Sue and Noel Radford’s son Max left 22 Kids and Counting viewers reaching for the tissues on Sunday night, as the teenager bravely opened up about the reality of chasing big dreams while living with a health struggle.
At just 16, Max already talks about designing aeroplanes and even nuclear submarines.
But as the cameras followed him in the run up to his GCSEs, it became clear that one subject threatened to ground those ambitions before they had even taken off.
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Max has a diagnosis of autism.
Despite his remarkable talent for maths and physics, English has proved a constant battle.
And with GCSE results looming, Sue and Noel knew that without at least a Level 5 in English, university could slip out of reach.
22 Kids and Counting: Max Radford’s struggles
The latest episode of 22 Kids and Counting followed Max as he prepared for his exams. It did not take long to see where his strengths lie.
On the beach near the family home in Morecambe, he scribbled complex equations into the sand with ease. Difficult problems that would stump many were second nature to him.
English, however, was another story.
Sue and Noel understood that without a Level 5 in English, which older viewers would recognise as a strong C or low B, higher education options would narrow.
Max explained: “My dream is to build huge pieces of engineering, like jets, tanks and submarines. I would like to go into a field of chemistry, like rocket fuel or something like that.”
In a bid to inspire him, Noel treated his son to a visit to Concorde. Max described the aircraft as “mind blowing”, clearly in awe of what engineering can achieve.
Yet beneath the excitement sat a real fear that he might never follow the path he wants.
“It’s very stressful. Physics and chemistry is fun. Maths, I like it more than the other subjects,” he said. “But I’m very bad at a lot of the other subjects. English, I’m horrible at that.
“With my autism, I see the world differently to everyone else. Maths is a lot better than English because there is a definitive right answer and a definitive wrong one. There isn’t with English.”
Noel Radford ‘hires’ Chloe to help Max
With 14 siblings still living at home, quiet revision time is hard to come by. So Max headed to older sister Chloe’s house to focus on English.
Noel suggested Chloe try tutoring him. But the session quickly showed how deep the struggle runs.
“I don’t understand tones. I just can’t read the text and extract information,” Max told her.
When asked to compare two poems, he grew visibly frustrated.
“I’ve read it about three times now. I still don’t know what the tone is and genuinely have no idea.
“I can’t do this, it’s not making any sense. I have no clue what is going on. I’m going.”
Max stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Chloe later phoned Noel and urged him to find a tutor experienced in working with neurodiverse students.
Sue and Noel took the advice seriously. But at first, Max resisted the idea.
He admitted he had “given up with it” and said he did not “understand the point”.
After another tense moment where he walked away, Noel admitted: “There’s no talking to him at the moment, he’s just totally disengaged. We’re running out of time. He needs this tutor to see sense.”
Thankfully, Max eventually agreed to give specialist support a chance. Viewers later saw him working steadily with a tutor.
By the end of the episode, the hard work paid off as he received his GCSE results, including a 5 in maths.
Viewers ‘cry’ for Max
After the episode aired, 22 Kids and Counting fans flooded Sue and Noel with messages.
Many said Max’s honesty struck a chord in their own families.
One viewer admitted she was in tears.
Writing on Facebook, one said: “Loving how this series is focusing on your individual children growing up and the challenges they face. Full of admiration for your whole family being able to discuss their issues on TV.”
Another shared: “It’s so nice to see Max’s story. My son is so like him super smart but English is a struggle in the same way.”
A third wrote: “Well done to Max, that’s amazing, the world your oyster now.”
And someone else added: “Absolutely brilliant episode, I actually cried with joy for Max hearing that he had passed his English exam.”
- 22 Kids and Counting airs at 8pm on Channel 5 on Sunday March 8, 2026.
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