An esteemed selection panel, consisting of artist Tracey Emin, critic and broadcaster Matthew Collings, art collector Frank Cohen and Barbican curator Kate Bush, whittle down thousands of applicants to 12 artists they think worthy of being seen by Charles Saatchi. In their hunt for artists with real potential, the panel are confronted by the full bizarre array of artists and artwork that constitutes contemporary art. These 12 are then invited to exhibit work for Charles Saatchi himself who, with panel's advice, will pluck six of them from obscurity to enjoy the bounties of his patronage for ten weeks in his art studio.
Saatchi's six chosen artists are commissioned to produce large-scale pieces of art for the seaside resort of Hastings. They have two weeks and a limited budget to create work that appeals to the general public. For avant-garde contemporary artists this poses a considerable challenge. As they conceive and create their work, the artists receive advice and criticism from controversial Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed and art writer Matthew Collings. When their work is constructed on the seafront in Hastings, the artists come face-to-face with the public and have the pleasure of discovering what they think. The final judgment on the artists' success or failure is down to Charles Saatchi and his panel of advisors.
The artists embark on their second commission. This time they must create artwork to sit alongside the Old Masters at one of Britain's finest stately homes, Sudeley Castle. The owners of Sudeley, the Dent-Brocklehurst family, have agreed to allow the artists to remove objects and artwork from three rooms in their home and replace them with contemporary substitutes. The final judgment on the artists' success or failure comes down to Charles Saatchi and his panel of advisors, who come to Sudeley to view the artwork.
The six unknown artists selected by Charles Saatchi embark on their final and most important commission: putting on a group exhibition at Saatchi's world famous gallery. In just three weeks, they'll not only have to create the artwork, but also organise the event themselves. At the exhibition, Saatchi will select the artist to join his exhibition at the Hermitage in St Petersburg. The most important thing Saatchi considers with art is how it will look in his gallery. The six artists now have the opportunity to prove to him that their work is worthy of his gallery. He also wants them to prove that they can create artwork that is truly original. The original selection panel, including Tracey Emin, reassembles to help Saatchi with his final decision. They are impressed by the overall standard of artwork at the exhibition, but everyone agrees there is one stand-out piece that is head and shoulders above the rest.
