Britain’s Missing Top Model (working title) is a ground-breaking new BBC Three series in which eight women with disabilities compete over the course of three weeks to prove to a panel of industry experts that they have what it takes to be a mainstream fashion model..

Controller of BBC Three, Danny Cohen, says: “This series aims to challenge the artificial boundaries that seem to exist in the beauty and fashion industries.

“It would be great if in the future we began to see more disabled models gracing the covers of the world’s magazines.”

This original five-part series is made by Love Productions for BBC Three.

Women aged between 18 and 30, who consider themselves to have a disability and believe they have what it takes to work in the mainstream modelling industry, are invited to apply (bbc.co.uk/ouch/models).

Eight women will be chosen to move into an apartment in London, where they will eat, sleep and breathe the fashion industry over a three-week period.

Three industry experts will train them in every aspect of modelling; from posing for photo shoots to location work and catwalks.

During the intensive training period they will be set challenges by the expert judges to see if they have what it takes to become a model. Impress the judges in these challenges and the girls will be allowed to continue in the competition.

Ultimately the judges will select one winner and her prize is a high-fashion photo shoot with one of the world’s foremost fashion photographers to feature in a spread in a top women’s glossy magazine.

With this training and experience, the aspiration is to give the winner a foot in the door of the fashion industry.

Richard McKerrow, Creative Director, Love Productions, says: “Our intention is to empower both the women featured in the project and thousands of others, who shouldn’t be invisible to the fashion industry just because they are Disabled people.

“We’re also looking to challenge preconceived notions of beauty.”

The series will be supported by Ouch, the BBC’s award-winning disability website.

Ouch will provide a forum for debate about the many issues raised by the series, as well as exclusive video clips and blogs.