[Arneldo]

The BBC has commissioned a new series of pioneering reality show Castaway, six years after the original series was broadcast.

The new series will retain the basic premise - a group of Britons of all ages, races and backgrounds forming their own community in a remote location - but will feature some "new twists". The most striking twist will be the change of location: in the original, the participants were stranded on the remote Scottish island of Taransay but the new castaways will be based in a new, exotic location on the other side of the world.

For the first time the series will also air live on both BBC One and BBC Three.

Creator and executive producer Jeremy Mills said he was "delighted" to be reviving the format six years on. "One of the elements that marks Castaway out is that it really changed many of the people's lives for the better and I'm excited about seeing what happens this time. This is reality television with a purpose."

Applications are being invited via email to castaway@liontv.co.uk or by phone on 020 8846 2155.

DS