Teen years are complex. Hormones are not your friend, self-confidence is lower than a snake
and your body's changing faster than a Twilight werewolf.
Lucky that Mum's always on hand to lead you through those hairy, scary waters into adulthood.
Well, most mums are.
'Up and down this United Kingdom,
'mums are refusing point-blank to grow up.'
If you've got it, flaunt it, babe.
'They're outraging their daughters with their behaviour...'
Oh, my God! Would you like your mum dancing like that?!
'..and their outfits.
'Oh, their outfits!'
I would probably like to be more like Lady Gaga.
At Hotter Than My Daughter, we take mums and daughters whose roles have got confused.
I wouldn't dare go out on the street looking like that. What? Never!
We meet mums who won't lose their clubbing gear... That's disgusting.
..and daughters who don't care what they wear. What granny did you nick it off?
Before asking a very public jury what to do about their look. Oh, my God! Wow!
Your boobies are mental!
And then we hand out the mother of all makeovers.
Oh, God, my baby's a woman!
Apparently, the three things you have to avoid, to stay looking young,
are late nights, kids, and having fun.
Yeah, I think I'll take the wrinkles, thanks!
But, there are women all over the country that will sacrifice anything to stay looking good.
Even if that is a relationship with their offspring.
But we're going to bring back the balance to those relationships, one pair at a time.
Coming up...
We have an unusual case for the Hotter files,
a mum and daughter in the wilds of Cumbria.
Mum Bev was once a model...
That's my mum's modelling picture.
She knew what she had, she used her assets well.
But she's lost her mojo
and daughter Zoe is desperate for Mum to recapture her old hotness.
Black skirt, black tops...
No, we need a whole new wardrobe change.
Mother and daughter relationships can be complex at the best of times,
but when one's a blonde bombshell
and the other's a brain of Britain, with clothes to match,
you know there's trouble brewing.
My mum...she lives in an Austin Powers film.
I think I've spotted some pink stuff over here.
I get a headache if I look at her for too long.
I think it's better than being frumpy and boring.
Yeah, we are really different in the way we dress.
She's always got the cardigan on, always got her head down.
This is comfy. It's practical.
She just wears dark colours and flat shoes.
I don't look totally crazy. I don't look totally crazy, either.
Did I say that? Do you think I look totally crazy?
Maybe a bit.
48-year-old former Bunny Girl Freya Bartlett, from Cambridge,
has seen and done it all.
You only get one life, so live it.
A mum of three,
Freya had daughter Claudia with her third husband aged 31.
Now this man-eater is onto husband number five.
Oh, you've got to have a laugh!
Oh, dear!
These days she splits her time between the UK and Italy,
where she runs a posh hotel -
a business that's made her a millionaire.
There has been a big change, yeah.
To move abroad as well, of course, is quite a big step.
Freya may have millions now,
but it's not always been so easy.
As a young woman, she fought to overcome her confidence problems
and carved out a successful modelling career.
I was not only ugly, but I was very thick too.
So pretty much all I had going for me was
I had big boobs.
And by working her butt off,
she came to the attention of the biggest name in the glamour game.
Working as a Bunny Girl at the Playboy club was fun,
but also it was really hard work
because you were on your feet till 5am every day.
That is probably where I got my thing about not wearing stilettos as much as platforms
because I got really sore feet from wearing high-heeled shoes.
And her penchant for platforms has never diminished.
I'm always on the lookout for platforms.
Everything has to be platform shoes.
Oh, yes.
Or platform boots.
Platform slippers.
Who says that platforms go out of fashion?
One shoe is the same as another to me a lot of the time.
For 17-year-old daughter Claudia however,
life is all about blending into the background.
Claudia doesn't think she's beautiful
and she's always very frumpy and wearing dark colours.
It goes with everything and it's warm
and I just like it, because it fits.
She's very Saffy-like from Ab Fab.
Top-rated by MENSA, she's a real brainbox with big ambitions.
I would love to get a place at one of the most exclusive universities, like Cambridge.
To produce one molecule of gaseous ions each with a charge of 1+...
6.02220 times ten to the 23rd, one 12th of the mass of carbon 12, so...
I love how you remember all of that.
I'd like to say she gets her brains from me
but really, I don't think so.
Why do you think I keep my hair this colour? It matches my brain!
Freya's obsession with the '70s
extends to every part of her daily routine.
I'm never seen without my lipstick.
I wear lipstick to bed, just in case.
The house could burn down, the Fire Brigade might come, or someone might see you!
Whenever we get in the car,
she doesn't ask, "Did I lock the door?"
"Have I got my purse?"
She asks, "Have I got my lipstick?"
I've had it on for so many years, that, kind of...
My lips are probably quite stained with it, actually.
It's an obsession which cerebral Claudia just doesn't understand.
You look like Agnetha out of ABBA.
♪ Mamma Mia... ♪
The blonde hair and the blue eyeshadow and the pink lipstick.
This is the only make-up that suits me.
She will say, "Oh, I've done beauty courses and that."
And I say, "Yes, Mum, in the '80s!"
She didn't take too kindly to that.
♪ My, my, how can I resist you... ♪
One thing is for sure, it's fashion that's the big issue in their relationship.
There's nothing wrong with anything you are wearing on its own - except maybe the boots.
What's wrong with my boots? They're bright pink and plastic.
You know, I have attempted to reign Mum in a bit
with everything she wears.
You will have to prize these platforms off my cold, dead feet.
I'd like to see her wearing things that are more feminine and brighter,
to brighten her up and make her feel more confident.
At least you've pink socks on today. They're yours!
That makes sense.
I always think I look like a bit of an idiot, really.
You know, everyone's wearing certain things...
Especially like... There is always the voice in the back of my head thinking, "Are you turning into Mum?"
Oh, God!
Obviously, these two are incredibly strong women
and I'm not getting involved
without some professional help, in the form of a jury.
So, I found this bunch of hairdressers in a trendy salon.
Hello, people of Cambridge! ALL: Hi!
So, will our defendants please step forward?
Ladies, give us a twirl, please.
What would you say about mum Freya's look?
Do you go to work dressed like that?
Yeah. Cool. Yeah.
Your clothes are too young for your age. Definitely. OK.
Yes, you just seem to like pink a little bit too much.
You look like a giant lollipop.
If my mum went outside like that I would pretend I was adopted.
So, Freya, what did you think of the jury's comments?
Perhaps Claudia's right,
maybe my '60s and '70s look and the platform boots and everything...
Perhaps I should try and experiment with something else.
OK, Claudia, what did you think of the jury's comments?
I'm surprised that she'll listen to them and not to me.
OK, and where is daughter Claudia getting it wrong?
Most 16-year-olds that come in here don't dress like that at all. A little bit frumpy.
The big woolly jumper is maybe a bit too chunky.
Or wearing heels... She's got flat shoes on, they're fine,
but flat shoes and different types of clothes.
You could be a lot prettier.
You should really come out of your shell a bit,
you're really good-looking so dress up a bit more and make an effort.
As I have said all along, she's beautiful
and she should be a little bit more confident,
and it confirms what I've been saying, really.
Hmm, some interesting thoughts from the jury.
I want to get to the root of why these two are so far apart
in terms of their outlook.
That outfit she was wearing today, she wanted to get married in!
When you get to my age, you kind of think,
"What the heck, just be yourself."
Mum gets annoyed, cos she says I'm embarrassed by her,
I don't want her to meet my friends.
I do want you to meet my friends. Maybe if you were wearing something normal.
So, tell me about Claudia? She's not very outgoing.
She's lovely and she should be more confident.
I've gone off wearing bright things.
Mum used to force me into all kinds of crazy stuff when I was younger,
but now I'm old enough to resist it.
So now you are totally rebelling?
Most people rebel and wear stuff that's crazy, I'm the opposite.
You want Claudia to be a bit more glam,
you want her to come out of her shell
and maybe it has something to do with you being so glam
that she hides away a little bit.
So let's have some fun, work on a new look for you and see how confident you can be.
You come with me to Hotness Heaven
and this is the perfect opportunity to experiment with other things.
Sound good to you? OK. I'll give it a go. Yay! Thank you.
Could be an interesting experiment.
Thank you!
Before you could say, "Blake Lively,"
I whipped Freya and Claudia to Hotness Heaven
where our expert stylists were laying in wait.
Hello, ladies. Welcome to Hotness Heaven. Hello.
Are we nervous? Very. Definitely.
Freya, you've still got the pink going on, I see.
Are you ready to come into the 21st century? Have the boots got to go? Yes!
Are you sure? They are gone!
So now our stylists get to work on transforming Freya and Claudia.
We'll keep our mirrors under wraps so they won't have a clue what we're doing to them.
The next time they see each other is on our Hotter catwalk.
You are a busy businesswoman, but you're busy in your personal life, too.
Yeah. Well, as my mum used to say, "Husbands may come and go, but a mother is for life."
You know that your mum has had a pretty hectic personal life, hasn't she? Yeah.
So, I was thinking why can't you give her a bit of slack?
I don't know, obviously partly it's because I have to walk down the street with her.
But as well...
I don't want people to laugh at her. I mean, I love her.
Hey, Mrs, how are we getting on? Well, Freya is stuck in a frosted '70s time warp, I'm afraid.
I have never seen such a blatant disregard for the natural lip line -
there is pink all over the outside of the lips.
But give me 10 minutes, I'm going to give her a few tips and she'll be a sophisticated, modern woman.
Now the ladies get to see their new look for the very first time.
First up, it's Claudia.
Claudia was trapped in Mum's shadow.
Often described as Saffy -
the brainbox student with a love of woolly jumpers.
What a transformation!
We've ditched the boring old cardies in favour of an asymmetric dress
and made the most of that beautiful hair.
But what will she make of her radical overhaul?
SHE GASPS
Claudia! Hey, how do you feel?
Different! Do you like it?
Yeah! Do you like your hair?
Yeah. It's like wild, but in a good way.
Yeah. Fashion wild.
Erm, hello, figure!
Where was that?
Oh, I know, under a baggy jumper.
I mean, did you know that you had a figure like that?
I don't know, probably. I don't know.
I wouldn't have thought so.
You look amazing.
Do you feel good?
Yeah. It's everything that I love, in general,
but I wouldn't have expected to put it on me and it still look OK.
Aw! Now I want you to say, "I am gorgeous and clever." In the mirror!
I am gorgeous and clever. Yes!
And now, it's Freya's turn.
This is what Freya looked like when she first stepped into Hotness Heaven.
Pink everywhere, dated make-up and those '70s platforms.
She looked like an advert for Valentine's Day.
Freya, welcome to the 21st century.
We've given her a modern cut, overhauled her make-up
and slipped her into a sleek little black dress.
I think she looks one million times better,
but the big question is - what will she think?
Wow!
No, I actually hate it!
I think you've made me look like an old lady!
Hey, Freya. Hello. What are you thinking?
I'm not very keen on it to be honest with you. No way!
No, I think the hair's too dark.
It's nice, it's a beautiful cut, and I just think you've made me look a bit like an old lady.
Really, you think you look like an old lady? Yeah, I do. I do.
I think you look classy as hell. No, I don't think so at all.
The 21st century is not where you want to be. No.
You could have brought me into the 21st century in something a bit more... Pink?
No, not necessarily pink, but not quite so...
Hmm. It's not right. Do you think you'll go back to the '70s look?
As soon as I get out.
Now these two get to see each other's new look for the first time.
Believe it or not, Freya actually prefers herself looking like this.
I wonder what Claudia will think?
Now it's the big moment, it's time to see who's hotter.
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
Oh, my God!
Oh, wow! Look at your hair, it's gorgeous.
Oh! That's gorgeous.
Hello, ladies.
What do you think, Claudia, of your mum?
Her hair like that... I've never seen it like that.
It's been the same all my life. Do you like it?
Yeah, it's amazing. I've never had it short.
She looks classy, doesn't she? Yeah.
I love the shoes and the necklace. Do you prefer this? Yes, definitely.
You prefer me looking like this? Yeah.
Would you want your friends to see her like that?
Definitely, yes. Freya, what do you think about Claudia's look?
I think she looks incredible, her hair is absolutely gorgeous.
I love her curly hair, always have done, but she's always tried to straighten it.
It is making the best of what she's got. Absolutely.
It's fantastic. I love it.
I love it.
I've learned that mums and daughters aren't shy when it comes to dealing out advice.
And this lot certainly didn't hold back.
If my mum came downstairs in a really short skirt, a low-cut top,
I would be like, "No, mum, turn around.
"Back up the stairs, sort it out."
I wouldn't even dare to suggest to my mum what she should wear.
Mums should dress however they please, really.
You don't want to wear things that you think your daughter will wear
cos you feel really silly and old.
No! And you think, "Oh, no, I shouldn't really go there."
No short skirts and no boobs. No low-cut tops.
I always tend to have my legs out really, rather than the top half.
Women over a certain age should not be seen in mini skirts,
that's my opinion.
But if you have a fine pair of legs, why not?
Next up are Zoe and Beverley.
A slightly more unusual case from the Hotter files.
Well, my mum's playing it safe.
I haven't really got a style.
Black skirt, black tops.
Another black jacket. No, we need a whole new wardrobe change.
'48-year-old mum of two Beverly Connolly runs a hotel in the Lake District.'
You've had one too many. Right, we'll see you off.
It's very hard work, yes.
I definitely feel like a 48-year-old.
Originally from Enfield, she had daughter Zoe at 23
and split with the father three years later.
I met with my second husband Andy, who I've now been with for 18 years.
Nowadays, mother and daughter look very different, but it wasn't always that way.
She would have the wild hair and the make-up.
She used to wear little short mini dresses, like I do.
In the '80s, Bev was a hot model.
Yeah, my mum was glamorous.
I think that I got my tight clothes from her.
Because she had dresses from before...
they were really tight.
The tighter the better.
That's my mum's modelling picture.
God, yeah, that was when I was 18.
I love them, I think they're wicked.
She wasn't shy, I don't think.
She knew what she had, she used her assets well.
'And it seems that the modelling gene has been passed from mum to daughter.'
God, that is proper glamour.
She just loves showing her body off.
I blame my style on my mother!
She's lovely as it is, she's stunning.
I don't think she has to have these hanging out...with that.
But these bad boys are new.
Three months ago, she come home and said, "I'm getting my boobs done."
I don't think she needed them done,
but she wanted them done.
I just wanted them fuller.
For me, to feel better.
You know, when you look in the mirror, you don't like something, if I can change it, why not?
Risque posing clearly runs in the family.
And Zoe is trying to forge a career modelling in London.
But she has come back to Cumbria on a mercy mission
to help mum Beverly
because, tragically, she's lost her hotness.
In the last few years, she's gone back in herself.
We had the floods in Cumbria, which destroyed our business.
It caused a lot of stress, a lot of heartache.
I couldn't be bothered with me.
I didn't like me.
I'd had enough.
She got a bit conscious, the hormones kicked in.
She went, I don't know, to the frumpy side of the store
and started picking all of that up.
Now Zoe wants her mum to get her hotness back.
I want my mum to be how she used to be.
To think, "Sod it, I have got a good body.
"I'm not..." What's the word, "an aged mother."
Well, this is a most unusual case.
And I need Zoe and Bev to hear a second opinion.
So, I hunted high and low and found this lovely bunch of hairdressers.
Will our defendants please step forward?
Ladies, give us a twirl.
Oooh!
Jury, first impression?
I can see your bum!
I've got three daughters
and I would definitely not let them out like that.
What would you say Beverley is doing wrong? It looks like you have an amazing figure under that long top.
You're hiding yourself.
Put a nice big necklace on and brighten the colour up,
put a belt around and show the waist off.
You could look so much nicer.
I know, I have had a few hard times,
I think, well, I've got a bit older and I felt old.
I think a bit of colour will bring you back to life and make you feel that bit more confident.
I think you should go for it.
Where's Zoe going wrong?
Maybe cover up slightly, give you a bit more class and you'll go such a long way.
As I say, you're gorgeous. So, yeah.
'With the jury's words ringing in my ears, I sat these two down for a heart to heart.'
Tell me about your mum, because she has had a tough time of it.
I think a lot of it was the business, the flooding.
It was one thing after the other.
I thought I was having a heart attack.
I think everything was getting on top.
I just had it. I'd gone.
She just shied away from everything.
She used to be confident, I just want her back.
I need to tidy myself up.
And I want to feel good about myself again,
since I'm nearly 50.
So if we get you both to Hotness Heaven,
give your mum a bit of confidence and also tone you down at the same time,
would that make her feel better about herself? Yeah, definitely.
Like that idea? Lovely. Shake on that one. Thank you.
So, with Beverley and Zoe both agreeing to a fashion compromise,
we had them heading to Hotness Heaven in no time at all.
And ready to pounce are some of Britain's best stylists.
Ladies, welcome to Hotness Heaven.
How are you feeling? A bit nervous. Excited.
So, Zoe, what is the worse we can do to you?
Cover me up completely.
I need some skin showing. Still got to be sexy.
There's no time to waste, let's get to work.
So, this is where the journey starts.
Let's see if our stylists can successfully tone down Zoe,
while bringing back a bit of Bev's former glory.
Wouldn't it be cool to say, "I'm hotter than my daughter, and I'm 50"? Oh, lovely.
But Zoe always loves it,
cos she says, "If I look like my mum when I'm 48, I'll be happy."
Are you worried that your outfits send out the wrong message?
I'm not silly.
I know if you dress a certain way you are going to get idiots...
or that sort of crowd, you know.
If you dress more sensible or sophisticated I would probably get different attention, definitely.
OK, this is my favourite bit.
Beverley and Zoe are just about to see how much they have changed.
First up - Beverley.
This is what Beverley looked like after years of struggles.
She'd lost her sense of style,
lost her confidence and lost any colour from her wardrobe.
And this is new-look Bev.
We've kept her glamour understated, without making her look brash.
She looks like a confident businesswoman. Let's hope she likes her new look.
Hello, Bev, look at you!
It's totally different.
It'll take a bit getting used to.
Not sure? Trousers are a bit tight.
Do you like the look? Yeah.
I haven't dressed myself up for a long time.
Well, it's time you started doing things like that. Definitely.
This is a turning point for me now.
I'm going to start wearing more fitted clothes
and put a bit of make-up on and do my hair.
We wanted to show you that you do have a figure,
and as Zoe said, "Boom!"
I know, I forgot I had one of them!
And now, it's Zoe's turn.
And here is the old Zoe.
To the point and in your face,
with nothing left to the imagination.
And this is the new-look.
We've lightened her hair colour, toned down her make-up with neutral shades,
and covered up those curves.
I think Zoe looks miles better, but what will she think?
Oh, my God!
How covered am I?
Hello, Zoe. Hi!
What do you think?
It's just different, I suppose I'm just shocked.
It's a completely different look.
I've got colour in my hair.
A few little highlights and lowlights. I look girlie.
What do you think of the make-up? We toned it down, but kept it sexy.
It makes me look younger.
Not a bad thing.
I do like the dress,
but if it was a bit more pulled in, I think.
Just a bit more fitted.
Do you know why we couldn't make it fit?
Because you have huge boobs.
Do you think you'll stick with the new look?
You know, I will, but more fitted.
When our stylists started work on Beverley and Zoe,
they looked like this,
and they haven't seen each other since.
Now they're about to meet again on the catwalk.
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
Ah!
Do you like it?
I do like it, actually. It's lovely.
God, you look so different. Totally different.
Hello, ladies. Hello.
Can I just say, you look more like mum and daughter than ever?
So, your mum was wearing black, shapeless clothes,
so we put her in a bit of colour. Do you like it?
I do, you can see her face, the hair colour.
You can see her figure now, you can see her shape.
Can you see the bootie? Yeah, baby.
Have you got your old mum back?
I hope so. She's got to stick to it.
Bev, what do you think of Zoe's outfit?
She's just covered.
No, she's still got her figure,
you can still see she's got a nice figure under that.
We've just made her a bit more elegant. It looks lovely.
So, Beverley and Zoe head home with Bev's hotness fully restored.
As for our other mum and daughter - well, there's no changing Freya,
but at least we've shown Claudia that she can be clever, serious and gorgeous.
This has been Hotter Than My Daughter,
taking the "war" out of wardrobe.
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk