Fame Academy contenders bid for stardom

Fame Academy’s first hopefuls will sing live on TV tonight as the BBC’s marathon talent show begins its second stint.

Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty will introduce the first seven contenders who will try to give the performance of their lives.

Viewers will decide which four get a place in the Academy – and which three get dumped.

Robin Gibb from the Bee Gees will be among an expert panel of rock school experts helping the hopefuls make the grade.

Thirteen of them will win through to the Academy over successive weeks and battle it out for the prize of a lucrative record deal.

The wannabes have been whittled down from a list of thousands and the final 13 will be chosen by the public during the series of heats.

All will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, David Sneddon, who topped the charts with his debut single, Stop Living The Lie.

The 13 successful students will move into the Academy based at Witanhurst House in Highgate, north London.

Each week the three worst-performing students will be put on probation and must “sing for survival” on live TV.

The eventual winner will get a contract with record label Polydor, home of Eminem, Sting, Sophie Ellis Bextor and Ms Dynamite.

They also land a showbiz lifestyle for a year, which includes a luxury London flat, a car and a holiday.

The first seven contestants tonight are:

:: Alistair Griffin, 25, from Whitby – indie singer-songwriter and busker

:: Carolynne Good, 22, from Leeds – funky rock singer and songwriter

:: Daniel O’Shea, 20, from York – indie folk guitarist and singer-songwriter

:: Gary Phelan, 20, from Newcastle – rock guitarist and singer-songwriter

:: Katie Green, 20, from London – pop and rock singer and pianist

:: LaDonna Harley-Peters, 22, from Birmingham – gospel, R&B and jazz singer

:: Louise Griffiths, 25, from Herts – pop singer-songwriter.