All language subtitles for Wife.on.Strike.S01E01.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX[eztv.re]_track4_eng

NARRATOR:
In these enlightened times,

we might like to think housework
is a shared endeavour.

You could literally eat your dinner
off these toilet seats.

I mean, literally.
But...

...in Britain, on average,

one member of each household
does two thirds of the chores.

That's it.

Literally, I do everything.

What time have you got to be back?
No major rush.

He doesn't cook, he doesn't clean,
he doesn't hoover,

he doesn't make the bed.

Oh, for God's sake!
Are they taking the mick?

I'm not gonna do it anymore.

Those carrying the heaviest load...

Right, that's it. I'm off.

...have had enough.

She said that she's on strike.
Who's on strike?!

Oh, gosh. I actually can't believe
you're doing this.

Oh, my God.

We'll get to see
how those left behind...

I don't really know where to begin.
..cope...

Right. Right.

And now it's stuck.

There's no food.
I thought you was cooking.

Why you don't understand?

...and finally negotiate
a deal to come home.

I wanted YOU to stand in my shoes,
but you didn't do that.

Nah, I will try anything
if it means that you come home.

MAN: Who does the most work around
the house?

The Ben Salem family consists
of mum Laura, dad Wassim,

their five kids and Laura's parents,
Kath and Brian.

Who does the least?

Sam!
Sam and Dad.

WASSIM: I mean,
it's good for the kids

to start learning washing-up.

How can they learn it
if you don't do it?

THEY LAUGH

Well, 16 years together.
Five children.

Five children. And we get on.

And still going strong.
I've not done him in yet. Yeah.

Laura is so busy
looking after everyone,

including the two dogs...

Oh, my God. You're like a horse.

...she has forgotten
some basic vocabulary.

I try to please everybody.

I can't use that word "no".

I don't know if that's just because
who I am.

Mum. Here we go.
No, no, no.

What's no, no, no?

I wasn't having that,
I was having my quiche.

I don't want burger.

GROANS

I thought it was too good
to be true.

It drives me up the wall
because they all eat differently,

otherwise they won't eat
their dinner.

And I can't leave them
without anything.

She takes after me. I used to do
everything for everybody.

Better?

As well as driving
the kids to and from school...

CAR HORN BEEPS

I've not got time, tell him.

...Wassim also relies on Laura
for his daily commute.

He's always holding up.
There's not enough hours in the day.

There she is.

As soon as he gets home from work,
he'll go straight upstairs.

SNORING

wassim doesn't do much.

He doesn't cook, he doesn't clean,
he doesn't hoover,

he doesn't make the bed,
he doesn't do the washing,

he doesn't do the drying,
he doesn't put the clothes away.

I've been brought up in a family
that the mother,

she"ll look after the children,
she"ll look after the husband,

she'll look after the house.

The husband, he work hard
to provide for the family.

I work in the city.

When I come back home,
I wanna rest a little bit.

Ready for dinner. Come on.

SHE LAUGHS

But Wassim hasn't always been
a hands-off dad.

The first year we was together,

he was the one sort of
helping prepare the dinner.

He did help with the little ones.

He did attempt to feed them
or to change them through the night.

Are you gonna come down?
Yeah.

But he looks at it
as now they're all older,

they should be able to wash up,

they should be able
to hoover their room.

But they make more mess
than when it was actually,

you know, when they started.

Why is your shoes here?
Where should they be?

In the cupboard.
In the shoe cupboard.

If she doesn't ask for it,

I don't really see it necessary
for me to step in.

There's always an excuse.

Laura feels Wassim's attitude
is affecting their relationship...

If he was to take some of the load,
it would have an impact.

We'd have more time together.
It's about everyone else but us.

...and it's setting a bad example
for their children.

I said no food up there!
Why?!

So if Wassim is not doing it,

they will say, "OK, well, Dad's not
doing it. Why should we do it?"

I'm sick of keep clearing up
up there.

Ah, come on!

And that's what it boils down to.

Enough is enough.

I'm not gonna keep tidying up
after them.

It's not even just physically,
it's, like, mentally draining.

I'm non-stop.

Oh, my God!

Hurry up, it's half seven!
Move yourself!

You've got exams this morning.

Louis, come on!

There's no dog food.

Really? Another job.

For God's sake. This morning.

Mum this, Mum that.

Mum this. Laura this, Laura this.
Laura here, Laura here.

Come on. OK, I'm coming.
I need to get my sliders.

And I say it all the time,
all the time.

Disgusting.

"That's it, I'm going,
I've had enough!"

"Oh, yeah, where you gonna go?"

And before I'm even finished
of having this little paddy,

they're all standing at my car
waiting for me.

I'm hungry.
I don't know what to buy.

What do you wanna eat?
Sausages!

Grapes.
LAUGHS

Fifteen miles away,

another mother is unhappy about
the division of lab our at home.

Ooh, thank you.
Mummy, I'm hungry.

Claire and her husband Sean
and their two children...

Good cup of tea, Mum.

...19-year-old Joy Anna
and seven-year-old Ezra.

I really don't like to go shopping,
especially not on Sunday.

Can anyone help?

Sort of got plans to go out
with Mark for lunch.

I do the cooking,

the shopping for food,
the cleaning the bathrooms,

cleaning the floors.

Literally, I do everything.

Have fun in the supermarket.

CLATTERING
Whoops.

See you later.

Sean and I got married in 2000,

and I would say that he's probably

always relied on me
doing everything.

And for a long time,
I never really questioned it.

Until I started working full-time.

What time you got to be back, Sean?

Don't know. There's no major rush.
MARK CHUCKLES

She'll be in the shop
for quite a while, I reckon.

Any time?

Claire works full-time
for The Open University.

I started earning more money
because it's constant,

and I know what I'm earning,
and he doesn't.

At times, I've kind of maybe
resented him for that, like, like,

mm, maybe you're the man,

you should man up a bit more
and earn the money.

But when Claire goes down
for a cuppa...

This is not great.
..the work really starts.

Last week, I did a load of marking,
and I had to leave

piles of laundry, and that's why
this week, I've got tonnes.

Working from home means
that the chores,

the housework never stops.

I feel like I have a million tabs
open in my head a lot of the time,

and if I do sit down, I will see
something that needs doing.

Do not eat the cable.

I've got deadlines, and I shouldn't
really be doing this as well.

So I need to get on.

Claire's husband Sean
has a different take.

If you added getting up early
to get Ezra to school...

Come on.

...the division of household chores,
it might be 50-50.

Sean is wonderful with Ezra,
but that's life,

that's looking after your kids,
it's not chores to me.

I would say I probably do
maybe 80% of what needs doing.

Claire's job gives Sean
the financial security

to work as a cycle instructor.

I'm really thankful to Claire
for the fact that she works

as hard she does
and is able to earn what she earns.

Perfect.

After a long day indoors,

there's another job
Claire always ends up doing.

I'm really, really tired today.

I've been so busy,
but still have to do dinner.

Sean and the kitchen,
they don't go together.

Guys, it's dinnertime!

What I would want from Sean is,

him coming home
and taking initiative...

What's for dinner?

...rather than this attitude
of "Where's dinner?"

How was your day today, Mum?
Really busy.

Oh, I've got so much marking.

I've told Sean for years
to help me.

I've tried to say many times,

"Please do this, please do that.”

I've repeated myself
a million times.

Needs cleaning up.
No.

Come on, do it now.
GROANING

You're not gonna wanna
do it later, are you? No.

What I don't enjoy is feeling like
I'm on my own all the time.

I think if Sean was to walk through
the door and say,

"I'm cooking dinner,"
I actually probably would cry

because I suppose...

...it would be like a sign of love
towards me.

Mm-hm.

And recognising that
I've worked all day as well,

and I need a break, too.
And we in this together.

After 23 years,
Claire has had enough.

So, nobody knows yet, but very soon,
I'm going to go on strike.

I'm putting my foot down.

Fifteen miles away in Greenwich,

Laura is also planning
to go on strike

without telling any of her family.

I'm ready to strike.

I've come to my limit.

I've just had enough now.

I think it's time now to change.

Keeping a secret from the kids
is so, so hard,

and not having that contact...

Just not seeing them go to school,
pick them up...

But hopefully, they will understand,

and I need them to realise
how much I do do.

The bags are packed.
I'm ready to go.

Back in Romford, and after years of
asking for help with the housework

and being ignored,
Claire is going on strike, too.

I've had enough of always doing
the cleaning in the house, so...

...I'm not gonna do it anymore.

I'm going!

It's last resort
walking out the house,

but I think it's definitely needed.

LAURA: Wassim has asked me to go
and collect him from the station...

...and I'm not gonna go.

She said that she's on strike.

Who's on strike?!
Your mum.

'I'm going on strike.'

NARRATOR: It's 6pm,
and Wassim is waiting for wife Laura

to pick him up from the station.

She's always late,
she'll never be on time.

But Laura is checking into a hotel,
checking out of all domestic duties.

And she sends him a message
letting him know.

'Hi, Wassim. I hope you've had
a good day at work.

'Unfortunately,
I've got something to say.

'I've really had enough.

'I just can't take it any more.
Now this is my time to strike.

'I need to see some changes
before I can return.'

What?!

I mean, this is silly.

With Laura's usual
chauffeur service unavailable,

Wassim has to get a taxi home,

and he is not happy.

You can't just drop something
like this and then walk away

and let other people
just deal with it.

You're not punishing just myself,
you're punishing me,

punishing the kids,
punishing your mum,

punishing your dad. Yeah.

At home, Wassim has to break
the news to the rest of the family.

She didn't come to see me,
she just sent me a video.

KATH: A video?!
Yeah. She said that she's on strike.

Who's on strike?!
Your mum.

'Unfortunately,
I've got something to say.'

She sounds so sad, bless her.

'I've really had enough.

'I'm sick and tired of all the work
that I keep doing.

'Putting others first.

'I need to see some changes
before I can return.'

What?

When's she coming back?
I don't know.

I don't know where she's gone,
I don't how long she's gone for...

She's not said anything at all?
Me, I'm thinking about...

It's all gotta change.

We don't really all pull
our weight in here, do we?

What I don't think
you're realising,

you're gonna have to cook for
however long till she comes back.

He can't cook to save a life.

All that malarkey what you say
to your mum,

that's not gonna work with me.
Whatever you get, you eat.

Simple as that.
What's on the menu, then?

Laura would usually cook
at least three options for dinner.

But under Wassim's new regime...

Good luck, you'll need it!

...things are about to change.

Now it's gonna be
Wassim's sweet dictatorship.

We're gonna have one dinner
for everyone.

If they don't like it, it's tough.

Ella?!
Yeah?

Come and put the dog
out of the kitchen.

I will not cook
while the dog is in the kitchen.

That's a shame, Mum does!
You're gonna have to deal with it!

Rocky, out. Out. Come. Come, Rocky.

But before Wassim
can discipline anyone,

he needs to work out
how to feed them.

Do you know how to make
mac and cheese? No.

Oh, God. Unbelievable.

There's no shopping at all.

So if she's, like, gone,
now we have to, like,

do everything for ourselves.
Yeah.

Oh, no.

SIGHS

There's, like, two microwave dinner.

They've been frozen there
for, like, a month,

and all the rest is pork sausage.

What do you want from the fish shop?

Fish shop? I thought
you was cooking. What's going on?

Well, there... There's no food.

I've just seen,
there's nothing there.

Why you don't understand...
there's nothing? Come on.

What?

What do you mean, "What?"
I'm lost.

What do you want for dinner?
Nothing.

Right, that's one "nothing".

What do you want?

That's two "nothing”, then.

Kids, kids, kids.

He does need a push up the backside,
to be fair.

He's not been known
to do much indoors,

so... it's not her job
to wait on them hand and foot.

So, they've got
to show more responsibilities now.

HE WHINES

Over in East London,

Sean and Joy-Anna are both back
at the house,

but there is no sign of mum Claire.

Where's your mum?
I do not know.

So, she didn't let you know
where she went?

A couple of miles away,

Claire has checked
into a boutique hotel.

Oh, this is really nice!

PHONE CHIMES

Oh, there's something here.
Go on.

'Sean and Joy-Anna.

'You're probably wondering
where I am.

'As you both know,

'I have been asking for help
around the house for years.

'I've had enough, so...

'I'm going on strike.'
THEY LAUGH

Oh, great (!)

'So, that means I won't be here
to cook your dinners,

'wash your clothes,
clean your bathrooms.

'Once I start
to see some improvement at home

'will I consider coming back.'

Not coming back?
SHE LAUGHS

'I think you've been living
in Claire's hotel for way too long.'

Oh, my gosh!
'Au revoir.'

I can't believe this.
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay!

We've got a lot to do.

Feel like a little bit...

...misled and bit deceived.
SHE SNORTS

Have you got time
to make dinner tonight?

You need to start...
That's crazy.

...sorting yourself out
and learn how to cook.

THEY LAUGH

Thanks, Mum (!)

One of the main reasons
for Claire striking

is to get Sean
to step up in the kitchen.

Ugh! So, like, burgers or pizzas
or something?

But he's already delegating
cooking duties

to daughter Joy-Anna.

You've got time to do it

because I'm gonna be obviously out
with Ezra, so...

I definitely don't wanna have
frozen food

every single day this week.

Can't totally still believe
that she's done this, but, um,

the harsh reality is sinking in

about the fact
that we're gonna need to do

pretty much everything
that she's been doing.

Dad, the crumbs!

Crumbs, yeah,
can you deal with that?

The mess has begun.

After a night away
from their families,

fellow strikers Laura and Claire
are getting together.

I'm looking forward to meeting
someone who understands

what it feels like to be the one
doing all the chores at home,

to speak to someone who knows
exactly what I'm going through.

Hello, I'm Laura.
Hello.

Nice to meet you. You good?
I'm Claire, your fellow striker.

When I arrived, I didn't even unpack
for the first three hours.

Aww! Did you cry?

I was like, "Oh, my God!
I can't unpack.

"I can't unpack
just in case I get that phone call.”

And then, actually, yesterday,
I was a bit cheeky.

The maid was in and out of the room,
and I asked her for a polish cloth

and I polished...
No way! Oh, my gosh!

...just to wipe the sides down
to give me something to do.

For me, going to the hotel
was actually really nice

because being able to sit down,
and there's no distractions.

My husband is actually
from South Africa originally. OK.

And so he would expect
a lot of things done for him

because over there, you have...
It's provided.

That's exactly like my husband.
Yeah.

He's, like, from Tunisia originally.
OK.

So, it's like,
the woman stays at home.

Mm-hm.
Everything all on a gold platter.

I'm so glad I found you because...
LAURA LAUGHS

...you understand me, right?
Of course.

The next morning in Greenwich...

Up, up! I've got no time.
I need to go.

Move, move! Do your bed properly.

Come on.

...Laura's husband Wassim
is sticking to his new strict regime

and letting the kids know about it.

Out of your bed.

I don't care if you're up
or your eyes are open,

I want you to be out from that bed.

Yes, get up!

Rather than drive the kids
to school like Laura,

he is making them walk on their own.

When I started school
when I was six years old,

my dad took me to school
the first day and the second day.

Third day, I go by myself.
But then...

Laura, she's kind of protective.

Bye, Dad!

Those kids,
they're gonna have to grow up.

They have
to learn their independence.

If you don't teach them now,
when are they gonna learn?

Over in Romford...

Tomorrow,
Ezra's gonna need his uniform.

...Sean is ducking out of domestics.

Have you got that washing on? Or...

I'm about to put it on now.

There's three different soaps here.
I've got no idea which one to use.

60. Start.

Unbeknown to their families...

'What do you want
from the fish shop?"

'Fish shop? I thought
you was cooking. What's going on?"

'Well, there... There's no food.'

Oh, my God! Really?

...both strikers have been keeping
a watchful eye

over what's been going on
in their homes.

'Why you don't understand...
there's nothing?'

Really? £309,
and I've still got the receipt

to this day.
CLAIRE LAUGHS

He'll get that bill when I get back,

and I'm gonna shove it up his nose.
CLAIRE LAUGHS

'Want to be out from that bed.
Yes, get up!'

Wow!
My goodness! Is he always like this?

Yeah. Like military.
But he did it.

And some of them could walk. Walk.
How do you feel about that?

I trust the ki... my children,

but you just don't trust
what's going around.

Maybe.
Maybe I could change that. Maybe.

Something to think about.
Yeah.

Now Claire gets to see husband Sean
prepare her youngest for school.

Guess what? You will have to try
and help me a bit.

But leaving 19-year-old Joy-Anna
in charge of the washing

wasn't Sean's best idea.

'Oh, she's left them in there!

Flipping heck! They're not dry.

HE LAUGHS
It's wet.

Oh, gosh!

The washing is wet. Yeah.
Why didn't you do that this morning?

Right, well, let me put it
in there now, then.

This is wet.

It's damp.

'There's nothing else
we can do about it, really.

'I just assumed that Joy-Anna
put them in the dryer.'

SHE LAUGHS

Wow! Literally, Sean's given
all the jobs to do to Joy-Anna.

And he's not pulling his weight.

I think overall, my general feeling
is Sean likes to delegate.

Exactly. He has never learnt
how to do it before.

He's never wanted
to know how to do it.

I'm not there to do it,
he'll give it to someone else.

Is he like that normally?

If I ask him a question, he'll say,
"Well, what do you think?" OK.

So, you wear the trousers, then,
in your house?

You can say that.
THEY LAUGH

Back in Greenwich,
Wassim is preparing dinner.

But unlike Laura's usual options,
there will be one thing on the menu.

This is a kind of my mother recipe.

Well, every Tunisian mother recipe,
really.

My mum, she teach us all how
to cook. We always help her.

If we don't do, we get smacked.
HE LAUGHS

If they enjoy it, we'll do it again.

If they don't enjoy it...

we'll do it again.
HE LAUGHS

Me, I just do one thing.

And they're all gonna have
the same thing.

Laura, she starts, like,
preparing three different dishes,

and she's just spoiling them
a little bit.

Wassim also has no idea
Laura will be marking his new meal.

'No spoiling them any more.'

Really?

Dinner.
Dinner's ready!

Dad?
Yes?

Why? Why don't you try?

It's not spicy.
No, I know.

It's all right. Thank you, anyway.

Why? There is no poison there.

She doesn't like it.
SHE LAUGHS

How was it, Ella?

THEY LAUGH

Sam.
Yeah?

I'm pretty sure
that you will have it.

Just taste the stew.
I don't want it.

Please.

THEY LAUGH

That's what you get from the kids.
Just food waste.

WHISPERS: Oh, my God!

That's one of the reasons
I don't want to come in and cook.

Because you get rejected
without even trying it, so...

'what's the point wasting my time?"
CLAIRE LAUGHS

Really?
He's funny.

SHE LAUGHS

He's not even, like, cooking food
that the kids will all eat together.

These last couple of days,
he's not felt nothing.

What's he done?
Cooked a bit of dinner. Big deal.

Got the kids to school on time.
Oh, big deal.

Literally, I'm looking at his face,

and I just wanna punch it.
THEY LAUGH

It's good to see Wassim cooking,

but he's made a dish
that only he wants to make.

I wish he'd put his feet in my shoes
and realise this is...

You know, this is what Laura does do

and not just take things
for granted.

I definitely now have
quite a clear picture

on what I would like to see changed.

Laura's been watching,
and she isn't happy.

I think we should start right now.
HE GROANS

I'm gonna time you. Ten minutes.
Hit start.

After seeing the state
of their home lives,

Laura and Claire need
to make their partner understand

what changes they need to see
before they come home.

And they're sending in a mate
to do their bidding.

What you doing here?

DOORBELL RINGS

Hi, hello.
Hi-i-i-i-i.

Oh, dear. These cushions don't look
like they normally look like.

Tea.

I... don't really know
why she's here.

Laura's been watching,
and she isn't happy.

You're not getting your hands dirty.

You need to do more.

This is SOME of what she does.

Hoover and sweeping the floor.

Washing the floor,
bleaching the floor.

And they're just SOME...
Some.

...of the things she does.

You see all this "SOME" list,

15 of them, cleaning.
Cleaning is one job.

I have seen Claire. A couple
of things that she's observed.

Joy-Anna's been doing the laundry.

Then, there was a bit of a mishap
with the washing.

That was Joy's fault, though.

Claire doesn't think
you're pulling your weight,

and so she has wrote a list.
Mm.

You're telling me
this room only needs ten minutes

to clean top to bottom. Show me.

You're saying it's not that hard,
and it's not that long.

How much amount
of dust there gonna be

unless they are living
in the desert?

I'm gonna time you. Ten minutes.

Hit start.

I think we should start right now.

Ready?
HE LAUGHS

Come on, then.
Seriously?

Yep.
HE LAUGHS

I don't know
what you're waiting for.

You can't be serious.
I mean, we're gonna do that now?

We're gonna clean
and empty out the fridge.

Ay, ay, ay.

HE GROANS

You got nice and clean on the edges.

Take your time, it's fine.

How is that affecting anyone?
Look at this!

This is all dirty,
stinky milk circles.

Yeah, but it's not smelling like
anything. Sean, it smells.

Three, two, one.

Stop.
There we go. Look.

Stop.
I'm done.

It's not clean!
That's clean enough for me.

Where did that come from, then?
It was there!

It was not there the whole time.
It was there. Look. You didn't mop.

Look. That's not clean.

Job done
because it will get dirty again

WITHIN five minutes.

You said you could do Laura's job
in ten minutes, clean this room.

I'm not the one who's gonna be
doing it on the day-to-day basis,

like, I'm working.
And that's the point.

It's not you doing it, it's her.
It's Laura.

That's why she's gone.

It's not about you, it's about her.

That's where the appreciation
does not come in.

How would you like it if someone
come in who did not do your job

and tell you how to do it?

Get it?
Yeah, yeah.

Do you get it?
Yes.

Half my problem is
I just have no clue what I'm doing.

Claire instinctively knows
what to do when anything is dirty.

She grew up in a household
where her mum had her

probably spring cleaning
every month.

But you're saying
that when she was brought up,

she was taught...

that she did it from a young age.
We had a maid all the time. Ah!

Yeah. But that...
Oh, really?

...50 what I'm trying to say is

I'm asking for a bit of,
like... patience

and, like, to show me what to do.

How long ago was it
that you had a maid?

Till I moved to the UK
when I was 21.

Wow. So, all of your... childhood.
Upbringing. Yeah.

The maid would come in on Monday,
and everything would get cleaned.

That's why
you don't know how to do anything?

Pretty much, yeah.
Mm.

I remember first coming to UK,
and the lady I was staying with

said, "Sean, when was the last time
you washed your sheets?"

And I went,
"What, you mean I need to do that?

"I need to wash the sheets?"

I think when you've grown up
in a particular way

where I just expect someone else
to do it,

it's just, like, almost unnatural
to try and change the way you think.

And it's not impossible,
but it's... it's a challenge.

HE SIGHS
Work through the list

so that you can appreciate
all the things that Claire does.

And you doing it, not Joy-Anna.

Right, so I'm gonna put this...
OK.

...right here...

Yes.
..So you can see it.

And just try, cos she is watching.

Know what I mean?
She is watching.

She can watch.

Feed mop in.

Whoops!

Great (!)
SHE LAUGHS

You don't know what you're doing.
Apparently not.

In Romford...
OK, what am I doing with this?

Where's that press?
Joy-Anna took it out.

Can you just hurry up and cook?

...Sean has decided
to tackle Claire's list

and cook Ezra's dinner
from scratch...

Flipping... I'm fed up
of dealing with these olives.

HE SIGHS

...without the help
of daughter Joy-Anna.

It'll be the thought that counts
more than anything in this meal.

Daddy, where's dinner?
Very soon, Ez.

I reckon that must be
pretty much done, I reckon.

It might have a bit
of olive juice on it.

Yes, do you want some cheese on top?
It's got olive juice on it.

Oh, don't worry, Ez. Olive juice.
Can you take that off?

SEAN SIGHS

Does it taste OK?

Or not? No?

But I took a lot of effort
to make this, Ez.

Is it really not that great?

There's too much sauce on it.

Ezra, I really worked hard
on this one.

My feet are aching.
No, they're not.

My brain is, like, frazzled.

Sit up properly, please,
at the table.

Yeah.

I can't think about what's going on
for tomorrow's dinner.

I wouldn't be able
to keep up with it.

No.

Yeah,
it's making me appreciate Claire.

And all that she's done.

Definitely needs to be
a bit of a change

in my thinking, my mentality, and...

...the status quo needs to shift.

Over in Greenwich,
Wassim has devised a clever plan

to give Laura a break.

Those 45 jobs, it's not organised
in the greatest way.

If Laura organised it in a much
efficient way...

Where's that?

...she may have some extra time
for her to relax.

Excuse me.

Dad's been just cooking dinner,
really,

and telling people to do stuff.

Being bossy.

Rayan? Bottle of water, please.

Quick, quick!

But they aren't appreciating
his totalitarian approach.

LEWA: My siblings,
and even Nan and Grandad,

are getting very frustrated by it.

Dad tends to become
very power-hungry,

and, like, he claims a dictatorship.

It's because that's what
he was used to when he was younger.

Like, his ancestors
thought exactly the same.

But he's really trying to make
the most of it, I think.

I can't wait till Mum comes back.

The family have had enough,

and have nominated daughter Ella
to speak to Dad.

So, me,
Summer and Rayan were talking,

and we've kind of been thinking that

if Mum was the one doing it,
Mum would do it all on her own.

And I don't think you've experienced
how Mum

goes about doing all the work.

I do appreciate her work.

I do appreciate
that it is a hard job.

It's not an easy job.

But when Mum looks back at this...
Yes?

...she'd be thinking...

you've had it easy
than what Mum normally does.

And we think you should
be more appreciative

of what she does
in your way of showing it.

I feel it. I understand it.

But then, I'm trying...
I'm trying my best.

'They all think,
"Ah, yeah, Daddy's just being lazy

" "and just, like,
making us making work.”

'But then, as a father,

'I need to teach my kids how to be
responsible for themselves,

'how to be independent.'

My father was on
the police department in Tunisia.

'He teach me how to be independent,
how to survive.'

This is our tradition
I'm trying to keep up,

teaching my children as well
to do the same thing.

SNIFFS

'I want Laura to understand that.

'It's for their future,
it's not for me.'

Deep down, um...

I'm very soft.

I'm not the maid,
and I'm not your mum.

And I wanted YOU... Yeah?
..to stand in my shoes,

but you didn't do that.

I would be a fool
if I gonna be following you.

After a week apart,
Laura's preparing to meet Wassim

for the first time
since her strike began

to negotiate a deal.

I'm quite excited because,
obviously, you know,

the last few months,
maybe longer now,

it's sort of just been
parallel lines.

We've not been on a date
for probably that long,

I can't even remember.

I just want just
half-head highlights

to try and cover up my grey.

'So for me
to sort of see him tonight,

'not having no kids,
it'd be quite... mad.

'I've gone on strike

'for him to sort of appreciate
and understand and learn.

'And at the minute,
I don't feel appreciated.

'| feel like I'm just sort of like
the run-around lackey.'

I just want him to know
that it can work, and it will work,

as long as we just
sort of do it together.

She will be more than happy
with that.

Let's see how it goes.

I've got two demands for Laura,
what every husband will need...

communicating and listening.

And then all the rest,
it will get done automatically.

Hello.
Hello!

Thank you.

Oh, it's lovely.

And thanks by the way for...
for that video.

I wanted you to put yourself
in my shoes.

OK.
That's it.

Just to see how it is.
Yeah? How it is.

I did put myself in your shoes,
and I see how it is.

You delegated jobs to other people.
Well...

So you didn't do no bathroom.
Yes.

My mum, she done the bathroom.
Yes.

The cooking, fair enough,
you done the cooking.

Why you didn't cook something
for the whole everybody

that they would all eat together.

Mm-hm.
I would be a fool...

Yeah? If I'm gonna be following you.

I need my kids to learn how
to be responsible for themselves.

I wanted YOU to stand in my shoes,
but you didn't do that.

You delegated
every single one a job.

Listen, if you wanna make me happy

and make me not become,
like, crazy or stressed... Yeah.

...once a week,
why don't we do it together?

The cooking. Yeah?

No problem.
OK.

I agree. I need to...
I need to step up and help you out

and, er... share the load with you.

However, I don't want you
to take them in the car any more.

I want them to learn
to be independent.

Let them start their future life,
their adult life from now.

I will be willing to give it a go
to see how it goes.

We all help each other.
We all help each other.

Yes.
Oh, my God! That's so romance.

We all help each other.
I'm sure we can do it.

Yes, no problem.
We will do them together.

Perfect. It will be good.

But...
Oh, for God's sake.

HE GIGGLES
Shut up! Where's that sauce?

SHE LAUGHS

After a week of striking,
it's time for Claire

to meet with husband Sean

to decide if he's done enough
to convince her to come home.

This past week
has been extremely challenging.

I'm almost without words
to describe...

the sense of...

feeling a bit lost at times.

'| wonder if once I get home,
he's gonna think,

' "Phew! I can just go back
to my old ways." "

Are you OK?
Hey.

Is it good to see me?
HE CHUCKLES

It's OK to see you.
It's OK?

It's good to see you.

I know that it was, like,
obviously, I landed you in it,

but I also saw
that you relied majorly on Joy-Anna.

Cos the reality,
if I tried to do it all myself,

I literally wouldn't have been
able to cope, kind of thing.

Yeah, I was feeling quite angry
at the beginning...

like, about it, like, if I'm honest.

I felt like, "Oh, wow,

"you're going off
and having a nice time somewhere."”

So...
But...

Can you see that for me,
that's how it's felt for years?

Mm.

And working full-time
has not been easy.

Can you see why it's too much
for one person?

Mm.

VOICE CRACKING:
I'm actually quite pleased

that you could tell me
how you felt for real because...

You felt angry.

Well, I felt truly neglected.

Yeah.
And why is it all on me?

SHE SNIFFLES
Yeah.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

You're the dad. You're not a kid.

So that's the thing
you have to understand,

and this is where
I expect initiative.

Yeah, I'm not the maid,
and I'm not your mum.

I want us to be in it together.

So what are we gonna do
going forward?

The thing that worked for me before
is some kind of rota of some sort.

So that gives me a couple of days

where I can actually focus
on my work,

and I don't have to worry
about what's gonna be on the table.

So we can start tomorrow?
Yep.

So... I will come home...

...if you promise me
you are going to...

really put that rota in place.

We need...
It has to come from you.

After a whole week,
both strikers are returning.

This morning, I was up at 3:15,
tossing and turning.

And I think it is time now for me
to say, "Enough is enough.”

The kids can fend for themselves,

I will start letting
the kids walk to school.

I think I've got something good
to go home for.

Here's the hoover.

After the meeting with wife Claire,

Sean is keen to prove he can get on
with the chores on his own.

Ay, ay, ay. Oof! OK.

Bathroom, here we come.

I've noticed quite a big change
in my dad in the last week.

My dad's really pulled his weight.

I think he's recognised
this is what Mum does all the time,

and he's taken initiative
to plan dinners,

and he's tidying things
without being asked.

He's really, like,
taken that responsibility,

and I'm quite impressed with him.

CRASH
Oop!

Sean plans to welcome Claire home
with one of her favourite meals.

I've decided I'm gonna cook Claire
a Thai green curry.

When we first met,
we both said we like Thai food.

Hopefully, Claire will appreciate
the fact that I've taken time

to think about something carefully.

This is gonna be a real blessing
to her.

Thanks very much.
All, right. Enjoy your evening.

Appreciate it. Cheers, thanks. Bye.

Finally home.

Mummy! Mummy!
Oh, no. Look who it is!

Hello! How are you? You good?
No!

Did you miss me? Mwah!

You good?

How are you? You good?
Hello. Yeah.

It's a double celebration,
as Laura returns home

on the same day
as son Rayan's birthday.

There we go, love.
Hey! Happy birthday!

There we go.
Hip, hip, hooray!

Do you know how to use a hoover?

HOOVER WHIRRS

DAUGHTER SPEAKING:

What's his name?
Henry.

Henry? Henry the hoover.
SHE CHUCKLES

Ella, I've missed you.
I've missed you.

'Since going on strike,

'| see that the kids have
sort of bonded a bit more,

'working more together.'

For me, that feels like
there's been, like, a change.

Erm...
And that was what I was hoping for.

I've missed all of you.

On this strike, I think I've learned
now, after all these years,

it's not wrong
to say no sometimes.

I mean, I hope Wassim has obviously
sort of seen his sense now

and sort of realised that it is time
to start working together.

I hope.
Yeah, it's for the better.

Don't forget that I am an Arab,

so if the wife go away for striking
for more than a week... Yeah.

...we get married another one.

See you. Ta-ra.
THEY CHUCKLE

WASSIM:

THEY GIGGLE

'I'm looking forward to seeing
and hugging my kids...

'and seeing Sean,
and I hope that he can make dinner.'

Wahoo! It's all coming together.

DOORBELL RINGS

I think I can smell some cooking.

Hello! She's back!
Hello!

Will you actually have me back?

THEY LAUGH

Have you missed me?
Yes, a lot.

Oh, my goodness.
SEAN LAUGHS

Did you do this?
Yeah.

All of it?
Yeah.

What's inside that dish, though?
Have a look, have a look.

Oh, my gosh.
HE LAUGHS

You'll make me cry.

Thank you.
You like Thai food.

I love it. Thank you.

HE LAUGHS
I said it was...

I said it felt a bit like
when I was waiting for you

when we were getting married.
HE LAUGHS

I didn't see the flowers.
This would have been enough.

Thank you. It's very lovely.

Oh!
You deserve it. I'm sorry.

CHILD: It's romantic.

THEY LAUGH
It is romantic.

I wasn't sure what to expect,
10 be honest, coming home.'

Oh, gosh.
SHE CHUCKLES

And he made this amazing Thai food
I absolutely love, so...

SHE SNIFFLES
Erm... I felt quite touched.

Oh, so nice to be home.

It's made me really appreciate
the very special people, and...

Yeah, I've missed them.

I love home, and
people are what make home, really.

LAUGHTER

MAN: Are you gonna come shopping
with me?

I don't really want to, babe.

I pick up 70% of the work.

60-40.

I will go on strike until
I see some form of improvement.

I don't really know where to begin.
Oh, no. It jammed.

I hate shopping with a passion.

I'm lost in the supermarket.

HE SIGHS

Like, I will try anything
if it means that you come home.