Throng

Wednesday 18 June, 9.30pm

Following the lives of 25 children born in the year 2000, this acclaimed series presented by Professor Robert Winston is now in its eighth year.

Children are facing more stress than ever before. Seven year olds sit exams, bullying is on the increase and some children experience the devastating effects of illness in the family. Does stress in childhood prepare us for an uncertain life ahead or is it too much, too young?
In Essex, Rebecca Saunders is excelling at school but has little confidence in her abilities. Now that older brother David has won a place at a prestigious boys' school, how will Rebecca cope with her school's SATs exams and years of being tested ahead?

Having always been encouraged to develop his individuality, Taliesin Stevenson is struggling to find friends at school. His mum Olivia is taking direct action, working in the school playground to stop bullying and hoping that confidence-boosting activities over the holidays will alleviate his fear of the playground.

In Worcestershire, Eve Scarborough is facing a turbulent year. Dad Tim has recovered from a major kidney operation in 2006, but mum Caroline has now been diagnosed with a serious illness putting the family under emotional and financial pressure. Will Eve's optimistic outlook be enough to pull her through such a stressful time?

Rubin Bayfield is fighting for attention in a large family in Sussex. But could his love of singing offer an escape route from life on social security benefits to that of a Westminster Abbey choirboy? If he wins a place at the world famous school, it means a new life far away from his family.

Without the pressure of SATs tests in Scotland, Glaswegian identical twins Alex and Ivo Lloyd-Young are happy to get on with what they do best - play. But their stress-free life is interrupted when Alex is diagnosed with a health problem. How will their harmonious life together withstand the strain of undergoing an operation?