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Press Releases
±«Óãtv Two seeks Britain's best young speaker
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±«Óãtv Two is embarking on a nationwide search to find Britain's Best Young Speaker.
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Speak Up (working title) is a new eight-part primetime series that brings the traditional school public speaking competition into the 21st century.
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The series will see tough-talking teens, class jokers and shy, sensitive types go head-to-head as they learn to talk publicly and passionately about the issues that matter to them.
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Their journey to battle nerves, overcome obstacles and discover how to communicate and celebrate who they are and what they have to say will be inspirational television.
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Young Britain may have lost its voice - Speak Up will give it back.
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The series will be made by ±«Óãtv Entertainment Manchester and the Executive Producer is Kieron Collins.
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He says: "Forget the public speaking stereotypes of nervous kids in school uniforms, shuffling notes and talking about dull, worthy things.
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"Speak Up is a modern and truly nationwide take on the speaking competition. It's about communication, confidence and giving British teenagers an opportunity to be heard."
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Due to air in early 2009, Speak Up will follow a group of 14 to 18-year-olds as they battle to win the title of Britain's Best Young Speaker.
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Teenagers from across the UK will be invited to record and post their own short speeches on to the Speak Up website.
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From those initial entries, 300 will be invited to audition in front of a high-profile judging panel.
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The judges will select 20 semi-finalists, who will then be split into teams to argue for and against a range of engaging topics in a special debate.
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Only the best speakers will go through to the next stage, in which celebrity mentors will train the eight finalists and provide them with expert advice and inspiration.
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The teens will then take on a variety of challenges to test their powers of communication, focusing on different areas where public speaking is essential, such as radio, politics, entertainment or business.
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In the last episode, four finalists will have two minutes each to make the most persuasive, commanding and passionate speech of their lives.
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They will need to put into practice all the skills and advice they have picked up over the course of the competition. The judges will then pick their final winner.
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Interspersed with compelling archive footage showcasing moments from the greatest speeches in history, this is a programme about growing up, growing in confidence and proving to yourself and others that you can change your life if you speak up.
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Speak Up will have an extensive multi-platform offering, aiming to understand and connect with younger audiences.
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Schools, youth groups and social networking sites will be targeted to encourage young people from a wide range of backgrounds to submit speeches to the Speak Up website, and to share their speeches and ideas with each other.
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±«Óãtv Learning Campaigns will also work with schools and youth groups to produce a free Speak Up teaching resource, available after transmission, that makes it easy for teachers and group leaders to address the key skill of public speaking within their classes or groups.
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Clare Laycock, Head of ±«Óãtv Learning Campaigns, said: "Giving young people the skills and confidence to speak out for what they believe in can be a very powerful thing and will be of value to them throughout their lives."
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Notes to Editors
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The programme will be 8 x 60-minutes, and will transmit on ±«Óãtv Two early in 2009.
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Speak Up has been commissioned by Roly Keating, Controller of ±«Óãtv Two, and Elaine Bedell, Controller of Entertainment Commissioning.
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It is a Think Big commission for ±«Óãtv Entertainment Manchester.
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Speak Up has been developed through collaboration between ±«Óãtv Entertainment and Arts.
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±«Óãtv Learning is responsible for the ±«Óãtv's learning and education output - formal and informal, for children and adults.
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It sits within ±«Óãtv Knowledge and provides specialist learning content, including Bitesize, Blast, languages and adult skills.
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It also plays a key part in stimulating audiences to develop interest in, and knowledge of, a wide range of subjects.
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±«Óãtv Learning Campaigns build on the popular interest generated through broadcast programmes. They do this by working with expert partners - online and in the community - to encourage people to take part in activities which contribute to learning new things.
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