The BBC’s critically acclaimed children’s documentary series My Life is set to reach viewers around the world for the first time, following a new distribution deal with London-based company Serious Kids.
The half-hour documentaries, which air on CBBC and BBC iPlayer, have won multiple accolades, including BAFTAs, International Emmys and the Prix Jeunesse. Each episode tells a personal story from a young person’s perspective, often addressing complex or challenging issues through a child’s eyes.
Under the deal, Serious Kids will curate and distribute a collection of standout titles from the past 15 years, developed in collaboration with independent production companies such as Big Deal Films, Drummer TV and Nine Lives Media. The package will be unveiled at this year’s MIP Junior market in Cannes.
The line-up ranges from the BAFTA-winning Boy on a Bicycle (Drummer TV), in which Ahmed offers a glimpse of life in a refugee camp; to Girl Genius (Big Deal Films), following Kashmea’s campaign to tackle food allergy deaths; and Marvellous Messy Minds (Nine Lives Media), charting three children’s experiences with anxiety, ADHD and OCD.
“I’ve long made it my mission to bring these wonderful films to children and families beyond the UK. Sharing uplifting, homegrown stories is key to showcasing British culture – and taking them to MIPJnr helps build cultural understanding across borders.”
Patricia Hidalgo, Director of BBC Children’s & Education
“We are finally ready to launch the series at Mipcom Junior after over a year’s work on bringing this together. We thank everyone at BBC Children’s and Education, Big Deal Films, Drummer TV, Nine Lives Media and Flix for working with us on this project. We know from attending BAFTA and Emmy award ceremonies over the years that these films are well respected around the world and we are excited to see the response from international broadcast community. If successful we can add new films to the collection to supply what will hopefully be a strand on many other channels besides CBBC.”
Genevieve Dexter, Founder and CEO of Serious Kids
“Sharing stories is such an important way to communicate across different cultures and I am sure young audiences across the world will enjoy and learn from this My Life series.”
Cat Lewis, CEO & Executive Producer at Nine Lives Media
Through being appointed as the worldwide distributor for a selection of My Life films, Serious Kids expands its catalogue of award-winning children’s and family programmes and extends its reach into international markets.
