Is your child finding it hard to make friends? The BBC is looking for children aged 5–8

A new BBC One and iPlayer series, Will You Be My Friend?, is looking for children aged five to eight who are struggling to make friends — whether they’re shy, feel like they don’t fit in, or just haven’t found “their people” yet.

Filming takes place July and August 2026. Casting closes 9 July 2026 (and the team is already speaking to families).

What is Will You Be My Friend? about?

From the award-winning producers of Channel 4’s The Dog House, and one of the BAFTA-winning producers of First Dates, this brand new six-part series explores the world of friendship through children aged 5 to 8 who are struggling socially.

Most of us remember what it’s like trying to make friends — the awkward hello, turning up alone, or not quite knowing what to say. Now imagine navigating all of that as a little kid.

Inside “The Friendship Centre”

In the series, children take part in sessions at The Friendship Centre, where a team of psychologists help them build confidence and social skills. Each child is then sensitively matched for a play date with a potential new friend from their local area.

Six weeks later, the programme returns home to see how that new-found courage is showing up at school, in the playground and beyond.

“The longing to connect, to be seen, and to belong is universal. Whether you’re five or fifty-five, I defy anyone to watch these children without seeing a little bit of themselves reflected.

In a world that can feel increasingly disconnected, this series shows that the simplest gestures — a smile, a shared joke, a tentative ‘will you be my friend?’ — still have the power to change everything. Five Mile Films has brought us something very special, and we couldn’t be prouder to give it a home on the BBC.”

— Emma Loach, Interim Head of Commissioning, Documentaries

“I don’t think there’s a commission I could be more thrilled to bring to Five Mile. Will You Be My Friend? will be joyful, warm and funny, but it also does something genuinely new — inviting us to look closely at the challenge and art of making friends.”

— Nick Mirsky, CEO of Five Mile Films

Why this matters (a few headline stats)

• 42% of young people say friendships and social life are a daily worry.
• Post-pandemic, 47% of parents observed a decline in their child’s social and emotional skills as peer interactions shifted online.
• 75% of primary schools reported a decline in post-Covid language skills because children hadn’t been interacting in face-to-face play.
• Over 50% of parents with children aged 5 to 9 say their children now struggle to make friends due to low self-confidence (English-Speaking Union survey).
• 45% of children aged 10–15 reported feeling lonely “often” or “some of the time”.
• Loneliness is linked to anxiety, depression and longer-term health risks (including increased risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia).

Production details

Will You Be My Friend? is a 6 x 60’ series for BBC One and iPlayer, produced by Five Mile Films. Executive Producers are Nick Mirsky, Adam Chapman and Jordan Maloy. It was commissioned by Clare Sillery (former Head of Commissioning, Documentaries) and the Commissioning Editor is Beejal-Maya Patel. All3Media International acts as international partner.

If you’re a parent reading this and it’s struck a chord, you can apply here:
https://bemyfriend.tv.