NHK to adapt ‘Secret Life of Four Year Olds’

Japanese broadcaster NHK is to adapt The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds for its free-to-air general channel. 

Banijay Rights has sold rights to the show to NHK Enterprises, which is producing RDF’s award-winning format in Tokyo. The deal was struck by Samia Moktar, sales manager at Banijay Rights.

Local versions of the format have been produced in France, Spain, the Netherlands, US, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Belgium and Denmark. Finished tape versions of all the UK series have sold throughout the world.

The RDF-created format launched in 2015 in the UK, and has been Channel 4’s most popular factual programme of the past five years, leading to the commission of six series. Spin-offs include The Secret Life of Brothers and Sisters and The Secret Life of 5 and 6 Year Olds.

The show will launch on NHK this weekend in a primetime slot.

Takako Ishikawa, senior producer for global content development at NHK, said: “The original Secret Life of 4 Year Olds has won many fans in Japan and this response means we have decided to create a local version. We are delighted and thrilled to produce the program which captures children’s emotions and relationships with rich and colourful moments in a unique approach.”

Tim Mutimer, CEO of Banijay Rights, added, “This is an exceptional format – it’s truly funny and extremely uplifting, yet at the same time a real eye-opener on the complex development of young children and how they interact with each other. We are delighted that NHK has been the first broadcaster in Asia to create its own local version, and it will be extremely interesting to see how the show takes shape.”