Entertainment

New TV series to pull back the curtain on real-life auditions

Viewers will be able to see what really happens during auditions, away from the glitz and glamour.
Viewers will be able to see what really happens during auditions, away from the glitz and glamour. Viewers will be able to see what really happens during auditions, away from the glitz and glamour.

A new television series from the makers of First Dates will give viewers an inside look at the world of auditions.

The Big Audition will go behind the scenes to show the highs and lows of aspiring actors, singers, West End performers, models and TV presenters during the audition process, away from the glamour.

The ITV programme will show both seasoned professionals and first-timers doing their bit to land a coveted role, as well as the experts who decide who to hire.

First Dates
First Dates The Big Audition is from the makers of Channel 4’s First Dates (Dave King/Channel 4) (Dave King)

The six-part series is from production company Twenty Twenty, which is also behind Channel 4’s popular dating programme, which sees singletons meeting for dates in a restaurant fitted with cameras.

Clair Breen, executive producer for Twenty Twenty, said: “We’re used to seeing huge shiny floor talent competitions but rarely do we get to see what happens in the everyday audition process, away from the TV studios and the glamour.

“From the serious to the ridiculous, auditions bring out the best, worst and most competitive in people, and our fixed rig cameras were there to capture it.”

Twenty Twenty’s managing director Emma Willis said the programme shows “what happens in the real world”, and added that “it’s high stakes, surprising and compelling”.

Siobhan Greene, ITV’s head of entertainment, said: “I have always loved auditions, but the chance to peel back the layers even further, and to do it in a fixed rig way, felt back to basics and I loved it from the moment I heard the pitch.

“I hope the audience at home will also lap up getting to see something they’ve only seen done on the big entertainment juggernauts, now done like this.”

The Big Audition is scheduled to air on ITV this autumn.