Britain's Next Top Model

Infobox Television
show_name = Britain's Next Top Model


format = Reality television
camera =
picture_format = 480i (SDTV)
runtime = 60 minutes (44 without commercials)
former host = Lisa Butcher
creator = Tyra Banks
director = James Macdonald
Lorraine O'Keefe
developer =
executive_producer =
judges = Lisa Snowdon
Huggy Ragnarsson (4 - present)
Gerry Deveaux (4 - present)
Lisa Butcher (1)
Marie Helvin (1)
Jonathan Phang (1 - 3)
Paula Hamilton (2 - 3)
na =
theme_music_composer =
opentheme =
endtheme =
country = UK
network = Living (2005-)
first_aired = September 14, 2005
last_aired = present
num_cycles = 4
num_episodes = 35
website = http://www.livingtv.co.uk/bntm4/
imdb_id = 0481440
tv_com_id = 65487

"Britain's Next Top Model" (often shortened to "BNTM" or "Top Model") is a British reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of "Britain's Next Top Model" and a chance to start their career in modelling industry.

It is based on the hit U.S. TV show America's Next Top Model, and it shares the same format. It is currently hosted by supermodel Lisa Snowdon, who also serves as head judge. It was originally hosted by model Lisa Butcher, however she left after Cycle 1 of the show.

On April 18, 2008 it was announced that there will be a "Comic Relief Does Britain's Next Top Model" which will be produced by livingtv but shown on BBC1. The show will see 12 female celebrities all taking part when week by week the public will vote who goes and till there is a winner, the show is to raise money for Comic Relief and will be shown instead of Comic Relief does Fame Academy.

how format

Each season of "Britain's Next Top Model" has from 10-12 episodes and starts with 10-14 contestants. Each episode, one contestant is eliminated, though in rare cases a double elimination or no elimination was given by consensus of the judging panel. Makeovers are administered to contestants early in the season (usually after the first or second elimination in the finals), and a trip to an international destination is scheduled nearer the end of the cycle when 4 or 5 girls remain in the competition.

Each episode of Top Model covers the events of roughly a week of real time (however, while overseas, an episode may cover a shorter amount of time), and features a fashion challenge, photo shoot and/or commercial, a critique of each contestant and her performance by the judging panel led by Lisa Snowdon, and the elimination of one or more contestants (or in a rare case, no contestants are eliminated). As of Cycle 4, the current panel includes fashion photographer and former supermodel Huggy Ragnarsson and fashion guru Gerry DeVaux. Previous judges included model Lisa Butcher (who was the head judge for Cycle 1), supermodel Paula Hamilton and industry expert Jonathan Phang. Usually, an additional guest judge will sit in on the panel every week. Each episode is usually associated with a theme in the world of modelling, such as dealing with the press in interviews, selling a commercial product, appearing in a runway show or going to visit the Models1 offices for something similar to a go see.

An episode usually begins with the contestants receiving training in an area concurrent with the week's theme. For example, contestants may get coached in runway walking, improvisational acting, or applying make-up to suit various occasions. A related challenge soon follows, such as a mock runway show or interview, and a winner is chosen by a judge. She receives some sort of prize, such as clothing, a night out, or an advantage at the next photo shoot, and she is usually allowed to share the benefits with a certain number of other contestants of her choice. However if more than one girl wins the challenge, the winners will go on to share the prize, instead of it being selective.

The next segment is a photo shoot, and each contestant's performance will reflect heavily on her judging for that week. Each season features photo shoots such as bikini or lingerie shots, beauty shots, posing nude or semi-nude, posing with another model, and posing with some sort of animal(s). Occasionally an advert may also be filmed for judging purposes, however unless they do not do a photoshoot that week, the advert doesn't affect the performance heavily.

The final segment of each episode is judging. Each contestant's photo is then shown and evaluated by the judging panel. After all photos have been evaluated, the contestants leave the room as the judges deliberate. The elimination process is ceremonious, as one by one Lisa reveals and hands out the photos of the contestants that have not been eliminated, in order of merit, occasionally saying something akin to, "Congratulations. You are still in the running towards becoming Britain's Next Top Model". The last two contestants who have not received their photos are brought up as "the bottom two", and Lisa critiques each one before revealing which of the two has been eliminated. However, there have been four exceptions, as Cycle 1 and Cycle 4 each had a non-elimination due to a contestant leaving (Cycle 1) and because of a previous double elimination (Cycle 4). Both Cycle 2 and Cycle 4 had a double elimination.

Prizes

Like all other "Top Model" programmes, Britain's Next Top Model contains luxurious prizes for the winner. The prizes are a modelling contract and representation with Models 1 - one of the top modelling agencies in the Britain, a fashion spread, campaign and front cover of "Company Magazine" and a £100,000 contract with cosmetics giant Max Factor. Former prizes include a £100,000 contract with cosmetics company Ruby and Millie Cosmetics (Cycle 1-3), a fashion spread in "B Magazine" (Cycle 1) and representation with Beatrice Models in Milan (Cycle 1).

Criticism and praise

The show is generally considered a very poor copy of the parent show "America's Next Top Model". The majority of complaints are about the small budget the show is given; considering the budget is much smaller than "America's Next Top Model", the overall quality of the show is degraded. Complaints of the photograph and the overall show quality are frequent, as well as complaints that the current judging panel are incapable of their duties, namely Gerry DeVaux. Lisa Snowdon has also been criticised for being biased towards certain contestants and favouring specific girls. Her modelling experience is also put to question in that she is mostly focused on glamour modelling, making it hypocritical when she is critical of contestants with glamour looks.

The contestants are also regarded as mediocre by most; thus rendering the title as 'Britain's Next Top Model' rather unlikely considering that the high calibre of winners on 'America's Next Top Model' have limited status as supermodels, failing (as yet) to make it onto the covers of high fashion magazines such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and other top fashion magazines.

However Lianna Fowler has recently appeared on the cover of Vogue Russia in the September 2008 edition which is a great accomplishment.

However the show has been praised on the realism of the photoshoots and challenges that the girls participate in. They are thought to be better than that of the ridiculous themes "America's Next Top Model" has for the photoshoots.

The fourth cycle of the show proved to be more of a success during the later stages as the show showed massive improvements, thus lessening the amount of criticism.

Cycles

There has also been a series on BBC3 called Britain's Missing Top Model. Although this is not directly part of the Top Model franchise, it is closely based on the concept of the show, except the contestants all have some disability.

how statistics

Winners

"Ages are at time of filming"
*Oldest winner: Lucy Ratcliffe (Cycle 1) and Lauren McAvoy (Cycle 3), both 20 years old
*Youngest winner: Lianna Fowler (Cycle 2) and Alex Evans (Cycle 4), both 18 years old
*Tallest winners: Lucy Ratcliffe (Cycle 1) and Lianna Fowler (Cycle 2), both 5'11" (180 cm)
*Shortest winner: Alex Evans (Cycle 4), 5'7" (170 cm)
*Heaviest winner: Lucy Ratcliffe (Cycle 1), 60 kg
*Most consecutive challenge wins: Alex Evans (Cycle 4), 3 wins
*Most collective challenge wins: Lauren McAvoy (Cycle 3) and Alex Evans (Cycle 4), both 3 wins
*Most consecutive appearances in bottom two: Lianna Fowler (Cycle 2) and Lauren McAvoy (Cycle 3), both 2 times
*Most collective appearances in bottom two: Lianna Fowler (Cycle 2) and Lauren McAvoy (Cycle 3), both 3 times
*Fewest challenge wins: Lucy Ratcliffe (Cycle 1), 0 wins
*Most consecutive first call outs: Lucy Ratcliffe (Cycle 1) and Alex Evans (Cycle 4), both 2 times
*Most collective first call outs: Alex Evans (Cycle 4), 3 times
*Fewest first call outs: Lauren McAvoy (Cycle 3), 0 times

All contestants

"Ages were at time of filming"
*Total number of contestants: 51
*Oldest contestants: Lucy Flower (Cycle 2), 25 years old
*Youngest contestants: 10 Contestants were 18 at the time of filming - the youngest age allowed in the competition.
*Tallest contestants: Sophia Price (Cycle 2) and Martha Braddell (Cycle 4), both 6'1" (185 cm)
*Shortest contestant: Sherece Campbell (Cycle 3) and Alex Evans (Cycle 4), both 5'7" (170 cm)
*Heaviest contestant: Lucy Ratcliffe (Cycle 1) and Louise Watts (Cycle 3), 132 lbs (60 kg)
*Lightest contestant: Marisa Heath (Cycle 1), 109 lbs (49 kg)
*Most consecutive challenge wins: Alex Evans (Cycle 4), 3 wins
*Most collective challenge wins: Catherine Thomas (Cycle 4), 5 wins
*Most consecutive appearances in bottom two: Tashi Brown (Cycle 1) and Lisa Fowler (Cycle 4), both 3 times
*Most collective appearances in bottom two: Tashi Brown (Cycle 1), Lianna Fowler (Cycle 2), Carly Thompson, Stefanie Dakota Webber, Lauren McAvoy (Cycle 3), Lisa Fowler, Charlotte Denton and Stefanie Wilson (Cycle 4), all 3 times
*Most consecutive first callouts: Lucy Ratcliffe (Cycle 1), Louise Watts (Cycle 3) and Alex Evans (Cycle 4), all 2 times
*Most collective first callouts: Louise Watts (Cycle 3), 4 times
*Contestants part of a double elimination: Georgina Edewor-Thorley & Tamar Higgs (Cycle 2), Leanne Nagle & Martha Braddell (Cycle 4)
*Contestants part of a non-elimination: Lucy Ratcliffe & Stephanie Jones (Cycle 1), Alex Evans & Catherine Thomas (Cycle 4)
*Contestant that quit the competition: Anne Kent (Cycle 1)

External links

* [http://www.livingtv.co.uk/shows/topmodel/ Britain's Next Top Model Official Site]
* [http://www.livingtv.co.uk/shows/topmodel/bntm5-application.php Cycle 5 Application Form]
*imdb title|0481440|Britain's Next Top Model
*tvtome show|id=65487|name=Britain's Next Top Model