Thank you for your recent e-mail.
Please accept our apologies for the delay in replying. We know our correspondents appreciate a quick response and we are sorry you have had to wait on this occasion.
Thank you for contacting us about our recent CBBC living history series Evacuation to the Manor House.
We understand that you were upset and offended by the scenes in which the children took part in a pheasant shoot.
The series was designed to give viewers an insight into the history of the evacuation of city children to the countryside during the Second World War. The programme in question focused on a traditional country pursuit which during the war would have provided evacuees, estate workers, and family members with a welcome supplement to rationing.
By featuring this item in the programme we neither intended to promote nor criticise blood sports, and we were certainly mindful to avoid any unnecessary cruelty towards animals. The commentary was clear about the historical context of the shoot and our evacuees took part as beaters and pheasant retrievers, both of which are jobs that would have been done by children living on an estate like this during the Second World War.
The pheasants were killed humanely and this was, and in some areas still is, a natural and accepted part of country life. As city children, many of them, like the real evacuees before them, arrived at the Manor House totally ignorant of where their food came from – and even though some were squeamish about handling raw meat, without exception they found it a fascinating and educational experience. The children learnt how to pluck the pheasants because this is the sort of activity their Second World War counterparts would have been involved in.
As part of the programme the boys also took part in target shooting practice, which was in a safe and controlled environment and certainly gave them a greater understanding of the uses and dangers of live firearms.
A couple of the children found the experience distasteful at first. But if you watch the series you’ll see that experiences like this were the start of a remarkable journey of discovery for our modern day evacuees.
In the series as a whole, the children were given responsibility for a range of farm animals and viewers learnt about the importance of humane treatment and responsible husbandry.
I would like to assure you that we have registered your comments on our audience log. This is the internal report of audience feedback which we compile daily for all programme makers and commissioning executives within the BBC, and also their senior management. It ensures that your points, and all other comments we receive, are circulated and considered across the BBC.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact the BBC.
Regards
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