22 Kids and Counting - Season 8

Sue and Noel Radford struggle to know how best to advise their eldest daughter Sophie after she confesses that all is not well in her marriage to Joe. With a home and three children to consider, does she try one last time to make it work - or accept that it may be time to go their separate ways? Meanwhile, Millie and Harley's little girl Ophelia excitedly prepares to start school.

This episode begins inauspiciously, as son Josh turns eighteen. Outgoing, football-mad and usually the loudest, wildest joker in the house, Josh has always thrived on attention. So when he shows no interest in celebrating such a milestone, alarm bells begin to ring. When Noel asks what he wants to do for his birthday, Josh's answer is stark: nothing.

This episode of 22 Kids & Counting is unlike any before it. Filmed over nine months with Josh's full consent, and made with the guidance of mental health professionals, it tells a story Josh never expected to share – but one he chose to tell so others might recognise themselves and seek help too. Moving, heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting, it's an episode that won't be forgotten.

When ill health forces the Radfords' son-in-law Harley to quit work, his mood hits an all-time low as finances become tight, so Millie buys a dog to cheer him up. Meanwhile, Sue and Noel prepare to celebrate another year together with a short break in the Lake District, but an unexpected financial windfall prompts them to revise their plans.

Max prepares for his GCSEs as he attempts to fulfil his ambition of working on engineering projects, but his autism means expressive subjects like English are almost impossible for him to grasp and his dream might collapse at the first hurdle. Meanwhile, Ellie and her boyfriend Steven are approaching their first anniversary, but cracks are beginning to show in their relationship and their interests no longer seem to align.

The Radfords set out to explore their family heritage, but true to form, the ever-competitive Noel and Sue turn the journey into a challenge. With the help of historians and experts, they go head to head to see whose side of the family tree holds the biggest shocks and surprises on a journey that takes in South Wales, Bollington near Macclesfield, Manchester and France.