My Parents Are Aliens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids My Parents Are Aliens
Created by	Andy Watts
Starring	Tony Gardner Carla Mendonça Barbara Durkin Danielle McCormack Alex Kew Charlotte Francis Olisa Odele Stephanie Fearon Jessica Woods Daniel Feltham Katie Pearson Jake Young Danny Robinson
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	8
No. of episodes	106 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	23 minutes
Production company(s)	Yorkshire Television/Granada Yorkshire
Distributor	ITV Studios
Release
Original network	ITV (CITV)
Original release	8 November 1999 (1999-11-08) – 18 December 2006 (2006-12-18)
Chronology
Related shows	Agadam Bagdam Tigdam

My Parents Are Aliens is a super funny British TV show for kids. It was made by Yorkshire Television and shown on ITV from November 8, 1999, to December 18, 2006. The show ran for eight exciting series!

About the Show

This comedy series is mostly about three kids, Mel, Josh, and Lucy Barker, who are orphans. They get new foster parents, Brian and Sophie Johnson. But guess what? The kids soon find out that Brian and Sophie are actually aliens! They came from a planet called Valux. Their spaceship crashed on Earth because Brian played around with the controls.

The house they live in is actually their spaceship, which has changed its shape. Brian and Sophie can also change into other people, which is called morphing. When they first arrived, Brian and Sophie didn't know much about life on Earth. So, the Barker kids have to help them understand how things work here. It's a big secret! No one outside the family can ever find out they are aliens. If the secret gets out, Brian and Sophie would be taken away for science experiments, and the Barkers would lose another set of parents. The show is known for its silly and sometimes strange humor. Even though it's a kids' show, it sometimes talks about grown-up ideas or science, which makes it popular with older viewers too!

Meet the Characters

The Alien Parents

• Brian Johnson (Tony Gardner) (1999–2006): Brian is an alien from Valux. He's the reason their spaceship crashed on Earth! Brian often acts like a child himself. He loves new fads and gets bored easily. Josh often tricks him into his money-making schemes. Brian doesn't really understand right from wrong on Earth. He often causes big problems and only fixes them when someone tells him to. He loves his family but can be very selfish. He might cause chaos because he doesn't know Earth customs. Brian can morph whenever he wants. But if he eats ice cream, he gets moose antlers because he's allergic! Even with his silly personality, he's a brilliant scientist, which Lucy really likes.
• Sophie Johnson (Barbara Durkin) (1999–2000, 2005) and (Carla Mendonça) (2001–2006): Sophie is Brian's wife and also an alien from Valux. She has a bit more common sense than Brian. But she can still be easily tricked if someone persuades her enough. Unlike Brian, she's not very good at morphing. She can only morph when she eats ice cream. At the start of Series 3, Sophie morphed into a new shape. She couldn't change back to her old self, so she decided to stay in her new form (this is when Carla Mendonça took over the role). Barbara Durkin came back as Aunt Sophie in one episode called "Thanks for All the Earthworm Custard."

The Barker Kids (Series 1–7)

• Melanie Mel Barker (Danielle McCormack) (1999–2004, 2005): Mel is the oldest of the Barker children. She's a teenager with a sarcastic attitude. She acts like a protective mom to her younger siblings since their parents passed away. Mel's tough attitude comes from losing her parents and moving between many foster homes. Even though she seems tough, she shows her softer side sometimes, especially towards Lucy. Mel's best friend is Trent Clements. They clearly like each other and start dating later in the show. Mel has a unique and bold sense of style. She also loves photography. This led her to move to Canada for an exchange program at the end of Series 6. She came back for the Series 7 finale.
• Joshua Josh Barker (Alex Kew) (1999–2005): Josh is the middle Barker sibling. He was about twelve when Brian and Sophie fostered him. Josh is very clever and always planning new ways to make money. He often gets Brian involved in his latest schemes. His two best friends are Pete and Frankie. Even though he's cunning, his sisters, Mel and Lucy, often outsmart him. Josh isn't very interested in school, so his grades aren't great. He loves rollerblading, skateboarding, making money, and "the gorgeous Tania Thomas." He's also a very good guitar player.
• Lucia Lucy Barker (Charlotte Francis) (1999–2005): Lucy is the youngest and smartest Barker child. She was nine years old when the show started. She's very good at school, especially in Maths and Science. Chemistry is her favorite subject! Her high intelligence means she often connects with Brian. They often play chess or do chemistry experiments together. Her best friend is Wendy Richardson, who is also very smart. They both want to become astronauts. Lucy and Wendy aren't very popular because of their science interests. Lucy is very honest and always tries to do the right thing. She often helps her foster parents understand Earth rules. She can easily see through Mel and Josh's tough acts. She can be a bit serious and likes to be in control. But she is also the kindest and most caring character.
• C.J. (Olisa Odele) (2004–2005): C.J. is a small, quiet boy. Brian, dressed as 'SuperBrian' with a cape, saved him from being run over. He turns out to be an orphan from the children's home. He gets adopted into the family because he finds out Brian and Sophie are aliens and threatens to tell everyone. C.J. usually acts as Brian's 'sidekick.' He gets involved in many of Brian's silly plans and crazy ideas.
• Harriet Harry (Stephanie Fearon) (2005): Harry first appeared in Series 7. Brian and Sophie adopted her to replace Mel, who went to Canada. She's a bit like Mel, often moody and a bit of a tomboy. She's also very protective of C.J. because he's the youngest, even though he finds her behavior annoying. Like Josh, she plays the guitar, and her practicing sometimes bothers the others. Josh first wanted to date her, but his plans changed when Brian and Sophie fostered her, making her his foster sister.

Other Friends and Teachers

• Pete Walker (Patrick Niknejad) (1999–2005): One of Josh's friends who often suffers because of Josh's plans. Pete usually sees the bad side of things and easily spots Josh's scams. But he usually gets pulled into them anyway. His voice changed in Season 2. Pete often feels sorry for himself. He is also the first to realize that Brian and Sophie are aliens after Wendy reveals it in "Thanks For All The Earthworm Custard."
• Frankie Perkins (Jordan Maxwell) (1999–2005): Along with Pete, he's often part of Josh's scams. He had a crush on Mel for a long time. In Series 7, he had a crush on Harry. Pete and Frankie have tried to leave Josh many times but always come back.
• Wendy Richardson (Isabella Melling) (1999–2005): Lucy's only friend. She's very similar to Lucy because she loves science and studying. But she might not be as smart as Lucy and knows even less about popular culture. She can be a bit proud and often loses exams to Lucy by just 1%. She used to like Josh a lot. But she ends up with Frankie at the end of Series 7 because Brian messes with their brains.
• Terence "Trent" Clements (Keith Warwick) (2000–2005): Mel's long-time friend. He handles Mel's changing moods with patience and good humor. It was hinted that he liked her. They finally started dating in Series 6. In Series 7, it was revealed his Scottish accent was fake (though the actor really has one). He's also known for being popular with girls, which makes Josh annoyed. He loves music and cultural activities. Trent becomes friends with Harry when she first appears, finding her using Mel's old locker. He and Harry have a friendship similar to his with Mel. Trent also tries to protect her by telling her not to enter a boxing competition.
• Mr Graham Whiteside (Dan O'Brien) (1999–2005): A very grumpy teacher who especially dislikes Josh Barker. Sophie is a bit obsessed with him, while he is obsessed with Kate Winslet. He can be very judgmental and is the most feared teacher. Graham often joins after-school activities like first aid, chess club, and advanced math classes.
• Mrs Alison Hardman (Beatrice Kelley) (1999–2005): Another teacher of Josh and Lucy. She, not surprisingly, dislikes Josh and likes Lucy. In one episode, she thought Josh might have Dyslexia. He didn't believe her and, thinking she was Brian in disguise, threw ice cream on her head. She left, vowing to tell his doctor and school counselor to give him extra work about dyslexia. In "Thanks for all the earthworm custard," she apologized for giving him extra work. She doesn't like criticism. It's revealed she was very talented at ballroom dancing. She also enjoys her job as a brownie leader.
• Poppy Manning (Kirsha Southward) (2002–2005): A girl who often competes with Josh because she's also sneaky and likes to scheme. She also competes with Lucy because they have different ideas about what's right. She mostly appears in Series 4 and 5. Her catchphrase is 'It's too easy,' which she uses against Josh when she tricks him.
• Tania Thomas (Zoe Thorne) (1999); Emily Fleeshman (2001–2002, 2005); Sasha Tilley (2005): The girl Josh likes. In the "Valentine's Day" episode, she secretly liked Josh. But he thought she sent him hate mail and wanted to get back at her. Brian tried to ask her out while morphed as Josh, which seemed to ruin any chance of them being together. She ends up with Pete Walker in Series 7.
• Mikey (Chris Cornwell) (1999, 2005): Appears in the first series as a good friend of Josh Barker, Pete Walker, and Frankie Perkins. He's happy being Josh's third-in-command and is often used as a lookout. He makes a quick appearance at the end of Series 7.
• Dave Locket (Julian Triandafyllou) (1999): A cool, good-looking, and popular boy at school, but not very smart. Josh first looked up to him, but they later became rivals, especially in the episode "The Home Team." He really cares about his hair.
• Andy 'the Freak' (Danny Robinson) (2001–2005): Appears throughout the Barker era. He's a very nerdy boy who is in love with Mel and wrongly thinks she loves him back. In one episode, he gets a makeover. His cousin is Jamie, a football player Mel briefly liked. He almost found out the Johnsons were aliens when he saw Sophie as a mermaid while fishing. But the family convinced him it wasn't true.
• Scott Taylor (Marco Williamson) (2000): A popular boy Mel had a date with in the episode "First Christmas." He's the head of the school football team and won't let Josh join, much to Josh's disappointment.

The Bennett Kids (Series 8)

• Jacqueline "Jaq" Bennett (Jessica Woods) (2006): A fiery teenage girl, Jaq is the oldest of the new foster children. Jaq finds it hard to make friends because of her attitude. She rarely shouts, usually letting her sharp wit do the talking.
• Dan Bennett (Daniel Feltham) (2006): Becky's twin brother. Even though he's arguably the 'geekier' of the two, collecting comics and speaking Klingon, he's not academic or interested in science. Dan loves television, but also enjoys computer games and the Internet.
• Becky Bennett (Katie Pearson) (2006): Dan's twin sister. Becky is very studious. She likes dissecting animals, and her dream is to study veterinary science at University. She can be a little proud.
• Eddie Bennett (Jake Young) (2006): The youngest member of the family. He often manipulates and even emotionally blackmails the other characters to get what he wants. He does this easily because he looks so innocent, and his foster parents are very trusting. He often plays with Sophie and, like CJ, likes to play with Brian.

Episodes List

Awards and Nominations

The show was recognized with several awards and nominations during its run:

See also

In Spanish: Mis padres son extraterrestres para niños