WHEN the young wannabes who fought their way through to the final of new TV hit show Popstars hit the small screen tonight, Alison Clegg will have a rare insight into how they feel.

The York teenager joined 3,000 showbiz hopefuls battling for a taste of the high life.

Alison, 18, who originally hails from Huggate, near Pocklington, plucked up the courage to head across to Leeds for a Popstars audition and a chance to grab a piece of pop stardom for herself.

The show has given would-be stars the chance to win a place in a five-strong pop group - with all the fame, money and attention that can bring.

But our Alison missed out after a slip-up singing S Club 7's hit, Reach.

She joined the 5am queues at Yorkshire Television Studio, Leeds, to nab her place among the 400 lucky ones that day.

"It was really nerve-wracking," she said.

"Everyone was sitting learning the words from crib sheets. It was like being in an exam."

"I thought I was doing OK. But then I missed a line and had to begin again.

She says judge Nigel Lythgoe, who has been tagged "Nasty Nigel" by the media for his scathing criticism, was fine about her error.

In one episode of the show he told a singer: "I'm sure there was a tune in there somewhere."

But although Alison did not pass the test, she was spared a put-down. "He just gave me a new point to start from," she recalled.

The nation will tonight finally discover who the lucky five band members will be after weeks of joy and disappointment.

Viewers will see the three judges go to the homes of the last ten contestants to tell them which will set off on the path to pop stardom - a single is expected out in March.

And Alison is determined to continue her fight to joint the ranks of pop performers.

"I felt pretty gutted, I knew I could have done better," she said.

"The TV camera crew asked if I'd try again and I said yes, I'll keep on trying until it happens."

The five show winners will form a band which, according to reports, will be called Inner Circle.

Bookmakers have slashed the odds of the band being a success, with Ladbrokes offering even money on their first single going straight in at number one.

Popstars, the latest in a long line of reality TV shows, has proved a hit with viewers, pulling in an audience of ten million for Wednesday night's episode.

After tonight's double bill, broadcast at 6.45pm and 9.00pm on ITV, Popstars will begin to focus on how the band goes about recording its first track.

The ten finalists hoping for glory tonight are: Danny Foster, 21, from London, Jessica Taylor, 20, from Preston, Kevin Simm, 20, from Blackburn, Kelli Young, 18, from London, Kym Marsh, 24, from Wigan, Michelle Heaton, 21, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Myleene Klass, 22, from Norfolk, Noel Sullivan, 20, from Cardiff, Suzanne Shaw, 19, from Bury, Lancashire,. and Tony Lundon, 21, from Galway, Ireland.

Updated: 09:51 Saturday, February 03, 2001