Presenters
Contents |
Host
Co-hosts
Judges: Gary Howe, Rhys John, Rachel Mainwaring, Jaci Stephen
Broadcast
HTV Wales (regional), 7 April to 26 May 2002 (8 episodes in 1 series)
Synopsis
Inbetween the two ITV shows that began the re-emergance of the talent show Popstars and Pop Idol, viewers in Wales were treated to this for an hour on Sunday afternoons - as HTV tried its best to scour the nation, looking for a member of the public to become their new star, presenting a wealth of regional programmes... (remember that fact).
Anyway, in a rare case of a network TV presenter switching to regional obscurity for a few fleeting moments, Gabby Logan (nee Yorath) took charge of this worthwhile series. It had the usual idealistic format of first round auditions (in this case - the rounds were held at Llandudno, Aberystwyth and Swansea), where the judges whittle them down to a select few. The remaining wannabes went through numerous screen tests and also presented idysiocrantic feature reports.
Five finalists went through to a live one-hour final from the comfort and safety of Studio 1 at Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff in front of a studio audience, where they interviewed a fellow HTV personality and introduced one of their location features. The entire series saw the judges make the decisions - from auditions to overall winner. Yes folks, you could relax, there was no phone vote (a luxury of TV talent shows these days). Anyway, at the end of the series, HTV had found its new star - Becky Wicks, a local radio DJ from Wrexham... A LOCAL RADIO DJ! Yes, the entire idea of the whole series collapsed entirely - make a member of the public a presenter, not someone who already is!
Key moments
The auditioner in the first round who was so desperate about becoming a HTV presenter, that she stripped off in front of the judges.
Suspiciously, the final saw overall winner Becky Wicks interviewing announcer, presenter and newsreader Arfon Haines Davies... who was the series producer of Presenters!
Trivia
Becky Wicks presented several series for HTV Wales, starting with Wicks' Weekend and followed by Karaoke Queen, Food for All Seasons, Christmas Crackers... and then quit after just two years to return to local radio. Still, she managed to make one or two network appearances in It Shouldn't Happen On A TV Talent Show and Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
Runner up John Parton (a Swansea club entertainer... and member of the public!) impressed judges so much that HTV gave him his own late night entertainment series - Classy Acts.
Becky and John also hosted a short follow-up documentary series called Presenters Revisited.
