Presenter Alexander Armstrong once had to teach his son how to cook mince at university, but he says he enjoys going into ‘dad mode’ at every opportunity. From sorting out driving lessons to emergency passport renewals, the 55-year-old father of four boys, aged from 11 to 19, said he feels he fully expects to be sorting out jobs for his kids into his nineties.
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. The face of BBC’s Pointless, Armstrong says celebrity status doesn’t get him out of the day job and he’s simply just ‘a dad’. But far from complaining, he hopes that his kids’ continuous need for help will keep on his toes when he’s away from the camera.
He 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.”
Talking about going into ‘dad mode’ he said, “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.”
He admits he falls firmly into the dad stereotype of ensuring he’s got paper copies of everything – never going full digital – 'obsessing' over making sure his kids also have a physical copy of things from gig tickets to boarding passes.
His comments follow research by HP which revealed 68% of parents anticipate their kids will continue to call them for help for the rest of their lives. The research of 2,000 adults, 60% of which were parents, revealed those with adult children welcome the calls during a mini crisis, making them feel useful or needed.
Alexander added:“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.”
The research also found that of all respondents, they attempt to be ready for anything that’s thrown at them, but only 20% have a printer on hand should they need to ready any last-minute documents.
Half of respondents said they’d feel panicked if they couldn’t print something critical off if they had to – with 35% ready 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.”
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."
