BBC raises the stakes with new 'reality TV' show

For those who cringed at Pop Idol, yawn at the navel-gazing of Big Brother and simply switch off Changing Rooms, it is the ultimate television nightmare – a programme that seeks to be all three.

Today the BBC will unveil the secret weapon that it hopes will propel the corporation to the top of the autumn ratings – a blow-by-blow, tantrum-by-tantrum account of the creation of a showbusiness celebrity.

Fame Academy will follow the trials and tribulations of a dozen unknown young men and women as they are made-over, trained and compete against each other for the chance to become an all-singing, all-dancing pop icon.

The series, to be shown on BBC1 later this year, is likely to be seen as the ultimate manifestation of prime-time "event television" dedicated to producing anything from pop stars to a rose garden.

The enduring popularity of programmes such as Big Brother, which has seen its audience rise by 12 per cent despite heavy media criticism, and the huge commercial success of ITV's Pop Idol, have spurred the BBC director general, Greg Dyke, to seek to emulate their success.

To help them, BBC executives have teamed up with Endemol, the Dutch production house behind the highest ratings yet for the current, third series of Big Brother on Channel 4.

But while the makers of Big Brother and Pop Idol restricted themselves to the distinct formats of a fly-on-the-wall "reality TV" and a glorified talent contest, the BBC is blurring the lines between a gamut of recent broadcasting trends.

A source close to the project said yesterday: "This is very much mainstream entertainment. If we are in that market, then we have to improve on and borrow from what's already around."

As in Big Brother, the Fame Academy wannabes will be housed in what the BBC describes as a "residential recording studio" – a wired living space constantly monitored by banks of cameras.

The show, which takes its inspiration from the 1980s American series Fame, about a New York performing arts school, will also borrow heavily from Pop Idol.

Each week one of the starlets, all to be aged between 18 and 35, will be voted out of the "academy" by viewers until a winner emerges to collect what is being billed as "the biggest prize in showbiz history".

The BBC said it was in negotiations with a number of record companies about a recording contract as part of a benefits package for the winner.

To maximise exposure, Fame Academy spin-offs will also feature on Radio 1, the digital channel BBC Choice and the internet operation BBCi.

The academy, likely to be sited outside London, will be supervised by an established cast of professionals including a manager, producer and choreographer, as well as visiting "superstars".

Last year's Dutch version of the show, which has also been made by Endemol in France and Spain, included Westlife, Steps, Ronan Keating, Anastacia and Bon Jovi among its cast of mentors.

The new format will also borrow from "makeover programmes" such as Changing Rooms,Ground Force andWhat Not To Wear, which seek to revolutionise individual lives.

Previous Endemol versions of Fame Academy have included a stylist, media trainer, financial adviser, biographer, sports instructor, doctor, psychologist and a chef to help tutor the programme subjects.

The result, BBC producers believe, will make compelling viewing. "This will be a close-up view of the real-life stories, characters and relationships that develop as 12 students go through intense training to reach the level of leading talent," a spokesman said. "We will see them living together, rehearsing together and witness all the tears, tantrums, successes and failures along the way. This will be Fame for real."