First transmitted in June 2005

Make Me Normal

Make Me Normal meets four students at Spa School, one of Britain's largest state schools for autistic children. Filmed over several months, the teenagers reveal what it is like to grow up with a condition affecting more than 500,000 people in the UK. Moneer, 12, has a form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome. When he loses his mother to cancer, the teachers struggle to help him deal with his feelings and manage his violent behaviour. Roxanne, also 12, just wants to be a normal teenager, but her realisation that autism is for life is extremely painful. Roy, 18, is trying to make sense of the world during his last year at school, but what he really wants is a girlfriend. And Esther, also 18, has a special gift for explaining the autistic world.

Bollocks to Cancer

This moving and irreverent film, from the director of The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off, follows a young man undergoing chemotherapy as he and other young cancer patients at Newcastle General Hospital face the biggest challenge of their lives. Steven Liddell (19) lives at home with his parents and his pregnant girlfriend, Katie (17).

A cheery lad who models himself on rock stars, Steven is undergoing chemo for cancer that has spread from his testicle. He must cope with a protective mother, an anxious girlfriend and, most of all, a glimpse of his own mortality. Director Patrick Collerton underwent treatment for testicular cancer in the very same ward five years ago. His humorous and emotional documentary explains the mysteries of chemotherapy and explores the themes of mortality and friendship, revealing what daily life is like on the cancer ward, and what effect the illness has had on the young people involved.

The Strangest Village in Britain

Thursday 16 June, 9pm

The Strangest Village in Britain focuses on the Yorkshire village of Botton; a place where eccentric behaviour is celebrated and people who might have difficulty being accepted by the outside world are welcomed. One hundred and thirty five people with special needs live and work with 100 'co-workers' (and their children) in a remote and self-contained collection of farmhouses set in a rugged valley on the North Yorkshire Moors.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Botton, and some of its residents have been there since the beginning. Co-workers, too, opt into a long-term commitment to share their homes and their lives with up to eight adults with special needs; it's certainly not a lifestyle for the intolerant or impatient. While the community appears to have been a success, it has also been controversial among some social work professionals who believe that people with learning difficulties do better when integrated into the wider community. The moving, tender and sometimes funny film charts the day-to-day life of this remarkable place and the people who live there. And it follows long-term resident Barry as he decides to leave the community and re-enter the 'real world'; but can he cope with the harsh reality of life away from Botton?

For more information about Botton visit the Botton village website. If you have a child with a learning disability or special educational needs there's information and support on our family website.

Getting funding for a special school, college or community like Botton Village may be a difficult path, so please don't give up. If you want advice about obtaining a Camphill place for yourself, a member of your family, a pupil, a client, a patient, a friend or neighbour. Call the Camphill Advisory Service on 01384 441 680 or Email: advisory.service@camphill.org.uk

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