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The search is on for an exciting new name in British photography. Six talented amateur photographers have made it through a nationwide call-out to be selected for the opportunity of a lifetime. With top photographer and film-maker Rankin as their guide and mentor, this is a unique masterclass and a chance to show they have what it takes to stand out as a new name in British photography.

Across a month of assignments and feedback, they will tackle 12 very different challenges that showcase and stretch their skill and creativity. Every shot counts as they build up to the final task of creating a brand new portfolio of their work. Who will shine as they compete for the chance to be crowned the winner of the Great British Photography Challenge?

In this first episode of the series, the amateurs meet Rankin for the first time and share their homework assignment with him and the audience. We kick off the challenges faced in this episode in Brighton, with a speed assignment that uses nothing more than a smartphone. How will they fare when limited to the use of basic equipment? Also featured in this episode is a nature assignment with Chris Packham, who tasks the photographers with finding and presenting him with a stand-out image from his own backyard in the New Forest. And we see the contestants thrown in at the deep end with a brief to capture a celebrity portrait, tasked with taking a magazine cover photo of renowned actor and Rankin鈥檚 good friend Anna Friel.

Across the series, we鈥檒l see the six photographers spending several weeks on the road, tackling various assignments around the country. All of them go through the entire experience and the series delivers multiple perspectives on each task. Guest experts are on hand to offer coaching in the field, and the first challenge featured in each episode always sees the photographers put on the spot to take a picture that will impress Rankin in just one hour, using only their smartphone cameras. Returning to the classroom from their travels, there鈥檚 group feedback on their shots, and the pressure is on to select and edit, from among the hundreds of images they鈥檝e taken, a final portfolio that they believe shows their individual flair and way of seeing the world around them.

At the end of the series, it鈥檚 time to plan and mount the exhibitions of their final portfolios. Who will show Rankin and fellow judges from the art and fashion world they have what it takes to take home the title of winner of the Great British Photography Challenge?