BBC orders Bear Grylls and children’s charity docs

Bear Grylls mending relationships via wilderness survival, and the dark secret behind a children’s cancer charity are the focus of a pair of upcoming BBC docs.

Welsh indie Tŷ’r Ddraig is behind 16-part Wild Reckoning, where adventurer Grylls and a team of mediators, psychologists and survival mentors set out to help people resolve deep personal rifts in the Welsh wilderness.

Grylls will strip contributors of their home comforts and set them on an adventure where, through carefully designed physical and psychological challenges, they’ll be forced to confront their issues and work together to rebuild their damaged relationship.

Tŷ’r Ddraig, part of Banijay UK’s Workerbee Group, is the label behind the series, which has been co-commissioned for BBC1, BBC Wales and iPlayer by Rob Unsworth, head of daytime and early peak commissioning, and Nick Andrews, head of commissioning at BBC Cymru Wales.

Alex McLeod is BBC daytime’s commissioning editor and Julian Carey is the commissioning editor for BBC Cymru Wales. The series is a co-production between Tŷ’r Ddraig and Grylls’ indie Natural Studios Productions for the BBC. The executive producers are Ben Smith and Ben Mitchell.

McLeod promised a “bold and emotionally charged” series that utilises the power of nature to help people confront the issues at their heart of their relationships.

“In stepping away from the constant noise of our fast-paced, digital lives, participants are given the rare chance to reflect, reconnect and reset,” he added.

BBC Sounds podcast secures docs treatment

Elsewhere, head of documentaries Clare Sillery has ordered a 3 x 60-minute series based on the hit BBC Sounds podcast Believe in Magic.

Produced by BBC Studios Documentary Unit, the series tells the story of Megan Bhari, a 16-year-old girl with a brain tumour who, with her mother Jean, launches charity Believe in Magic – granting wishes to seriously ill children.

The charity balloons once when then freshly launched boyband One Direction becomes a major donor, helping to fund the charity’s work and publicly endorsing the organisation.

Megan and Jean arrange magical experiences for the sick children and their families, including gifts, toys and even trips to 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.

However, a small group of parents in the child cancer community have their doubts about the mother and daughter and start to investigate the organisation, questioning how ill Megan really is.

Events take a completely unexpected turn that suggests the truth may be darker and more troubling than anyone could have imagined.

The doc features access to their family, friends and experts.

Alongside the BBC2/iPlayer series, there will be a bonus episode of the parent podcast, reuniting host Jamie Bartlett and producer Ruth Mayer to discuss the happenings since the series aired.

The commissioning editors are Emma Loach and Tom Pullen, with Jonathan Smith exec producing and Luned Tonderai directing, with director-producer Ruth Mayer. BBC Studios is handling global sales.

Sillery said: “Explored through the eyes of those caught up in events, it attempts to unravel the mother and daughter relationship at its heart. In doing so it raises profound questions about parenthood and the lengths we might go to make our children’s dreams come true.”