NEW YEAR, NEW VENUE

03 March 2007

To celebrate this third series of Comic Relief Does Fame Academy, the Academy has moved to a spectacular new venue on the south bank of the River Thames.

County Hall has breathtaking views of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. The perfect location to inspire our singing stars.

The first floor of this enormous building will house the live stage – yes, that’s the Circle of Fear - and the students’ living and training quarters.

The Living Quarters

There are two bedrooms, one for girls and one for boys.

Next to the bedrooms you’ll find the Lounge, which has a sitting area and a dining area. This is where the celebrity students eat their meals, drink tea and coffee, and also relax on big comfy chairs. There is also a plasma screen so they can watch their earlier performances.

The Teachers’ Rooms

There are two music rooms, each with a baby grand piano, where vocal classes take place. Each day Carrie and David hold a warm-up class for the whole group before taking individual singing lessons.

In the Dance Studio, students have staging classes with Kevin, who choreographs their performance. They also use this room to rehearse their songs in front of each other.

The Personal Tutor’s room is where students can chat to Jeremy Milnes about how they are coping with student life, the pressures they are feeling and any friendships or rivalries that have built up in the group.

The telephone is in this room and each day some of the students will be able to make a call to friends or family.

And finally there’s the Headmaster’s Office, where Richard Park will hold daily teachers meetings discussing the progress of all the students.