Britain's Next Top Model

Britain's Next Top Model (often shortened to BNTM or Top Model) is a British reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of Britain's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modelling industry.

As part of Top Model franchise, it is based on the hit American TV show America's Next Top Model, and it shares the same format. On 1 February 2010 it was announced that Elle MacPherson on taking duties as host and head judge.

The series features a group of young female contestants who live together in a house for several weeks while taking part in challenges, photo shoots and meetings with members of the modelling industry. Normally, one poor-performing contestant is eliminated each week until the last contestant remaining is declared "Britain's Next Top Model" and receives a modelling contract and other prizes.

In a recent BBC interview MacPherson contrasted the show with the US version, describing BNTM as "Uniquely British, the sense of humour and the styling is very British... more hybrid backgrounds... and I think that is really examplatory [sic] of what's going on in the UK today".

Each series of Britain's Next Top Model has from ten to twelve episodes and starts with twelve to fourteen contestants (twenty in Cycle 5 and 25 in Cycle 6). Each episode, one contestant is eliminated, though in rare cases a double elimination or no elimination was given by consensus of the judging panel. Season 6 sees a live final where the public will choose their Top Model.

As of Cycle 6, the judges are new host Elle Macpherson, British Fashion/Haute Couture designer Julien MacDonald OBE, Vogue's Fashion stylist of the year Grace Woodward and model Charley Speed who is also signed to Models 1. Previous judges included Lisa Butcher, Marie Helvin, Paula Hamilton, Huggy Ragnarsson, industry expert Jonathan Phang and fashion expert Gerry DeVeaux. Usually, an additional guest judge will sit in on the panel every week.

BNTM has had 3 Model hosts to date. For Cycle 1 British model Lisa Butcher hosted the show, with Lisa Snowdon taking over from cycle 2 to cycle 5. Following Snowdon's announcement that she would be leaving the show in order to concentrate on her radio career, speculation started as to who would replace her. Naomi Campbell initially accepted the offer to host the show but quit a few days before filming began because she didn't know how much time she would have to commit.

After Campbell quit producers only had a few days to find a replacement; on 2 February 2010 iconic Supermodel Elle Macpherson was announced as the new host of Britain's Next Top Model, taking over from Lisa Snowdon. She will also serve as executive producer on the show. Elle along with Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum is one of the most high profile hosts of any other Top Model franchise.

In series 6, the Top Model will receive a modelling contract with Europe's biggest modelling agency Models 1, a 6-page fashion editorial spread as well as the front cover in fashion magazine company, and a £100,000 cosmetics contract with Revlon cosmetics which will see the winner do a make-up shoot for Revlon's new Colorburst Lipstick as well as becoming the face of Revlon's new Autumn/Winter 2010 trend collection that launches in the UK in November.

Former prizes included a £100,000 contract with cosmetics company Ruby and Millie (Cycles 1 & 3) and Max Factor (cycle 5), an advertising campaign for the Ford Fiesta (Cycle 2), a fashion spread in B Magazine (Cycle 1) and representation with Beatrice Models in Milan (Cycle 1).

The Next Top Model American

Abigail Evelyn Titmuss, best known as Abi Titmuss, is a former English nurse turned glamour model, television personality and actress.

Abi Titmuss grew up in Heckington, Lincolnshire where her parents were teachers, and she took her A-levels at Kesteven and Sleaford High School where she played the clarinet.

Abigail Evelyn Titmuss briefly dated cartoonist BP Perry before moving to Ruskington. Her parents divorced when she was 17, and her father moved to Argyll, Scotland, where he re-married. Her mother is secretary of Sleaford Museum trust.

Titmuss graduated from City University in St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1998. Abigail Evelyn Titmuss did a nursing diploma because her A levels were not good enough to be a doctor, and became a staff nurse at London's University College Hospital.

Titmuss had been dating TV presenter John Leslie since 1998, when in 2002 Ulrika Johnsson wrote in her autobiography that an unnamed television presenter had sexy assaulted her earlier in her television career.

Shortly afterwards, Matthew Wright named (apparently accidentally) John Leslie as the alleged perpetrator on his Five.tv television chat show The Wright Stuff. Titmuss was then resultantly brought into the media spotlight when photographed with Leslie returning from working a night shift, and after this point her picture appeared regularly in British newspapers. She was then photographed always supporting Leslie in his court case, dress demurely but stylishly in black, and waiting supportively in the background.

Shortly after Leslie was cleared, a private sexy tape featuring Titmuss and Leslie was released on the Internet. As speculation mounted, Titmuss abandoned her career as a nurse and became a glamour model. In her own words to Sunday Mirror: