This is a list of episodes for Wife Swap, a British reality show that aired on Channel 4 from 7 January 2003 to 19 December 2009, and returned for a one-off Brexit special on 15 June 2017. There were 11 seasons, as well as a celebrity version.[1][2][3]
Information is available about 79 episodes, plus one episode which was filmed but not aired.[4] The Daily Mirror reported in 2009 that the show had 83 episodes (which would total 84 after including the 2017 Brexit special),[2] while Banijay currently states there were 80 episodes.[1] Sources differ on the exact order of episodes and which episodes belong to each season.[10] For the purposes of this list, where seasons or dates are not known, episodes are ordered by their entries on major streaming platforms.[11][12]
There was also a spinoff series on E4 called Wife Swap: The Aftermath, where couples who had previously appeared would each watch their episode live and then reunite for the first time since the show aired. It was first broadcast in 2005 alongside Wife Swap's fifth season.[13]
Season 1
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
An overweight White wife opposed to interracial marriage swaps with a fitness-conscious Black wife whose husband has strong views about a woman's role in the home.[14][15]
Dee
Sonia
7 January 2003
2
A wife who tends to every need of her domineering, compulsive gambler husband swaps with a casting agent who runs a theatre workshop.[15][16]
Michelle
Carol
14 January 2003
3
A mother of one who works long hours as a legal secretary swaps with a full-time mother of six.[15]
Tracey
Kate
21 January 2003
4
An organized wife who shares household duties with her husband swaps with a wife who does all the housework despite also having a full-time job.[15]
Anne
Diane
28 January 2003
Season 2
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
A wealthy wife whose husband spends more time playing video games than with his children swaps with the wife of a family-oriented canteen worker. Both husbands are also brothers.[17][18]
Jayne
Nicola
30 September 2003
N/A
Wife Swap Changed Our Marriage. Retrospective on how the show impacted participants.[18]
Season 1 couples
30 September 2003
2
A foul-mouthed mother of eight who receives unemployment benefits along with her husband swaps with a well-to-do working wife. The swap was ended by the first wife after three days because of fears her replacement was plotting to break up her marriage.[19][20]
Husband swap. A carefree self-professed "spiritual healer" with five dogs swaps with a stay-at-home father of seven who keeps his house spotlessly clean.[26][27]
Darren
Nigel
4 November 2003
N/A
A Black wife swaps with a wife who holds admittedly racist views. The episode was filmed but never aired. Channel 4 claimed the tapes had been lost, while one of the couples stated they believed the episode was dropped because the couples had become friends.[4][28][29]
Erinma
Liz
Unaired
Season 3
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
A wife of a van driver who encourages her children to swear swaps with a strict wife who is a prison warden.[30][31]
Lucy
Pat
29 June 2004
N/A
Wife Swap Changed Our Marriage. Retrospective on how the show impacted participants.[31]
An environmental campaigner whose family lives in a log cabin without modern conveniences swaps with a suburban wife whose family keeps a television in every room.[34][35]
A teacher with a cultured lifestyle and passion for learning swaps with a wife who does everything around the house and whose family does not emphasize education.[37]
A wealthy wife with a fitness-obsessed husband swaps with the overweight wife of a fence builder. This episode was halted halfway through after one wife brought a hamster into the other home during rule change without telling the husband.[43]
Dawn
Leesa
16 November 2004
↑Listed on streaming services as Season 3 Episode 6,[41][42] but aired during Season 4.[43][40]
Season 4
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
A millionaire self-made businesswoman swaps with a full-time mother of eight whose frugal husband makes the financial decisions.[44][45][46]
Deirdre
Margaret
26 October 2004
2
A carefree wife who does not clean her house swaps with a strict, organized wife. One of the couples split up during the episode.[47]
Jacqui
Becky
2 November 2004
3
A wife who expects her husband to provide for her and doesn't work, cook or clean swaps with a wife who believes she should serve her husband.[48]
Bonny
Dorinda
January 2005
4
A teacher who runs a regimented home swaps with a disorganized wife whose nine-member family shares three bedrooms.[49]
Donna
Kelly
January 2005
5
A female comedian who describes her parenting style as "healthy neglect" swaps with a wife who does everything for her children and unemployed husband.[50]
JoJo
Dawn
2 February 2005
6
An image-obsessed wife who barely sees her two-year-old son swaps with a stay-at-home mother who doesn't focus on her appearance. During the table meeting, one wife threw a glass of water over the other, causing the show's camera crew to step in and prevent a physical altercation.[51][52]
Penny
Penny
9 February 2005
Season 5
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
A wife who runs a sheep farm swaps with an city-dwelling wife whose husband regularly smokes cannabis.[53][54]
Bridget
Carrie
19 September 2005
2
A wife obsessed with cleaning swaps with a laid-back wife who is a member of a motorcycle club with her husband.[55]
Bess
Cheryl
26 September 2005
3
A hardworking strict British Pakistani wife swaps with a wife whose children are undisciplined and often use foul language.[56]
Havovie
Sheila
3 October 2005
4
A wealthy Irish former model swaps with a wife who lives in a council flat with five children and an unemployed, gambling husband.[57]
Debbie
Melissa
10 October 2005
5
A wife who spends most nights going out with her husband instead of spending time with her young daughter swaps with a Scottish wife from a frugal, tight-knit family.[58]
Sharon
Wilma
17 October 2005
6
A single mother who doesn't like men telling her what to do and has a chaotic household swaps with a strict housewife whose husband owns a gym.[59]
Sue
Bea
24 October 2005
Season 6
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
A wife who goes out to the pub most nights and whose partner does all the housework swaps with a mother of four with an immaculate home.[60]
Yvonne
Michele
24 April 2006
2
A wife whose domineering, short-tempered husband runs the home like a military boot camp swaps with a mother whose boyfriend gets no respect from her children.[61][62]
Sharon
Karen
31 April 2006
3
A wife who loves fashion and socializing swaps with a wife who moved with her family to the Isle of Lewis, a remote island in the Scottish Outer Hebrides.[63]
Jayne
Jane
8 May 2006
4
A wife with spoiled children who is involved in local politics with her husband swaps with a strict wife who uses a whistle to discipline her children.[64]
Jo
Suzanne
2006
Season 7
The episode order is not exactly known and is listed according to streaming services.
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
A busy mother of three who runs a successful hair salon swaps with a stay-at-home mother with a computer addict husband.[65]
Angie
Debbie
9 October 2006
2
A self-made multimillionaire businesswoman swaps with a stay-at-home mother of four children.
Nancy
Lisa
2006
3
A single mother who believes in liberation through pole dancing swaps with a wife who serves her husband and believes old fashioned values have made her marriage successful.
Donna
Michelle
2006
4
A wife who is against traditional routines and used to live in a van swaps with a highly organized wife who emphasizes financial success.
A nightclub dancer who doesn't spend much time with her daughter swaps with a horse trainer whose family keeps to themselves.[69]
Tori
Paula
22 April 2007
↑Listed on streaming services as Season 7 Episode 5,[67][68] but aired during Season 8.[69]
Season 8
The episode order is not exactly known and is listed according to streaming services. Most of these episodes were listed by Channel 4 as either Season 7 or Season 8.[70]
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
A health-conscious paraplegic swaps with an overweight, easy-going wife.[71]
Ruth
Sue
April 2007
2
A devoutly religious Muslim wife swaps with a liberal who is the sole breadwinner for her family.[72]
Nuzhat
Deborah
2007
3
A wife who along with her husband is a Labour Party councillor and whose constituents' needs sometimes come before her childrens' swaps with a wife whose main priorities are looking good and taking care of her family.[7][8]
Julie
Tina
13 May 2007
4
A stay-at-home mother of five who does not discipline her kids swaps with a wife who believes in structure and strict chore routines.[73]
Alison
Michelle
2007
5
A single father who lets his two teenage sons make their own rules swaps with a strict, traditional wife whose immigrant family owns a convenience store.[74]
A wife in an alternative lifestyle whose husband and her both have girlfriends swaps with a traditional wife whose husband makes her do chores despite having a muscle disease. The husband in the former couple died of a suspected drug overdose in May 2008 after the marriage failed, leading his wife to criticize the show for goading contestants "into behaving how they want you to behave".[76][77][78]
Jane
Debbie
October 2007
7
A wife whose husband does everything for her, and whose mother and stepdad help raise her children, swaps with a wife who does all the household duties for her domineering husband.[79][80]
Karen
Andrea
October 2007
8
A lesbian whose family is reliant on benefits for income swaps with a wife from a conservative farming family whose husband works 70 hours a week.[81]
Jess
Mandy
2007
9
A stay-at-home wife whose husband hunts for food swaps with a businesswoman whose husband does most of the childcare.[82][83]
Sally
Dalite
28 October 2007
10
A wife who is a swinger along with her husband and whose daughter works as a pole dancer swaps with a strict wife who is training her 11-year-old daughter to swim in the Olympics.[84]
Chris
Tracey
2007
↑Season 8 Episode 6 is not available on streaming services.[75]
Season 9
The episode order is not exactly known and is listed according to streaming services. Channel 4 listed most of these episodes as part of Season 9, and one as Season 8.[70]
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
A strict wife who doesn't let her children watch TV swaps with a wife whose children decide whether to go to school and whose husband and sons perform in a comedy band.[85][86]
Ife
Debbie
17 February 2008
2
A devout Christian who follows the Bible to the letter swaps with a Christian who drinks and gambles and whose husband does most of the housework.[87]
Judith
Dawn
2008
3
A traditional rural wife who has six children and 50 pets swaps with a busy wife who works as a property developer and glamour model.[88]
Michele
Louise
2008
4
A wealthy socialite with a five-bedroom villa swaps with a wife who lives a self-sufficient, carbon-neutral lifestyle on a boat. Both families are British expatriates living in Spain.[89]
Anna
Kara
2008
5
A wife who eats from dustbins and lives in a van with other members of a fringe religious group swaps with a millionaire housewife with pampered, overachieving children.[90][91]
Susan
Debbie
9 February 2008
6
A strict disciplinarian whose husband is out working most evenings swaps with a laid-back mother of seven children.[92]
Raquel
Ronnie
2008
7
A wife who is blind since birth and runs a tight ship at home swaps with a wife who juggles five children and three internet businesses.[93][94]
Penny
Vanessa
12 September 2008
8
A mother of ten who is hoping to pursue a career swaps with a wife who runs a sweetshop and whose husband put his business on hold to take care of their children.[95][96]
Emma
Sam
31 August 2008
9
A strict wife who lives in the country swaps with a laid-back wife who runs an alternative fashion business.[97]
Nadine
Red
2008
Season 10
The episode order is not exactly known and is listed according to streaming services. Channel 4 listed these episodes as part of Season 9 and 10.[70]
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
A gay man who lives with his partner and daughter from a previous marriage swaps with a Bulgarian-born world-class female bridge player with traditional views.[98]
Andy
Nevena
2008
2
A wife from a family where both parents work and the children have packed schedules swaps with a wife constantly on call for her controlling husband, who cannot work due to an injury.[99]
Suzanne
Wioletta
2008
3
A born-again Christian who lives a bohemian lifestyle on a 200-acre farm swaps with a busy town-dwelling housewife.[100]
Sue
Beverley
2009
4
A wife who runs a pub together with her partner swaps with a wife who works multiple jobs as the sole breadwinner in her household.[101]
Sam
Natalie
2009
5
A wife who is a professional acrobat along with her husband swaps with a classroom assistant whose husband and her live mostly separate lives.[102][103]
The episode order is not exactly known and is listed according to streaming services. Channel 4 listed most of these episodes as part of Season 11, and one as Season 10.[70]
Episode(s)
Synopsis
Wives
Air Date
1
An image-obsessed housewife who devotes herself to her husband swaps with a veterinary nurse whose busy schedule leaves little time for herself or romance.[104]
Andrea
Kathy
2009
2
A laid-back mother who lets her teenage stepdaughter smoke and drink swaps with a former professional squash player who runs her house like a military campaign.[105]
Tara
Sam
2009
3
A hairdresser who has a jam-packed schedule swaps with a wife who is rarely up before lunch and spends much of her time chatting with friends online.[106]
Kerry
Kelly
2009
4
A wife who works night shifts and cleans her house daily without the help of her family swaps with a wife who runs a business empire and whose family pulls their weight.[107]
Michele
Tracy
2009
5
A devout Christian immigrant wife from Sierra Leone swaps with a wife who regularly swears and believes in relaxed parenting.[108]
Agnes
Lisa
2009
6
A wealthy Bentley-driving lady of leisure swaps with a mother of seven from a large council estate.[9]
↑The list on the Channel 4 website had some inconsistencies. For example, it listed Season 7 episodes as first airing in 2008[5] when The Guardian reported that Season 7 had ended in 2006;[6] listed one Season 7 episode as first airing in November 2008[7] when media reports stated it aired in May 2007;[8] or grouped the final episode of the series as part of Season 10 and not Season 11.[9]
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