It all started with an advert in the local paper.
“Wanted! Girls and boys aged 12-13 to appear in Britain’s BIGGEST new reality show!” Harriet read, curled up in her favourite chair.
Her mother looked up from her laptop.
“That’s nice, dear. What’s the show called?”
Harriet quickly read through the rest of the article and frowned in irritation.
“It doesn’t say.”
“Hmm…odd” remarked Mrs. Marriott. She looked down at her screen again; mentally counted to ten. 8…9…
“Muuuum…” her daughter began in the wheedling tones she used when she wanted something.
“Yeees?” replied her mother, mimicking her.
There was a long pause. Mrs. Marriott looked up and smiled.
“We’ll see”
In a London office, James Crimson, TV director, leaned back in his old leather chair and took a sip of coffee. Placing the mug on his desk, he picked up a sheaf of papers and leafed through them. Budget, concept, format, schedule… It was all there. All the paperwork he needed to begin filming the controversial show that would make him a big name in the world of reality TV.
The phone on his desk rang, shattering the silence. He picked it up. Before he began to speak, he waited for the excited voice on the other end to finish. As the casting agent who was speaking went on, a smile appeared on his lips.
“Sounds perfect, Harry. Send them up.”
After great debate, Harriet had finally been allowed to audition for the show. Her natural talent at acting, and her good looks, had caught the eye of the agent. It was she, along with three of her friends who shared her talent and had come along with her, who was now on her way up to see Crimson.
Harriet looked at James, Sam, and Lucy. They gave her encouraging smiles, tinged with nerves. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
“Come in!” called a voice from inside. Harriet grabbed the handle and pulled.
The office was small, cramped and stuffed with paperwork and files. Five chairs had somehow been crammed in around the desk, one of which was occupied by a tall, slim man with dark hair. If the sign on the door was to be believed, this was James Crimson.
“Well, don’t just stand there! Come in, come in! Shut the door, would you?” Crimson looked them over with a benevolent smile. Perfect! he thought to himself.
“So, I expect you’d like to know a little about the show we’re going to put you on?”
The four gasped.
“You mean we got in?”
“Of course! I couldn’t interview a few hundred candidates in here, could I? No, you’re the ones.”
The four shared excited grins and high-fives.
“Now, this show is going to see how well you cope with different levels of responsibility. We’re going to film for twelve weeks. Possibly longer, we’ll see how it goes. During that time, you’ll all be confined to the house we’ll use to film in. Everyone ok so far?” Nods. “We’ll air one episode a week. Saturday night, five o’clock. Don’t worry, we’ll keep the tapes so you can all have a copy when you leave!”
Harriet looked at Lucy and grinned.
They’d done it! They were actually going to be on TV! It was unbelievable.
“Now” concluded Crimson. “It’s half four. Your parents will soon be arriving. When they do, I’d like you to bring them up to me. Just to go through the paperwork.”
The pre-teens left the stuffy office, feeling giddy with excitement. Once out in the corridor, they almost danced down to the entrance to wait for their parents.
Back in the office, there was an exchange of pleasantries. Forms were filled out, paperwork was completed, and the friends gradually grew more and more bored. Finally, it seemed as if Crimson was coming to the end.
“This is the final piece, and the most important. This is our contract. Basically, we promise to keep your children up to date with their schoolwork, and you agree on behalf of your children to complete the filming. If you leave early, the company will sue and you will lose an incredible amount of money. Please, think very carefully about this.”
After what seemed an age, the final form was signed and the kids were in!
“See you on the 12th of March for the start of filming!” Crimson concluded, as he showed them out of his office
