´óÏó´«Ã½

The search for Britain's best young speaker involved wading through thousands of video applications, setting up vast regional auditions in the four corners of the UK and months devising appropriate challenges. But the idea grew out of an item on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two's The Culture Show.

Executive Producer Kieron Collins explains: "The Culture Show did a piece on a school public speaking competition in London and I was talking to the show's editor who was passionate about the subject.

"We felt that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ could do something much bigger and bolder but, with many public speaking competitions for teenagers being quite serious and dull, I felt it needed to be reinvented to make the grade as an entertainment programme."

Kieron then developed the format, spending months writing and re-writing and planning the development of the series, before he was happy that the programme had broad appeal.

"It took a while for people to understand that it was far more than just a public speaking competition," says Kieron.

"The speeches were only one part of the drama – and there's a lot more beside. There isn't really anything like The Speaker elsewhere on television, so it needed the commissioners to take a bit of a leap of faith. As viewers will see, it's not just about public speaking – it's about communication and confidence in every form."

Another guiding principle for Kieron was making a programme that challenged the stereotype of teenagers and gave them a real voice.

"Teenagers often get a really bad press," says Kieron. "They're unfairly grouped together as a big, unruly band of hoodies who need to be fixed or cured. But the majority of teenagers aren't like that – and making the show has only confirmed that to me: they are bright, funny, honest, usually unafraid to speak their minds and sometimes even right!"

Involved from day one, Kieron has watched the series develop and grow. Has the effort been worth it?

"Absolutely," says Kieron. "Seeing the thousands of kids who applied; the 160 teenagers who made it through to the auditions – and their unending ability to surprise, entertain and move us made it all worthwhile. These young people have a genuine enthusiasm and are not touched by cynicism or negativity. They came from every background, every corner of the UK and some of them were truly unlikely Speakers. But every one of them had something to say."