NOEL Radford has shared a simple trick that he swears by to keep his kids busy.
So with the summer holidays finally here, if the thought of entertaining your little ones for six weeks sends shivers down your spine, then you’ll need to check this out.
And with many people’s homes likely to get extremely messy during the school holidays, with toys and games sprawled out all over the place, thanks to Noel’s hack, you won’t have to worry about spending hours tidying up.
In fact, with dad-of-22 Noel’s sneaky game, you’ll get your little ones helping you out, and they’ll have fun in the process too.
Noel, 53, who stars in the Channel 5 show 22 Kids & Counting, has revealed how he ensures that chores get done and his home stays tidy whilst the kids are off school.
In a clip from last Sunday’s episode, which aired at 8pm, we saw the family’s patriarch share his savvy hack.
The short video was posted on Instagram, on both @channel5_tv and @theradfordfamily’s accounts, showing how the father of Britain’s Biggest Family gets his children to help around the house.
Noel, who lives in a 10-bedroom Morecambe home, known as the ‘millionaire mansion’, in Lancashire, which he and wife Sue, 49, bought for £240,000 in 2004, explained: “To get the kids to help, I just need to come up with a little plan.”
He continued: “Get a little game going, and then they’ll all join in and help me.”
The father, who has ten grandchildren, told the youngsters: “The game is, whoever gets the most items in the dishwasher, is the winner.”
We then saw the Radford children scramble around the kitchen, as they eagerly ran to put their bowls and plates in the dishwasher.
Hallie, nine, collected four items, whilst two young Radfords kids were seen washing up their dirty dishes.
To this, Noel asked: “Are you rinsing them off first or are you actually washing up?”
In response, the youngsters shouted: “Washing up.”
THE first ever episode of 22 Kids and Counting aired on Channel 5 on 22nd February, 2021.
After the first series – which had just four episodes in it – performed well, Channel 5 commissioned a 10-episode second season, which was broadcast in 2022.
They went on to commission a third series, which included a Christmas special aired in December 2023.
The fourth season began airing in January 2024, but fans were left disappointed when it stopped after six episodes.
Sue and Noel reassured viewers that they were just taking a little break, and the next episode will be airing on 21st July.
You can catch up on all previous episodes of 22 Kids and Counting on My 5, here.
Tillie, 14, stacked three items in the dishwasher, whilst Noel recognised: “Bonnie’s going for it!”
Heidie, four, joked that she had collected “seven million” items from the Radford kitchen, to which Noel announced: “I think we’ve got a clear winner with Heidie.”
AS Britain’s biggest family, it may come as no surprise that Sue and Noel Radford must have some hefty bills.
Between them, they have a whopping 22 children and seven dogs, which often has some people wonder how they manage their money.
The Radfords support themselves with the proceeds of Noel’s bakery, The Radford Pie Company, which is located near their home.
On their website, it says: “We have owned our own lovely bakery since 1999 which is how we manage to provide for (and feed) our huge and expanding family as well as for the local people of Heysham and Morecambe.”
The family expanded their business to cater to online orders placed across the UK.
The business is a family affair, with Noel at the helm, and some of their children helping out.
The older kids, who are working at least part-time, don’t get a free ride as they’re made to pay a small amount of rent to their parents.
“Us older ones do pay a little bit of board. Granted it’s not a lot but I’m also trying to save up for my own house at the moment.” their daughter Chloe said in a video on the YouTube channel.
Sue added: “We’ve always said if you want to buy somewhere, renting is a bit of dead money, so we’d rather you saved that money up and stayed at home a bit longer.
“I also do believe they should pay board if they are earning. We’ve always been brought up by our parents that we had to pay board.”
Noel and Sue famously don’t rely on benefits for their bumper brood and live off their pie shop for income.
They also revealed they make money from brand partnerships on social media.
The Radford family stars in their own reality TV show 22 Kids and Counting – which has run for four series.
Brand expert Andy Barr believes Noel and Sue have been paid less than £10,000 for each show.
He told the Daily Mail: “The typical fee per episode is going to be in the thousands rather than the tens or hundreds of thousands that people often think is the case with TV shows of this nature.
“If they continue to get commissioned for a fourth or fifth season, then they are going to be able to command a higher fee.”
He estimates that the Radfords make £ 5,000 an episode.
Thrilled with the speed of his children engaging in their chores, Noel beamed: “That was done really quick guys.”
Instagram users were left impressed with Noel’s simple but effective hack and many took to the comments to share this.
One person said: “Just caught up on this week’s episode. You are just the best parents to your kiddos. I love watching you all.”
Another added: “It was lovely to watch.”
A third commented: “That was brilliant to watch.”
