A Very Modern Family: Stories and guidance to nurture your relationships

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Neil Parish is the Tory who was caught watching porn in the Commons. Now he stars in Channel 4’s Banged Up Nicola Sturgeon has insisted she has “nothing to hide” but repeatedly refused to say whether she deleted messages sought by the UK Covid inquiry. The former first minister was challenged over reports that she destroyed communications that have been requested by the investigation. The Scottish... Nicola Sturgeon has insisted she has “nothing to hide” but repeatedly refused to say whether she deleted messages sought by the UK Covid inquiry. The former first minister was challenged over reports that she destroyed communications that have been requested by the investigation. The Scottish... Nicola Sturgeon has insisted she has “nothing to hide” but repeatedly refused to say whether she deleted messages sought by the... There is a feeling of serenity in Carrie Grant’s sitting room, with its expanse of wooden floor and minimal furniture. It’s an echoey room, not immediately a cosy, put-your-feet up one, largely because it doubles as a meeting place for families in the surrounding north London suburb and beyond who have neurodiverse and transgender children like the Grants. Around 180 families regularly come through the door. Brian & Arthur’s Very Modern Family (RTÉ One, 9.35pm) is two documentaries in one. The first is in the genre of “celebrity does something interesting” as former Big Brother winner Brian Dowling and choreographer and Dancing With The Stars judge Arthur Gourounlian chronicle their journey to parenthood.

But hiding in plain sight is a second film exploring a uniquely Irish dysfunction. Because when it comes to surrogacy – which is how the married couple are to have their daughter – the legislation here is a never-never land with few certainties and much guesswork. He added: “I would say that, in the book, we give lots of guidelines and lots of strategies, but not directions. Because the way that you change something… things have to be malleable to suit your child, in your particular situation, in your family dynamic."Legally, as the woman giving birth to the child, Aoife is the only one with guardianship rights: in the hospital, she must sign documents so that Brian and Arthur can care for the baby. And that’s just the start of the steps that must be taken so that the couple have any sort of agency regarding their daughter. Until then, says their lawyer, “neither of you has a legal relationship with the child”.

It is a reflection of the fact that society is changing faster than most of us can keep up with. The wider concepts of family and community are being deconstructed. There are those who are desperately clinging to the old and those who are desperate for the new to be accepted. How do we hold our families and communities together in unity? How do we create a society where all are included and none are oppressed? Carrie added: “Dinner is a big moment in our house and Arlo, in a very autistic way, says ‘I would like to make an announcement’. And we were like, ‘Okay’. And they go, ‘I am now a boy and my name is Ian’. And the two older kids go, ‘Not Ian!’Carrie and David Grant have an extraordinary family story to tell. They have four children, one of whom is adopted, and all have come with a curveball: mental health challenges, neurodivergence, trans non-binary identities, various sexualities, and they are a mixed-race family, too. In one of the longest interviews he ever gave, the Friends actor confided that he was ‘a dark soul’ who dreamed of meeting the right woman and starting a family In A Very Modern Family, Carrie and David share their challenges and discoveries of growing and shapeshifting to create an incredible, diverse family and community. With their multi-intersectional family, they share their own mindset changes and insights into how to construct a new, accepting and unified space, while providing a deep dive into real life, frequently encountered situations and pertinent, applicable advice.

Scottish Business Digest Serica could revive North Sea’s Kyle oil field: 5 need-to-know business stories The couple have been married for 34 years and have four children, three of whom are trans/non-binary and all four are neurodivergent. In their book, the Fame Academy judges speak about the challenges of family life, as well as sharing what they have learned.Carrie and David Grant have an extraordinary story to tell: three of their four children are trans or non-binary, they are also gay or queer, all four are neurodivergent, and they are a mixed-race family, too. MyHome.ie (Opens in new window) • Top 1000 • The Gloss (Opens in new window) • Recruit Ireland (Opens in new window) • Irish Times Training (Opens in new window) Brian Eno has just won the Golden Lion for music at the Venice Biennale, which obliged him to perform with an orchestra. Anyone expecting classical conformity from this boffin of sound, however, hasn’t been paying attention for the past... ★★★★☆