The Radfords’ Christmas special first look! Sue tears down decorations and leaves home for her mother’s – as Britain’s biggest family face festive disasters and a sibling feud in 22 Kids and Counting

• The family from Morecambe tackle festive disasters during the Channel 5 special
• READ MORE: Britain’s biggest family the Radfords enjoy pre-Christmas break at Center Parcs

Sue Radford tore down the Christmas decorations that she had painstakingly put up – and left her family to spend the day at her mother’s house – in order to ‘shock her children into action’ and celebrate the festive period properly.

The family’s busy Yuletide preparations are shown on 22 Kids and Counting at Christmas, which airs on Channel 5 this Sunday at 8pm. 

During the episode, viewers will see how the parents of Britain’s biggest family – who live in Morecambe, Lancashire – tackle the hectic holiday amid feuds, shocking revelations, stolen desserts and even an unexpectedly ruined turkey. 

Sue, 48, told the programme that she ‘really needs a good Christmas’.

‘This year has been quite difficult for a variety of different reasons,’ she explained. 

The family’s busy Yuletide preparations are shown on 22 Kids and Counting at Christmas, which airs on Channel 5 this Sunday at 8pm

‘Ellie’s has her health problems, she’s been quite poorly. We’ve had Josh who’s been a nightmare in school, not wanting to go in… me and Millie have had a fallout, which is now resolved.’

She then revealed that two of her kids – Luke, 22, and Chloe, 27 – haven’t spoken to each other in nearly 18 months, despite previously being ‘two peas in a pod’; because of a fight over pastry pies.

‘Its really sad to see Luke and Chloe falling out,’ Noel, 52, added. ‘They were always really, really close. They shared everything.’

Even a family session with a counsellor doesn’t appear to diffuse tensions between the siblings – with Chloe refusing to make an appearance at Christmas dinner with the family.

In one moment of frustration, the parent remarked: ‘It just feels likes no one gives a d**n about Christmas… why do I even bother.’ 

What’s more, Sue and Noel are also faced with the ‘heartbreaking’ news that their son Daniel, 24, is leaving home and staring a new life all the way in Australia. 

The mother admits she’s happy for her son, but is also emotional about him fleeing the nest. 

To add to her plate, Sue also has to deal with a flurry of naughty behaviour in the house. 

The family’s busy Yuletide preparations are shown on 22 Kids and Counting at Christmas, which airs on Channel 5 this Sunday at 8pm

During the episode, viewers will see how the parents of Britain’s biggest family – who live in Morecambe, Lancashire – tackle the hectic holiday amid feuds, shocking revelations, stolen desserts and even an unexpectedly ruined turkey

In one moment, she realises that some of the children tucked into a dessert she had specifically bought for Christmas dinner – and elsewhere, she comes into the kitchen only to realise someone had left the freezer door open, sabotaging some of the family’s festive feast – which in total cost ‘nearly £500’.

The mother was devastated to realise the turkey had defrosted – and now ‘stank’. 

Fed up, Sue decides to hatch a plan – by removing herself from the equation. 

Determined, she takes the Christmas decorations in the house down and leaves for her mother’s house for the day. She leaves Noel a note to assure him she’ll return by the evening.  

‘Getting ready for Christmas fills me with joy,’ she told Channel 5. ‘So maybe if I take a step back they’ll be shocked into action and realise what Christmas really means.

‘You only get out what you put in.’

Waking up with Sue gone, a shocked Noel spurs into action as he directs all the children to get into the festive spirit.

A determined Noel focuses on getting a Christmas dinner ready and gets his kids to redecorate the home

By the time a frustrated Sue returns home, she is delighted to see that everyone had stepped their game up

He focuses on getting a Christmas dinner ready and gets his kids to redecorate the home.

By the time Sue returns home, she is delighted to see that everyone had stepped their game up.

She walks into the house as a snow machine in the front porch provides the seasonal décor. 

‘To walk through the gates to the North Pole at my doorstep was amazing,’ she said. ‘I was gobsmacked.’

‘Oh my goodness!’ Sue exclaimed as she saw the house all done up inside. ‘Oh thank you! You’ve done a good job. I love it.’

She added: ‘It’s lovely to see the kids decorating the house… it’s lovely to see the joy it’s brought them. This is what Christmas is all about.’

The mother-of-22 admitted it’s a ‘shame that she’s had to give them a bit of  a kick up the bum but everyone is so happy’.

Scenes from the family’s dinner also shows the children eagerly opening up their presents – which include a North Face jacket, UGGs and dolls – as father Noel serves up 30 Christmas dinners.

But one question that hangs in the air is whether Chloe will be able to forgive her brother and show up at the Christmas dinner to bring everyone together.

Scenes from the family’s dinner also shows the children eagerly opening up their presents – which include a North Face jacket, UGGs and dolls – as father Noel serves up 30 Christmas dinners

In the episode, Luke explained that the feud kicked off because the pair both work in the family’s pie shop. 

He said the fallout has been a ‘mix of things’, but everything has ‘gotten worse’ with them being colleagues. 

THE RADFORDS’ CHRISTMAS DINNER 

Sue revealed that she spent ‘nearly £500’ at the supermarket as she attempted to stock up to make 30 Christmas dinners – before plans went awry.

This included: 

148 mince pies

60  pigs in blankets

60 Yorkshire puddings 

7.5 kg potatoes

4kg carrots 

3 kg Brussel sprouts

2 turkeys

4 Christmas puddings 

16 litres fizzy drink 

2 bottles cream liquer

It all began with some frozen pastry pies, which were all laid out on trays in the freezer.

‘Anyways they just took up so much space,’ he revealed. ‘And Chloe had set it up that way and it was early in the morning.

‘I’m not a morning person… and it just kicked off. It’s the most pathetic thing but it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.’

‘Sibling arguments are different,’ Chloe added. ‘You definitely hold a grudge more.’

Sue told the show: ‘Having a feud in the family is heartbreaking, especially this time of year.’ 

It’s not the first time the Radfords have faced tensions this year.  

Sue herself had seemingly ended her ‘feud’ with her pregnant daughter Millie in August.

The pair were thought to have fallen out around two weeks before Millie announced her third pregnancy. 

But it seems all has been forgotten, as in the summer Sue wrote on an Instagram story to mark her daughter turning 22: ‘Happy birthday @millieradfordd. We hope you have the best day today, we love you. 

‘Can’t wait to see you when we get home. Also can’t believe there will be another little princess to add to this picture next year!’ 

Along with the statement, she shared a sweet snap of Millie with her two children, Ophelia Jo and Chester Bleu. 

The birthday post marked the first time Sue had mentioned Millie since April after they reportedly fell out. 

The 22-year-old, previously accused parents Sue and Noel of ‘making money’ from their grandchildren.

In a surprise Instagram story she has since deleted, Millie came out against her mother Sue – leading fans to believe the formerly close mother-and-daughter were feuding.

She was reacting to a YouTube vlog that Sue advertised on social media, where the mother-of-22 surprised her daughter Sophie’s children, Daisy, ten, Ayprill, eight, and Leo, seven, with a trip to Disneyworld. 

‘Cute? But you’ve made money from all your grandchildren but choose your favourites,’ Millie said on her Instagram story over a screenshot of the video where Sue surprised her sister’s children. 

‘Said my piece,’ she added. 

RADFORD FAMILY CHILDREN: 

Noel and Sue pictured with 18 of their children at Heidie’s christening 

Noel and Sue welcomed their first child together in 1989. The most recent addition to their super-sized brood was Heidie, born in April 2020.

Between them, the couple are parents to Chris, 33, Sophie, 29, Chloe, 27, Jack, 25, Daniel, 24, Luke, 22, Millie, 22, Katie, 20, James, 19, Ellie, 17, Aimee, 16, Josh, 15, Max, 14, Tillie, 12, Oscar, 11, Casper, ten, Hallie, seven, Phoebe, six, Archie, five, Bonnie, four and Heidie, two.

The parents tragically lost their 17th child Alfie in July 2014.

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