Michael Owen has confronted his reputation of being “a boring p***k” in the first trailer for his family’s new docuseries. The former Liverpool footballer, 46, has teamed up with Amazon Prime Video for a six-part show, inviting fans behind the doors of his family home. The programme, titled Meet the Owens, will premiere at the end of next month.
Confronting the 'boring' label
Ahead of the launch, the first teaser showed the dad-of-four attempting to clear up his dull persona after years of withdrawing from the public eye. The clip begins with Michael sitting in front of the camera, where he was questioned over his “reputation” to which he jokingly interrupted “of being a boring p***k”. However, the footage went on to show that he’s anything but, as he larked around with his four children - James, Emily, Jessica and Love Island star Gemma - and wife Louise.
“My dad is certainly not boring but he is quite embarrassing sometimes,” his daughter Gemma insisted, amid clips of him dancing with his children, showing off his football skills and flipping a pancake. Unfortunately, there were no scenes of Michael sitting down with his brood to watch a film - after he stunned fans with the revelation that he had only sat through a handful of movies over the years.
Family life and horse racing business
Elsewhere in the trailer, he conceded that, although football was once his “life”, this has been replaced by his horse racing business, and told former teammate Jamie Carragher that his family had amassed 140 horses. Although Louise insisted that the business “had to stand on its own two feet” in a competitive industry, Michael confessed that they could lose £1million in the next year. The pair have also encouraged their children to get involved as Gemma explained that the England legend wanted her to become a jockey.
Official synopsis
“Meet the Owens follows a year in the life of former England striker Michael Owen, his wife Louise, and their four children Gemma, James, Emily, and Jessica, as they juggle a horse racing business while contending with a chaotic home life,” the official synopsis reads. “Since retiring from a Ballon d'Or-winning football career, Michael Owen has built a horse racing business to compete at the biggest events in the world, but running a successful racing operation has never been more challenging. At home, he and wife Louise are preparing for life as empty nesters: youngest Jessica dreams of becoming a showjumping Olympic champion; Emily, 18, is trying to become the first Owen to go to university; and James, 20, who has a degenerative eye condition, wants to join the family business. Meanwhile, eldest daughter Gemma, a presenter and equestrian with millions of social media followers, is balancing her media career with an ambitious new challenge. Training at her dad's stables, she has her sights set on racing at Glorious Goodwood.”
Previous reputation and Rooney's defense
Michael has earned a reputation for being “boring” over the years, thanks mostly to his monotone voice and dry sense of humour. He previously attempted to shake off the persona by taking part in the Masked Singer in 2022 - but later admitted that he was the worst singer ever to go on the show. While it remains to be seen whether Meet the Owens helps retire the claim for good, he was previously defended by Wayne Rooney, who raved about his personality behind closed doors.
"Michael can come across as a little bit boring," the ex Manchester United star said. "But he's one of the funniest people you'll meet. Being in his company, honestly he's so funny and witty. A lot of people think, 'Oh he's quite boring' but he is so funny and I hope he gets that out because, everyone who played with him, we know what a good lad he is and sometimes that doesn't always come across."
Meet the Owens will be released on Amazon Prime Video on August 28.
