0:00:07 > 0:00:08Hello.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10I'm Maxine.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13I'm just writing a letter to my friend
0:00:13 > 0:00:16who lives on the other side of the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Do you know someone special who lives far, far away?
0:00:20 > 0:00:23A boy in tonight's bedtime story loves someone
0:00:23 > 0:00:27who lives far away from him. The story's called
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Ben And Gran And The Whole, Wide, Wonderful World
0:00:31 > 0:00:35and it's by Gillian Shields and Katherine McEwen.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41Ben's favourite person in the whole, wide world was Gran.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45And Gran's favourite person was Ben.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47There was only one problem.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Ben's house, which was little and red with a slopey roof
0:00:51 > 0:00:55and a rabbit in the garden, was over here,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58and Gran's house, which was tall and twisty
0:00:58 > 0:01:03and cluttered with books and cats and knitting, was over there.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Miles and miles and miles away.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10So Gran sent letters and sweaters
0:01:10 > 0:01:15and boxes of home-made fudge miles and miles and miles
0:01:15 > 0:01:19to Ben's little red house over here,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22and Ben sent Gran pictures and postcards
0:01:22 > 0:01:26and holiday snaps miles and miles and miles
0:01:26 > 0:01:31to Gran's tall, twisty house over there.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Sending stuff was fun.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38Ben and Gran found lots of ways to send messages and presents,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40but it wasn't as much fun
0:01:40 > 0:01:43as actually seeing your favourite person.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46So Gran sent Ben a special letter.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48"My Dear Ben,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51"I must see you, even if I have to cross
0:01:51 > 0:01:53"the whole, wide world to do so.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56"It'll probably take me a week.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00"Expect to see me next Saturday just before teatime.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02"Love Gran."
0:02:02 > 0:02:04"Yippee!" cried Ben.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09Mum helped Ben send a special e-mail to Gran.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12"See you on Saturday at teatime."
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Then Ben thought for a bit.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18"I've got a lot to do to get ready for Gran," he said.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22"It'll probably take me a week." So he set to work.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27The next day was Sunday. Gran packed her bags.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31She packed one umbrella, two sensible cardigans,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33three red silk petticoats,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36four fancy hats, five cats,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38six picnic lunches
0:02:38 > 0:02:41and seven large maps in case she got lost.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44And Ben cut up lots of coloured paper
0:02:44 > 0:02:46in the little red house.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51On Monday, Gran set off from her tall, twisty house.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54She hitched a lift on a wagon, roared through the forest
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and crossed a rushing rocky river
0:02:57 > 0:02:59on her way to see Ben.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Just then, in the little red house,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Ben found an old sheet.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09"Can I have this for something special?" he asked Mum.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13On Tuesday, Gran climbed a mountain, skied down the other side
0:03:13 > 0:03:18and skated across a frozen lake on her way to see Ben.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25And Ben glued and stuck and sploshed in the little red house.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30On Wednesday, Gran flew an aeroplane, parachuted down to land
0:03:30 > 0:03:34and crossed the desert on a camel on her way to see Ben.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39The camel wasn't very helpful. Gran didn't get very far that day.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42But in the little red house,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Ben got out his best paints and made rainbows.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49On Thursday, Gran jumped from a motorbike
0:03:49 > 0:03:53onto a motor boat and zoomed across the shining sea
0:03:53 > 0:03:55on her way to see Ben.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59The cats were all seasick, so Gran had to row.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01It was a long, long way.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03CATS MEOW
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Back in the kitchen of the little red house,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Ben made a delicious sticky mess.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13On Friday, Gran said,
0:04:13 > 0:04:18"We must be there tomorrow. Ben is expecting us."
0:04:18 > 0:04:20She studied the maps carefully.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Then she caught a tram, a bus,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27a subway, a taxi
0:04:27 > 0:04:31and a high-speed express train on her way to see Ben.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37At last, in the little red house, Ben had finished being busy.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41He was ready for Gran, so he went to bed.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47On Saturday, Gran walked and walked on her way to see Ben,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51and Ben looked out of the window of the little red house
0:04:51 > 0:04:53and waited and waited for Gran.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Gran walked and walked.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Ben waited and waited.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Then finally, just before teatime,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Gran walked up to the front door
0:05:04 > 0:05:07of the little red house and called out, "I'm here!"
0:05:07 > 0:05:13And Gran wasn't over there any more, miles and miles and miles away,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16but she really was over here with Ben.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19And Ben thought that the little red house
0:05:19 > 0:05:23with the rabbit and the cats and Gran at the tea table
0:05:23 > 0:05:28was the best place to be in the whole, wide, wonderful world.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Did you enjoy that story?
0:05:33 > 0:05:38I'm so glad that Ben and his Gran had tea together, aren't you?
0:05:39 > 0:05:43I might invite my special friend round for tea.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46I wonder if she'd come?
0:05:46 > 0:05:48It's time to settle down now,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52but I'll see you soon for another bedtime story.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd