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TV Quickfire: Billie and Greg Shepherd

Billie & Greg: The Family Diaries follows the couple and their children Nelly and Arthur
Billie & Greg: The Family Diaries follows the couple and their children Nelly and Arthur Billie & Greg: The Family Diaries follows the couple and their children Nelly and Arthur

We catch up with Billie and Greg Shepherd ahead of the couple's new The Family Diaries show, which will see them tackle renovations, school starts, camping trips - and everything in between.

DO YOU WORRY ABOUT FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF THE MUMMY DIARIES?

B: Yeah, of course. Now it's just solely us, it's like, 'Right, we've got to get this done.' So it does feel like there's a little bit more (pressure). But it's all good, we've really enjoyed filming the series and it's been really fun. There's been so much going on, as always, and I'm confident that people will like it.

THE RENOVATION OF YOUR DREAM ESSEX HOUSE IS A BIG FOCUS. HOW'S IT GOING?

G: I mean, if we could start again, then maybe we would have bought something done. I don't know. Because Billie is so busy week in and week out and then we've got Arthur starting school, so it's just so hard to cram it all in - plus a holiday to Greece, right in the middle of the project, put us behind a bit.

ON TOP OF THAT, ARTHUR HAS RECENTLY STARTED SCHOOL. HOW DO YOU COORDINATE FILMING NOW?

B: During the day, they'll just follow whatever we're doing. Sometimes we do film things after school or before school, like the morning routine or bedtime routine, or taking the kids somewhere after school. And then sometimes it's weekends. It changes every week so it's a lot of organising and juggling.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CHILDREN'S TIME ON CAMERA?

B: The viewer loves to see the family home life and the kids, and whilst they're happy doing it, we're happy for the cameras to be there. But if Greg and I are filming something, we'll just let the kids (play) - if they want to wander in and chat and be on camera, great. If not, they're just off doing their own thing. So we keep it really relaxed now because we can't tell our seven- and four-year-old, "You've got to film this". It's not fair. So we're really aware of that every series.

WHAT ELSE CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE SERIES?

G: I finally got Billie to go and camp in an actual tent. We should have done glamping, but I just wanted to see Billie in a tent for one night. One o'clock in the morning, she's going, "I'm going home..."

B: It was fun, the kids loved it, and it was a good experience for one night - but one night only.

THERE MUST BE DAYS WHERE YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE FILMING, BUT THAT'S PART OF REALITY: SHOWING WARTS AND ALL?

B: Most of the time we really enjoy the filming, but we do have those days when the (crew) pull up and you think, "Not today", but then you have a cup of tea, take 10 minutes, and it's like, "Just crack on with it." But the good thing about our show is that you might feel a bit stressed out and down some days, and it's not ideal, but people are appreciative of seeing that side of things. It makes it so worthwhile when other parents say to us, "Oh, thank you for showing that, it makes us feel normal". People appreciate seeing that not everything's all lovely, like on Instagram. The reality of it is Arthur is screaming, Nelly is screaming, and it's all over the place sometimes.

::Billie & Greg: The Family Diaries starts on ITVBe on Wednesday October 6.