COT IN THE ACT
A NEW SERIES FOLLOWS SIX FAMILIES AS THEY WELCOME THEIR CHILDREN INTO THE WORLD…
It’s no surprise that shows such as One Born Every Minute have been so popular, because there’s no shortage of variations on the story of starting a new life. But, of course, birth is only the beginning, and this new four-part documentary follows six families through their first weeks with their newborns to capture the highs and lows. Inside TV chatted with two contributors, married couple Paul and Craig Saunders, to find out how their twin girls have changed their lives…
“We were ready for the most insane thing to happen to our household – we were like, ‘Anything less than chaos would be amazing’!” chuckles Paul. “And we have struggled with sleep deprivation, but other than that, they’re so incredibly well-behaved and amazing that I think we’re going to pay for it when they’re a bit older. Right now, they’re basically ticking time bombs!”
The couple did have some qualms about allowing cameras to follow the early weeks with their daughters, but having grown up with the perception that it wouldn’t be possible for them as gay men to get married and have a family, they wanted to use their story to help others.
“The only reservation was our privacy – like, keeping something special back for us,” explains Craig. “But Paul would keep reminding me that our story is worth sharing if it gives somebody else hope that it could be them. That was our driving force when things got tricky.”
Paul and Craig also hope that their contribution to the show will help to open people’s eyes to the fact that families come in many different forms – yet the experience of parenting is universal.
“Everyone just stares over the cot at their babies!” Paul points out. “It’s like, ‘I can’t move because I need to watch the rise and fall of their chest every five seconds’! But we all have the same objective – to keep a young life alive.”
“We didn’t know who the other families were until we were all introduced via the screen,” shares Craig. “We haven’t met in person yet, but we’d really like to!”