Fame Academy
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Fame Academy is the name of televised competition to search for and to educate musical talents, and to award the best contestant with a chance to become a successful music artist. The programme ran from 2002 to 2005 and made two major series and two special series. It was broadcasted by the BBC and co-produced by an Endemol company called 'Initial'.
It is partly reality television, because the daily lives of the contestants could be watched through live streaming via Freeview. This was accomplished through the instalments of 'spycameras'. Coverage of the show was widely shown on BBC One, BBC Three, BBC Prime and the CBBC Channel.
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Concept
Although it was viewed by critics as being too similar to the Pop Idol series, it was presented as a relatively new concept. When it was launched, Fame Academy was quickly labelled as being television entertainment. However the programmemakers also included a long-term vision. (see bursary)
For a series, it featured live music performances by a selected number of contestants. The pre-selection auditions were held nationwide by music professionals and the production crew. The final selection of contestants were presented to the public in the first airing of the series.
The television audience were allowed to vote their favorite contestant inside the Academy for a period of ten weeks as part of their musical education offered by the programme. This included fitness/dancing classes, individual vocal coaching, personal development periods and workshops with professionals. The contestants or 'students' stayed in Witanhurst House, a historic Georgian-style mansion in Highgate that was specially redressed for the series.
Unlike Pop Idol, Fame Academy emphasised the creative talent of the students, such as writing their own songs and compositions. This was done through masterclasses with accomplished songwriters and musicians. Some of the self-penned material by the students was showcased through the live performance shows.
Series History
The show produced two flagship series and two spin-off specials.
- Fame Academy; Class of 2002
- Fame Academy; Class of 2003
- Comic Relief does Fame Academy (spin-off format set up for the Comic Relief charity in 2003, and returning for a second series in 2005)
The winner of the first series was David Sneddon and the second run was won by Alex Parks.
Series One (2002)
Series One of Fame Academy hit screens in 2002. The live shows were presented by Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty.
Eleven lucky contestants were showcased to the nation in the first live episode, while the first viewer vote of the series was announced in a surprise twist - three other potential finalists would be showcased to the nation - and the public could vote for who they wanted to enter the Academy, making up the final line-up of twelve contestants.
The public voted for Sinead Quinn to enter the Academy, joining Ashley House, Naomi Roper, Chris Manning, Camilla Beeput, Pippa Fulton, Marli Buck, Nigel Wilson, Katie Lewis, Malachi Cush, Ainslie Henderson and Lemar Obika.
The contestants' time in the Academy included singing lessons with Carrie Grant, exhausting dance and exercise classes with Kevin Adams, and song-writing lessons with Pam Sheyne who wrote Christina Aguilera's hit single Genie in a Bottle. Headteacher Richard Park was also never far away, and managed to keep order for most of the series.
The first drama of the series came within the first few days when problems with Naomi's voice meant that she would have to be expelled from the Academy. She was replaced with David Sneddon, who came second in the viewer vote in the first episode of the series, which was won by Sinead.
Each week, the teachers put three contestants on probation. They would have to sing for survival live on Friday night on BBC One, in order to fight for their place in the Academy. The public would then vote for who they wanted to save - the person with the most votes would be safe. However, the fate of the two other contestants on probation was decided by their fellow contestants, who had to vote for who they wanted to save.
As well as the live shows, highlight shows aired at 7pm on Tuesday and Thursday nights on BBC One. A late night uncut show was later added to the schedules. Extra coverage was available on BBC Choice.
As well as the dramas of singing for survival, there were dramas among the contestants too. David and Ainslie were rivals for most of the series. Camilla and Lemar got closer and closer, until on the night when all of the contestants returned to the house, they kissed in one of the bedrooms. Sinead and Malachi were also very close, but a relationship failed to materialise once they left the Academy.
The final three contestants were Lemar, Sinead and David. Lemar came in 3rd place. Sinead came second, while David won the series. Malachi, Ainslie, Lemar, Sinead and David all went onto release singles - David's as a result for the £1 million record contract that he secured when he won the show, while the others secured deals by themselves. However, the contestant with the best career so far has been Lemar.
Ratings were average, but not spectacular. Most of this was blamed on the format being too similar to Pop Idol, while fans of the reality tv element were disappointed by the awkward timings of the highlight shows. Despite this, a second series was commissioned.
Series Two (2003)
The second series of Fame Academy started in 2003, with some changes. Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty continued as lead presenters. Songwriting teacher Pam Sheyne did not return, and the role of dance teacher Kevin Adams was reduced. Headteacher Richard Park was nasty to contestants this year, in Simon Cowell style. Carrie Grant's husband, David Grant, joined the series as an extra voice coach. Bee Gee Robin Gibb joined the show as a judge for the live shows.
The live singing for survival shows were moved to Saturday nights. Instead of taking place at Shepperton Studios, they took place from within the Academy itself. Highlight shows were axed from BBC One, but still aired on BBC Three.
For the first two weeks in the show, the final 25 contestants performed and the public voted for thirteen to enter the Academy.
This year's contestants were Audley Anderson, Nick Hall, Lorna Grant, Gary Phelan, Simone Stewart, Louise Griffiths, Barry McKeever, Paris Campbell-Edwards, James Fox, Peter Brame, Carolynne Good, Alistair Griffin and Alex Parks.
This year there was a fair amount of bitching in the Academy, with many of the girls openly stating that they felt uncomfortable around Barry. Producers decided to stir up trouble by showing footage of bitching during a brief highlights package on one of the live shows - which all of the students could see.
Peter and Alex were quick to make friends, but their friendship soon fizzled out when Peter accused Alex of having bad breath. She was angry at his lack of consideration for her feelings, and when it seemed as if her friend Carolynne was about to start a relationship with Peter, she was quick to register her disapproval.
Tensions ran high this year, with arguments regularly breaking out between the Fame Academy teachers. The two Grants often disagreed with Richard, while Robin Gibb tried to be nice to all of the students.
The main drama of the series came when host Patrick Kielty decided that he would fight the cause of the students each week, as Richard's criticisms got worse and worse. Richard launched a verbal attack against Patrick on live television, accusing Patrick of not allowing him to express his opinions. "Ladies and gentlemen, this man is so sycophantic it's tiring," he told the live audience. Regular arguments broke out between the pair week after week after this exchange. Opinions are still divided among fans about whether the arguments were staged for ratings or not.
The live Fame Academy shows often clashed with the live shows of the startingly similar Pop Idol. Fame Academy usually came worse off in these ratings showdown, and fans disliked not being able to choose to watch both shows if they wished.
Alex Parks was the winner of the second series. It is currently unclear whether the show will return for a third series.
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy is a spin-off from the Fame Academy format featuring celebrities as students and where proceeds from phone votes are donated to Comic Relief. This was far more successful than the original show, and many believe its success secured the second series of the main programme.
Series One (2003)
The first live show took place on March 7, 2003 and lasted untill Red Nose Day on March 14, where the final show was presented and the winner is announced. Eight British celebrities moved into the Fame Academy. The celebrities were: Paul Ross, Fearne Cotton, Jo Brand, John Thomson, Ulrika Jonsson, Doon Mackichan, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Ruby Wax and Will Mellor.
Most of the original Fame Academy teachers were back, including Richard Park, Carrie Grant, and Kevin Adams. David Grant was a newcomer, as a second voice coach.
Will Mellor was the eventual winner of the show.
Series Two (2005)
On February 26 2005, Comic Relief Does Fame Academy returned for a second live airing. The production and broadcasting for the live shows was done from a new location on the south bank of the River Thames, between Tower Bridge and London City Hall.
The celebrities that took part were, in order of eviction: Al Murray, Jenny Éclair, Konnie Huq, Jon Culshaw, Christopher Colquhoun, Gina Yashere, Nick Knowles, Dawn Steele, Debra Stephenson, Reggie Yates, Adrian Edmondson, Kim Medcalf and Edith Bowman.
There were changes for this series. Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood and opera star Lesley Garrett were brought in as judges. Singing coaches Carrie Grant and David Grant were no longer on the judging panel, but were present during the live shows and were invited to give their views when necessary. Not only that, but the five remaining students were given a masterclass courtesy of McFly, who released All About You as Comic Relief's official single that year.
The series had its fair share of drama and conflict. As with series two of the main show, host Patrick Kielty and headteacher Richard Park clashed continually throughout the series. While it was assumed by some that the arguments were staged to build up interest for the show, this appeared to be disproved when Park was spotted making a rude hand gesture towards Kielty, as co-host Cat Deeley was attempting to introduce the next act. Unusually, there was no on-air apology or further explanation by the BBC. Kielty even joked about the incident in a subsequent episode.
The feud between Kielty and Park spilled over into the press after the show had ended. Park claimed that Kielty's presenting skills had been "sub-standard" and speculated that he would never be seen on BBC screens again. Kielty was later announced as the host of ITV's Celebrity Love Island
Teachers Carrie and David were also involved in a feud with Craig Revel Horwood. Horwood regularly criticised the performances of the celebrities, particularly Debra Stephenson and Reggie Yates. In one episode of the show, Carrie accused Craig of trying to kill the spirits of the singers.
During the Comic Relief show on March 11 (Red Nose Day), Edith Bowman was announced as the winner. The runner-up was Kim Medcalf and in third place Adrian Edmondson.
The series regularly attracted over eight million viewers, fuelling speculation that there could be a third series of the main show.
Charities
The long-term vision behind Fame Academy was to inspire young people into music. Beside the televised series, a project was launched during the 2002 series to fund a charity through the telephone voting of the live performance shows. This became the Fame Academy Bursary and is supported by Youth Music, British Council and the BBC.
It featured instrument/equipment awards and a number of three-year educational bursaries for the public to give them the opportunity to further their careers into music-making. The Bursary is still on-going and everyone is allowed to apply.
Production
Behind the scenes of Fame Academy was also a vast array of technical production personnel to ensure a smooth live broadcast on television. The 2002/2003 series was headed by a team of 9 production managers encompassing the area's of web production, 24/7 reality filming for live streaming, setup of the weekly live 'expulsion' performances both at Shepperton Studios and Witanhurst House, daily live broadcasts for BBC Three and CBBC. In general they also ensured the smooth running on-location. This also meant to act as a liaison with local authorities (Southwark and Camden Council), get building consent and permissions from its planning departments, handle (tele)communications between BT and BBC TV Centre and keep track of Security, Health, Safety and Fire issues.
External links
Homepages
- Homepage for the Fame Academy Bursary (http://www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/fameacademybursary/)
- Homepage for the Fame Academy series (http://www.bbc.co.uk/fameacademy/)
Pressreleases by the BBC
- The launch of Fame Academy in 2002 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/09_september/17/fame_academy.shtml)
- Introducing the second series in 2003 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/07_july/15/fame_academy_series2.shtml)
- About the Bursary (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/06_june/30/fame_academy_bursary.shtml)
- About the new students for Comic Relief does Fame Academy 2005 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/02_february/21/cr_fame.shtml)
Other
- UK Gameshows Page: Fame Academy (http://www.ukgameshows.com/index.php/Fame_Academy)
- Homepage of Youth Music (http://www.youthmusic.org.uk/)
- Homepage of British Council (http://www.britishcouncil.org)