The Family (1974 TV series)

The Family is a 1974 BBC television series made by producer Paul Watson, and directed by Franc Roddam. It is a fly-on-the-walldocumentary series, seen by many as the precursor to reality television. It is similar to an American documentary which had aired the previous year (but which had been filmed in 1971), called An American Family.

The series follows the Reading-based working class Wilkins family of six, headed by Margaret and Terry, through their daily lives, warts and all. It culminates in the marriage of one of the daughters, which was plagued by fans and paparazzi alike.

The show was the basis for two parodies: Monty Python's Flying Circus, in their last episode, which aired on 5 December 1974, featured a sketch called "The Most Awful Family in Britain 1974"; and Benny Hill, on one of his 1975 specials, did a takeoff called "That Family".