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Press Releases & Press Packs

03.03.03

TV ENTERTAINMENT

Comic Relief Does Fame Academy - celebrity students revealed

Voices of angels or voices that shatter glass, tears or triumphs - who knows what will happen as the class of celebrity students get ready to enter the Fame Academy to raise money, as well as their voices for Comic Relief.

The show kicks off on Friday 7 March and culminates as part of the TV extravaganza that is Comic Relief Red Nose Night on the 14 March.

Tune in and follow the celebrity students as they're put through their paces by the Academy's toughest teachers.

Eight of the students who will train together, sweat together and sing together, all on camera to secure their prize as the winner of Comic Relief Does Fame Academy, are officially revealed today (Monday 3 March) as:

- Ulrika Jonsson (TV presenter)

- John Thomson (actor and comic)

- Will Mellor (actor)

- Jo Brand (comedian)

- Paul Ross (presenter/producer)

- Fearne Cotton (CÂ鶹Éç presenter and presenter of Â鶹Éç ONE's The Saturday Show)

- Kwame Kwei-Armah (actor, plays Fin in Casualty)

- Ruby Wax (presenter and comedian).
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One more student will be revealed later in the week.
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Comic Relief Does Fame Academy kicks off on Â鶹Éç ONE with hosts Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty at 9.00pm.

But there's a twist - nine students want to enter the Academy but only eight will get there. The pressure starts now as each student has to perform one of their favourite tracks live that night and prove they are worthy of a place in the Academy.
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Voting

The public are then asked to vote for the celebrity they want to see enter the Academy. The results of the public vote are announced in a special programme on Friday night at 10.35pm.

Seven celebrities with the most votes are guaranteed a place in the Academy. The remaining two then face their fellow students who vote to decide who stays and who goes home.
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And in true Fame Academy tradition no student is safe for long as at the end of the show the teachers will choose, out of the eight students, the three to be placed on probation who will sing for survival on Saturday night's show.

The public will then have 24 hours to vote and save their favourite student, with the remaining two once again left to the mercy of their fellow showbiz students.
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There will be opportunities to find out what is going on in the Academy with coverage across the Â鶹Éç - on Â鶹Éç ONE, Â鶹Éç THREE, CÂ鶹Éç, Â鶹Éçi through live streaming and on both the Â鶹Éç's and .

Also, every night one celebrity student will be expelled from the Academy on Â鶹Éç ONE and head off to Â鶹Éç THREE where presenters Vanessa Langford and Dannan Breathnach get down to the nitty-gritty: who they liked, loved or loathed at the Academy.
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As well as watching the live streaming, viewers can also keep up with what's going on in the Academy by signing up for 25p news alerts by texting START to 82200.

There will also be rolling news and video highlights on and .
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The Teachers

In the Fame Academy mansion in North London, the celebrity students are under the instruction of head teacher Richard Park, vocal coaches Carrie and David Grant, choreographer Kevin Adams, personal tutor Jeremy Milnes, and music coach Jo Noel.

Their days consist of gruelling sessions in the dance studios, the rehearsal rooms and, of course, in the limelight.
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Special Guests

During the week, celebrities will be popping into the Academy to provide their support.

- Saturday 8 March, Olympic gold-medallist boxer Audley Harrison will ensure students pull their weight in a special boxing training session.

- Sunday 9 March, Paul McKenna visits the students to offer his hypnotic expertise to students struggling with stage fright.

- Monday 10 March, England rugby star Laurence Dallaglio turns up for a training session.

- Tuesday 11 March, Ainsley Harriott visits the remaining students to reward their efforts with a gourmet meal.

- Wednesday 12 March, Andrew Lloyd Webber drops into the Academy to work with the students on a group performance.

- Hairdresser Nicky Clarke and his team work their magic on the students (date to be confirmed).
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Chief Executive of Comic Relief, Kevin Cahill, says: "Every time somebody votes to save their favourite student, Comic Relief will get cash that is helping to bring an end to poverty and social injustice in the UK and Africa. I can't wait to see what happens in the Academy and I hope everybody gets voting!"
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Comic Relief Does Fame Academy is an Initial Production (part of Endemol UK).

Notes to Editors

Update (5 March 2003)

Doon MacKichan, star of Bedtime (Â鶹Éç ONE) and Smack The Pony (Channel 4) was confirmed as the ninth celebrity to take part in Fame Academy Does Comic Relief.
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To save any of the celebrity students, viewers can vote by calling or texting the numbers below or online at .

Phone lines open just before 10.00pm on Friday 7 March.

To vote by text (SMS) send the word 'VOTE' followed by the name of the celebrity student you want to save/stay to 82200.
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To call, text or vote online costs 25p, plus your usual text charge, with at least 15p going to Comic Relief, after tax, operator and handling charges.
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Each text alert costs 25p, with at least 14p going to Comic Relief after tax, operator and handling charges. This may exclude the cost of sending your initial message.

Maximum spend of £6 for the full week, with 3 alerts per day. Available to O2, Orange and Vodafone customers. For alerts on the T-Mobile network go to .
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Comic Relief

- Red Nose Day is about tackling poverty and social injustice in the UK and Africa.

- Since its launch in 1985, Comic Relief has raised over £250 million.

- One third of the money raised through Red Nose Day is allocated to projects working in the UK and two thirds goes to projects working in Africa.

- At Comic Relief we have a promise that for every pound Comic Relief gets directly from the public, a pound will go directly to projects helping the poorest and most disadvantaged people.Ìý We are able to keep this promise because we manage to cover our costs in other ways.Ìý The costs of running Comic Relief are met in cash or in kind from all types of organisations - we get money and support from corporate partners and individual suppliers as well as drawing down some of the interest on our funds and on Gift Aid.

- For some hair-raising ideas on how to get involved in Red Nose Day '03 visit the website: .

- Comic Relief is a registered charity, number 326568.

The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

Comic Relief 2003 press pack (7.02.03)

Freeview offers the Â鶹Éç's eight television channels as well as 11 Â鶹Éç radio networks.

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