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The Speaker On BBC Two

Comedienne Jo Brand heads the judging panel of The Speaker, BBC Two's search for Britain's best young speaker.

Alongside fellow judges, performance expert and RADA tutor Jeremy Stockwell and motivational speaker John Amaechi, Jo travels to every corner of the UK to find the country's most talented young speakers in the BBC's new, primetime entertainment series.

Featuring 14–18 year olds, The Speaker 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 things that matter to them.

Executive Producer Kieron Collins said: "The Speaker is a fresh, twenty-first century take on the traditional public speaking competition. Our teens are a disparate, diverse group of youngsters but they are united by their passion and their desire to speak out on what matters most to them.

"Britain's youth often get a raw deal in the media. This show redresses the balance; it's about communication, confidence and giving British teenagers an opportunity to be heard.

"Each week, our mentors and judges give a masterclass in a different aspect of speaking, so there will be plenty for people to learn at home, too. Whether it's going for a job interview, preparing a business presentation or getting ready to make your father-of-the-bride speech, there should be something here for you."

Helping the finalists learn and rise to the weekly challenges is a group of guest mentors who offer expert tutelage and inspiration to draw on.

The four guest mentors are: Queen of the Dragons' Den, Deborah Meaden, who coaches the speakers in the art of improvisation; Earl Spencer invites the speakers to Althorp House where they explore the craft of information giving; journalist and newscaster Kate Silverton coaches them in the nuances of storytelling; and Tony Blair's former chief strategist and speech writer Alastair Campbell, demonstrates the subtleties of persuasion.

Each week, their speeches are evaluated by the judges and their mentor. Then the three Speakers who don't meet the very high standards set have to go head-to-head in a final speaking challenge, The Last Word.

One hopeful youngster is then eliminated from the contest. All of this builds to one final showdown at the end of the series in which the three best candidates make the speech of their lives.

The eight-part series starts in April.

waveguide.co.uk

The Speaker
BC2,1/8 Tuesday 07 April 8:00pm - 9:00pm



It's hard to know who is most likely to tune in to this new eight-part talent show. It's a public-speaking competition for teenagers, but there's a limit to how long most of us are happy to sit and listen to extrovert teens preaching at us about how graffiti is good or sexism bad or the relative merits of straight versus curly hair. Perhaps the target audience is other 14-to 18-year-olds? Still, the idea is laudable, and looks likely to produce clips that will be replayed in decades to come when the young speakers here have become front-bench politicians. The series starts with regional auditions (tonight: London and Glasgow; tomorrow at 8pm Manchester and Cardiff), where the hopefuls are whittled down by three judges - Jo Brand (witty as ever), shrewd ex-basketball player John Amaechi and a Rada coach with a beret called Jeremy Stockwell. The search for the next Obama starts here
radiotimes