Child of Our Time(1999–2013)

Babies

The Will To Win

Professor Robert Winston explores the psychology of success.

Fitting In Or Standing Out

Professor Robert Winston explores the benefits and dangers of conformity.

Happiness

Robert Winston returns for a new series, beginning by assessing the youngsters' ability to be happy. He discovers which areas of the brain develop self-confidence and contentment - and finds illuminating patterns when comparing the children's results with their parents'. Further tests identify the optimists and pessimists within the group, as well as revealing how resilient they are.

Flesh and Blood

Professor Robert Winston examines how children's development is affected by the bonds with their siblings, a relationship thought to be even more important than that between parent and offspring. He asks why some brothers and sisters get on well and others loathe one another, and tests the youngsters' temperaments to learn how they respond to differential treatment.

Right and Wrong

Professor Robert Winston finds out how the six-year-olds are distinguishing between right and wrong, discovering the ways in which upbringing affects values in later life.

Identity Crisis

James Cachia lives in an impoverished area of South-East London. As his mother tries to protect the family from a threatening ex-boyfriend, nursery provides a valuable refuge. But is the turmoil at home affecting his chances? William Roberts, on the other hand, has all the advantages money can buy. But that doesn't mean that life is easy at the moment, William is locked in a battle of wills with his mother.

State of Play

What are Dads For?

The Divide Of The Sexes

New 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?

The Age of Stress

Professor 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?

24 Hours

Professor 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.

Thanks for the Memories

The children are now in their terrible twos. This episode is focused on memory, and how much we remember from our childhood. It turns out that we do remember more than we realize of our experiences even at this very young age. Trauma such as witnessing the breakup of ones parents, or being unwanted, can have long-lasting effects on a child.

Power Struggles

In this episode, Professor Winston looks at the battle for independence. It is very important for children to develop their independence, and they start on this path by standing up to their parents. Some of the first words uttered by a child are usually those that help it to communicate their needs; some children manipulate their parents through temper tantrums. It's important for the parent to be firm with their children, but it's not easy.

The Personality Test

Brain Magic

The topic of this episode is intelligence. Is it possible for parents to increase or decrease their child's intelligence, or is intelligence simply fixed in our genes? The baby's brain increases by 3 times in the first year, so factors such as nutrition, whether a baby is premature or not, and environmental stimulation are critical.

The Big Personality Test

How does your personality shape your life? Can it dictate whether you are in the right job, make or break your relationship, influence your health and even how long you'll live? In this two part special to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Child of our Time, the children and their families explore their personalities, while presenters Robert Winston and Sophie Raworth reveal the results of the BBC's online Big Personality Test, the biggest ever investigation into the personality of the nation. In this first programme, we catch up on some of the Child of our Time Children, and find out their combination of personality traits. Has James Cachia's chaotic life contributed to him being a fun loving extrovert, and why does Charlotte Langeveld score so high on agreeableness? What does it mean to be high in openness and neuroticism, and can you be too conscientious? For a free Open University booklet Personality and Your Life call 0845 366 8019 or log onto www.bbc.co.uk/childofourtime

Zero to Hero

The children are now 3 years old. Winston finds out if popular adults are marked out at this early stage in life and if life's loners are already apparent.

Read My Lips

Communication is at the heart of being human and learning to communicate effectively takes a lifetime to perfect. In this episode, Professor Robert Winston explores how we develop the art of speech and body language to make ourselves understood and to understand others.

Growing Up

In this programme we follow several of our children preparing to become teenagers and see how their parents and grandparents will cope! Having followed our children from tiny babies through to pre-teen tearaways, viewers will now get to hear them articulate their feelings about life more eloquently. We discover how they have coped with bullying, with having a famous mum or with learning to live with money worries. The children's bodies and brains are changing, and their interviews are illustrated with not only their lives today but our rich archive, giving us a unique view into the past. All our families take part in both programmes but this one predominantly features Helena, the only survivor of triplets born extremely prematurely; Parys, whose mum Alison Lapper is a famous artist; forthright Yorkshire girl Rhianna; technology-loving Taliesin; Het, from Wembley in London, who has big ambitions; farm girl Megan; Matthew from Surrey, whose family are preparing for a great change in their lives; Scottish twins Alex and Ivo; and sports-mad William from Settle. The programme looks at how these children are growing up and brings the stories right up to date, as the children reach their thirteenth birthday. Exploring the last 12-18 months, we re-enter our families' lives at a time of significant change, having recently left the familiarity and safety of junior school and into the new environment of secondary school. How has each child adapted and coped with this enormous transition? We'll also witness some challenging physiological and biological changes, as they become teenagers. From mood swings and bullying, to body image issues, and fitting in.