Wife Swap (British TV series)

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Wife Swap
GenreReality
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series11[1]
No. of episodes66 (inc. 13 specials)[1]
Production
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companyRDF Television[1]
Original release
NetworkChannel 4
Release7 January 2003 (2003-01-07) –
15 June 2017 (2017-06-15)

Wife Swap is a British reality television programme that aired on Channel 4 from 7 January 2003 to 15 June 2017.

In the programme, two families, usually from different social classes and lifestyles, swap wives/mothers – and sometimes husbands – for two weeks. In fact, the programme will usually deliberately swap wives with dramatically different lifestyles, such as a messy wife swapping with a fastidiously neat one. Despite using a phrase from the swinging lifestyle, couples participating in the show do not share a bed with the "swapped" spouse while "swapping" homes.

In November 2009, Channel 4 announced that they had cancelled Wife Swap, and no new episodes of the show would be made for the channel.[2] The final episode was broadcast in December 2009.[3]

It was announced that Wife Swap would return for a special Brexit episode to air on 15 June 2017 on Channel 4.[4]

Synopsis[edit]

During the first week, the new wife must adhere to exactly the same rules and lifestyle of the wife she is replacing. Each wife leaves behind a house manual which explains her role in the family and the duties she holds. This almost always determines what rules the wives will apply at the "rules change ceremony".

During the second week, the new wives are allowed to establish their own rules, and their new families must adhere to these new household rules. It usually takes a while for the families to adjust to this policy, meanwhile the wives disburse a sum of money to the family they have become involved with, to do what the wives see fit to spend it on.

At the end of the two weeks, the two couples all meet together for the first time, and the wives, along with their husbands, discuss how they felt about the two weeks. This often descends into personal insults and has degenerated into violence at least twice. More often than not, however, both families reach toward a middle ground and express that they have learned from the experience. Sometimes, the table meeting is a very heartfelt and emotional time for the two families who sometimes have complete and mutual respect for each other. A few weeks later, the cameras return to record what changes have occurred since the wife swap.

Transmissions[edit]

Series[edit]

Series Start date End date Episodes
1 7 January 2003 28 January 2003 4[1]
2 30 September 2003 4 November 2003 6[1]
3 29 June 2004 3 August 2004 6[1]
4 19 October 2004 6[1]
5 6[1]
6 4[1]
7 5[1]
8 10[1]
9 9[1]
10 5[1]
11 6[1]

Specials[edit]

Date Entitle
30 September 2003 Changed Our Marriage
11 November 2003 Celebrity Special
29 June 2004 Changed Our Marriage

International versions[edit]

Country Title Network First airdate
 Australia Wife Swap Australia LifeStyle You
Seven Network
9 January 2012
 Belarus Обмен Жёнами
Obmen Zhjonamy
ONT 24 September 2011
 Belgium De Nieuwe Mama vtm ?
 Brazil Troca de Esposas RecordTV 14 February 2019
 Bulgaria Смени жената
Smeni zhenata
bTV 1 March 2017
 Chile ¿Quién cambia a quién? Intercambio de Esposas Canal 13 14 March 2006
 Czech Republic Výměna manželek TV Nova 5 September 2005
 Denmark Par på prøve TV3 6 October 2003
 France On a échangé nos mamans M6 13 January 2004
 Germany Frauentausch RTL II 14 July 2003
 India Maa Exchange Sony January 2011
 Italy Cambio moglie Fox Life
LA7, SKY Vivo
NOVE
2004
2005-2008
20 May 2020
 Israel אמא מחליפה
Ima Mahlifah
Channel 2 (Keshet) 2005
 Netherlands Jouw vrouw, mijn vrouw RTL4 ?
 New Zealand Wife Swap NZ TVNZ 2 30 May 2019
 Norway Konebytte TV3 22 November 2004[5]
 Poland Zamiana żon[6] TV4[6] 7 June 2007[7]
TTV[6] 19 April 2018[8]
 Romania Schimb de mame Prima TV 2006
 Russia Обмен Жёнами
Obmen Zhjonamy
STS 9 July 2011
Yu TV 2017
 Serbia Мењам жену
Menjam ženu
RTV Pink
Happy TV
July 2006
 Slovakia Zámena manželiek TV Markiza 6 September 2004
 Spain Me cambio de familia Cuatro 5 February 2010
 Ukraine Міняю жінку
Minyayu zhinku
1+1 8 March 2010
 United States Wife Swap ABC
CMT
26 September 2004

Spin-offs[edit]

Boss Swap[edit]

A spin-off, Boss Swap, was broadcast as a series in the UK.[9] A pilot for a US series was shown on ABC but was not commissioned. Husband Swap and Vacation Swap pilots were also broadcast in America, but were not picked up for series production. In the Netherlands and Belgium Vacation Swap episodes, are produced as "Jouw vakantie, mijn vakantie".

At least once a husband and a live-in boyfriend swapped while the women stayed with their families.

X-Change[edit]

There is an ongoing series on Hunan Television, in which the people being swapped are mostly the eldest children (or in rare cases, youngest or all children) of between 9–16 years old. One of these comes from an affluent family, but with behavioural and legal issues, in which they must surrender all technological gadgets and money (except for the allowances left by the opposite family, or any money they earned or collected). The other is from a poorer agricultural village, often orphaned or with single parents. This show also has celebrity mentors making videos of support for the participants.

In the Netherlands the same format is being used in KRO's Puberruil, broadcast on NPO3. The children are 15–18 years old. Most of the time Dutch children are swapped, but there are also episodes named "Puberruil buitenland" where Dutch children are swapped with children in countries like India, Brazil and Sierra Leone. Longer episodes are called "Puberruil Xtra".

In popular culture[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Wife Swap UK". Banijay. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  2. ^ Mayer Nissim (12 November 2009). "Channel 4 axes 'Wife Swap', 'How Clean'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  3. ^ "Wife Swap - The Carters and the Dales". Channel 4. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  4. ^ "What time is Wife Swap: Brexit Special on TV?". Radio Times. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Nasjonalbiblioteket: Hadeland, mandag 22. november 2004". Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b c ""Zamiana żon" nowością w wiosennej ramówce TTV". www.wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). 30 November 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  7. ^ "TV4 pilotuje 'Zamianę żon'". www.wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  8. ^ ""Zamiana żon" hitem TTV. Premiery programu ogląda 368 tys. widzów, a powtórki - 233 tys". www.wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). 8 May 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  9. ^ "ABC greenlights two 'Wife Swap' spinoffs: 'Husband Swap' and 'Boss Swap'". Reality TV World. 28 June 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2010.

External links[edit]