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A British boy band head to Korea to make the big time

- RACHEL LUCAS, STEVEN PERKINS

Korean pop music – or K-pop – is a huge global phenomenon thanks to the successes of chart-topping groups like BTS and Blackpink. In BBC1’s new six-part series Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience, up-and-coming British boy band Dear Alice head to Korea to learn its trade secrets.

K-pop’s legendary training process is so intensive that its biggest stars will often hone their talents for years before their careers officially begin. However, Dear Alice – made up of Reese Carter, Dexter Greenwood, Blaise Noon, Olly Quinn and James Sharp – have got just 100 days to learn as much as they can from the industry’s managers, vocal coaches and choreographers.

‘I was a bit closed-off for the first two weeks,’ admits Quinn, 20, from Sunderland. ‘I was nervous about not being a great dancer, because the other boys were already at an amazing standard. We all struggled in one way or another, but I think what kept us going was each other – we always had each other’s backs.’