5. Rembrandt

Available for over a year

Unless you’re a parent and a surprise diagnosis for your child has come your way, you probably won’t have heard of ‘Welcome to Holland’. But it’s a bit of a thing if it has. The essay is shared between parents of children who’ve been given a shock diagnosis. For almost 40 years, it’s been passed from person to person, like a ‘welcome to the club you never thought you wanted to be a part of’. BBC Correspondent Katy Watson was handed the essay within days of her son Otis’ birth. Across this series, Katy speaks to parents whose children have a range of conditions. It’s a broad church of people – with an even broader range of reactions and experiences of a diagnosis. One thing they all have in common is the realisation that the issue isn’t with their child, it’s with society. Episode 5, Rembrandt: Katy speaks to Emily Perl Kingsley, author of Welcome to Holland and to Lucy Baxter and her adopted son Otto Baxter. Presenter: Katy Watson Series Producer: Sarah Shebbeare Series consultant: Emma Tracey Executive Producer: Joe Kent With thanks to Emma Perl Kingsley, author of Welcome to Holland.