Contestants happy to escape show, but this one’s still willing

Following your piece on contestants from BBC Two’s Design for Life saying how they are looking forward to leaving behind the influence of Philippe Starck (www. designweek.co.uk, 21 September), I have a few legitimate gripes.

If Starck was to impose on himself the criteria he started to impose on the contestants – a reluctance to reference aesthetics, consideration of the environment, and a rather banal focus on functionality – he wouldn’t be producing the (admittedly very nice) groovy plastic chairs he’s still designing.

It rather annoyed my wife and I that the programme stated that students were chosen ‘on the basis of their drawings alone’.

I was selected for the initial stages, but can vouch for the fact that there was an initial phone call from the producers.

Fortunately, I was successful in the first interview, and was invited to the office of Two Four [the company that produced the show for the BBC] by a Miss Cox for an hour-long videotaped interview.

If the contestants were selected without consulting their personal profile and general TV suitability, then why the lengthy interview process?

But, being a sucker, if there’s another series commissioned, I’ll definitely try again.
Douglas Montgomery, by e-mail

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