Reality TV the stars don’t want you to see: UK Bias

Celebrities are running scared over new technology which will give British TV viewers the clearest pictures ever seen on our screens – and those most concerned are the third of actors and actresses who “lie about their age,” according to new research.

The rising concern amongst stars of the screen has been revealed in a poll of makeup artists by cable company Telewest, to mark the launch of Britain's first high definition TV (HDTV) service. Telewest is offering programmes in crystal clear high definition format through its new personal video recorder, TVDrive.

Telewest teamed up with The National Association of Screen Makeup Artists and Hairdressers (NASMAH), whose membership boasts the country's leading professionals working on film and TV stars. The responses show that half of all celebs are worried about the onset of the new ‘reality TV' – HDTV - which up to five times clearer than current digital pictures. The survey also reveals: Around one in three stars fib about their age - and are now in danger of being found out

Three quarters are most worried about signs of ageing, including wrinkles, crow's feet and liver spots
Skin blemishes such as spots, boils and blotches are the second biggest concern (15%)
Thinning hair (7%) and scars from surgery or accidents (3%), are additional HDTV worries
Over a third of the makeup artists polled also think that HDTV will cause even more celebrities to resort to plastic surgery to help hold back the years. But for those not willing to go under the knife, NASMAH is testing new makeup products designed to keep stars fresh-faced under the HDTV spotlight.
Philip Snalune, managing director, consumer products at ntl Telewest, said: "Our customers are the first in the UK to experience the unsurpassed clarity of HDTV, which will allow them to get up close and personal with the stars.”
Telewest is taking steps to appease distressed celebrities, by backing a new makeup school at Elstree Studios, London, which will develop techniques to shield stars from the worst effects of the new television technology.
Sandra Exelby, chairman of NASMAH, who is running the school, said: “High definition TV is so vivid it is like being there in person. Every flaw visible to the naked eye could be seen on new services like Telewest's, unless makeup artists re-train in new techniques.”
According to makeup artists polled, some of the top celebrities to go unscathed by HDTV will be:

High definition beauties

Scarlett Johansson – flawless skin won't be lost in translation
Kate Winslet – classic English rose
Catherine Zeta Jones – darling bud of a beauty
Orlando Bloom – lord of the skins
Jake Gyllenhaal – naturally clean cut
Johnny Depp – won't need a scissor job on his brow