Actor, music artist and father of seven Ashley Walters is on the hunt for some alternative parental advice from a group of fathers, all from different walks of life.
In Top Dad, the All 4 shorts series produced by Renowned Films, Ashley meets a porn star Dad, the founder of Fathers4Justice, an ex-gangster, a father with dwarfism, a 17 year old who became a father in tragic circumstances and transgender boxing manager Kellie Maloney.
Speaking to The Mirror, Ashley said: "I wanted to go to extremes and meet people doing unusual jobs, like being a porn star, or people with disabilities, like a small person having one child that’s normal height and one child who’s a small person as well. What I found was that a lot of those kids are a lot stronger than the kids I know, because I suppose going through pain, going through stress, it can get you down, but there’s another side to it where it can make you really strong. And these kids I met are really tough kids and have fought their way through it.
The main thing that came out of it was that your dedication to your kids is what counts and all children want, especially at a young age is quality time. They want discipline, they want regulations, they want rules, they want boundaries, but they want you to be around to let them and they want your time. You just have to be a positive influence when you’re around.
I just hope it inspires people and TV channels to make more shows reflecting good fathers. I don’t see a lot of that but there are a lot of good, solid single dads out there in relationships that are doing really well for their children."
To watch the series of shorts, click here.
