6 x 60′

The “Talent Show” has become a staple of British TV during the last decade, it seems that today, a Saturday night doesn’t pass by without some young hopeful singing for survival on a live stage, awaiting the biting remarks of the assembled judges and experts. But how realistic an appraisal of the entertainment industry do these programmes give us?

Young people have lost sight of the fact that the traditional way of making it in the Performing Arts has always been training at a drama or dance school and working your way up through the ranks. For the young and talented in Britain, it appears that the TV Talent Show is a quick route to fame.

E4’s School of Performing Arts aims to change that, by providing an environment to nurture and develop young talent, and not just build it up only to decimate it for the viewer’s pleasure. Nobody will be “voted out”, there will be no public eliminations, and the “prize” at the end of this experience is that some of our young students will be offered a place to continue their studies at a top drama or dance school. We’ll also follow their experiences outside the classroom, as we watch them try to cope with the difficulties of training full time and holding down part time jobs, exactly how it is in the real world.

In today’s society, Fame has turned into a dirty word. This series aims to remind young people that Fame should be about genuine talent and can only really be achieved through hard work, determination and perseverance.

Series Producer
Cassie Braban

Executive Producer
Tanya Shaw