Space Cadets hoax out of this world
By This is London
16 November 2005
A new reality TV show is aiming to pull off the biggest hoax in TV history - by persuading a group of Britons that they have been blasted into space
The new Channel 4 series Space Cadets has been under wraps since the idea first came about 18-months ago.
Nine people will be told they are set to visit the final frontier as space tourists and that in preparation they will undergo intensive training in Russia courtesy of the Space Tourism Agency of Russia, but in reality the groups will be "trained" for space in a disused airbase in a secret location in the UK. Unbeknown to them, their shuttle will be a Hollywood creation, made originally for the film Space Cowboys.
A giant custom-built screen positioned just outside the shuttle will, it is hoped, provide the illusion of a view of Earth from space including a hurricane over Mexico and a glimpse of the UK on one day when cloud cover parts.
The launch sound has been created by a Hollywood sound specialist while the shuttle will tip and rock in the process.
Channel 4 admits that the joke could be on them if the participants, who are currently being selected from a group holed up in a secret location with no contact with the outside world, cotton on to the stunt.
Three actors have been placed in the group and will be able to report back on whether there are any suspicions.
