So, on Friday I lunch with the amazingly talented, charming and funny Gyton Grantley – well, ok – a virtual lunch.

Well, ok - he was munching on duck pancakes heading into a fundraising event for the Royal Children’s Hospital and I was scoffing down a peanut butter sandwich, but I work from home and don’t get out much, so I’m calling it that we had lunch.

 

The topic of our chat was the premiere of season 4 of House Husbands. That’s right folks, it’s back and it’s just as fantastic. All your favourites are still there and there’s a few new faces namely Justine Clark (Eve) and Indiana Evans (Tash).

The kids are all a little older and there have been a few changes (Gemma and Lewis have gone all city-dwelling on us) but the best bits remain the same – a stellar cast, talented acting, well-written storylines and characters we can all connect with in some way. What working mum doesn’t have a bit of neurotic Abi in them? What wife doesn’t have a few Gemma eye-rolls in them? What parent doesn’t understand and empathise with the school drop-off rush?

 

Now I’m certainly not going to ruin it for you but, I’ve seen the first two episodes and it has everything we’ve come to love about House Husbands and its quirky characters.

So what does Gyton believe is the reason why House Husband has been adopted by the Australian public, why does it resonate in the way that it does?

 

‘I think there’s something in it for everybody. It’s about family values and raising kids, getting them to school, supporting each other’.

‘Particularly for blokes, red-bloodied Aussie blokes, House Husband’s has given them an unspoken voice. Gary Sweet’s character, in fact all the guys, represent them and they can relate to that whether they are house husbands or just Dads and have a real connection.’

 

Now I’m not a stalker but I do follow Julia Morris on Twitter (@ladyjmo) and I see photos she posts of the fun they have behind the scenes. So, is it as much fun as it seems?

‘We’re very lucky we have a great bunch of people. Lots of big laughs. It’s tiring – we do 14 hour days and the weather is not always friendly but if you have a great spirit and a positive approach it works. And with the likes of Julia around well, there’s never a dull moment’.

 

And House Husbands has also retained their amazing young, ensemble cast, ‘With the kids it’s been fantastic to watch them grow, both in age and experience. They are taking on bigger issues and more lines’. I read that they have up to 50 children on set at times, particularly during school scenes, but the lead young actors are just amazing and have me in awe.

 

Because I like to know these things, I asked Gyton who his favourite House Husbands’ character was. After a bit of deliberation he settled on Mark! ‘I love him. He’s a wet rag and a push-over but he loves his wife so much, he’s cute’.

What? I spent much of the first two episodes willing and imploring Mark to ‘shut up, just shut up’ but I guess that’s all part of his charm and let’s face it, many of the situations Australia’s favourite dads find themselves in just wouldn’t play out if not for Mark’s slip ups. Oh, and Lewis – really these boys don’t know how to keep their mouths closed but you’ve got to love them.

 

Now Gyton and I chatted a bit more about some specifics within the first two episodes (and beyond) but, I don’t want to be a ‘spoiler’ so you’ll have to check it for yourself. House Husbands is back for season 4 – this Monday night.

House Husbands Season 4 Premiere - Monday 10th August after The Hot Plate on Channel Nine