Faced with the threat of his mother-in-law, Gill Adams, moving in with him, comedian Jon Richardson comes up with a bright idea in this one-off travelogue for Channel 4.
Instead of Gill invading his idyllic life in his quiet corner of West Yorkshire, Jon thinks she should relocate to an entirely different country instead and whisks her off to sunny Spain to scope out locations and lifestyles that will hopefully make Hull-based Gill think twice about how to spend her golden years.
Can Jon persuade his mother-in-law to reign in Spain? Here’s everything we know about their hilarious adventures…
Jon Richardson: Take My Mother-in-Law release date
Jon Richardson: Take My Mother-in-Law airs on Thursday, October 6 at 10pm on C4.
What happens in Jon Richardson: Take My Mother-in-Law?
Armed with a Spanish A-Level and the promise of an open chequebook, Jon kicks off his tour in bustling Benidorm on the Costa Blanca, where he tests out a cost-effective way of retiring on a campsite and bags Gill a shift in a local bar.
“‘Mother-in-law’ is a very loaded term in comedy and I’m keen to stress that not all mothers-in-laws are this stereotype of an awful, overbearing presence that you don’t want in your life… mine happens to be,” says Jon, 39, who lives in Hebden Bridge with his wife, comic Lucy Beaumont, and their daughter, Elsie.
“Gill’s retirement plan is to move in and ruin what are supposed to be the happiest years of my life, but I’ve made a slight tweak to her plan – instead, she’ll live in a different country on her own,” he smiles. “She will fall in love with a part of it, hopefully an affordable part, and then she won’t come back.”
Where else do they visit?
When Jon and Gill visit a psychic in Benidorm who sketches soulmates for a price, it sends their expedition in a whole new direction when Gill – who wants to be “ravished” – is presented with a picture of a man she nicknames ‘Sebastian’.
“Stung for 50 euros for a pencil sketch? I’m livid,” says Jon. “But it’s really energised Gill so we have to find ‘Sebastian’. It’s actually given a purpose to every bar. If I want to go to the pub, I buy Elsie a colouring book and she’s happy. It’s the same with Gill now we’ve got the picture.”
Their hunt for ‘Sebastian’ continues three hours south in the traditional village of Huéscar, where they sample life inside a cave house. But on their final stop in Málaga, they finally find the fruits of their labours at a social mixer – ‘Sebastian’ lookalikes.
“While in this plaza in the sun with fit hombres, the idea that Gill would want to move into our house in Yorkshire is insane,” says Jon. “But I want Gill to be happy. I also want myself to be happy, and that’s why she can’t live with us.”
Is there a trailer?
Not yet, but if one becomes available we'll be sure to post it here!
