Following five seasons of their globe-trotting show, Travels with My Father, comedian Jack Whitehall and his wisecracking, no-nonsense dad, Michael, are reuniting for their most momentous adventure yet: Jack’s journey into fatherhood.
Fatherhood with My Father is a four-part Netflix docuseries following the Fresh Meat star as he prepares to welcome his first child, daughter Elsie, with his girlfriend, model Roxy Horner. Each episode covers Jack’s burning questions about parenthood, while father and son discuss the dad that Michael is and the one that Jack hopes to be.
Jack’s mum, Hilary, joins in too, as the Whitehalls travel around the UK, Europe and America to examine everything from the technologies of the future and meeting a humanoid AI to learning survival skills from preppers and looking at ways to live longer.
What To Watch caught up with Jack, 36, and Michael, 84, at Netflix HQ in Central London to find out more…
What can you tell us about this foray into fatherhood?
Jack: “We wanted this show to feel different to Travels with My Father, and be a bit more sophisticated, highbrow and informative. That was our intention, and we failed miserably because we can’t help ourselves by pratting around whenever we’re put in front of an expert!”
Michael: “Well, yes, it’s not unlike Travels with My Father, but it’s got a different feeling and something extra about it.”
You throw yourself into proceedings as always, Jack, even experiencing a birth simulator in the first episode…
Jack: “Yes, the birth simulator was really, really strange, and we filmed that a couple of weeks before Roxy was due, so it was a very visceral slap in the face about what to expect. Episode one was like an intense antenatal class with Netflix cameras and your dad peering over your shoulder. Michael thought babies were delivered by a stork, so having a front-row seat for all the nitty-gritty was a new experience for him.”
Michael: “Hmm, yes, but we got through it. Hilary was a doula for 10 years, so I was aware of it all, but I never got involved. I was off to the office very quickly in the morning and home late at night. But babies have always been a big part of our life through Hilary, really.”
Has the show made you think about how the world has changed, Michael, since you and Hilary were raising Jack and his two siblings?
Michael: “I don’t find things particularly different, but what has changed is the fact that we’ve got so much visual evidence of our children growing up, from photographs to films, everything is documented, and it’s amazing. But we also went to something called the metaverse [virtual reality world] in LA, and I truly had no idea what it was. I still don’t. I was like, ‘Is it to do with poetry?’ But, no, it’s not that sort of verse.”
Jack: “He was so confused! But that’s the fun thing about doing a show like this because when you turn up in a car park in downtown LA, expectations are low. But when we put on the virtual reality headsets, Michael’s avatar seemed to go sentient and we ended up with the funniest scenes of the series.”
Have these adventures brought you closer together?
Jack: “Definitely. It’s always nice to work together, but it was particularly nice to go on this journey together at this point in my life. Roxy and Elsie came along for a fair amount of it, too, so I got to spend time with the whole family, which was lovely.”
Michael: “And your mother didn’t embarrass you too much…”
Jack: “Erm, she got naked at a sweat lodge in LA, which was harrowing! I end up with my kit off in most series of Travels with My Father, though, so I feel like I accidentally set a precedent and she carried on the mantle in this.”
What has this show taught you about being a dad?
Jack: “I guess I’ve learned that being the best father you can be means being more present. So, going off and doing a documentary is not an ideal way of achieving that! But also, as I’m a bit of a technophobe, I’ve enjoyed embracing technologies that might help me be a better parent. Although not being ahead of the curve didn’t do Michael any harm.”
Elsie is turning one this month, so how is fatherhood going, and is it everything you thought it would be?
Jack: “It’s amazing! I love being a dad and having a family of my own. I’m more conscious when I do these shows now, though, as I keep thinking she’ll watch them one day and should I be more careful about what I say and do, and how embarrassing I am? Like Michael says, everything is documented, and it’ll all be there on Netflix. One day, she’ll be watching me and my dad do naked yoga in Travels with My Father, and I’ll be saying, ‘That’s your grandad, crouched down in front of the man’s bottom.’”
Michael: “I want you to show that clip at my funeral, just to liven things up a bit!”
Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood with My Father is a four-part series launching on Netflix from Tuesday, September 10, 2024.
