Radford family

The Radford family is a British family whose public profile developed through factual television programmes about their household, parenting, business activities and expanding family. Sue and Noel Radford were both adopted as babies and met during childhood. They became parents at a young age, having their first child, Christopher, when Sue was 14 and Noel was 18. They later married when Sue was 17 and Noel was 21. The family subsequently grew to 22 children, making the Radfords a prominent example of a very large British family in popular media. The family first appeared on Channel 4 in the 2012 documentary programme 15 Kids and Counting, which examined several large British families. Following the birth of another child, the Radfords received a programme focused specifically on their household, 16 Kids and Counting. Later television updates followed further pregnancies and births, with the programme title changing as the reported number of Sue and Noel's children increased. The 2018 programme 20 Kids and Counting included coverage of the couple's 25th wedding anniversary and the birth of their twentieth child. The family lives in a former care home in Morecambe. Their public identity has combined domestic documentary storytelling with commercial and social-media activity. Sue and Noel own and operate Radford's Pie Company, also known as Faraday's, a bakery in Heysham that they acquired in 1999. The bakery provides a business dimension to the family's media presence and has been featured alongside household routines and family milestones. After the family reached 22 children, the television format changed. 22 Kids and Counting began airing on Channel 5 on 9 January 2023 and continued as a multi-part, multi-season series. The title reflects the number of children Sue gave birth to rather than a claim that no further family developments occur; later episodes have also followed pregnancies involving some of the older children. The programme and associated social-media presence have made the Radford name a recognizable British factual-television identity, while the family's bakery remains a separate operating business. Available reference material does not establish a formal corporate structure for the family as a brand, a dedicated legal entity, or a current ownership arrangement beyond the family's operation of the pie company.

Sue and Noel Radford were both adopted as babies and met when they were children. Their family story became notable because they began having children at a young age: Sue had their first child, Christopher, at 14, while Noel was 18. They married when Sue was 17 and Noel was 21. Over subsequent years, the couple had a total of 22 children. The Radfords' public recognition began with their appearance in the 2012 Channel 4 documentary 15 Kids and Counting. The programme featured several large British families and introduced viewers to the Radfords' household. After another child was born, the family became the exclusive focus of 16 Kids and Counting. Subsequent programmes and updates followed additional pregnancies, births and changes in the household, with the programme titles reflecting the growing number of children. The family also has a business history outside television. In 1999, Sue and Noel acquired a bakery in Heysham known as Radford's Pie Company, also called Faraday's, and operated it as a family business. The bakery's products and activities have formed part of the wider public picture of the family, alongside their home life and television work. The 2018 programme 20 Kids and Counting documented the birth of the couple's twentieth child and their 25th wedding anniversary. By 2021, Sue and Noel were reported to have had 22 children. The later television format retained the family's large household as its central subject while also covering developments involving the older children. On 9 January 2023, 22 Kids and Counting began airing on Channel 5. Unlike the earlier sequentially numbered programmes, this title became a continuing multi-part and multi-season format. The number refers to the 22 children born to Sue and Noel; later episodes can also cover pregnancies involving some of the older children without changing the series title. The television series has been accompanied by a social-media presence, extending the Radfords' public identity beyond scheduled broadcasts. The family lives in a former care home in Morecambe. Their public profile therefore combines a distinctive family narrative, factual entertainment and a small-business connection through the Heysham bakery. The available reference material does not provide evidence of a formal brand company, a separate executive team or a corporate parent for the Radford family identity.

• 2023

  Launch of 22 Kids and Counting

  [1]Radford familyen.wikipedia.org

  The continuing Channel 5 series began broadcasting on 9 January 2023.

• 2021

  Family reported to have 22 children

  [1]Radford familyen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material identified Sue and Noel as having 22 children by this year.

• 2018

  20 Kids and Counting documents the twentieth child

  [1]Radford familyen.wikipedia.org

  The programme covered the birth of Sue and Noel's twentieth child and their 25th wedding anniversary.

• 2012

  Television debut in 15 Kids and Counting

  [1]Radford familyen.wikipedia.org

  The Radfords appeared in Channel 4's documentary about large British families.

• 1999

  Acquisition of the Heysham bakery

  [1]Radford familyen.wikipedia.org

  Sue and Noel Radford acquired the bakery later identified as Radford's Pie Company, also known as Faraday's.

A British large-family media identity built around observational television, family milestones, domestic life and an associated bakery business.

• Television documentary · 2012

  15 Kids and Counting

  A 2012 Channel 4 documentary programme featuring several large British families. It introduced the Radfords to a television audience before the family received programmes focused exclusively on their household.

• Television documentary series

  16 Kids and Counting

  A follow-up programme devoted specifically to the Radford family after they welcomed another child. It developed the observational format that later programmes continued through additional family updates.

• Television documentary programme · 2018

  20 Kids and Counting

  A 2018 programme covering the birth of the family's twentieth child and Sue and Noel Radford's 25th wedding anniversary.

• Factual television series · 2023

  22 Kids and Counting

  A Channel 5 series that began on 9 January 2023 and continued the television coverage of the Radford household. Its multi-part, multi-season format follows family life after Sue and Noel reached 22 children, including developments involving some of their older children.

• Bakery · 1999

  Radford's Pie Company

  A bakery in Heysham operated by the Radford family and also known as Faraday's. Sue and Noel acquired the business in 1999; the available material identifies it as a family-run bakery and pie company but does not provide a complete product catalogue.

• 2023

  Change to the 22 Kids and Counting formatStrategy

  Background

  After Sue and Noel had 22 children and decided not to have more children of their own, the television format moved away from sequentially increasing programme titles.

  Action taken

  Channel 5 launched 22 Kids and Counting as a continuing multi-part, multi-season series, retaining the number 22 while covering later developments in the wider family.

  Aftermath

  The series continued to feature the Radfords and could include pregnancies involving older children without changing its title.

  Source

1. 1Radford familyen.wikipedia.org