Richard Madeley is fascinated by the speed of change in family life & how being a father has changed since the time of his father & grandfather. In Fathers & Sons Richard looks back at his own family to illustrate just how far British men's relationships with their sons have moved. Richard's grandfather had a childhood of almost unimaginable betrayal & sadness. His family abandoned him as a child to older relatives & emigrated without telling him. He grew up in a miserable situation & without any positive parenting role models yet managed to marry & have a son of his own. Richard's father was aware of his own father's discomfort & occasional frustration & anger & grew to understand that this was due to his upbringing. He remembers no affection or endearments from his dad & was packed off to a desolate boarding school in an echo of his own father's betrayal. In a bucking of the family trend Richard's mother a Canadian introduced more loving & demonstrative relationships which Richard has continued with his own son & step-sons. Both a family story & a wide-ranging look at Britain's evolving social character Fathers & Sons is a uniquely honest & touching exploration of how our families operate.