2. The Pretenders was a very successful and popular TV series. In each programme
there was a contestant who had just four weeks to learn to do a completely new
job. At the end of the month the contestant had to do a ‘test’, where he or she
needed to do the new job together with three other professionals. The contestant
had to avoid being discovered. Three judges would identify the one who was
pretending.
Jessica Winters is a 26- year- old librarian. She studied English Literature at the
University of Bath before getting a job at the local library. She didn’t know that two
of her friends had sent her name to the TV company to take part in The
Pretenders. ‘When someone from the company called me, I thought it was a joke,’
said Jessica. ‘First of all, I said ‘no’. I don’t like speaking in public and I didn’t intend
to become famous. After some calls, my friends and my family persuaded me and I
agreed to do it. There was a chance of getting some money and trying new things
could be fun. ’
3. Jessica had four weeks to turn from a quiet, shy librarian into a
confident TV reporter. At the end of the month she had to
interview the Minister of Education. It was her test.
An experienced political journalist, Adam Bowles, had to
transform Jessica into a professional. He wasn’t very optimistic
when he met her. ‘Jessica needed to be a lot harder, even
aggressive. She was too sweet and shy’, said Adam. ‘Politicians
wouldn’t hesitate to eat her alive.’ They had just 28 days to teach
her how to interview people, how to be confident, how to speak
clearly.
4. At the beginning, Jessica was terrified of doing it, but she tried her best to learn
from other reporters. She watched a lot of live interviews with politicians and
spent a lot of time learning how to respond. Adam made her read the political
sections of all the newspapers. It was boring for her and she felt exhausted.
Later as soon as she began making progress, she felt more relaxed.
During the interview Jessica felt nervous but well-prepared as she did much
research and practised a lot. ‘When it was all over came the worst part, I had to
wait while the judges decided which of us they thought wasn’t a professional’.
The judges gave their verdict: they were all professional reporters.
It ended up being a great experience for Jessica and she was pleased how she
did it, but actually she doesn’t feel like changing her work or taking part in
another reality show.
