MISSING DAD
This was the most difficult project we've ever cast. We needed to find children aged 9-14 who had a parent serving a long term prison sentence. To comply with BBC regulations, the crime the parent had committed had to be ‘victimless’, which ruled many people out, but the real challenge was that the child had to be open about their parent being in prison. Even though 1 in 7 children experience the incarceration of a parent during their childhood, this is still an experience that is shrouded in secrecy.
Flynn, 9, emotionally intelligent, caring and funny. He is on a mission to explain that “not everyone in prison is bad”. His Dad is serving 24 years.
Tala, 9, articulate, strong and sensitive. A young blogger who wants to help other children not to feel ashamed if they have a parent in prison. Her Dad is serving 9 years.
Masie wears her Dad's clothes to try to stay close to him. Despite the pain of missing her Dad, and the complications of being a “normal teenage girl” she does what she can to hold her family together. She is the big sister everyone dreams of.
