Comic Relief Does Fame Academy 2007
From Saturday 3 March 2007, Â鶹ԼÅÄ One, 5.55 & 9.05pm
Introduction – celebrity line-up announced
The Â鶹ԼÅÄ and Comic Relief today announced the names of the 13
celebrities set to surprise the nation and go head to head in the definitive,
celebrity singing competition.
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Comic Relief Does Fame Academy asks celebrities to go one step further to raise
money for Red Nose Day – The Big One.
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The launch show kicks off on Â鶹ԼÅÄ One on Saturday 3
March 2007.
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Later that evening, at the end of the results show, 13
become 12 as one celebrity loses the chance to enter the Fame Academy.
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The show
begins its nightly run from Wednesday 7 March when, once more, one student's
performance will see them leave the competition as the remaining 11 enter the
Fame Academy.
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There can only be one winner of the ultimate singing competition
– and listeners can find out who hits the high note in the Comic Relief Does Fame Academy final on Red Nose Day on Friday 16 March, live
from Â鶹ԼÅÄ Television Centre in London.
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The celebrity students are:
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Angellica Bell (presenter)
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Colin Murray (Radio 1 DJ, TV presenter)
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Fred MacAulay (DJ, broadcaster)
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Linda Robson (actress)
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Mel Giedroyc (comedienne, writer)
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Miranda Hart (comedy actress)
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Ray Stubbs (Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sport presenter)
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Rowland Rivron (comedian/presenter)
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Shaun Williamson (actor, Extras)
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Tara Palmer-Tomkinson (personality/TV presenter)
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Tim Vine (comedian)
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Tricia Penrose (actress)
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Zoë Salmon (Blue Peter presenter)
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Regular host Patrick Kielty will be joined by Claudia Winkleman who moves over
from Â鶹ԼÅÄ Three, to preside over the live event from Fame Academy's new and
fitting venue, the Debating Chamber in London's County Hall.
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On launch night, 13 celebrity students will sing for survival to raise
money for Comic Relief.
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The previous series raised more than a million pounds for
the charity and now the Fame Academy welcomes a fresh batch of celebrity
students, all hoping to follow in the victorious footsteps of the 2005 winner,
Radio 1's Edith Bowman.
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Our celebrity students will work, rest and play together whilst being put
through their paces by the Fame Academy staff, led as usual by forthright Head
Teacher, Richard Park.
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Resident vocal coaches David and Carrie Grant are on
hand to encourage the best performances possible from our singing wannabes.
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Sessions with fitness coach and choreographer Kevin Adams, and chats with
personal tutor Jeremy Milnes, remain on the packed and challenging curriculum,
as students battle to learn their songs in time for the live show and attempt
to secure those all-important viewers' votes.
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Back on judging duties – and fresh from her West End stage role in The Sound Of
Music – is opera star Lesley Garrett.
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She is joined once again by top West
End choreographer and Strictly Come Dancing judge, Craig Revel Horwood.
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Richard
Park, as ever, completes the critical judging trio.
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Each night, viewers vote to save their favourite student.
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The three students
with the fewest votes find themselves in the bottom three and faced with performing again to win the approval of the judges and their fellow students.
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One of the bottom three is then saved by the judges, the remaining pair then
face their Academy colleagues, who step up to vote for who they want to save.
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The student with the most votes remains in the Fame Academy, while the
loser is expelled and leaves that night.
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One celebrity student will be expelled every night amid growing tensions as the
remainder edge closer to that Red Nose Day final and being crowned winner of
the ultimate celebrity talent contest, Comic Relief Does Fame Academy!
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Sarah Cawood and Dominic Wood will broadcast live on Â鶹ԼÅÄ Three from inside the
Fame Academy straight after the Â鶹ԼÅÄ One show.
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Viewers will get the
low-down on life inside the Fame Academy in this access-all-areas show, which
will be overflowing with exclusive interviews – including the first with our
expelled student – celebrity guests and all the latest gossip.
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Jake Humphrey and Caroline Flack will treat CÂ鶹ԼÅÄ viewers to two daily doses of
all the very latest news and gossip, live from inside the Fame Academy.
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The show, which will also be shown on the CÂ鶹ԼÅÄ Channel, will be bursting with
behind-the-scenes features and interviews with the tutors, expelled students
and celebrity fans of the show.
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As well as competitions, there will be tons
of ways to get involved and up close to all the action.
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Kevin Cahill, CEO of Comic Relief, said: "Every time somebody votes to save their
favourite student, Comic Relief will get cash that goes towards helping bring
an end to poverty and social injustice in the UK and Africa.
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"It's a great line-up and I can't wait to see what happens in the Fame Academy and I hope
everybody gets voting!
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"Each call represents a small amount but when they are
all added together it makes big money that can make a big difference."
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Â鶹ԼÅÄi gives fans watching on digital television the ultimate access
to all the action from inside the Fame Academy from 7am to 1am every day, by
pressing the Red button.
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And this year, for the first time, digital viewers can
press Red during the main Â鶹ԼÅÄ One show to sing along with the contestants in
our karaoke service.
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The official website at bbc.co.uk/rednoseday has video
highlights from the Fame Academy, with a rolling news team covering events as
they happen.
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There are also photos and profiles and users will be able to download
a daily video podcast to keep up to date with our students' progress.
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Voting
will be available on phone lines and text.
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At least 34p from each call goes
straight to Comic Relief, to help the poorest and most vulnerable people in the
UK and Africa.
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Comic Relief Does Fame Academy is made by Initial, part of Endemol.
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Comic Relief Does Fame Academy facts
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Comic Relief Does Fame Academy 2005 raised more than £1m through
telephone and text voting.
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In 2003, actor Will Mellor became the very first winner of Comic Relief
Does Fame Academy, followed by Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman, who won the final on Red
Nose Day 2005.
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Adrian Edmondson, Al Murray, Christopher Colquhoun, Dawn Steele, Debra
Stephenson, Gina Yashere, Jon Culshaw, Jenny Éclair, Kim Medcalf, Konnie Huq,
Nick Knowles and Reggie Yates took part in Comic Relief Does Fame Academy 2005
over 10 nights of live performance.
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Red Nose Day 2005 raised £61m.
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In 2005, the British public bought 6.5 million red noses.
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More than 330 celebrities got involved in Red Nose Day 2005.
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This year is the 11th Red Nose Day.
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Since its launch in 1985, Comic Relief has raised more than £425m.
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Comic Relief Press Office
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