Faking It | Preview (5)

Over 20 years since it first graced our screens, the iconic and award-winning Faking It is back and putting a new generation of fakers to the test.

In each episode, a brave volunteer is dropped into a completely alien world and given just four weeks – and help from a handful of mentors – to master a new skill and convince a panel of experts that they are the real deal. As worlds collide and tempers rise, it’s an emotional journey for fakers and mentors alike. Can they pull it off? Or will the judges realise that they are just Faking It?

In this episode, posh Surrey estate agent Rex swaps his refined world of million pound properties, wine bars and polo matches for the chaos and crowds of northern street markets, as he tries to become a meat trader in just four weeks.

Rex dives headfirst into this intimidating world of banter, bargains, and butchery at Bolton Market, where seasoned traders Tony and Elliot put him through his paces on their hectic meat and fish stall. Working gruelling 10-hour shifts, Rex struggles to keep up, blend in and sound like a proper northerner.

Rex’s journey continues with a trip to Essex to train with renowned wheeler-dealer Tom Skinner on his Ilford fruit and veg stall. From shouting out deals to perfecting sales tricks at Tom’s lock-up, Rex then gets his first taste of running his own stall and faces tough feedback.

But even though Rex is starting to get his head round the patter and the pitch, his posh accent and preppy looks are still a dead giveaway, so he’s given a top to toe makeover (goodbye Hugh Grant haircut and hello tattoos) and a crash course from a dialect coach, followed by the ultimate test of hosting a pub quiz using his new northern twang. 

Will these changes and everything he has learned so far help him pull off his final test? We’ll find out as he is given the daunting task of running a meat stall solo at Barnsley Market, working alongside five seasoned traders and being inspected and judged by three industry experts.  

Can posh-boy Rex pull it off and convince the judges he’s a proper northern market trader or will they spot that he is just Faking It?

Faking It begins Tuesday 20th May on 5.