Ellie Henman

This brand news series for ITV2 sees six wannabe celebrity journalists taken from their everyday lives and put through their paces on a raft of magazines in a bid to win a job of a lifetime working on one of them.

There are rows, rookie errors and rollickings as the six contestants hit the red carpets, premieres and parties in search of celebrity gossip and scoops.

The first episode sees them going to head to head with seasoned paps at the BRITs after-parties, trailing the streets asking hunks to be photographed and trying to get on with each other as they style and direct a photo-shoot.

Before starting the process the six contestants are chosen after a challenging audition stage. The programme sees potential contestants step before a panel of magazine bosses to prove why they should be given a place on the show and that they each have what it takes to become a writer.

As one man rhymes, another uses words written on boards and another refers to himself in the third person, the bosses narrow their choices down.

Hayley Newnes

The final six are:

Hayley, a 22-year-old part-time glamour model and Pizza Hut waitress who tells the programme: “I really like Shakespeare, but when I tell people they don’t believe me, they’re really shocked.”

Felix Clarke

Journalism student Felix, 19, who says: “I’m very interested in lots of different things and I’m excited, about everything.”

Stuart Roberts

Unemployed Stuart , 28,who tells the programme: “I didn’t go to uni, I’ve got no qualifications, no anything, but I love writing and it’s pretty much the only thing I’m half decent at.”

Christopher Goddard

Christopher, 20, from Blackpool, who says: “Only five per cent of foster children go to university and I fought tooth and nail to go through, and I’m proud of myself.”

Journalism student Ellie, 23, who says: “Everything I want in life is to be a writer. I slave away in bars currently. I’m so hard working and enthusiastic. Honestly, this chance would mean so much to me. It really, really would.”

And call centre worker Sunny, 21: “People look at me and they think, ‘That girl ain’t got no qualifications.’ But so what? I’ve been writing since I was four-years-old. I’ve kept blogs, I’ve kept diaries, I’ve kept the lot.”

The six move into a flat together before spending their first week at more! magazine where their brief is to focus on fashion, celebrities and hot, hot men. At the end of their first week, the contestant who performs the best will be awarded Rookie of the Week, which will earn them valuable brownie points towards the final prize.

More! editor Channy Horton: “I think the trainees are going to find it much harder than they thought. Everyone thinks that working in magazines is great fun and it’s very sexy and glamorous, which it is, but it’s also, really, really hard work.”

The rookies are set to work immediately doing some of the more mundane tasks at the more! office, such as sending designer clothes back to PRs, transcribing interviews and assisting celebrities at a photo shoot.

As the cast of Made In Chelsea enter the studio, Stuart admits he has no idea who they are, saying: “I’m not going to kiss their arses.” But eager Hayley runs down the street in her high heels looking for a sweet shop for them.

Next the contestants are set a challenge to persuade British men to take their tops off for a potential photo-shoot and feature for the mag. The rookies split into two teams and hit the streets. They persuade a wide selection of men to pose for snaps to take back to the office but with moaning, flirting, awkward questions and bags of attitude on display from the rookies, will the more! bosses be happy?

As the BRITs take place the contestants are sent out to track down the partying celebrities and get some gossip from them. The rookies split up again with one half heading for a red carpet party where they get limited access and the other half heading for a party where they have lots of access to Z-listers.

As the pressure mounts Felix forgets to turn the tape-recorder on during one of the few interviews he manages to get. Hayley bags an interview with Amy Winehouse’s father, but sees it almost ruined by Sunny. And Ellie gets elbowed in the thick of a pap scrum and only manages to get a shot of Caroline Flack’s legs.

At the end of the night Christopher says the group are ‘broken’.

The contestants have no idea if they will have done enough to impress the bosses and are each left clinging to the hope that they have been crowned Rookie of the Week.

Thursday, 17 May 2012, 9:00PM – 10:00PM ITV2