023, presented by Davina McCall. The series follows a group of middle-aged single parents as they head to a romance retreat for a second chance at love which, unbeknownst to them, is overseen by their adult children.
Production
In January 2023, it was reported that ITV were set to commission a new dating series that was teased as a version of "Love Island for "mid-life single parents". The series was given the working title The Romance Retreat and Davina McCall was announced to be presenting the series in March 2023. Following the announcement of her appointment as presenter, McCall said she had "manifested" the show into existence and had "begged [television] bosses" to give her the role of presenter, adding that she made it happen and "willed there to be an amazing new dating programme for grown-ups." She described the cast as "people who have lived a life, been through experiences [...] They've got luggage but they deserve love."
In June 2023, the series was confirmed to be titled My Mum, Your Dad. The series format was created by father and daughter Greg and Haley Daniels and a version of the show originally aired in the United States on HBO Max in January 2022, with France and Germany also producing their own versions. The British version of the show is produced by Lifted Entertainment. Paul Mortimer, director of Reality and Acquisitions, said of the show's commissioning: "My Mum, Your Dad" is set to be a relationship show with a difference, as [they] follow the emotional and inspiring journeys of single parents looking to find love once more." The first trailer for the series aired on 31 July 2023 during the final of the tenth series of Love Island. Further in-depth trailers were aired throughout the month on ITV channels, before the series began on 11 September 2023. Series 2 was confirmed on 16 October 2023, to be released in 2024.
Format
The series follows a group of single parents who have been put forward by their adult children, to be given a chance to find love again. They will reside in a country house retreat in Midhurst, West Sussex and will be watched by their children on screens who will act as matchmakers and decide who goes on a date with who.
Contestants
The line-up of parents and their children appearing in the series were announced on 4 September 2023, a week before the show's launch.
Weekly summary
The main events in the My Mum, Your Dad retreat are summarised in the table below.
Reception
Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph described the show's contestants as "attractive" and "well-turned out" and noted that presenter Davina McCall [brought] "exactly the right level of warmth and enthusiasm". Fiona Sturges of The Independent noted that the show's producers appeared to have "mistaken the middle-aged contestants for helpless geriatrics who can no longer be trusted to boil a kettle, let alone make decisions about who they’d like to date".
The series was described by Lucy Mangan of The Guardian as "hilarious" and "excruciating". She added that "unlike the usual contestants [on Love Island] these people have real stories, real baggage and [...] real emotions. Carol Midgley of The Times criticised the series, noting that she'd "sooner eat [her] own liver than have [her] children spying on [her] pitiful attempts at flirting or snogging", noting that there was too much focus on the children's opinions. She did however comment that the "saving grace" was the contestants and their "endearing vulnerability" which gave [the show] a heart that Love Island lacks.