IN 2017, the world can sometimes feel like a gloomy place. 

Which is exactly why we need more people like Jack and Rani, who make their TV debut tonight on Educating Greater Manchester.

The 12-year-old best friends, who go to Harrop Fold School in Little Hulton, won over the hearts of viewers when they appeared on today's episode of This Morning.

Tonight, viewers will see the school welcome an intake of foreign students, including Rani, then 11, from war-torn Syria who quickly strikes up a friendship with fellow year seven pupil Jack.

The pair, along with their proud teacher Alicia Shanks, were interviewed on the This Morning sofa by presenters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford. 

Bolton Wanderers fan Jack said: "He was in the corner by himself so I thought he needed a friend so I thought I’ll go up to him and ask him, 'how are you and where are you from?'

"He said 'Syria', and I took a step back and thought, well on the TV you hear bad things about it, so I said, 'come and join us, join our group', and he did and here we are."

Rani added: "When I was alone I was really sad because I didn’t have any friends, when Jack came up to me I felt something in my heart and then we were friends."

The Bolton News:

Rani and Jack 

Harrop Fold, where Drew Povey is head teacher, is the latest secondary school to invite cameras into the classrooms and corridors for Channel 4’s hit Educating series.

It is billed as: 'A warm and honest exploration of what life's like for students and their teachers at Harrop Fold, a secondary school at the heart of a changing community'. 

Educating Greater Manchester airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.