Viewers of Channel 5’s 22 Kids and Counting criticised the show, describing it as a “solution”.
Noel and Sue RadfordBased in Morecambe, Lancashire, they met when she was seven and he was 11. She then became pregnant with her first child, Christopher, when she was just 14 and Noel was 18.
The couple had 21 more children (the youngest was born in 2020) and are now considered Britain’s largest family.
The Radfords often share every aspect of their lives on their social media accounts and on the television series.
His show returned to air yesterday for its fifth series, showing his son Casper taking part in a trial with a Premier League team and the rest of the family getting together to grow vegetables on a plot of land.
Sue Radford is seen in the garden with one of her children in the latest episode, which viewers described as “scripted”.
Sue and Noel Radford have 22 children (the youngest was born in 2020) and are now considered Britain’s largest family.
But this was branded as “fake nonsense” by fans, who slammed the show after watching the first episode of the new season yesterday.
One wrote: ‘More fake, scripted nonsense. #22kidsandcounting.’
Another said: “This used to be an interesting show, actually. Now it’s just a scripted soap opera.”
Sue and Noel, who have lived in their 10-bedroom property since 2004, decided to move earlier this year.
They wanted to move the family to the countryside and found a rural house that suited their needs.
But their dreams of moving there were dashed when they received news that the sale of the £850,000 property had fallen through.
The father of 22 received a call from the real estate agent and the devastating moment was captured on camera and used in his YouTube vlog and also on the show.
Towards the end of the episode, which aired yesterday, Sue said she wanted to bring a little bit of rural life back to her old home by starting to grow things in a vegetable garden.
‘We couldn’t get to the field, so I thought, ‘well, let’s bring the field to us, let’s try to grow some vegetables and get the kids involved in the garden.’
Noel is married to Sue Radford and the couple, who live in Morecambe, Lancashire, met when Sue was seven.
The series was branded ‘fake nonsense’ by fans, who slammed the show after watching the first episode of the new season yesterday.
“It’s really nice, isn’t it? And I feel like this is going to be really good for us. My dream is to be able to grow enough vegetables for our whole family for a big Sunday dinner.”
Some of her younger children were seen running into the dirt with shovels, rolling up their sleeves to help their mother plant crops and flowers.
But this was also criticized by viewers who believed the scene was just “for the cameras.”
One wrote: “Why are they digging a garden in their school uniforms? Oh yeah because it’s all scripted nonsense #22kidsandcounting.”
Another said: ‘Now he’s pretending to grow vegetables! That will last as long as the cameras keep rolling. He has no idea #22kidsandcounting.’
The programme also saw Sue and Noel’s son Casper, who is a huge Liverpool fan, try his luck at landing a place in a Premier League team.
Sue and Noel Radford are pictured with their children at Christmas on This Morning in 2018
Casper Radford looked disappointed after being told he had not been included in the team.
But the family was disappointed when they were told the 11-year-old had not been selected for the team.
Noel said: ‘It would be absolutely fantastic if you could see one of your children become an elite athlete. It would be a dream come true. Not just for them, but for us too.
“Of all the kids, Casper is the most focused. He’s determined to get to where he wants to be.”
Casper said his dream is to become a professional footballer and play for Liverpool, admitting that dribbling the ball is his strong point.
After the trial, Noel received the call while he was at his family bakery and made the decision to take his son out for ice cream and gently break the news to him.
Noel said: ‘They said they were happy with your performance but on that day none of the scouts thought you were ready to take it a step further and turn it into a club.’
But Casper, who hung his head after learning the result, admitted he was “a little sad” about the decision.
