National Geographic Channel to air “Turtle Boy”

June 12, 2012 by Barry Walsh

National Geographic Channel (NGC) will air Turtle Boy, a documentary that follows the efforts of doctors to remove a huge, potentially life-threatening mole from a Colombian boy, on July 8.

The special tells the story of young Didier, a six-year-old who was born with congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN), a condition characterized by an abundance of moles on the body. Didier’s mole encompasses 60 percent of his body, resembling a tortoise shell. The show’s title comes from the name that neighbors in the remote village of rural Colombia used to refer to the boy.

After Didier’s story was picked up by a news broadcast in Bogotá, a top surgeon in the UK, Dr. Neil Bulstrode, offered to join the surgical team in the Colombian capital and remove the mole.

The special originally aired on Channel 4 in April of this year as part of the ‘Bodyshock’ strand. It was directed by Kate Horne and produced by Current Sponge Productions, a UK-based prodco established by Richard Branson’s son, Sam Branson. For Current Sponge, the executive producers are Monica Garnsey and Nick Ryle, while for NGC, the executive producer is Richard J. Wells.

Tags: Bodyshock, Channel 4, Current Sponge Productions, National Geographic Channel, Sam Branson, Turtle Boy