I wish them well and, given the pressures they will face ( which is why I won’t say much about the individual choices themselves), I am not surprised they have chosen children who were already well on their way with managing a public profile.
However, what I would say is, while I totally understand that reasoning, I do think in those circumstances the whole “open casting call” with its suggestion they were looking for fresh and untutored newcomers was maybe a bit unfair on the hundreds upon hundreds of young hopefuls who carefully recorded their best endeavours and sent them away with crossed fingers, hopes and prayers.
If they were happy with applicants who had already “trodden the boards” in the West End or appeared in advertising etc, I’m not sure why they didn’t start there and in agencies, rather than involving so many hopeful children who didn’t get so much as an acknowledgement letter for their efforts. As it turns out, they didn’t need to cast the net very wide to find the ones they wanted.