Small Teen, Bigger World

Small Teen, Bigger World was a four-part documentary following the life of a teenager with dwarfism, Jasmine Burkitt, and details her family and life. It was the second series to follow Jasmine's life, following the hour-long documentary 'Small Teen, Big World', which aired in July 2010.[1] Small Teen, Bigger World aired during the summer of 2011, and was part of the 'Extraordinary Me' season on BBC Three.[2]

Small Teen, Bigger World
GenreReality TV
StarringJasmine Burkitt
Beverley Burkitt
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Production
Running time60 minutes
Release
Original networkBBC Three
Original release11 July (2011-07-11) –
1 August 2011 (2011-08-01)

Background

Jasmine Emily Burkitt has restricted growth, but despite being only the height of an average nine-year-old, she is fearlessly determined to live a normal teenage life.[3] Although she is only 3 ft 11, Jasmine has never let her size get in her way. From the age of 13, she has cared for her mum, who also has restricted growth.[3] Jasmine stated that a key reason behind taking part in the documentary was for people to treat her as they would any other teenager, as opposed to "treating her like a doll and wanting to treat her like a baby".[1]

Small Teen, Big World

As part of BBC Three's Adult Season, 'Small Teen, Big World' aired on 27 July 2010 – and was a one-hour long documentary detailing the life of Jasmine Burkitt and her family.[1][4][5] It was watched by 1.1 million viewers, the largest multichannel audience of the night.[6] It also aired on BBC One on 9 September 2010,[4] attracting 2.76 million viewers.[7]

The programme shows Jasmine at home with mum Beverley, and her grandparents Norman and Margaret, as well as out shopping with her best friend Naomi in Llandudno.[1] It reveals what it's like living with her condition while coping with the pressures of teenage life and caring for her mother, who also has respiratory problems.[1] In the run-up to her 16th birthday Jazz is preparing not only to attend the Little People of America convention in New York City, but also to leave north Wales for the south of England, and meet her real father for the first time.[1] While in New York, she meets others who share her condition and who have been attending the conference for years, some of whom have met future partners and fallen in love.[1]

Episodes

Due to the success of 'Small Teen, Big World', BBC Three commissioned a four-part series following Jasmine and her family – entitled 'Small Teen, Bigger World', which was part of BBC Three's 'Extraordinary Me' season during the summer of 2011.[3] The series consisted of four episodes, airing between 11 July 2011 and 1 August 2011, each episode running for the duration of an hour.[3]

# Title Directed by Original airdate Duration UK viewers
1"My Dad"[2]Fran Baker11 July 2011 (2011-07-11)60 minutes810,000[8]
Following last year's BBC Three documentary Small Teen, Big World, the series sees Jazz embarking on a life-changing journey by leaving Colwyn Bay to study animal welfare at a residential college. When Jazz was born, mum Bev asked her dad to stay out of their lives due to his drug addiction. While she was growing up, he appeared in a BBC documentary about homelessness, begging and drug addiction. In the first episode, Jazz meets her estranged father for the first time.[2]
2"My Granddad"[9]Fran Baker18 July 2011 (2011-07-18)60 minutes621,000[10]
Jazz has found a new boyfriend, Levi, but he's not the only new man in her life. She is also getting to know her newly discovered half-brother Alan. The episode also focuses on Jazz's relationship with her granddad, who is also a father figure to her and has been throughout her life.[9]
3"My Mum"[11]Fran Baker25 July 2011 (2011-07-25)60 minutes780,000[12]
Jazz celebrates turning seventeen, and her birthday is extra special as it is the first one she has ever spent with her father Paul. Paul wants to mark the occasion with an extra special gift for his daughter but Bev is horrified when Jazz chooses a snake, which will eventually grow to be bigger than both of them. Jazz is relishing the independence that college has given her but it has come at a cost. Living away from home has put a strain on her relationship with her mother Bev. Jazz and Bev decide to go on holiday to Marrakech for some mother-daughter bonding. They immerse themselves in Moroccan life with traditional hot baths, camel rides and learning to cook the local cuisine, but have to cope with becoming a tourist attraction themselves.[11]
4"My Changing Life"[13]Fran Baker1 August 2011 (2011-08-01)60 minutes940,000[14][15]
Jazz learns to drive in her own specially modified car, and also reveals her growing independence by heading to America alone to fulfil her dream of doing work experience at an animal hospital. Meanwhile, Bev's life is turned upside down when her landlord suddenly announces she has to find a new home. Paul has been back in Jazz's life for a year now and things seem to be going well as he undergoes a full makeover with Bev's help, including his first set of false teeth, and gets himself a job as a volunteer at Colwyn Bay's Mountain Zoo. But a family crisis is about to unfold – Jazz discovers her father has been taking heroin again. Jazz makes the decision to tell her father to stay away until he can control his addiction.[13]

References
  1. "Teenager with dwarfism shares her life in a big world". BBC North West Wales. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  2. "Episode 1 – My Dad". BBC Three. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  3. "Small Teen Bigger World". BBC Three. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  4. "Small Teen, Big World". BBC Three. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  5. "Small Teen, Big World (TV 2010)". IMDB. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  6. "BBC Three's 'Small Teen' doc pulls in 1m". Digital Spy. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  7. "'Law & Order: UK' returns to nearly 5m". Digital Spy. 10 September 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  8. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes – w/e 17 July 2011". BARB. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  9. "Episode 2 – My Granddad". BBC Three. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  10. "'Show Me The Funny' falls flat with 2.6m". Digital Spy. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  11. "Episode 3 – My Mum". BBC Three. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  12. "'New Tricks' solves the case with 8.3m". Digital Spy. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  13. "Episode 4 – My Changing Life". BBC Three. 1 August 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  14. "Channel 5's cricket highlights catch nearly 1.5m". Digital Spy. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  15. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes – w/e 8 August 2011". BARB. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
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