In_Touch_Weekly_June_5_2017

eallife
The Cast of PBS’ New Docuseries
‘WeLivedina19th-C
If youhadthechancetolivethewayyourgrandparents
or their grandparents lived, would you
take it? The cast of the new PBS docuseries
Victorian Slum House did. Leaving every modern
luxury behind, 17 Brits opted to reside in
a recreated tenement in London’s East End. “I
wanted to walk in my ancestors’ footsteps,” says
Mandy Howarth, a human resources director who
JOHN
BARKER, 25
HARD LABOR: John and
his sister Maria, both I i h
citizens, worked odd
which was the norm
immigrants back th
“I did monotonous
physically taxing
work, like lifting
timber blocks and
sacks of sugar for
hours,” he says.
LIVING QUARTERS
The real-life café
manager spent fou
nights experiencing
twopenny hangove
19th-century sleeping
arrangement where the
poor could cheaply rent
space on a bench and hang
over a rope in an effort to
get some shut-eye (inset).
“A harsh reality,”
says John.
TOILET WOES:
The cast shared two
outhouses and
used ripped-up
newspaper as toilet
paper. “We became
immune to the
smells,” he says.
He slept
this way
for four
nights!
MARIA
BARKER, 23
DIRTY LAUNDRY:
t home in Ireland, she
works in a clothing
shop; on the show,
Maria plucked chickens
nd did laundry. “I had
to carry big tins of
water to and from an
open fire and scrub
stained sheets,” she
ays. “It felt endless.”
SLEEPLESS NIGHTS:
Like her brother, Maria
stayed in a dosshouse
(a homeless shelter)
and slept in a “coffin
bed,” a straw-filled
mattress set on
the ground. “It was
vile,” says Maria.
“I felt really dirty.”
BONDING EXPERIENCE:
In the slum, misery
loves company: “I
remember chatting with
co-stars about our
modern-day lives and
how much we longed for
a glass of wine!”
MANDY AND HER
FAMILY IN REAL LIFE
“My daughter missed technology,”
says Mandy. “I missed getting
takeout!” Did they get paid for doing
the show? Neither Mandy nor any
of the other participants would say.
60 IN TOUCH JUNE 5, 2017