Ten Lucky Children

There are few times when I have genuinely felt a pang of jealousy but there was a television programme that did generate this response in me. As my reader in Britain will know, the BBC have been showing a new Natural History series called Life. It is stunning and matches and supersedes the
high standard of film making that the BBC is justified as being famous for. However it was not the main series that caused my pang of jealousy, but a children's programme that has been made to accompany the main series.

As I could not watch the series at the time of broadcast, I used the internet to watch the programme. While looking for it I found this children's programme, “Inside Life” and downloaded that as well. In this accompanying series, ten different children were chosen and able to go on location with the team making the main Life series. This was not just watching from afar, but there alongside the film makers as they had the close encounters with the wildlife stars of the show. The first was a young lady who got to see and film Polar Bears at close quarters, and it was this that made me feel a touch of jealousy.

Realistically I know that while there must have been hundreds of children who never got to go on these trips, I was jealous that there was just not these opportunities when I was a child. It was purely an emotional response that lasted for a second, and what a great opportunity for the young people selected. I could not help thinking that I wish that was me at their age. But as people that know me will already know, I have a great face for Radio and a voice that is perfect for mime, so I know that I would never have been selected anyway. So while I remain jealous, what an experience these lucky ten young people have had.