THE children of a gay couple originally from Danbury will feature in a one-off special television show this Bank Holiday.

Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow were one of the first gay couples in the UK to receive a civil partnership in Chelmsford and the first couple to have children through surrogacy.

Throughout the last sixteen years they have had five children through surrogacy, with their eldest twins, Saffron and Aspen, 16, featuring in “My Millionaire Dads and Me” on Channel 4 this Monday.

The show is about the lives of the twins having grown up in Danbury and the rest of Essex, their relationship with their parents and their life now the family have moved to New York.

About the show, Barrie, 46, said: “It’s essentially showing the audience that they’re still normal, honest kids with wealthy parents, and that although they may have a lot more opportunities than other children their age, they still go through the same life processes.”

“I think a lot of people of Essex and London will like the show, as the people of Essex generally enjoy their standard of living, buying nice things and generally enjoying life’s qualities and amenities.”

Barrie set up the British Surrogacy Centre, offering surrogates as well as sperm and egg donors to UK people, in 2010, setting up a clinic in Maldon and later Chelmsford.

They also have three other children, Orlando, 12, and a second set of twins, Dallas and Jasper, five.

Whilst the family is now living full time in New York, Barrie believes the show will reach out to many families in Essex as a depiction of ordinary children growing up in the area they share with everyone else.

He added: “Whilst we do now live in New York, our kids spent their lives growing up in Danbury and the rest of Essex, they’re thoroughly Essex boys and girls.

“It certainly won’t please everyone, and I never set out to please everyone, but I think there’s plenty for many Essex people to relate to within the show.”

“My Millionaire Dads and Me” will be shown on Channel 4 on Monday at 10pm.