Having worked on TV and movie publications for over 20 years, it's rare I do a double take when reading a press announcement but I was quite stunned when I learned Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg is making a reality series! No, it's not an April Fools' Day joke, this really is happening.
The former Tory MP, who lost his Somerset seat last week to Labour, is appearing in a fly-on-the-wall docu-series for Discovery Plus. Ok, at least he's not turning up on Love Island!
Meet The Rees Moggs will apparently give us exclusive access to Jacob, his wife and six children. Yes, I didn't know he had six children either. The cameras will follow his family life at home in his 17th-century Somerset house.
The makers say: "Following Rees-Mogg through the run-up to the General Election and the aftermath that follows, the series which drops on Discovery Plus later this year will give viewers insight into the political figure who divides opinion as well as the husband and father at home."
Rees-Mogg says: "Animals, children, an election and a film crew. What could possibly go wrong? This everyday story of Somerset folk is fun to film but may be a bit more Fawlty Towers than Downton Abbey."
I'm trying to think of a more unlikely TV announcement — perhaps Prince William to be the new landlord of the Queen Vic in EastEnders? Brad Pitt to be the host of Antiques Roadshow? Taylor Swift to front Supermarket Sweep?
Quite how Meet the Rees-Moggs will go down with viewers remains to be seen. How many people are interested in the private life of Rees-Mogg? Well, Discovery Plus is obviously counting on a lot of viewers tuning in.
Meet the Rees-Moggs will launch on Discovery Plus later this year.
