CBBC Searches For The Sorcerer's Apprentice

A boarding school set deep in the heart of the English countryside becomes the home of the ultimate magical adventure, as a chosen few battle it out to become The Sorcerer's Apprentice in a major new series for CBBC.

Barney Harwood (Smile, Totally Dr Who) presents the new series where 14 lucky scholars will be picked from auditions taking place across the UK. The successful applicants are then whisked away to magic school where they will have 18 days of intense training by top professional magicians.

While the apprentices make the transformation from novice to magician, the children watching will also get to brush up on their own sorcery skills. In an accompanying series the magic mentors will give away some of their hottest secrets in step-by-step guides so children can learn how to perform magic tricks to amaze their family and friends at home.

The apprentices will be schooled in the history of magic and folklore, the latin for casting spells, chemistry, card tricks and also look after resident magic animals. As their knowledge and skills progress they will be taught the art of illusion.

At the end of each week, the children will compete, performing their magic in front of a live audience and the Sorcerer himself.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice, being made for CBBC by independent production company Twenty Twenty, will be shown later this year.

Anne Gilchrist, Creative Director, CBBC said: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice is going to be a great event for CBBC. Children of all ages are fascinated by magic and this show will inspire and amaze in equal measures."

Tim Carter, Head of Factual, Twenty Twenty said: "Children's programmes are an exciting new area for us. They're creatively challenging and offer a real opportunity to innovate. It's great to be making programmes for such a passionate and discerning audience."