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Moray family of 13 to appear on prime time TV


By Alistair Whitfield

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A family of 13 from Lossiemouth are set to star on prime time TV a week next Thursday.

The Sullivans – that's mum Zoe (42), dad Ben (46) and their 11 kids – will feature in an hour-long show called Britain's Biggest Families, airing on ITV1 from 9pm-10pm.

The super-sized brood were filmed extensively over the course of several months at their four-bedroomed home.

In addition, they were also captured out and about in Lossiemouth, at Elgin's Cooper Park and during a trip to the Highland Wildlife Park.

Ben, an aircraft engineer at RAF Lossiemouth, said: "The kids are all really excited that we've managed to blag our way onto prime time TV.

"There are hours of footage, so we're all very keen to see what's been included.

"Filming took place during last Summer and Autumn under – and I can't stress this enough – very strict social distancing conditions.

"The production company, One Track Media, are based in Bristol, so the camera crew were having to 'bubble' for several days before they travelled.

"And then they were having to stay in a hotel for several extra days too.

"It could be quite frustrating at times, but we enjoyed the experience."

After the second lockdown came into force at Christmas the production company sent camera equipment up to Moray.

The Sullivans were in their element filming themselves as anyone who's viewed their excellent music videos can confirm.

See an example here which was filmed during the difficult days of last April.

The rest of the Sullivan clan are: Joseph (2), Agnes (3), twins Leah and Erin (5), Toby (8), Eva (9) Noah (11), twins Charlotte and Isobelle (13), Olivia (14) and Elisabeth (16)

Ben recalled the days of being locked down every day in a house crammed with so many people.

As he talked over the phone, four of his daughters returned from dance classes, and one of the youngest began to noisily ask where her balloon had gone.

Ben said: "Home schooling was a bit of a nightmare at first.

"But once we got into a routine it went really well."

Partial evidence for this is that the couple's eldest child, Elisabeth, achieved some of the best exam results at Lossiemouth High School in August.

Ben added: "I was off work for a time and I think spending so much time together brought us even closer together as family.

"We started to go for daily walks together.

"We also loved making our music videos as well.

"I looked at it as doing our bit to bring a smile to a few faces."

View the Sullivan's Facebook page here


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