Watch Child of Our Time (2025) Online!
Child of Our Time is a documentary commissioned by the BBC, co-produced with the Open University and presented by Robert Winston. It follows the lives of 25 children, born at the beginning of the 21st century, as they grow from infancy, through childhood, and on to becoming young adults. The aim of the series is to build up a coherent and scientifically accurate picture of how the genes and the environment of growing children interact to make a fully formed adult. A large portion of the series is made up of experiments designed to examine these questions. The main topic under consideration is: "Are we born or are we made?". The nature of the family in contemporary Britain is also addressed. The project is planned to run for 20 years, following its subjects from birth until the age of 20. During the first half of its run a set of about three or four episodes was produced annually. After 2008 new episodes became less frequent, and in 2011 there was some doubt about the future of the programme, including from Winston himself. In February 2013 it was announced that the series would resume, with two new episodes presented by Winston. Rather than the psychological experiments of previous series, these episodes focused on the first interviews with the participating children themselves and their families.
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Episode 1 - The Divide Of The Sexes
Release Date: 2008-05-07New series of Professor Robert Winston's project documenting the lives of 25 British children until the age of 20. Now eight, the kids are struggling to make sense of gender roles. In the home they see their parents striving for equality. But increasingly they are looking to the outside world for their role models. So in a culture dominated by sex, celebrity and consumerism, what are they learning? And is the divide of the sexes growing?
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Episode 2 - The Age of Stress
Release Date: 2008-05-14Professor Robert Winston presents a documentary series following the lives of 25 British children until the age of 20. Children face more stress than ever before. Seven-year-olds sit exams, bullying is on the increase, and some children experience the devastating effects of terminal illness in the family. Does stress in childhood prepare youngsters for an uncertain life ahead, or is it too much, too young?
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Episode 3 - 24 Hours
Release Date: 2008-05-21Professor Robert Winston presents a documentary series following the lives of 25 British children until the age of 20. For this edition, all the kids have been filmed continuously for 48 hours, putting their day-to-day lives under the microscope. Every laugh, every tear and every movement has been recorded, counted and analysed to build up a real picture of a day in the life of the average British child.
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Episode 4 - A Revolution in Childhood
Release Date: 2008-06-05