In Britain, the top 10% own over half the country's wealth.
I have nice cars. I own a couple of racehorses.
It feels nice to have money.
But while the rich are getting richer...
It's a very profitable business
that turns over well over £10 million a year.
...the poor are getting poorer...
It's tough.
...hit hard by relentless price rises.
A lot of posh people think poor people
just sit on their bums all day on benefits.
Once we've spent on food,
don't really have anything left over.
I had bailiffs come in.
Might be on its way out.
Now two families are swapping homes...
That is very different. Yes.
How many windows does a house need?
How many doors?
...budgets...
Right, this is where it gets serious.
LAUGHTER
Oh, God.
...and lives...
It's hard bloody work.
It was way more challenging than I thought it would be.
Champagne!
I'm in heaven.
...to find out if money really does buy happiness.
Ha-ha. I'd love to have a walk-in wardrobe.
Oh, my goodness!
Never been in a limo in their lives.
Or do people matter most?
This is the nicest family time
that us three have had together in years.
And when they finally meet...
Hello.
...lives are changed forever.
We'd like to gift you a van.
We want to back your vision to a value of £100,000.
Oh, my God!
It's gonna change everything for the better.
Every year, millions of visitors flock
to the seaside resort of Bournemouth on the Dorset coast.
Tech millionaire Steve Bolton lives in one of its swankier suburbs.
Very, very friendly neighbourhood,
about 100m away from the golf course.
I've had this house since 2004.
It's a bit like a Tardis - from the front looks quite small,
but when you come into it, it just goes a long way back.
This quite small Tardis is worth £1 million -
over three times the average cost of a UK house.
And it boasts two lounges,
a dining room for eight...
...six bedrooms, and five bathrooms...
...so plenty of room for everyone,
when they're not away on holiday, that is.
That's the family diving in Egypt.
That's a picture of us snowboarding and skiing in the French Alps.
I have four children - Nathan, who's 34.
He's independent, got his own business.
The three youngest are still at home.
Jude is 16.
Ella is 21.
Charlie is 23.
Charlie and Ella live in a large two-bedroom extension
attached to the rear of the property.
The house is... is amazing, as you can see.
I've... I've always felt privileged.
I have very nice memories of me and Charlie playing out
in the back garden, sort of making mud pies and stuff like that.
They'll be joining Steve on the swap.
We're quite unconventional.
We spend a lot of time together, working, that kind of thing,
so I kind of see them as my best mates, really.
As well as a lovely house,
Steve has all the toys to go with it.
'I have a beautiful classic Corvette Stingray.'
I'm a member of a boat club.
Have access to about 30 boats, which is amazing.
There we go.
It's quite a nice feature - get some air in.
So, how did Steve make all his money?
I left school at 16 with no qualifications.
Did a couple of dead-end jobs.
And then I built a business with a partner.
Despite not even having O levels,
Steve did have a talent for making money -
investing in tech start-ups.
Now he has quite the collection.
And his company, Bolt Angels, has a London HQ.
So, the value of the portfolio
is three-quarters-of-billion pound, 750 million.
Charlie and Ella are following in Dad's footsteps.
Four months ago, I bought a clothing shop.
So I've been running that for the past few months.
Ella works for her dad's company.
My job role is the events and marketing executive.
I would describe my dad
as probably one of the most hard-working people
that I've ever met.
Work's always been very important for Steve,
but there has been consequences for his family.
I am separated.
Charlie, Ella and Jude live in the family house.
Sometimes, I stay in the house if their mum's away.
For the rest of the time,
he lives nearby in a luxury sea-view apartment.
I don't have regrets.
But would I do things differently? Absolutely.
I would have been at the sports days,
I would have been at the Christmas plays.
Here's a pretty classic photo of my dad
working by a pool on holiday in Thailand.
I think he loves doing it
because he loves what he does so much.
He's always, as long as I've known him,
been a workaholic.
Never stopped.
A week away from work is a total unknown for Steve...
...and a chance to assess
what's really most important in life.
'Couldn't think of two people that I'd want to do this more with.'
Cheers. Cheers.
Here's to an inspiring, challenging week
that we'll remember for the rest of our lives.
Cheers to that.
Less than 60 miles along the coast, the historic city of Portsmouth
is well known as the home port of the British Navy.
Oh, I like them sandals, Mum.
Val and mum Cleo are both care workers and best mates, too.
Mum's the boss. She's the real boss. The real OG.
Valerie is Valerie.
She is a very devoted mother of three kids,
and she works very, very hard.
Val's council house fronts onto a noisy main road
and has seen better days.
It's a three-bedroomed semi-detached house.
Oh, wow!
'And I've got a garden'
H2O, refresh yourself.
LAUGHTER
I love to have barbecues,
so I think that's my form of socialisation
because I don't really get out much.
Her family and friends all look out for each other.
60-year-old Cleo lives nearby
and looks after Val's sister Tammy, who has Down syndrome.
ALL SINGING
On Sundays, everyone meets up at church.
My church family, they do mean a lot to me as well
because they have helped me through hard times.
Looks like Horlicks.
Their faith is reflected in their work as carers.
We are both dedicated to help people
and make sure, you know, they actually get what they need.
Yeah? Mm.
But job satisfaction doesn't pay the bills,
and Val has to count every penny.
My son broke my washing machine door.
I can't really go and buy a new washing machine
cos I haven't got £300, £400 to do so.
With three kids and only £52 spending money a week,
every day's a struggle.
My financial situation did get so bad that I had bailiffs come in,
and I just went into a state of panic,
and I was always looking out of the window
to see if anyone was there,
and I'd be scared to leave the house.
It just got so bad.
Life's never been easy for this family.
I was born in Zimbabwe,
and I came to this country very early '90s.
It looks a bit dry.
Oh, gosh, the kitchen is so small we're bumping into each other.
Valerie was born here in the UK.
We were struggling, me and her dad,
but we just, you know, went along with it.
Cleo wanted more for Valerie - a new education could be the key.
She led from the front.
Me and Mum, we graduated on the same day in 2016.
I've got a First-Class business management degree,
and Mum has got a social work degree.
It was amazing. Yeah, it was nice.
I was so proud. I really felt so proud.
OK.
This is, I don't know, Val's famous lasagne.
Lasagne! CHUCKLES
31-year-old Val's always thinking of others.
She's cooking a meal to welcome the swap family.
And cooking is what she does best.
'So, my dream job is to own my own restaurant.'
But despite having no money to follow her dream,
she's already been testing the market.
When I'd be cooking my main meals, I'd always cook a little bit extra.
Then I'd advertise it on social media.
Here it is, Val's Kitchen.
Val's three young children will be staying with Dad.
She's hoping a week away will give her the chance
to forget about her caring and focus on her dreams.
So, to know I've got a business management degree
that I actually have not used,
and, you know, I know what I want to do,
my idea's there, it is really frustrating for me,
because, like, financially, I just cannot pursue it.
I can't... I can't do it.
If you say so.
So, if money was no object, what's their perfect day?
So we'd start off shopping in Harrods and Selfridges,
followed by getting our hair done,
getting our eyebrows done, getting glammed up for the day,
and then I think the day would finish off
with maybe go on a yacht, have champagne.
Oh, I love it! VAL CHUCKLES
Over in Bournemouth, anticipation is building for a week
where making money takes a back seat.
I think it's gonna be the most intense amount of time
that the three of us have spent together, erm,
maybe in our whole lives.
Day one, time for everyone to get on the road and swap homes.
I've packed so much stuff that...
Oh. We're only going blooming for a week.
Oh!
Ella's car. Ella's driving. Yeah.
We're leaving the baby behind, the old Corvette.
ELLA CHUCKLES Gonna miss it for the week.
I'm a bit worried, but that's all right. Mm.
Did I bring my toothbrush? No.
For Rich House, Poor House, here we come.
Nobody's allowed to bail out, right?
ELLA CHUCKLES
It's 56 miles in just over an hour's drive
between the two houses.
Not far to travel,
but for the next seven days, they'll be in different worlds.
Whoa, whoa, look at that! What's this? Wow!
Oh! With a boat.
Whoo! CLEO CHUCKLES
Imagine waking up to that every day. Yeah.
I've got a main road to look at. Yeah.
That is...
gonna be interesting for the week, guys.
Whoo! We're here, we're here. Here we come!
CLEO CHUCKLES Ee-ee!
Welcome home.
CHARLIE CHUCKLES
That is very different. Yes.
Prepared to spend the week here?
This is it. Whoa. Ho-ho!
Look how massive it is. CLEO GASPS
Can't wait to get in.
How I dreamt to have a house like this.
No, you go first.
CAN RATTLES ON FLOOR Oop.
Whoops.
All right. There's a door here, here, here.
Oh, there's the door. Excited.
Coming up,
at the Newbury Races, Val and Cleo are given the VIP treatment.
Welcome to the Royal Box.
I feel like a celebrity.
Steve has a restless night.
Like a boy racer or something.
LAUGHS
Cleo takes to the rich life like a duck to water.
Massive tiger prawns and thick cheese.
However, living on a budget isn't quite so tasty.
There's no way I'm eating a cow's foot.
Will they last the week?
In Portsmouth,
struggling single mum Val is battling serious debt.
I had bailiffs come in,
and I just went into a state of panic.
Up the coast in Bournemouth,
workaholic Steve Bolton is worth millions,
but his family's paid a heavy price.
I am separated.
Would I do things differently? Absolutely.
Dad working on holiday.
Val's famous lasagne.
Val currently works as a carer,
but she's got plans.
So, my dream job is to own my own restaurant.
Steve made his millions investing in start-up companies.
The value of the portfolio is three-quarters-of-a-billion pounds.
Could he come to Val's rescue?
Oh, sorry.
Knock, knock. Oh, wow!
Knock, knock. CLEO KNOCKS ON DOOR
Here we are. Anyone home?
Once through the door of their new home,
both families must play detective
and discover as much as they can about their hosts.
Oh, my gosh, this is lovely.
This hallway is the size of my kitchen. Wow!
How beautiful is this, and cosy?
Oh, wow, this is them!
Is it? A family of four.
We got a lounge-diner. Yeah.
Pictures.
Could they be a couple?
Are they twins?
So, Cleo.
So she's got a degree in social work.
Nice. Second-Class Honours.
And Valerie has got a degree in business management.
Nice! Fantastic.
Oh! They've got a dining room. This is lovely.
Oh, wow!
Look how big the table is. I can have dinner parties on this.
Nothing's more important than the sleeping arrangements.
Maybe a older female child. Yeah.
Judging from all the pink.
Some drawers broken there, look.
Nice.
OK, so we've got two kids in here. Oh, OK.
See? Perfect.
Can you go straight?
No scenario we envisaged
saw Charlie in a child's bed cuddling Peppa Pig.
LAUGHTER
Bathroom here.
There's only one in the whole house, guys.
Oh, they've got a bath and a shower. Beautiful.
The bed looks high. Oh! Feel that.
Ooh!
A whole 'nother lounge?! Ha!
Ooh. Look how big the TV is!
I think there's aircon in here. This is the boys' area.
There's a note here.
Each family's left a welcome note with a few instructions.
"Please enjoy our home as if it was your own.
"Help yourself to anything you'd like."
"We have made you guys a welcome meal."
"Also, a quick one, my washing machine has just broken.
"Love Val and Cleo. Kiss, kiss, kiss."
Both families have stocked their fridge
with their favourite food.
Oh, wow! The fridge is full. Whoo! Ah!
Oh, my God, fish! My fish, my fish!
Oh, God. That is sea bass, is it?
Crab and lobster.
So what was it, lasagne? Yeah. Beef lasagne. OK.
Nice. Not good for you, Ella. No. Vegetarian.
Oh, it looks amazing, though. Wow.
That's beautiful.
How big is this house?
There's, like... It's two houses in one.
Ah, these people like barbecuing like us!
Needs a fair bit of work, right?
You'd want to bring it up, wouldn't you, if you could?
Now the moment of truth.
How much money will each family have to spend for the week?
Ooh. Good catch. It's a good start.
Oh, my gosh, it's a wad! Ah!
A wad of... Ugh!
Oh. Whoo.
What, for the week? Let's count.
10, 20, 30, 40, 50.
Three, four, five.
My arm's hurting.
70, 80, 90, 3.
£51.93 for the week. For the three of us?
Yeah. That's not much at all, is it?
18, 19... VAL GASPS
Two grand! £2,000.
You're joking?! No.
With £2,000 of spending money for the week,
this is almost 40 times their normal budget.
That can't be a weekly thing. No way! No chance.
Now to swap lives.
Both families have left an activities board.
This is what we're doing, I think. CHUCKLES
"Have a flutter."
We are going to work, somewhere. No idea where. Doesn't say where.
"Splash the cash."
"Bowling with Tamara." Bowling.
What's J-A-A-Q at London HQ?
Maybe we're going for a meeting there?
We're going to London.
As well as living each other's lives,
each day, the families will record a private diary
in the one room they won't be disturbed.
I just cannot wait to see
how these people got to where they are
and live off of such a budget.
Four or five people live in this property,
even if it was three people,
to live on £51.93 week is just mind-blowing.
Day one's almost at an end. Time for dinner.
Got some plantain which we're gonna fry.
We've got lasagne.
Ow! Nice and hot.
We were all cooking Valerie's food together,
and then sat down and ate it, and that was really nice.
How is it? So good.
Cannot wait to get stuck into this!
Despite a packed fridge,
Val and Cleo have splashed £50 on a takeaway.
At home, that's almost their entire weekly budget.
I don't remember the last time I actually had an Indian,
I can't even lie.
CLEO LAUGHS
I'm gonna get some sleep now because I'm absolutely exhausted.
Good night.
It may be lights out...
MOTORBIKE RUMBLING
...but over in Portsmouth, Steve doesn't get much sleep.
I've just, erm, just been woken up.
Motorbikes been up and down about four times.
With really, really loud exhausts. Like a boy racer or something.
And on Val's first morning living the rich life,
the £220 fancy coffee maker is baffling her.
Oh, no. I don't wanna break him.
WHIRRING Oh!
Oh, here we go. Oh, there's coffee in there.
I actually was not expecting that.
I've made my first coffee on the coffee machine!
Over in Portsmouth, Charlie's also having technical issues
struggling to make a cup of tea.
Kettle's broken.
Taking a little while longer to boil the water.
How'd you sleep? Not as good as I normally do.
How come? Erm...
It's a bit of an uncomfier bed than I'm used to.
I could sort of feel the springs a bit.
Just had a shower.
Tried to make it as quick as I possibly could.
I'm a bit worried about the gas and the electric.
Only around 6% of UK homes have four or more bathrooms -
and the Boltons have five.
Are you...? I'm going in this one.
THEY LAUGH
Thankfully, there's a separate toilet.
What a relief.
Off to hunt for some gas and electric.
Just to see where the nearest shop is.
Oh!
For Val, there's more confusion when they explore Steve's car.
Where do you even put the key?
Oh, gosh.
Where do we put the key?
Oh, here? ENGINE STARTS
Woohoo! Hey-hee!
Steve doesn't let anyone else drive it...
THEY LAUGH
...but they can't resist gunning the engine.
That's as far as we got. We revved it.
REVVING
Oh!
LAUGHTER
Living the high life!
Steve's put a tenner on the gas and electric.
Pay as you go is often used when a customer goes into arrears,
and he's discovered it's the tip of an iceberg.
There was this big pack that was in this drawer,
and the top letter is a final notice.
"Your belongings will be removed."
That's really serious because it's a debt recovery company.
They can repossess property, they can take cars,
they can take material possessions.
There's quite a lot of council tax.
So, the first one we saw was 1,500.
It's now up to 1,884.
Another company.
Wow, £3,378, this one.
Thousands and thousands of pounds' worth of debt.
You know, it-it's...
It's heartbreaking, really.
Official notice, TV licence not paid.
Water overdue, £650.
We've got £2,615, £1,517.
I-I, you know, I just find it really hard to...
It's just so unfair.
That, erm, you know, to see it up close and personal.
People that got degrees, that have studied hard,
that have had kids,
want to be the best possible parents that they can be.
So, that's £11,271.83.
Wow.
Val, I can't think straight.
But for one week, Val can put her worries behind her.
She and Cleo are on the trail of their mystery hosts.
Hello! How are you, you OK? Nice to meet you.
Steve's nephew Danny lives just around the corner.
We would always be in each other's gardens,
playing football and things like that.
They've brought their notepads
and are soon playing detective again.
Steve. Yeah.
What does he do? Who is he?
Steve is a businessman.
He starts businesses,
generates a better revenue for the company and then sells the company.
Wow, OK.
Val's dream is to run her own business.
Sounds like Steve could be the perfect contact.
Did he go to uni and stuff?
No, he doesn't have any qualifications.
He left school.
After, he worked at somewhere like Tesco...
Wow. To start from... from nothing,
from Tesco, from packing shelves.
He's very driven. Like, that is...
That, for me, that is... Yeah, that's really amazing.
That's quite inspiring, actually. Nice.
So, in terms of the kids, did they follow in Dad's footsteps, or...?
Yeah, Charlie is a bit. He owns a clothing shop in town.
So, what about Ella? She helps Steve.
She does, like, the marketing and social media.
So, obviously, business is a big part of Steve's life.
I mean, how does that kind of fit in with the family dynamic?
He's working all hours of the day,
whether he's on his phone, taking calls, or he's in meetings.
So it's hard for him to find time to spend with his kids.
I managed to have a great conversation with Danny,
so it is just trying to figure out
is there a family life-business life balance?
Thanks, guys.
Oh, no worries. Thank you. Oh, dear!
In Portsmouth, the Boltons have their first visitor.
They're meeting Nia, Val's oldest friend and fellow church-goer.
I've been friends with Val for 20 years now.
I've been there for all her children's births.
She's got three children.
Our grandad's from the Bahamas. Oh, wow.
So we were sort of curious of, yeah, what Val and Cleo's background is.
Val's mum's from Zimbabwe, so that's their heritage.
But Valerie was born here, so... Oh, nice. Yeah.
Right. And does Val work?
Yeah, she does caring.
Works so many hours that I say to her, "You're working too much."
Like, "You need to slow it down.'
So, what about Cleo's situation? So, Cleo lives in a council flat.
She lives there with Valerie's sister.
Tammy's gonna be 21 next year. She's Down syndrome.
But, yeah, a lot of that work going on to Cleo.
So, found a pack of information
with some letters and red letters and things like that.
Val's always worked,
but her money side of things is not great.
She gets help with Universal Credit cos she's a single mum.
And then... it's summer time now. Yeah.
So heating doesn't necessarily need to be on. But in the winter...
Yeah, sometimes I'll go, "Val, it's freezing."
She'll be like, "Well, put a jumper on, then.
"Wear my dressing gown."
Like, do you know what I mean?
The debt and bills and stuff like that,
it must be so tough, just having...
this massive weight on your shoulders.
Thank you. Lovely to meet you. See you later! Bye. See you.
Bye. Bye-bye.
When Val and Cleo arrived,
they found a fridge packed with £200 of luxury groceries.
These are tiger prawns, and they are very, very expensive.
Make some space for it.
Steve spent £60 on the seafood.
That's more than Val and Cleo's spending budget for an entire week.
We feel like princesses at the moment, Val.
Cheers to us and the good life, Mum.
Look at this, all for us.
This is the life, isn't it?
Over in Portsmouth, there's no spare cash,
so they're having a family night in -
something they hardly manage to do.
So, we've all got one life.
But this is a week of new experiences.
It's nice to find joy in the little things that we do together,
like playing cards at the table, you know?
'Things that don't cost money but really bring your family together.'
LAUGHTER
Coming up...
She had a go at me.
She said, "Val, we are living a millionaire lifestyle this week.
"You cannot be buying 65p washing-up liquid."
CLEO LAUGHS
Ooh.
Crossing culinary continents isn't easy for the Boltons...
"Cow foot dish".
Not my personal taste.
...and there's a surprise new look for Cleo.
SHE SCREAMS, LAUGHS
One, two, three.
In Bournemouth, struggling care workers
Val and Cleo couldn't believe their eyes...
Two grand! £2,000!
You're joking! No.
...while in Portsmouth, the wealthy Boltons were in shock.
£51.93p for the week. For three of us.
No wonder Val's in debt.
So, that's £11,271.83.
Wow.
LAUGHTER
Living the high life!
It's day three,
and 60-year-old Cleo's enjoying birdsong,
instead of the traffic noise she's used to.
I love it in the garden,
where I can have my little drink, and I'm having a cup of tea.
For years, Val's wanted to thank Cleo for being such a great mum,
and this week, she's got the money to do it.
Horse racing. Never been in my life. Always wanted to go.
Especially Mum always wanted to go as well.
Living Steve's life means that tomorrow,
they'll be off to the Newbury Races.
Two VIP tickets are going to cost £400.
Back home, that would be around two months' spending money.
But there's a problem.
I'm not sure what we're gonna wear,
but maybe we can use some of our budget for this special occasion.
Let's go and splash the cash, Mum, and get something. Let's go.
So, I'm just trying to find something that's gonna...
look nice on me.
Something posh.
I've found a dress.
I've looked at the price tag, as I always do.
That's just, you know, natural thing.
And I'm like, "It's £115."
'Looking at the fascinator to match the dress and found one.'
I'm like, "Cool, brilliant."
I'm thinking it's gonna be, like, 15 quid.
But it's nice. Mum, I can't spend 55 on that!
All up,
Val and Cleo's outfits come in at just shy of £450.
Their spending money is disappearing fast.
Cheers!
THEY LAUGH
To learn about Val's role as a carer,
the Boltons are meeting one of her regular clients, Charlie,
and Sam, his carer while Val's away.
What's your name? Charlie.
Two Charlies.
LAUGHTER
Does Val help a lot?
Yep. She does night shifts.
Along with two other carers,
Val looks after all of Charlie's needs at home,
but it doesn't end there.
HE MAKES KISSING NOISES Walkies.
There are also Charlie's dogs to exercise.
Watch out.
Go play, go play.
Caring for someone paralysed from the neck down is...
I can't imagine how difficult that is,
so caring for him, on top of her three kids
and everything else, it's...
Yeah. She must be an incredible woman.
Tell me a bit more about Val and what she means to you.
Oh, yeah. She means a... a lot.
She's a lot of fun.
Great cook.
She likes cooking spicy.
Yeah. Have you had some of her food? Oh, yeah.
Spicy food. Yeah.
Yeah, jollof. It's lovely.
I know she'd love to open a restaurant.
Yeah? She'd be an amazing cook.
OK.
She's never down.
She always makes you laugh.
That level of kind of commitment, responsibility,
when you're juggling a myriad of debts,
you know, two young children, is just phenomenal.
We're in the big city, Mum. In the black cab. The black cab.
Val and Cleo have arrived in London to find out about Steve's work.
So, Alex is ready for you here. Brilliant. Hi.
They're meeting the company's CEO, Alex.
Oh, hi, Alex. Nice to meet you. How are you?
Nice to meet you too. Come on in.
Steve is a phenomenal entrepreneur.
I met Steve building Bolt Angels,
which is an investment firm that he runs.
So, Bolt Angels, what exactly is it?
Steve works with other angel investors,
people who like to invest, basically,
in early-stage start-ups in the UK.
What they do is really help it grow.
Have you ever thought about starting your own business?
Love to start my own business.
That's what... I wanna be my own boss. Mm-hm.
I am passionate about cooking.
Love to own my own restaurant-slash-bar.
You said cooking is your passion. Yeah.
Building a business is one of the hardest things you can do.
Yeah. That passion is actually what drives you all the way through.
Building the JAAQ business is Steve's current passion,
and this time, it's not all about the bottom line.
JAAQ stands for Just Ask A Question.
It's a free online mental health service.
Experts and celebrities give frank accounts
of the battles they've been through
and how they got their lives back on track.
Just follow me in here.
Val volunteers to take a turn in the hot seat.
Take a seat in the JAAQ chair. Oh.
How does financial stress show up in your day-to-day?
I couldn't sleep, I was getting depression,
I was getting anxiety every day, you know.
It's a struggle, but I just get on with it.
Beautiful answer.
OK, I'll tell you a little bit about myself as well.
I would love to have my own restaurant.
Got the vision already.
In Zimbabwe, it's called a sports bar.
So, you sit, you drink. Barbecue's going.
So, I'd love to bring that kind of vibe here.
That is my passion.
Thank you for sharing that.
No, thank you for, like, getting me out my comfort zone.
Well, yeah. That was actually, like...
Honestly, like, keep that passion for that cooking.
I think you're onto something there. God willing.
Maybe this is the kind of push that I needed
to go forward, to be actually like, "No, guys, there is another world.
"There is another life to what we're living."
Day four, the halfway point,
and in sunny Bournemouth, Val and Cleo have big plans.
What a lovely day to sip Champagne.
Oh-ho-ho! Bring it on, mate.
Later on, they're off to the races.
Cheers to the good life - for now. Oh, the best.
It's like a whole different world sat out here, compared to my garden.
Well, Val, work very hard.
You never know, you might get to this point.
I need a bit of a push, really. I need guidance.
I need someone mentoring me at this point.
Val may be living like the other half, but she can't stop caring.
Before their visit to the races,
she wants to give Cleo something her mum always wanted.
With our culture, you know, wigs are quite a big thing.
So, I know that Mum's been looking to get a wig,
but she just can't afford to buy it.
This one here.
So, how much will it cost?
About £500?
Wow. OK...
Erm, I wasn't expecting it to be that much.
But OK. That's perfect. Let's do it.
Wow.
Little does she know, but Cleo's about to get a total transformation.
You know that lovely wig that you've been wanting?
A custom-made wig!
You what?!
♪ I am blessed
# Every day of my life I am blessed. ♪
'She's happy. I know she's happy.'
She's got something, you know, that she's wanted.
Hey! I feel...
like a $6 million lady.
Oh!
Just seeing the smile on her face and surprising her.
You know, that... that meant a lot to me.
I think she's gonna be overly excited, more than I am.
SHE SCREAMS, LAUGHS
Oh, Mum, it looks sweet!
LAUGHTER
Oh, I love it. You look...
This is amazing.
You love it? Oh, I can't wait to borrow that.
Ah! LAUGHTER
£500 for the wig has made a bit of a dent in their £2,000 budget,
but it looks like it was worth every penny.
It's really, really nice. Aw.
In Portsmouth, Ella's searching the cupboards
for anything she can make a meal from.
Ooh.
Val left a recipe for a cheap Zimbabwean family dinner.
Oh. SHE LAUGHS
What is it?
"Cow foot dish". What?!
Paprika, garlic, coriander powder, cow foot seasoning.
There's no way I'm eating a cow's foot.
"I will leave a contact who will guide you through this.
"Enjoy." Oh.
Veronica. OK, Veronica. We've got someone else to meet.
Buying cow's foot is totally outside their experience,
but they track down a specialist shop.
This is 6.99. It is one of the cheapest we have here.
What does it taste like? It's really yummy.
A lot of African families do eat this.
So, yes, I would recommend this.
It's lucky Val's stocked the fridge with food.
The cow foot, plus the tenner on gas and electric,
leaves them with only 35 quid from their £52 spending money.
Bye! You have a great day.
At Newbury Races, Val and Cleo have booked
the absolute top-of-the-range VIP package.
Oh, Owners Club!
It's a taste of Steve's life, where money's no object.
You've never been? No, I've never been to the races.
No. Never. I used to go to Ladbrokes and see them on the TV.
Oh, OK, yeah. And that's it.
Now, the only way to start is with a glass of Champagne.
Lovely. Thank you very much.
Being served Champagne, and...
Felt well pampered, to be honest. We felt extremely special.
Cheers, Mum. Here's to you and me.
Down on the course, the horses are out.
Time for a flutter.
Right, Mum, what do you reckon our budget would be?
About 50 quid each?
I think that's reasonable.
While Val and Cleo enjoy their VIP day,
the Boltons have a cow's foot to cook.
They've come to ask Val's friend Veronica for help.
Yeah, we called you because we have no idea
how to go about preparing it.
Oh, you've come to the best place. Oh, good!
Come to the best place. I'm a chef anyway, so...
Oh, awesome.
All right, so, we need to boil this.
Do you want me to cook?
Cow's foot comes skinned, de-boned and cut into bite-sized pieces.
No, only a little bit.
We will put in a lot of spices and a lot of, like, herbs.
Because when you cook it, you'll find
that it will have a very strong smell. OK.
It takes a long time to cook, as well,
so it needs a bit of patience.
While the stew cooks,
they ask Vee about Val's dream to run a restaurant.
Yeah, she really loves to do food and open her own business one day.
She doesn't want to be a carer for the rest of her life.
Would that be something you might be interested in helping her with
cos you've obviously got the cooking skills? Yes.
And I know her mum is quite supportive.
So... Would Cleo want to be involved?
She'll probably take over.
LAUGHTER
The cow's foot is served with a porridge called sadza.
I'll let Charlie go first.
LAUGHTER
They'll eat it in the traditional way, with their hands.
Eat up.
Mm.
Very nice.
Wasn't like anything I've ever eaten before, this stew. It was...
like, a very gelatinous texture.
It is slippy, isn't it?
Yeah. Very slippy.
What do you think?
Erm... LAUGHTER
Not my personal taste, I have to say.
You keep chewing, and it's just, like...
Mm. Hm.
At the races,
Val and Cleo's VIP experience is everything they hoped for and more.
And then, on the flats, if their weight is OK, they can keep going.
Ex-jockey Conor Shoemark is escorting them to the Royal Box.
I'm walking on the same carpet as the Queen!
Here we go. Welcome to the Royal Box.
Brilliant, thank you.
There you've got a fantastic view of the racecourse.
I can't. I feel like a celebrity.
Oh, here he comes.
Oh. Oh, God! Which one was ours? Number four.
Eleven's won. What number did you put?
Number four and five each way.
Four and five? Yeah. Wow.
I don't even know what "each way" is.
How much did you put...?
If it comes in the first three, you'll get some money back.
Some money back? It won't be much, but you will get some money.
It's better than nothing.
Oh, well, at least we got something. Oh. That's brilliant.
Cheers, Mum. To our win. To the Royal Box.
The Royal Box. Thank you, Conor.
Back in the members' club, dinner is served.
Wow. May I, madam? Et voila. Oh, you may.
Thank you very much. And yours.
450 on clothes,
500 for Cleo's wig and 500 spent on a day at the races.
Is that number one? Is number one coming?
From their £2,000 spending money,
the big day out has left them with just 550.
So, any regrets?
It was a blast.
'The best thing that we've ever done. Like, it was brilliant.'
Thank you.
Next...
Steve finds out more about Val's dream to run a restaurant.
She had her, like, food business on Instagram
that she was trying to start up.
Val seizes her future with both hands.
I think for yourself, Valerie, as somebody that's starting up,
I would also recommend just going to a pop-up venue.
This can change mine and my family's life.
Life-changing for the Boltons, too.
This is the nicest family time
that us three have had in the past few years.
With £2,000 spending money,
care workers Val and Cleo are living the rich life.
What a lovely day to sip Champagne.
Things haven't been so tasty for the Boltons.
There's no way I'm eating a cow's foot.
You keep chewing, and it's just like...
But the swap also has a serious side.
I am passionate about cooking.
That passion is actually what drives you all the way through.
Maybe this is the kind of push that I needed.
Day five, and in Bournemouth, the week's had a big impact.
Val's making plans.
Mum? Yeah?
Do you know what I'm thinking, right...
Stepping into this world and living in wealth for a week,
it has already changed my mindset, to the point that I am...
I'm so motivated to go out there
and start doing my own research and not just sitting there.
Searching the web,
she's found an African restaurant she could model her business on.
I have found one place which looks good. Let's see.
The Flygerians were founded by two sisters.
We've got to go and see these people, Mum.
What with the food Val left them and watching the pennies,
the Boltons still have 35 quid left from their £52 spending money.
Enough for an early bird special at the local bowling alley.
This is the valuable family time
they were hoping for during the swap.
Hey, guys. Hi! Nice to meet you.
Val's sister Tammy and half-sister Shannon are taking them on today.
LAUGHTER
Oh, OK!
In between frames, there's a chance to chat.
We don't know everything about the family yet.
So, my sister is kind to me.
She'll have a laugh with me sometimes.
Sometimes she cooks.
Is she a good cook? She is a good cooker.
What does she...? She cooks jollof rice.
They made us a lasagne when we arrived...
Oh, really? ...and we've had that, yeah.
That was lovely. I was about to say.
The nicest lasagne we've ever had. Really?
She had her, like, food business on Instagram
that she was trying to start up.
Yeah, she just used to pack it up in take-out boxes,
and they were like, "Oh, we love Val's barbecue chicken wings."
She's definitely got, like, the passion and experience,
and she loves cooking for people.
Like, she loves it.
Back on the bowling lanes, Tammy and Shannon are cleaning up.
What is going on here?!
LAUGHTER
Yeah! APPLAUSE
Well done. So much fun.
Tammy, I thought she was an absolute star.
Well done.
Oh, lovely.
Living the rich life has motivated Val
to grab her business dream by the horns.
Hello. Oh, hi!
They're visiting a successful African eatery
started by two sisters, Jess and their lunchtime host, Jo.
I'm a hugger. I'm a hugger.
SHE LAUGHS
This is cute, I love it.
Thank you. Yeah, this is our restaurant.
So, we've been here for about three years,
and we started this business about eight years ago,
all based on our grandma's recipe, who's on the wall there.
Oh, look.
Jo's place has the vibe Valerie's after.
So, yeah, how did you guys start this up?
Funnily enough, it was at Christmas time,
and we handed out these Christmas cards, saying "Merry Christmas."
Yeah. "Please fund our business."
Only raised about £200, but it was something, innit?
So, we went to this pub. Yeah.
And it was this lovely landlord.
We're like, "Here's a bit of jollof, bit of chicken."
They loved it, and they're like, "All right,
"want you to come back in April to do a four-week residency."
Four weeks turned into six,
six weeks turned into eight weeks, eight weeks turned into five years.
And was it just literally, strictly, like, you two, then?
It was just us two, so Jess and I, for five years.
I think for yourself, Valerie, as somebody that's starting up,
I would also recommend just going to a pop-up venue.
One, it will help you build up your capital.
Two, the landlord normally has responsibility.
All the equipment's already there for you,
so you have everything in place. Yeah.
'So, that was quite an inspirational visit, to be honest.'
It was literally just her and her sister,
and they started up with £200.
And, you know, for me, I related so much into that
because that is the situation that I am in.
The Boltons usually holiday in the French Alps,
the Algarve, or even Egypt.
Today, they've come to a park in nearby Southsea.
Ah! LAUGHTER
Despite spending on the bowling earlier,
the family can't resist another treat.
Please can I have a small waffle cone?
The ice creams are £7.50, so out of their £52 spending budget,
there's less than a fiver left to live on.
They're cutting things fine, but it's not all bad news.
This is the nicest family time
that us three have had together in the past few years.
LAUGHTER
My dad has worked non-stop since... since I can remember.
Back at the house in Bournemouth,
Val's feeling inspired by her meeting at the African restaurant.
We need to look for a venue
to see if we can actually do a little pop-up somewhere.
What are the top tips?
What I have learnt from Jo is you've got to start somewhere.
Hello? 'Hi, Valerie.'
Hi, Danny. How are you?
She rings Steve's nephew Danny
to see if she can exploit some of Steve's contacts.
Me and Mum were just thinking to hold a little barbecue event
to get everyone together.
'Great idea.
'You could get in touch with the beach club
'that Steve has his boat at.'
Oh, lovely. Yeah, I think that'd be quite a good shout, actually.
There's no time like the present.
Val goes straight to the boat club to meet Sal, the restaurant manager,
hoping he'll let her host a Zimbabwean cookout.
Definitely. We've got plenty of space.
We can let you use our outside kitchen.
We got no plates or anything like that.
Is there a chance you can lend us something?
I'm sure we can find something. Really? Yes.
Oh, lovely. There's cutlery and plates and napkins.
We can cope. Yeah? Yes.
This is going a little bit out of my comfort zone,
but I'm quite excited to just get it done and see people's reactions
and see them enjoying our food.
Next...
Val's friends and family come to the rescue...
Teamwork makes the dream work.
...Val's pop-up barbecue goes down a storm...
Someone's just asked me for a business card!
I feel really emotional.
...and Steve realises how much he's missed out on.
The biggest positive that's come out of it for me
is the connection with my children.
It's not easy, but we're getting there.
The wealthy Boltons have been shocked
by how hard their week's been.
To live on £51.93p a week is just mind-blowing.
Off to hunt for some gas and electric.
Care worker Val has a business degree,
but no cash to pursue her dream.
I would love to have my own restaurant.
But things start to look up.
What I have learnt from Jo is you've got to start somewhere.
Day six,
and the Boltons are still fighting over having just one bathroom.
Nearly done? Hm? Nearly done?
Yeah, I'll be two minutes. OK. I need to be quick.
I need to get my stuff ready. I won't be long. OK.
With the week drawing to a close, they want to improve Val's garden.
Steve's consulting AI.
'Pick one barbecue and clean it up.
'Set the space up as Val's backyard kitchen.
'Link it to her food dreams.'
With so much to do, they'll need boots on the ground.
And having experienced the love and care Val's surrounded by,
Steve knows exactly who to call.
I knew, having met a number of the family and friends,
that they would step up to the plate and help us.
Erm, listen, I've got a favour.
Over in Bournemouth, it was an early start too.
That was a bit of a supermarket sweep, wasn't it?
It was. And it's so expensive, isn't it?
Even spending up big time,
Val and Cleo still had almost £500 left
from their £2,000 spending budget.
More than enough for this afternoon's barbecue pop-up.
So, the next job now is to marinate the pork belly.
Before she helps out, Cleo's recharging her batteries.
This is my dream sort of breakfast,
with massive tiger prawns and thick cheese.
Oh, and strawberries.
We've created such a monster with my mum.
I bought washing-up liquid this morning.
My normal bog-standard Aldi 65p washing-up liquid.
She had a go at me!
She said, "Val, we are living a millionaire lifestyle this week.
"You cannot be buying 65p washing-up liquid."
CLEO LAUGHS
Oh, dear.
But, nah, we're good, we're good.
I'm on a roll. I'm excited for today.
Welcome to Val's Kitchen.
Oh, I can't wait! Let's do this.
In Val's backyard, the makeover's already started.
Steve and Charlie are hard at it, and help is on its way.
Hello! Hello.
Veronica, the cow foot chef,
has arrived to take charge of the kitchen.
And in true Zimbabwean fashion, everyone's bringing food along.
The backyard's soon buzzing.
Everyone chipping in and helping out
this afternoon was just...
It was beautiful to see.
Hi, Tammy!
ALL GREET EACH OTHER
Spending so much time with his kids this week
has had a big impact on Steve.
Even when I go on holiday with them,
it's very different to just the three of us,
every single day, morning, noon and night.
You know, doing stuff together.
It's like the biggest positive that's come out of it,
for me, is the connection with my children.
It's already looking so much better.
By the end of today, I think...
Val will have a garden she can be very proud of.
At the Marina in Bournemouth,
Val and Cleo's pop-up barbecue is about to start serving...
...and this is crunch time.
Val may have a business degree, but today's her chance
to prove she can also make her dream work in practice.
This week has been a bit of a journey, a very big journey.
Not "a bit", I lie.
I've been pushed to the limit, and I've done it.
There's been tears, there's been swears, there's been all sorts.
But, no, I'm glad we're here.
First in the queue is Danny, Steve's nephew.
Yes, it is. We've got mac and cheese here.
That's ready. We've got some chicken that's ready.
We've got some rice, jollof rice there, some spring greens.
Hi, girls. Hi!
Steve's sister Michelle comes over to introduce herself.
Amazing. Aw! Amazing.
Welcome to our pop-up. Thank you.
Please don't feel shy. Oh, we will.
We've got some pork belly on the go as well.
It's delicious.
Basically, it's got loads of tomatoes, loads of peppers in it.
Little tinge of chilli.
Not a lot, but give it a go.
In Portsmouth, things are moving just as fast.
Teamwork makes the dream work.
But it also takes money.
The weekly spending budget of £52 wasn't going to cut it,
so Steve's dipped into his own pocket.
Got a new vegetable patch,
new barbecue the guys have put together.
Furniture's coming out. It's awesome.
Nearly there.
See how well you put it together. I don't wanna start again, please!
I did have some doubts on us getting it done in time.
'I didn't think we were gonna do it.'
Food is ready. Anyone hungry?
Yeah!
Everybody helps each other in this family.
'Really special to be part of it.
'Pretty profound and unexpected, and actually very special.'
What do you think of that?
LAUGHTER
Business is booming!
I'd love it if it was here all the time.
We don't have anything like this down here, so it'd be great.
Totally. I can see this going down a storm with people, definitely.
None of us have ever tried Zimbabwean food before,
so it's just superb.
Everyone here today is a potential new customer for Val,
and things are looking promising.
Someone's just asked me for a business card!
I feel really emotional.
Sorry, that's ridiculous, isn't it?
She said, "Write your number on the plate."
Thank you so much, ladies.
It's delicious, and your passion, it's just so clear.
Oh, thank you. It's so great. It's really meaningful.
That really means a lot to me. And thank you.
And here's my business card. SHE LAUGHS
Perfect.
Thank you. Thank you so much. It means a lot. Thank you.
I am so proud of Valerie.
I can see she's so proud of herself and what she's doing.
'I think I've learned a lot from Steve's background.'
Absolutely.
I can't just keep procrastinating and saying,
"Yeah, I'll do it," and I never do.
So, yeah, I've done it. I'm gonna keep going.
SHE LAUGHS
Coming up...
Cleo doesn't want to go home.
Back to square one now. Where I've come from.
Thing I'm gonna miss most
is not having to worry about the next bill.
But when the families meet, Val receives an amazing offer.
We'll support you with anything and everything you need,
up to a value of £100,000.
Oh, my God.
It's gonna change everything for the better. No-one understands.
Struggling single mum Val is back on track.
Business is booming!
She's proved to everyone the skills are there
to run the restaurant she's always dreamt of.
There's been tears, there's been swears. There's been all sorts.
I've been pushed to the limit, and I've done it.
Living on Struggle Street has been tough
for the millionaire Boltons.
Motorbike's been up and down about four times.
60-year-old Cleo swapped traffic noise
this week for birdsong.
BIRDSONG
I love it in the garden, where I can have my little drink.
And I'm having a cup of tea.
The end of the week, and time for everyone to return home.
Back to square one now. Where I've come from.
Thing I'm gonna miss most is the lifestyle.
Not having to worry about how much I'm spending
or having to worry about the next bill.
Is this yours? Yeah.
This is the end of a good life.
Halfway between their homes,
the families meet up to talk the week over.
Oh.
The moment we've been waiting for.
Hello!
Oh, it's lovely to meet you.
It's so lovely to meet you. How are you? Hello!
I'm glad the tears have started already!
I'm terrible. So terrible.
I can't contain myself.
So, how's your week been?
Absolutely fantastic.
What did you think of our life and our world and what we do?
Your house. Oh, wow.
My mum was in the garden. That's where we lived.
Yeah, having my breakfast or a snack or a cup of tea.
I liked that place.
And I'm gonna miss that because I don't have a house like that.
You know, the kitchen, well, that's Valerie's.
Oh, yeah. That was such an open space.
And I was like, "Mum, how do I even cook in my kitchen?
"Like, what do I do?" You know, little thing.
I'm claustrophobic!
So it was heaven.
That life I'm gonna miss.
I'm telling you, Val is so excited to go home. I'm not.
So, how did you guys find a week in our life?
We had such a good time cos, like, we were saying,
our house, like, we are a very close family,
but we're spread out, and we're always doing stuff.
We're always working.
So, how did you find the beds?
I had to move the mattress onto the floor by the end of the week
cos I couldn't quite stretch out fully.
I'm looking forward to starfishing tonight.
You guys obviously got a passion for food.
So, tell us a little bit more about that
and where you might see that going.
What would your dream be?
You know, the goal, the dream...
my passion would be to open a restaurant.
That's great.
I've been to Zimbabwe a few times.
We've got a thing called a sports bar.
You'll be listening to music and just having your drinks,
and someone will be barbecuing outside.
And I thought, I'd love to bring that kind of... to life.
You know, here, that's something that's not...
There's nowhere. It's not done.
OK, good. That's really helpful to know.
I mean, we've been talking a lot
about how we might be able to help you guys
cos that's obviously, you know, a big part of what we wanna do.
And we've thought about three things that we can do to help you.
The first one is already done,
and it'll be a surprise when you get home. OK?
The second one is about your debt situation.
So, we want to get you out of debt.
And then the third thing is we want to back your vision
and your dream and your passion and your talent for business
and support you financially, support you with mentoring,
support you with anything and everything you need,
up to a value of £100,000.
Oh, my God.
We've costed out what a sports bar might,
you know, what it might cost,
and we think it's probably, like, an 18-month plan from today.
We'd love to get some of the other family involved,
and we just think all of you working together
would just make an awesome team, and we'll make it happen.
I'm crying again. LAUGHTER
Oh, gosh. Oh, dear.
Charlie's a videographer, and we sort of do marketing.
And so we could help you, like, build up your personal brand.
You've got such a big personality,
and it would be stupid not to utilise that, you know?
VAL LAUGHS
Oh, wow.
I don't even know what...
How do you say thank you without...?
Thank you. Wow.
This is amazing.
And we'll come down and have some meetings at the boat club.
Yes! Can we?
LAUGHTER
Oh...
Thank you so much.
'I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now. Happy tears.'
INDISTINCT
This can change mine and my family's life.
I've really wanted this so much.
And I'm so glad that my family's also gonna be involved in this
cos it's gonna change everything for the better.
No-one understands what it's gonna do.
You can just feel the passion, the commitment,
the desire to do the best for herself and her family,
and, you know, lovely, aren't they? Yeah.
So, me and Ella are gonna try and work with her on her personal brand
and, yeah, help make Valerie
the face of Zimbabwean food in this country.
HE LAUGHS
It's... It's happening. It's going to happen.
Exciting.
It's time for everyone to return home.
Here we are.
Hello, home!
Oh, my God, I got a washing machine.
So, the kettle. SHE SQUEALS
"Thank you guys so, so, so much
"for giving me and Mum the experience of a lifetime."
"We've added a few small touches around the house and garden.
"Love, Ella, Charlie and Steve." Ooh.
VAL SQUEALS
Oh, my God! Look at the garden!
Oh, this is beautiful.
The barbecue! Ha!
Oh, my God, look at this.
This is like a new home, Val. Look at you.
So, has the week changed the way the families think about money?
I think this week is proof that money doesn't buy you happiness.
I think money buys you freedom.
And when you have freedom, it's a lot easier to be happy.
We've learnt so much, you know, about how people live,
some people live, especially on the other side, compared to us.
Yeah, we've had a really good week,
and it's because we didn't have money worries.
It's been great, hasn't it, Mum? Yes.
And what's the take-home message for the families?
The main highlight for me this week is spending time with my kids,
and just the quality time and the conversations.
Just so grateful for it.
I've got not much to say
because I just don't know how I feel any more.
It's just literally, like, a new chapter.
Like, it is a new beginning for us.
Cheers, mate. Cheers.
I need to go out in my garden.
Next time...
It feels nice to have money.
We're just going round and round in a circle.
What the...?!
My legs feel like jelly.
Is that a pig? It's hard bloody work.
Have we been naughty bears? He's chasing us!
I feel very trapped, and I don't have to live here every single day.
What I'd like to do is give you access to some of our funds.
I can't even talk. SHE SOBS