Anna Stickland interview for Child Genius

26 June 2015

The series producer on Child Genius explains a bit more about the series, and the experience of working with hugely intelligent kids and their ambitious parents.

Anna Stickland, series producer on Child Genius, explains a bit more about the series, and the experience of working with hugely intelligent kids and their ambitious parents.

Series 3 of Child Genius is upon us. For those unfamiliar with the show, can you explain how it works?

This series is five episodes, and it’s twenty 8-12-year-olds from all over the UK competing over five stages of competition to find out who will be crowned Britain’s brightest child. It’s all overseen by the IQ society British Mensa, and they test the children on various facets of intelligence.

And we also get to see them in their domestic environments, don’t we?

Absolutely. There’s the competition structure to the series, but at the same time we follow lots of different families, and get an insight into different methods of parenting. The show has a documentary feel to it as well as the play-along-at-home watching the children answer incredibly difficult questions. You sit at home on your sofa trying to answer them, and I wasn’t able to do many.

Are there any differences on this year’s show compared to in the past?

Yes, there’s one more episode, so it’s now five stages of competition. And this year the competition took place in a much more concentrated time frame. All 20 families came to London, and they were all living and competing together for a week. The first four stages, they all stayed in a hotel together, so that was something that was different and really interesting.

How many kids applied to be on the show this time around? How does that compare to previous years?

There were hundreds of applicants. Our reach was even greater this series – we didn’t want it to feel like an elite competition, we wanted it to be open to people from all walks of life. We contacted schools, academic clubs, libraries, museums – the call went out nationwide. One competitor even heard about it from their optician.

How does the selection process work?

There are a number of factors. When we’re working with children, duty of care is of the utmost importance, so it’s really important to make sure that the children and their families are robust enough to compete. Their wellbeing is paramount, they have to know precisely what they’re getting into. Firstly there’s an online test and application process, then there’s various chats with members of the production team. They do a non-verbal reasoning paper, various intelligence tests. They speak to child psychologists to get a sense of their abilities, and there are numerous chats with the production team. It’s very important that they know exactly what the process entails, that everyone is happy to take part and has a clear understanding of the competition and the series.

 

What are the categories they are tested on, and how are the tests worked out?

It’s a wide range, looking to test many facets of intelligence, from general knowledge to maths to language comprehension to spelling to logic and reasoning and memory recall.

Do the kids enjoy the experience?

They love it. What’s been really lovely, spending time with them and post-competition, is that they all felt that it was a really positive experience that they’ve taken something from, even if there was the occasional bump in the road. We’ve had people ask if they can do it again next year. The families all supported each other, and even though everyone wanted to be crowned Child Genius there was so much support and admiration among the children and the parents. Of course there were rivalries – it’s a competition after all. But there was great support as well.

Are real friendships born there, and are they all the more valuable because the kids can relate to each other?

Completely. You see the pride not just from the parents but from the children. Being intelligent is seen in a really positive light here. Knowledge is something that should be applauded, not something to be ashamed of. It’s something we should celebrate. So it’s great for the children to be in an environment where that is the case, and to be amongst other children who are similar to them. So definitely friendships are formed, just as rivalries are formed in what is a competitive environment.

Were you surprised by the levels of genius you encountered?

Yes. I wish I’d had that sort of thirst for knowledge as a child. It’s brilliant. It still surprises me how incredible they were.

Having seen the families up close, do you think these kids are geniuses because of nature, or are they hot hot-housed by ambitious parents?

That’s the nature-nurture debate, isn’t it? I reckon it’s a combination of both. Sometimes you think “Oh, it’s a naturally gifted child,” and then you think “Maybe they just work hard.” But I think even with nature, it has to be nurtured, in a way. What’s nice is seeing children that are excited by learning, and seeing intelligence as something positive, to be proud of. Where that comes from, who knows? Is it a combination of both?

Do you think it’s difficult, emotionally, being a genius?

Personally, I wouldn’t know! There’s a thirst for knowledge, they’re always asking questions, but is it difficult? I don’t know, you’d have to ask them.

Do some kids cope better than others? What’s the best way of dealing with it?

I think what was very clear is the family support network that there is. It was lovely to see how supportive the parents were. Here’s no right and wrong way to a parenting approach, or to how hard the children work. I guess it’s all down to the individual family and what they feel works best for them. One mother on the show said “Life isn’t always flowers and applause,” and that’s true. Everyone needs to learn that at some point in their life.

What kind of responsibilities do you have, when portraying the kids and their families?

For the entire production team, our duty of care is the most important thing to us. We have psychologists, and a strong support network throughout the competition, for the children and their families, before, during and after. There are occasional bumps along the way, and we try to show that on the programme, but always with the duty of care foremost in our minds.

You’ve got 20 very ambitious sets of parents, and only one ultimate winner. Did you have to deal with parental irritation?

Yes, ultimately all the families are hoping it will be their child who wins the title of Child Genius, and there are times during the competition when the independent adjudicator is called upon to speak to the parents if they want to contest certain decisions about their child’s round.   At the same time, it was really nice to see a great deal of support and admiration from the parents for all of the 20 competitors.

Did you have favourites, among the kids?

No! They were all my favourites. They are all individual, and I couldn’t possibly have a favourite.

If you were given the chance of having a genius in your family, would you take it?

Yes. I’m sure it would keep me on my toes. It’s fascinating. Life is about learning, and to see children who are passionate about wanting to learn, and have a thirst for finding out, is so lovely to see. In this country I think sometimes we can take education for granted. It’s really lovely to see people who think of learning as such a positive experience.

Child Genius starts on Tuesday 30th June at 9pm on Channel 4