Little Human Planet

by Elen Rhys, Producer, Little Human Planet

When delightful Dale Templar told me that Human Planet had been commissioned, my brain immediately started working overtime.  Waw, what a great opportunity for a children’s spin off on CBeebies.   Surely, if they would be filming humans in far flung and remote locations around the world, they were bound to be meeting children too.  What a unique chance to work alongside this huge landmark commission to create something special for the BBC’s  youngest viewers.  And basically, that is how the CBeebies commission, Little Human Planet came to be.

Living in a treehouse

Little Human Planet is a little sister series to Human Planet.   It consists of 16 x 5 mins programmes that will be broadcast during the same period as the main series – but of course, at a time when 3-6 year olds are at their most attentive.

It’s a simple idea with a simple format.  Each programme follows a typical activity in the life of a child from around the world – a glimpse to a CBeebies viewer of how their counterparts live, wherever they may be.  On reflection, an unspoken celebration of what makes children different and what makes them the same in a colourful and often surprising voyage of discovery.

Children in Mali facing long trips to the well

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to pack my passport to film the sequences.  This was done by the brilliant Human Planet location teams.  Yes, we liaised closely together regarding style and vision, understanding that certain things like nudity or blood and gore couldn’t be used.  Naturally, this proved difficult in certain locations where few clothes, if any are worn and hunting for food is the norm.  I was never sure what I was going to get, only crossing my fingers they would meet some children and film some magic moments .  I’m  used to having a bit more control, so this was quite difficult for me but I soon realised I needn’t have worried. 

The doorway of a Mongolian ger

Each time a team came back with special Little Human Planet labelled footage it was like the anticipation and excitement of opening Christmas present. Who would, Dan Young, my editor and I  meet this time?  Could it be Dua, a six-year-old girl who lives in a tree house in a jungle in Papua or mischievous four-year-old, Carlos Eduardo, who lives on the flooded banks of the Rio Negro?  Or how about four-year-old Shoree helping her dad build a ger home in Mongolia, or three-year-old Edjongon, who walks long distances each day to collect water from a well in Mali?  Even though I have never met these fascinating characters, I feel as if I know them.  And though the children’s experiences, circumstances and environments differ hugely, I learnt that at heart children are all the same and their smiles are universal.

Happy faces in Mongolia

Yet, paradoxes come to light.  Without generalising, many of these children and families have very little, but yet, seem contented where community and sharing is a way of life.  It taught me a lot and got me thinking..As a mum to a six-year-old, have we in the Western world lost our perspective ?

Life in a stilt village in the Amazon basin

I am honoured, grateful and proud to be a tiny part of the Human Planet family and I hope there will be more opportunities like this in the future. If so, can I please come next time?

Dale Templar - Series Producer

Here’s hoping - Elen!

Little Human Planet is one of spin-offs programmes and extras that are part of the Human Planet . We have already had a post from our team at BBC, Radio Three working on Music Planet and in a few weeks we’ll have one from our BBC Learning team. They are using our footage to make programmes that will be  used as teaching aids in scools.