Producers of C4’s The Dog House launch new BBC show Will You Be My Friend and want Lancastrians
Producers of Channel 4’s The Dog House have launched a new BBC show and are on the lookout for some Lancastrians.
From the award-winning producers of Channel 4’s The Dog House, and one of the BAFTA-winning producers of First Dates, comes a brand new six-part series about friendship.
BBC Factual has announced Will You Be My Friend?, a brand new six-part series for BBC One and iPlayer from Five Mile Films.
Will You Be My Friend? explores the world of friendship through children - aged five to eight who are struggling socially.
Some are shy, some feel like they don’t fit in, others simply haven’t found “their tribe” yet.
They want to make a friend - but don’t know where to start.
Enter The Friendship Centre. Here, a team of psychologists help children build the
confidence and social skills to form real, lasting connections with other kids.
Each child is then sensitively matched on a play date with a potential new friend from their local area.
Six weeks later, the show will focus on their return home to see how their new-found courage has helped at school, in the playground and beyond.
The series is a timely reminder that just one friend can completely change your life.
And it all starts with one very simple question… “Will you be my friend?”
Emma Loach, Interim Head of Commissioning, Documentaries said: “The longing to connect, to be seen, and to belong is universal. Whether you are five or 55, I defy anyone to watch these children without seeing a little bit of themselves reflected.”
Nick Mirsky, CEO of Five Mile Films added: “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.”
Filming takes place July and August, 2026.
If you’d like to help your child make a new friend, you can apply here.