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Garnering awards and making headlines almost from its inception, Wife Swap
was a phenomenal international success, with a format exported to the US, Europe
and even South America. The simple but compelling premise saw women exchange
homes and partners for two weeks to explore how other families lived. At its
peak almost six million viewers watched as personalities clashed over issues
including parenting, personal finance and, in almost every edition, the division
of household labour. Though the participating couples weren't always married,
the central theme of the programme was an investigation of the relationship
between partners and how this dynamic affected other aspects of their lives.
Women participating in a swap entered their new houses with no details of the
family they would be living with for the next two weeks. Each 'wife' wrote a
manual of instructions for her replacement, but in the second week the new
'wives' were able to create their own rules. The controversial element was the
casting, which selected families with very contrasting lives. Typically this
strategy would see a 'traditional' housewife, used to managing childcare and
domestic tasks, placed in a home where responsibilities were more equally
divided. This format guaranteed that arguments about gender roles and class
would ensue, while racial conflicts also sometimes arose. The programme's
matter-of-fact voiceover was often in contrast to the dramatic events onscreen,
while the music selected to accompany various sequences was sometimes used as an
ironic commentary. Away from the often confrontational scenes, video diaries
were used to give a more personal account of the way the swaps were progressing.
After the swap the couples met to discuss their experiences; this element was
later expanded as a spin-off, Wife Swap: The Aftermath.
In focusing entirely on life in the home, the series exposed personal and
deeply held beliefs about gender roles and family structures, although this
often came at the expense of attention to the women's professional as well as
domestic responsibilities. Later series saw efforts to include a wider variety
of participants, including gay couples and families with diverse religious
beliefs. The format's flexibility led to a professional spin-off, Boss Swap
(2004), the inevitable Celebrity Wife Swap (2004-09) and a series revisiting one
of the outrageous families from the second series, Bed & Bardsleys (2005).
After six years as a fixture on Channel Four the series was dropped in a bid to
reinvigorate the schedule.
Lisa Kerrigan
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1. Meeting the family (1:18)
