The father seemed to be trying to deal with a "shut the stable door after the horse has bolted" situation. He allowed his daughters to swear freely in the home both in front of him & to him (they spoke to him like dirt), at least one bedroom was an absolute tip, they smoked in the bedroom though it was supposed to be a non-smoking household & as far as I could see the au pair was there more to clear up after them & do household chores that they wouldn't do. Then Al went in - at first the girls weren't keen on him, but within a day of meeting him they really liked him. He didn't lecture them, but managed to get them helping him & in the end they realised that there was no need to have anyone living in if they pitched in to help run the house. He managed the party situation really well - he got rid of the trouble-makers without disrupting the whole party, yet all the father could do was complain that the music had gone on longer than he expected. Al was right about delusions of grandeur - he was diplomatic enough not to add that if the father had been more of a father & disciplinarian in the first place, they wouldn't have had to waste time & money getting people in the first place.
As for Lady Swinton's staff, I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that the dark-haired woman had hoped to get the job herself, because she resented Al's presence from the very beginning. "I'd never have let all that pile up" said she - would it have killed her to tell him as she saw it piling up that he'd be clearing it all himself, so it might be better to do it as he went along? No, she saw it piling up & deliberately said nothing to him, as if to say "You're the manager - sort it out yourself". Seven staff? I got the impression that she could have got rid of at least one of those, & got more work out of the remainder, but her being in a wheelchair restricted how much she could see for herself, so they were able to do a lot of things unsupervised. The staff knew that a manager would see a lot more than she did & would have to report back and/or deal with it themselves, & they weren't remotely happy about the possibility of being watched & supervised by someone else, hence the general resentment about the employing of a manager. But the worst person in that household to me was Lady Swinton herself - to hold it against him that he's a southerner showed she wouldn't have employed him anyway unless he was absolutely exceptional & had got on with everyone already there. He was annoyed at having spent so much time & having made so much effort for a job that wasn't going to be offered to him anyway. It was ill-mannered & abusive of her to have him there under such a pretence.
The issue here is that he is your potential employer, not your friend, and you don't know what he is using the photo for. If someone took your picture in a social context, having a drink as you say, the person taking that picture would probably a friend or relative, someone you know and trust. Would you be happy for your boss to take random pictures of you at work, without telling you what it was for?
As a professional photographer, I'd never take someone's photograph (unless part of a street scene) without their prior approval. And RDF had us sign an agreement that said we wouldn't take photos during the production of the programme --- so the only photos we have are essentially of the RDF crew.
But it did strike me as a bit weird that she would complain about having her photograph taken while appearing on national television. If you want to preserve your privacy, why stand in front of an RDF camera and microphone?
I loved the even more bizarre world of employing a "House Manager" to look after one member of staff --- a rather put-upon Czech au pair. And the au pair seemed younger than the two teenage daughters.
At one time, when we were away from our house most of the time, we employed what we grandly called an "Estate Manager" to look after the housekeeper, cleaner, and cook. Steve was with us for over a dozen years, and did a great job. But there was an enormous amount of back-biting. The housekeeper thought the cook should clean the kitchen (which seems fair enough to me), the cook wanted the cleaner to wash tea towels, etc. It all seemed a bit trivial to me --- Marjorie and I just wanted a quiet, uncomplicated life.
It seems that both employers were offering £16,000 for House Managers. I know from experience that you can't get anyone at that salary level. And most experienced House Managers will only consider a job with a large country pile.
But the worst person in that household to me was Lady Swinton herself - to hold it against him that he's a southerner showed she wouldn't have employed him anyway unless he was absolutely exceptional & had got on with everyone already there.
I was shock at the southern comment, yes we all know it's true about southerns but to come out with it
Is it just me but those two sisters remind me of the Geldof daughters
No not just you. The old man reminds me of Bob too; not that they look alike, just that they appear to have that 'lost touch' knack with their children. :rolleyes:
Both employers have some major issues. I have a feeling that even if he was a northerner, she still would have some issue about him to nitpick about. The other bloke just needed to take off his rose-tinted specs that he viewed his daughters through. An au-pair for kids post-high school age? Oh purlease lol. :cool:
Once again disgustingly spoilt, selfish children and the parent(s) too lazy to reign them in and teach them such old fashioned concepts like humility and good manners. In three days, the house manager did a better job of parenting than their actual father.
Too true. I felt he handled himself and the party very well, I hope that the dad realises this when he views the footage. The dad had issues about leaving him with his two teenage girls before the party anyway, the party thing was just an excuse to 'justify' getting rid of him. Like others said, he did a better job with the three girls in three days than the Dad had been doing.
Mr. Grasso called me yesterday: I hadn't spoken with him previously.
It will come as no surprise that he and his wife are upset by their portrayal on the programme. They feel that RDF editing has twisted things to show them in an unflattering (but, I suppose, more "entertaining") fashion.
I'm not here to defend the Grassos --- or RDF. Like most people on this forum, I've read the "bad editing" complaint on numerous occasions and am quite cynical. I can't see how a production company can put words in your mouth.
Having said that, I read Jiro's post this morning with interest. I asked Mr. Grasso specifically about the chauffeur's uniform, and about the long hours they apparently expected their housekeeper to work.
I asked --- as did Jiro --- if the Grassos had a chauffeur's uniform in the closet they could have produced with a flourish if Andrew had unwisely said "yes."
Mr. Grasso said they do not have a chauffeur's uniform: the RDF producers suggested his wife ask Andrew some questions to find out what Andrew would be comfortable doing. It's easy to then see how this Q-and-A clip could be placed just before the shopping excursion sequence in the edit suite.
Jiro raised just this point.
I asked Mr. Grasso if he thought RDF would have produced a chauffeur's uniform from Angels if Andrew had said "yes." There's no way of knowing this. But it would have been more entertaining if Andrew had marched along in one of those grey suits and hats in the garden centre.
Mr. Grasso said that their housekeeper's day does begin at 6:30 or 7:00 AM and end at about 7:00 PM. But RDF edited out the further explanation that his family are out of the house all day, so the housekeeper would work in the morning, and then have a long (multi-hour) break before the family returned home. I think this is a fairly common arrangement, and it means a 12 hour day is really more like 8.
I asked how RDF had found the Grassos. There was speculation elsewhere on this forum that they were in an earlier Wife Swap. He said that he'd run an ad on Gumtree looking for a housekeepeer, and RDF approached him. That's how RDF found us.
Mr. Grasso said he'd read the various postings on this forum, but was reluctant to join in the discussion because he thought (I think quite sensibly) that he and his family would be vilified further.
Please remember that Rod Williams, who is credited as the producer and "writer," told me on at least two occasions that they were making an entertainment programme --- and not a documentary on the process of hiring a housekeeper. Viewed with that in mind I do find "Personal Services Required" entertaining.
Isn't it more fun to watch someone eat food they don't like --- from bruschetta made with canned tuna to grubs in the Australian jungle --- rather than food they do like?
Some people are so desperate to be on TV that they'll do anything. It was obviously a misjudgement on behalf of the Grassos, but serves them right for being so vain.
We were paid Stg 1.00 --- yes, one pound --- to participate in this programme. RDF said that we would also receive, in effect, two weeks of free housekeeping, and (hopefully) a great housekeeper at the end of the programme.
The filming was so intrusive that the three housekeepers had almost no time to do any actual work. How would you like to be filmed from about six angles mopping a kitchen floor?
So please don't assume that the participants in these programmes are paid. I can't speak for all participants, but Marjorie and I weren't paid anything more than a purely token sum.
Comments
Alan - how much experience did he have prior to this?
Roxanna - very grand!
Patricia - very grand too!
Lady S's staff were a pain! She seemed a dear? (I was puzzled about someone labelling her Pimms. Were they poisoning her?!) What a lovely grand house.
The Irish fella with the hideous teenage daughters... I am scratching my head.
Did he want a Housekeeper or a new wife?
Aw that's a shame, I was out Wednesday night and have loved this series.
As for Lady Swinton's staff, I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that the dark-haired woman had hoped to get the job herself, because she resented Al's presence from the very beginning. "I'd never have let all that pile up" said she - would it have killed her to tell him as she saw it piling up that he'd be clearing it all himself, so it might be better to do it as he went along? No, she saw it piling up & deliberately said nothing to him, as if to say "You're the manager - sort it out yourself". Seven staff? I got the impression that she could have got rid of at least one of those, & got more work out of the remainder, but her being in a wheelchair restricted how much she could see for herself, so they were able to do a lot of things unsupervised. The staff knew that a manager would see a lot more than she did & would have to report back and/or deal with it themselves, & they weren't remotely happy about the possibility of being watched & supervised by someone else, hence the general resentment about the employing of a manager. But the worst person in that household to me was Lady Swinton herself - to hold it against him that he's a southerner showed she wouldn't have employed him anyway unless he was absolutely exceptional & had got on with everyone already there. He was annoyed at having spent so much time & having made so much effort for a job that wasn't going to be offered to him anyway. It was ill-mannered & abusive of her to have him there under such a pretence.
But it did strike me as a bit weird that she would complain about having her photograph taken while appearing on national television. If you want to preserve your privacy, why stand in front of an RDF camera and microphone?
I loved the even more bizarre world of employing a "House Manager" to look after one member of staff --- a rather put-upon Czech au pair. And the au pair seemed younger than the two teenage daughters.
At one time, when we were away from our house most of the time, we employed what we grandly called an "Estate Manager" to look after the housekeeper, cleaner, and cook. Steve was with us for over a dozen years, and did a great job. But there was an enormous amount of back-biting. The housekeeper thought the cook should clean the kitchen (which seems fair enough to me), the cook wanted the cleaner to wash tea towels, etc. It all seemed a bit trivial to me --- Marjorie and I just wanted a quiet, uncomplicated life.
It seems that both employers were offering £16,000 for House Managers. I know from experience that you can't get anyone at that salary level. And most experienced House Managers will only consider a job with a large country pile.
I was shock at the southern comment, yes we all know it's true about southerns
No not just you. The old man reminds me of Bob too; not that they look alike, just that they appear to have that 'lost touch' knack with their children. :rolleyes:
Both employers have some major issues. I have a feeling that even if he was a northerner, she still would have some issue about him to nitpick about. The other bloke just needed to take off his rose-tinted specs that he viewed his daughters through. An au-pair for kids post-high school age? Oh purlease lol. :cool:
Too true. I felt he handled himself and the party very well, I hope that the dad realises this when he views the footage. The dad had issues about leaving him with his two teenage girls before the party anyway, the party thing was just an excuse to 'justify' getting rid of him. Like others said, he did a better job with the three girls in three days than the Dad had been doing.
Some people are so desperate to be on TV that they'll do anything. It was obviously a misjudgement on behalf of the Grassos, but serves them right for being so vain.
i dont think that wendy ann wanted the job in the first place, it was tv after all they all got paid for there part:)
The filming was so intrusive that the three housekeepers had almost no time to do any actual work. How would you like to be filmed from about six angles mopping a kitchen floor?
So please don't assume that the participants in these programmes are paid. I can't speak for all participants, but Marjorie and I weren't paid anything more than a purely token sum.