Not content with the innovative format of Echo Beach/Moving Wallpaper, ITV have unveiled what they are calling "one of the television events of 2008."
Britannia High is an eight-part drama about a fictional arts school. Music is by Take That's Gary Barlow, and the scriptwriters include Coronation Street regulars Damon Rochefort and Julie Jones. Corrie executive producer Kieran Roberts is also involved, and says, "Britannia High will be a brilliant, high quality British drama, with the added bonus of an innovative format integrating song and dance into the show."
The drama series will be preceded by two documentaries showing how the young actors were selected for their roles, and will feature the writers and Gary Barlow as they create the scripts and music. Britannia High will climax with a 90-minute live episode, taking the form of an end-of-term Students’ Showcase, featuring performances from the cast, intertwined with drama segments that conclude the story and journey of the characters.
Can you say "Fame"? or um... High School Musical which is probably the trend they're cashing in on
Hi
Did anyone else audition for the new ITV series 'Britannia High' at the weekend? I wasn't impressed and think it may have been a clever scam on behalf of the producers to get lots of ordinary kids on camera looking disappointed, thus courting controversy for the first two programmes, which are to be 'fly on the wall' documentaries of the 'auditions'..
After seeing an advert for the auditions, my daughter and I travelled across London on Sunday in order to attend.
The advertising asked kids between the ages of 17 and 19 to turn up at the London Welsh Centre, and didn't ask for official qualifications or stage schooling, just for personalities and the ability to act, dance, sing and/or play an instrument. It gave the impression that ordinary kids were being sought, with or without training.
My daughter is studying for a BTEC in drama at college and attends professional dance classes. She can also sing. She is not stick thin (she's a size 14) or 'gorgeous' like the usual stereotypes, but has a bubbly infectious personality as well as fitting the bill for the other attributes being looked for.
Anyway, we tuned up at 2pm to join a straggle of about 10 kids waiting to be seen. After 5 minutes, she emerged saying she hadn't even got past the registration process. She had been asked what 'training' she had received, and when she said the details of her course, she was told abruptly 'that's not good enough' and then 'this isn't for you is it?!', whilst being filmed. She didn't get to audition or prove what she could do, so so much for them wanting 'personalities'!!
However, other kids were also being turned away on the same premise, most of them fitting the stereotype 'high school kid' look, with good training behind them.
The 'chaperones' who ushered the children into the building to register said they had seen a maximum of 250 kids over the weekend, which begs the question: how can such a prime-time high profile show possiby cast itself from only the 250 people who turned up, when they are turning the majority away? (The X factor auditions saw thousands, and everyone got a chance to sing). And why hold auditions only in London, in a tiny venue, if a country-wide cast was sought? Unless the producers already knew the people they were looking for, and had them turn up at the auditions 'by coincidence'....
On a more worrying note, the main websites which carried detailed adverts of the auditions (including audition pieces!), were Asian cultural websites, encouraging more Asian/Afro Caribean children to audition. Lo and behold, everyone at the auditions who fitted that criteria got to audition, and there were quite a high percentage, due to the increased advertising on cultural sites.
So, to sum up, I think it was a con; the 'white' cast had already been chosen, and the weekend auditions were mainly to recuit Asian/Afro Caribbean actors, to make it look 'PC'. Ridiculing ordinary kids on camera and telling them that 'this isn't for you', when they have travelled a distance to turn up because they think it is, is cruel, and to use this for cheap entertainment is exploitative reality TV at it's worst.
I urge everyone to boycot this show when it appears and treat it as the sham it so obviously is....
Yes everyone gets a chance to sing on X factor. So they have footage of those who haven't got a hope of getting onto the live shows to broadcast, that's why. Reality tv is explolative by it's very nature.
Hi there
I thought I would comment too on the audition process of this show. My daughter and other members of her comprehensive school were invited to a local audition on the wednesday before the London auditions. Some members of the production team had apparently phoned the school and asked the school to invite the more talented students to the audition. They nervously went along to the audition and only had to sing, then they were told that if they were phoned before the weekend they would be invited to attend the London Auditions (strange as it later appeared on various websites that the auditions were "open" auditions). None of them got a phone call, there were about 50 of them (none were from an ethnic background). The phone call was only made to the school the day before. I just think the whole thing seems very set up. Why call them open auditions if they hold a local audition and then tell the kids they have to be invited to the open audition. Its not fair on the kids. It just shatters their hopes for the sake of reality TV.
Think we were at the same audition,I do not know of anyone being selected.Same thing phone call on the day,urgent.If the Saturday Sunday auditions were open then why the need to qualify by going to a closed audition.Was it in Essex?
Yes, it was Essex. What a set up! I wonder how contrived the programme will be!
Yes, it was Essex! What a set up, lets see how contrived the programme is!
Not everyone who auditions for xfactor gets seen. only the really bad and the good ones get to the judges. Alot of people get turned away by the researchers. Also xfactor is primarily an audition show where britannia high is not. I dont think your kids will make it on to the TV if they didnt even get to register,
I auditioned for this in london after auditioning at the ITV studios before hand. it was the worst auditioning process of my life. They asked all sorts of personal questions- after id been insured this wouldnt be reality tv.
also we'd be told that we could sing with out music but on the day were told that we had to sing with accompaniment- so my song went to pot as i didnt know this properly. afterwards they tried to make me phone home to tell my parents that i hadnt got thru- i flatly refused. I dunno i think it will be amazing but i agree that the before bit was all a bit crud.
How infuriating to read that one of the contestants from DanceX has been given one of the lead roles in Britannia High. This certainly wasn't the impression of the sort of person they wanted when the went around the local comprehensive schools saying they were looking for fresh outstanding talent. See the following article on Laine Managements website: "A hugh congratulations to MARCQUELLE WARD on being cast as one of the lead characters in up and coming ITV London production Britannia High, after fighting off competition nationwide. Congratulations Marcquelle!!!"
I loved him in DanceX by the way! I do wish him well just a shame the way ITV went about the audition processes regionally.
Rana from Dance x is in aswell and if you look at the ITV website the cast is made up of recognizable faces. Mitch Hewer from skins, Mark Benton and Sapphire Elia, What were them open auditions about?? i do think that its going to be a good show though!
They must have changed their mind through the audition process perhaps!! At least all the kids who auditioned won't feel like such rejects now, bearing in mind the cast have ended up being known "stars" already!
My daughter also auditioned,got through round one acting audition then had to go to Manchester,after being rung about her audition pieces told them she wished to sing solo without any music and they then deliberately played piano music. She was asked very personal questions with a camera stuck in her face which she is sure will be used after editing. Also the acting audition scripts were set up to make the audionees seem like they were late or upset if they did not get a part.ITV should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves using young people to be part of a process in which they obviously were going to use names already recognized in the industry.
Audition processes are always a bit of a mystery and esp is they are making a docu at the same time..but I am sure that Britannia High will be a wonderfilled show and it would all be worth it in the end....Also I do think that there is a taste of sour grapes going on here ;)
Just be happy that talented people will grace the screen instead of a bunch of fame hunters...most of these kids have worked there socks off for YEARS to be in the position they are in..SO they DESERVE it......
*Sigh*
To everyone who auditioned and all the 2Concerned" Mothers who are writing blogs on this site about the Audition process....
Hello? WELCOME TO SHOWBIZ!! It`s a cliche, but this is what the buisness is like - you knew they were filming a docu drama about the castings - of COURSE they create drama and ask personnal questions - talking of questions...please ask yourself this......
1. is your Daughter / Son exceptionly talented?
2. Are they Incredibly thick skinned and never get hurt by harsh words and rejection?
3. Are they willing to spend years perfecting their craft only to work 60 percent of the year in their chosen proffesion if they are lucky?
If they answer to any of these questions is "NO".....
Please.Please do yourself a favour and do something else. This maybe the best advice ever given to you - Watch and enjoy the show and realise what it takes to get on to a television show like this.
Thanks
(Cast member)
You let you children audition - not everyone is going to make it so there are bound to be people dissapointed regardless of how ITV handled the situation...and yeah ok alot of people from dance x are on the show but like previously said they have busted there butts for years to get where they are!!! Funny how only the "bad" is written on here - maybe parents should learn when to except that there child was just not right for a part.
i liike lauren&danny from britannia high
Everyone who is saying about britannia high being a sham could you ever think maybe your son/daughter are just really bad actors / actresses or singers or dancers or just not good enough. Stop being so up yourself and come to relaize that these actors / actresse dancers and singers have spent years perfecting there techiques!
britania high rocks i louv the show i also luv high school musical 1,2,3 and camp rock i luv stuff like that.
Well that's showbiz.
If your children are not able to take the knocks of the business then they shouldn't be IN this business. Even exceptionally talented performers get rejected most of the time, it's such a tough business to go into and you've gotta be thick skinned.
I just wanna say, Britannia High crew - it was an awesome first series... will there be another one hitting our screens anytime soon?