It's a troubling year for the Child of our Time children. They're struggling to get to grips with their identity, piecing together what it means to be a boy or a girl, black or white, rich or poor. Are these categories already shaping who they are and their expectations of life?

James Cachia's growing up on a council estate in south-east London. With his mother trying to keep the family safe from a threatening ex-boyfriend, James's life is being turned upside down. Nursery seems to be providing him with the refuge he needs, but is all the turmoil affecting his chances?

In Yorkshire, for ultra-competitive vet's son William Roberts, the sky's the limit. With a stable, affluent home life and private education, his is a world full of opportunity. But being brought up with every advantage doesn't necessarily mean life is easy. This year, William's locked in a battle of wills with his mother.

In Birmingham, for Tyrese Blake-Hakeem, things are tough too. Since his parents separated last year, Tyrese has been showing some worrying behaviour at nursery. His mum Marie is concerned about the long-term effects of the separation but also about her Tyrese's prospects as a black, dyslexic male. Will her efforts to give her son a positive, black identity pay off?

In a specially commissioned survey we interviewed children all over the country to find out what they understand about ethnic identity. We asked the children to tell us who they'd want as a friend and which children they thought would be nasty or nice - with some surprising results. Are the children already picking up on society's stereotypes?

And what about their opinions about body image and how they look? How much is our body image affected by how our parents feel about their bodies? For Rebecca Saunders in Essex, food's becoming a bit of a thorny issue. Rebecca's so tiny her doctor has recommended her parents think about growth hormones. Rebecca's far from fat but her mum already thinks that she won't be happy about the way she will look.

This BBC/Open University co-production is the first programme in series five and will be shown on BBC1 on Tuesday 4 January 2005.