Glow Up

Contents

Host

Stacey Dooley

Broadcast

Wall to Wall for BBC One, 6 March to 24 April 2019 (8 episodes in 1 series)

Wall to Wall for BBC Two, 16 July 2020 to present

Synopsis

Aspiring make-up artists battle to be named the next make-up artist star.

Stacey Dooley (investigative journalist and reigning Strictly Come Dancing champ) hosts a contest for champion cosmeticians. The judges are Dominic Skinner and Val Garland, two established make-up artists. A third judge joins the panel each week.

Glow Up From left: host Stacey Dooley, guest judge Nikki de Jager, Val Garland, Dominic Skinner.

The basic format is familiar from The Great British Bake Off and everything else: lots of tasks under time pressure. Some of them allow creativity, some are technical tests, some are almost impossible in the time allowed.

With a familiar competition format, it's the presentation and attitude that makes the difference. The judges know about the subject, and justify their decisions - sometimes in retrospect, sometimes as they competitors are veering from the preferred path.

Every skills show needs a gimmick, a tent or a blockhead or something. Glow Up has a "red seat": whoever the judges think did worst in the first challenge will sit in a red seat for the next one, and might suffer a time penalty as well.

Glow Up Detecting flaws the size of pores.

Whoever's bottom of the heap after two tasks takes part in a head-to-head challenge, literally facing each other. Worst leaves, and everyone else comes back next week. Best performer in the final wins.

It's a skills competition about make-up, and the UKGameshows commentary panel doesn't know a chap stick from a lipstick from a glow stick. We do know when a show tells a coherent story, and where we can have faith in the judges, and Glow Up is certainly all of these.

Music

Tom Haines, credited as "Composer".

Trivia

Commissioned by BBC Three.

The first series, in 2019, was repeated on BBC One after the evening news at about 10.30. The show was a success, and the second series was promoted to BBC Two at 8pm.

Web links

BBC programme page

See also

Weaver's Week review

Feedback

To correct something on this page or post an addition, please complete this form and press "Send":
If you are asking us a question, please read our contact us page and FAQ first.

Name: E-mail:   
A Labyrinth Games site.
Design by Thomas.
Printable version
Editors: Log in