Presenter Alexander Armstrong revealed how he once had to talk his son through how to cook mince at university – and enjoys going into ‘dad mode’ at every opportunity.
From sorting out driving lessons to emergency passport renewals when his eldest's was five weeks from expiry, he fully expects to be picking up jobs for his kids into his nineties.
And being unsure of ever trusting a mobile phone, he admits to falling firmly into the dad stereotype of ensuring he’s got paper copies of everything, 'obsessing' over making sure his kids have a physical copy of things from gig tickets to boarding passes.
The 55-year-old father of four boys, aged from 11 to 19, said he feels he’ll be relied on for help with trivial things even when his children reach adulthood.
His comments follow research by HP [https://www.hp.com/gb-en/printers/smart-tank.html] which revealed 68 per cent of parents anticipate their kids will continue to call them for help for the rest of their lives.
Married to Hannah Armstrong, the pair have raised their boys in a quiet village in Gloucestershire where the actor and writer said family very much comes first and he’s simply ‘dad’.
The face of the BBC’s Pointless explained how celebrity status doesn’t get him out of the day job and he assumes he’ll be taking calls to put up shelves and look at cars when they’re middle aged.
But far from complaining, he hopes that alongside his work in front of the camera, it’ll keep him on his toes when off it.
He was speaking following research by HP into how people often need to print important documents at short notice.
Alexander said: “It’s safe to say being a dad to four boys, you’ve got to be prepared to get involved at any given moment.
“They’re brilliant, but they’re certainly a handful and really ensure my feet are kept firmly on the ground when it comes to the things they ask me to do.
“I absolutely do go into ‘dad mode’, it’s where I thrive – if one of my kids is going to Reading Festival, my question is how are you charging your phone for three days? I end up printing everything off for them, just in case.
“So, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind I’ll be knocking up shelves in their homes, pretending I can fix cars and providing questionable DIY advice well into my 90s, but at the moment it’s phone calls to walk through how to do things - like cook mince.”
Research of 2,000 adults, 60 per cent of which were parents, revealed those with adult children welcome the calls during a mini crisis, making them feel useful or needed.
But of all respondents in contact with their own mums and dads, the top things they’d reach out for help with included locking themselves out, their car breaking down and needing a lift – and when having an emotional meltdown moment like a breakup.
And much like Alexander, responses to their kids are typically calm and reassuring as well as practical and straight to the point.
While 53 per cent would always call their parents first if they needed urgent help.
The research also found of all respondents, they attempt to be ready for anything that’s thrown at them, but only 20 per cent have a printer on hand should they need to ready any last-minute documents.
With 22 per cent having forgotten to print out something important, with heading to the post office without a return label, printed forms for a medical appointment and no hard copy of a CV, the top items needing emergency printing.
And 50 per cent said they’d feel panicked if they couldn’t print something critical off if they had to – with 35 per cent readied to ask their mum or dad to print something off for them, according to the OnePoll figures.
Following the research, working with HP, Armstrong took to the streets of London to put his ‘dad skills’ to the test, helping anyone caught out by an emergency print job.
He added: “You wouldn’t be a real dad if you weren’t storming around with a printed boarding pass in your hand.
“For some reason, you absolutely make sure you print off things ‘just in case’, whether it’s booking confirmations for a holiday or trip, insurance documents – or tickets to events.
“My wife does the forward planning and I’m very much the ‘get my hands dirty type’ making sure everything has what they need and solving issues there and then.
“So, we wanted to surprise people on the streets and get them sorted, so I went into true ‘dad mode’.”
A spokesperson from the brand, whose HP Smart Tank printers can last up to three years without a refill, added: “This research highlights how closely printing is tied to important life moments from travel and healthcare to work and family, yet many people don’t have easy or reliable access to a printer when those moments arise.
"Alexander’s experiences as a dad reflect that reality perfectly, being the reliable person others turn to when something suddenly matters.
"We wanted to reflect that same sense of reliability when it comes to printing."
