As Faking It returns on Channel 5, meet the contestants fighting it out to fool the judges

More than two decades since one of the first ever reality TV programmes graced our screens, the much loved Faking It is makinga grand return this week on Channel 5.

And just as it did originally, the new series' format will be based on "a modern-day Pygmalion" which poignantly refers to the 1913 George Bernard Shaw play in which flower girl Eliza Doolittle was trained to appear like an aristocrat.

Using Shaw's play - named after a Greek mythological figure - as its inspiration, Faking It sees ordinary members of the public train with a mentor for four weeks to try and learn a new profession.

They then must convince a panel of judges they really are who they are pretending to be. Success means fooling them.

It's hoped the new series on 5 will prove just as popular as the original series that ran on Channel 4 for 31 episodes from 2000 until 2006 and picked up two BAFTAs. Like Big Brother, launched at the same time, it was also seen as a brilliant new genre of television that went on to become the precursor for many other reality TV shows appearing in abundance today.

And to give the comeback even more kudos, original producer Jamie Simpson, who was responsible for it winning a BAFTA, is in charge.

"I think of Faking It as the OG of formats," says Jamie today. "It's such an influential series which started a whole genre of formatted entertainment shows. "It's a brilliant time to bring it back to a whole new audience as the format is so simple and so good."

The award-winning TV producer thinks part of the secret as to why the nation took Faking It to its heart was the fact it dips into a fantasy many of us privately would love to do - namely just as Eliza became an aristocrat, we'd all secretly love to step into another world to see what it is really like. But the gripping nature of the show's finale of whether the contributors will pull it off or not is also important, says Jamie.

"The opportunity to try out a completely different job and life in a totally different world can also be life-changing for our contributors."

Indeed, after being mentored by Gordon Ramsay in 2001, Ed Devlin ditched his burger van job to become a professional chef whilst Kevin McMahon, who had a PhD in physics, went on to star in his own shows at the Edinburgh Fringe after being trained to be a magician in 2005.

With high hopes Faking It will be another triumphant success when it returns to 5 this Tuesday at 9pm, here three of the new lucky participants share why they have taken up the chance to star in TV's very own Pygmalion. And in the spirit of the programme's successful format, we are also choosing to keep it a surprise as to whether they do convince the judges or not...

Rex Adams: Being transformed from a posh luxury estate agent into a Northern meat stall trader has been inspiring

Loving a new challenge is the reason why Stowe privately-educated estate agent Rex Adams wanted to swap his job selling houses to millionaires in London to become a meat stall trader in Bolton.

Rex, 28, who lives in Bagshot, Surrey and attended the prestigious boarding school, says "the exciting opportunity to try something completely different, which I otherwise probably never would have," was a chance he simply couldn't turn down.

Selling houses from "one million pounds upwards" in his regular day job, Rex says he also felt Faking It gave him a chance to learn a new skill by "standing", like Eliza, in "their shoes".

"This was not only an opportunity to look into another life, but to also experience it for a month," he explains. "The episodes made 20 years ago are also really funny and I thought I'd love to be part of that."

Mentored by The Apprentice star Tom Skinner and some skilled meat traders in Bolton, he admits, however, he found the physical aspect of learning to be a meat trader utterly exhausting. "Selling a £10million apartment to an astute multi-millionaire is harder than selling meat," he admits. "However, the physical aspect of being a market trader, being on your feet for 10-11 hours, no breaks, was exhausting and in that respect it was more challenging."

As part of his mentoring, Rex was also given Northern dialect lessons and a makeover to turn him from a floppy haired Hugh Grant lookalike into a short haired tattooed trader. Laughing, he confesses he didn't like his look but went along with it in order to try and convince the judges. "My thought process was I need to do absolutely everything I can to blend in," he smiles.

As well as teaching him about the physical and mental challenges of working on a stall, he says his experience has inspired him to be more adventurous at work. "Doing Faking It was an amazing experience," he says. "My mentors and all the people I worked with were the loveliest people and I have to admit, Northerners have much better banter than us Southerners."

Rani Sandhu: My journey swapping my Sheffield fish and chip shop to become a London sushi chef was an emotional but rewarding rollercoaster

Readily admitting she loved the idea of stepping into her very own 'Pygmalion', Rani Sandhu admits, however, it was far from easy.

Eager to see "what the world is like on the other side", she says she grabbed the chance to become a London sushi chef with both hands, leaving behind her fish and chip shop business in Sheffield that she runs with her husband, Garry, and their two grown-up children, Aaron and Angel.

The reality was, she confesses, tough.

"I just thought, what is the worst that can happen?" says 48-year-old Rani. "I genuinely thought it was going to be something a bit different and the idea of learning a new skill fascinated me. But never in a million years did I think this would be one of the hardest things I've ever done... physically, mentally and emotionally."

Normally sushi chefs train for eight years. With only four weeks, it was hard, she adds. There was also the added problem she was miles away from her close-knit family plus she hated the taste of raw fish. "I never thought that I would have to taste it!" she chuckles. "I just thought I had to learn how to present it. Emotionally, I found it extremely hard being away from my loved ones too."

Yet despite her rollercoaster journey, Rani has no regrets. In fact, she loved it. "It was a journey like no other," she confesses. "It almost felt like therapy at times. I returned to Sheffield mentally a whole lot lighter and stronger than before."

Craig Murphy: Swapping my decorating job to become a fashion make-up artist gave me something to bond over with my daughter!

A self-confessed lover of the Scottish Highlands, where he lives with his five-year-old daughter, Michaela, decorator Craig Murphy, 34, admits learning how to be a make-up artist broadened his horizons.

Smiling, the painter says he originally took on the challenge as he wanted to do something that was completely out of his comfort zone and give him and Michaela something "to bond over".

"I felt my daughter would be so delighted if I could go down and fool everyone that I was a make-up artist," he explains.

And while his Faking It challenge may seem relatively simple given he spends every day painting large wall spaces, applying make-up on a fashion model in the hustle and bustle of London was, he chuckles, tough.

"It felt like a different planet," he admits. But while he did miss the peace of the Scottish Highlands that makes him feel "blessed", he says taking part in Faking It has proved revelatory. "I feel after this experience, my horizons have been broadened," he beams.

Faking It airs and streams on 5 from tonight at 9pm. Episodes can also be downloaded at channel5.com