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Judges Jo Brand, Jeremy Stockwell and John Amaechi had the unenviable task of whittling down 160 talented and talkative teenagers to just one passionate and committed speaker.

Ex-NBA basketball player and internationally-renowned public speaker John Amaechi was involved from the very start.

He says: "I was called in to ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV Centre nearly two years ago to look at some young people speaking on tape. They told me a very basic concept of the show and asked if they could film me watching the youngsters speak and give a short critique. I had the pleasure of watching the show become commissioned and was hooked from the first time I saw the concept."

John started his career on the basketball court but has since built a formidable reputation around the world as a public speaker and runs a company that specialises in, among other things, helping organisations build their communication skills.

"There is no doubt that I see this show as a way of helping people of all ages, beyond the brilliant young people directly involved, to find their voice." says John.

"I have always seen The Speaker as a show about more than public speaking – it's about communication in general. The advice rendered by the mentors and the amazing feedback from Jo and Jeremy will help people with every communication they ever undertake: parents talking to their children, children to teachers, candidates to interviewers, partners with each other and on and on...

"But, most of all, while you applaud the achievements, laugh with the successes and commiserate with those who fall, you will also have learned something useful and transferable," he adds.

Performance expert and RADA tutor Jeremy Stockwell is no stranger to television having featured in How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Strictly Dance Fever and Faking It. He jumped at the chance to be involved with a project which celebrated young people and their talents.

"The Speaker is about celebrating the unique qualities of each individual taking part and not about degrading participants, or trying to get them to fit into a particular way of being," says Jeremy.

"Young people are often given such a bad press. Of course there will always be a minority of disaffected youth but, hopefully, The Speaker will help redress the balance by showing this generation to be what they truly are: a diverse, vibrant and free-thinking percentage of the population."

Jeremy comes from theatrical stock and first appeared on the stage aged five. An actor, director and teacher, he is also a highly-regarded expert in inter-personal communication and performance and is just as happy working with actors as non-actors. For him the keys to being a successful speaker are honesty and trust.

He says: "An effective speaker must know and trust who they are, what they have to say, and why they have to say it. Whether you're playing Hamlet at the RSC, delivering a political message, or presenting a school assembly, you must have a story to tell, a message to impart, and a clear sense of purpose.

"Whether you're using someone else's words, or your own, to be a really effective speaker is to let your feeling and emotion for your subject fuel what you are saying. That way we experience you being honest. Honesty cannot be rehearsed; it has to be lived!"

Comedienne Jo Brand needs no introduction. Since leaving a career as a psychiatric nurse over 20 years ago, the award-winning comic has delighted audiences around the UK with her stand-up routines and appearances in countless tv programmes including Through The Cakehole, Jo Brand's Hot Potatoes, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Question Time and Have I Got News For You.

But it is her career as a stand-up that she feels best equips her for her role as a judge in The Speaker.

"I became involved with the show because the subject matter interested me and I suppose because I wanted to see if all teenagers are as hideous as some newspapers says they are," says Jo.

"I didn't have an area of expertise in the series other than being a stand-up comic but 20 years of standing up in front of crowds ranging from virtually unconscious through openly hostile to completely disinterested was personal experience I could bring to the show."

Jo, who gave her first ("disastrous") public speech at 13 believes that natural ability is important for a speaker but that improvements can be made: "I think you need natural ability but there are so many elements to a good speech you can break them down and improve in all of them," she says.

"I was looking for a mix of imagination, humanity, intelligence, humour, uniqueness, sparkiness and ability to improvise. I wanted to see a maverick – someone who could surprise me and, obviously, who could speak in public."

With all three judges vastly experienced in the art of performing in public, what are their top tips for successful speaking?

"Believe that you deserve to be heard," says John Amaechi. "Most people, from the very young, grow up feeling that they are figuratively without a voice which results in people who often feel their words are less valuable and their stories less relevant."

"Breathe, receive and know where your feet are," is the practical advice from Jeremy Stockwell, while Jo Brand has some typically down-to-earth guidance: "Get the words out in the right order, be original and don't be smug."