- Praise for Shedding Light on Tyson Fury’s Mental Health
- Mixed Reviews on the Documentary’s Overall Impact
- A Glimpse into the Furys’ Unconventional Family Life
Critics have praised the new documentary series for shedding light on Tyson Fury’s mental health issues.
While the majority of critics concurred that At Home With The Furys was a lightweight film overall, many praised its depiction of the boxer’s daily struggles.
In a four-star review, the Evening Standard remarked, “There are too many silly moments to count, but there are also unexpectedly profound ones.”
The Times described it as “layered, alternating between light and darkness.”
This week’s nine-episode reality series follows the heavyweight world champion as he retires and starts a family.
It is mostly shot in Fury’s lavish Morecambe home and often shows the sportsman, his wife, and their six children.
In 2017, Fury was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and he has struggled with melancholy, anxiety, alcoholism, and cocaine addiction.
Rachel McGrath of The Independent gave the series three stars, writing, “Netflix doesn’t seem to have realized that a bored lead actor isn’t the ideal starting point for a family-life series.
“Yet, as At Home With The Furys progresses, I unexpectedly found myself empathizing with Fury. However, the program has a ways to go before reaching the dramatic heights of its reality television predecessors.”
She continued, “His existence is characterized by bizarre contrasts. Fury enjoys bringing his children camping near his residence. When he travels on a low-cost airline, he is surrounded by fans as soon as he steps off the aircraft. In between Selling Sunset-style images of Morecambe, the boxer picks up dog poop, works out with his father John, and unwraps socks for his birthday on Netflix.
Underlying each scene are Fury’s mental health issues… His issues reached their zenith in 2015 when he had suicidal thoughts during his first retirement. And the show documents the underlying concern that this could happen again.”
The program also features Fury’s brother Tommy and his influencer partner Molly-Mae Hague, whom he met on Love Island.
In a two-star review, Jack Seale of the Guardian expressed less enthusiasm for the series, describing it as “exhaustingly dull.”
“Like an average journeyman boxer, the series suffers from its sluggish reactions,” he suggested. “Two of the later episodes concentrate on Tyson’s attempt to lure Anthony Joshua into an all-British title fight, which was a major boxing story at the time it occurred.
“The long time lag and the foregone conclusion – a deal will never be reached – render those scenes stale. They happen after the season’s halfway point, when At Home With the Furys is running out of content.”
The Times’ Carol Midgley, however, praised the documentary series, writing, “One of the reasons it works is that it is multi-layered, alternating between light and dark, with no one considering themselves too seriously.
Nonetheless, there is a significant issue: Tyson’s mental health.
Midgley suggested in her four-star review that the program occasionally “feels scripted,” noting that the Furys are aware of the cameras and may act accordingly.
“There were times when he wished to cancel the documentary. But ultimately, they have managed to remain ordinary despite being an extraordinary family. Fury has a net worth of £51 million and continues to consume Echo Falls. I like that about them.”
According to Anita Singh of the Telegraph, the Furys “come across as a likable couple” generally.
“When Paris discusses her husband’s mental health, there are glimmers of something deeper,” she wrote in her three-star review.
“The series does not shy away from his mood swings and erratic behavior – Paris refers to him as a “giant 6’9″ child” – but it prefers to keep things light.
“Occasionally, situations feel fabricated. Fury proposes to his wife in a restaurant in the South of France, even though they are already married. You suspect that this is a ploy to give the producers something to film.”
Vicky Jessop of the Evening Standard described the series as “nine episodes of absolute gold” in another publication.
She stated in her four-star assessment, “This is primarily because every single member of the family is completely insane.”
“The six children (three of whom are named Prince) curse like savages, the long-suffering wife Paris is left to keep everything running, and the family mansion has more gold than the Sistine Chapel.”
She stated that some of the footage is “both guffawingly humorous and cringingly awkward.”
“The show intersperses the action with direct-to-camera segments in which Tyson’s family discusses the impact his mental illness has had on them and him.
This is not the Kardashians, but it may be more captivating: The bare essence of fame, uncoated and unadulterated. It’s the ideal form of garbage: Give it to me directly. I adore it!”
Fury, the Gipsy King, is 35 and was born in Manchester to Irish Traveller parents.
A year after his cousin was killed with a knife, the boxer lobbied the authorities to increase knife crime sentences.
To raise funds for the men’s mental health charity Talk Club, Fury published his debut single, a cover of Neil Diamond’s classic Sweet Caroline, before the 2022 World Cup.
iNews writer Emily Watkins concluded about his Netflix series, “In ancient Rome, Tyson could have been a gladiator; in sixth-century Britain, someone like Beowulf.
“In 2023, whether he’s helping his children on the monkey bars or training to knock out an opponent, Tyson is as complex and charismatic as we’ve always liked our heroes to be.”
