Nobody's Perfect

Nobody's Perfect
Series	1
Episode	1
Overall	1
Air Date	November 8, 1999
Written by	Amanda Swift
Directed by	Steve Goldie
Episode guide
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"Nobody's Perfect" is the first episode in the first series of the ITV comedy My Parents Are Aliens. It was first broadcast on November 8 in 1999.

Synopsis

When Mel skips school, her teacher Mr Coleman decides it's time to pay a home a visit. Meanwhile, Brian has developed an allergy that causes him to sneeze and morph uncontrollably.

Plot

Brian and Lucy are playing astronauts when suddenly Brian starts to sneeze. This has unusual side effects, as he temporarily spawns a nose out of his ear then grows a longer nose. Mel arrives three hours late for school, and is confronted by Mr Coleman, who asks where she has been, but she doesn't give an answer.

Josh's friend Mikey is on the reserve list for a party held by a popular boy at school, Dave Locket. Josh wonders how he can get invited, and Mikey suggests Josh invite Dave to something, so he can return the favour. That evening, Josh announces he will be hosting a party, while Mr. Coleman is set to visit the house the next day. This causes concerns, as Mr. Coleman is likely to be exposed to Brian's unusual morphs. Mel explains that she and her siblings are likely to be put into care if Mr. Coleman notices anything odd, possibly splitting them up. Eventually, Mel confesses to Lucy that she went to put flowers on their mother's grave, as it was her birthday. Meanwhile Josh is forced to cancel his party, much to his dismay.

Josh and Lucy try to find out what Brian is allergic to by having him eat a number of foods, but to no avail. They then try to experiment with a machine that will reverse the situation, but after Josh tampers with it, he ends up sneezing backwards. Mel, meanwhile decides to teach Sophie to be more human by telling her to be more stressed, teaching her about discipline and saying not to always say what she really thinks.

Mr. Coleman arrives, and due to nerves Sophie ends up saying too much, not making any sense, saying that he'll likely get more sense out of Brian. After talking with both parents, Mr. Coleman realizes this is a difficult "transition period" for the family. Brian then morph-sneezes again in front of Mr. Coleman. It is then decided that he will re-visit the house, this time accompanied by a social worker, the following day, when Josh's re-scheduled party will take place.

The children agree to have Josh's party as planned, though with an alien fancy dress theme so nobody becomes suspicious. Even the social worker, Miss Parma, is enjoying herself, while Mr. Coleman is reluctant. It turns out the party was a success, as Josh got invited to Dave's party. It eventually turns out that Brian had Leonardo, Lucy's interactive hamster watch, on his wrist the whole time, which was causing the unusual morphs. The episode ends with Mel chasing Lucy through the house.

Cast

• Tony Gardner as Brian Johnson
• Barbara Durkin as Sophie Johnson
• Danielle McCormack as Mel Barker
• Alex Kew as Josh Barker
• Charlotte Francis as Lucy Barker
• Patrick Niknejad as Pete Walker
• Chris Cornwell as Mikey
• Julian Triandafyllou as Dave Locket
• Ben Forster as Mr. Coleman
• Bindya Solanki as Miss Parma

Trivia

• Ironically, after Brian morphs again, Lucy says they've got another seven years bad luck. Ironically, the series would last for seven years before the Barkers departed.
• In this episode, Josh's two side-kicks at school are Pete, as normal, and another kid, Mikey, who's also seen in the next couple of episodes. By the end of the first series, the familiar trio of Josh, Pete and Frankie would be in place.