he hosted the program “” in the mid-2000s. The show had over 90 episodes – in each of them, kids from the first grades of primary school spoke on various serious topics. It was about evolution, about space, about everything you could think of. Behind the scenes, the children’s statements were listened to by experts or famous people and… of course, parents. Wojciech Mann, in an interview on Channel Zero, did not hide that it was this last element that was the biggest problem.
Wojciech Mann talks about the backstage of the “Big Children” program
In each episode, Mann had to control a group of children who are at an unfortunate age where they can rarely wait for another person to finish speaking. There was often a calming voice, but no one ever raised his voice to the children. No one, except… that’s right. Wojciech Mann talked about the behind-the-scenes of “Big Children”. The parents could behave horribly on set and were sometimes a bigger problem than the children themselves. Although, as the journalist mentioned, they could also get under your skin:
I was a little afraid of my children because of the contact with a crowd of kids whose temperament, multitude of ideas – strange ideas! – the competition between them may be uncontrollable. I considered it a challenge and it seemed to me that the method would be not to be provoked and to react violently. But there were moments when I had murder in my eyes, because I often saw them being so stubborn that they would get their own way. This program was edited, the more difficult moments could be removed during editing. Some of these children made me furious inside. And parents even more so.
It turns out that parents who were nice and smiling in the recordings turned into bad people whenever the cameras were not directed at them. The demon of fierce competition entered them and pushed the children’s well-being into oblivion. As Mann recalled, behind the scenes there was sometimes outright violence:
It was just… Now they say it was hardcore. It was a massacre. The parents almost jumped at their heads, beat the children and shouted “why don’t you speak up, why don’t you raise your hand faster?!” Others prepared them, stole topics, contrary to the rules, taught children different answers by heart, these terrified kids sat and waited for the question they had memorized… The parents were the scariest.
Theoretically, they could be pushed out. But it was terrible. He bursts in and says “I see she wants to pee, let her go, take a break in the recording!” and then in the toilet “WHY ARE YOU NOT TALKING, WHY ARE YOU SITTING NEXT TO THIS BOY WHO IS MAINTENING YOU”. Something horrible. It was an experience.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
