We wanted to showcase our younger artistes,' says Ms Jeslyn Low, director of channel branding and promotions for Channel 8.

The Champion is 'quite experimental' for Channel 8, which usually produces more family-themed dramas, she adds. 'It was a risk because we were not sure if the audience would like it. But it has paid off quite well.'

The Champion's debut on Oct 20 scored the highest ratings for a Channel 8 debut this year. A reported 850,000 viewers tuned in, rising to 935,000 viewers in the last 15 minutes, which featured a highly publicised scene where the female leads Xie, Aw, and Chin ran down Orchard Road clad only in bikinis.

Since then, the show has consistently garnered healthy ratings, ranging from 700,000 to 800,000 viewers per episode.

It has also turned out to be a star-making vehicle for its cast, many of whom were given an early taste of limelight through prominent roles in previous series.

Aw, for instance, was in the long-running Holland V, while Xie recently co-starred with Chen Hanwei in Room In My Heart.

But it is the youth-oriented slant of The Champion that has viewers like Jamie Ng taking notice. The 15-year-old student from Dunearn Secondary usually shies away from local family-themed dramas in favour of Taiwanese idol dramas on cable channels, but has become a fan of The Champion.

'The cast is very good looking and I think the younger audience wants to see more fresh faces,' she says.

Life! speaks to some of TV-land's rising stars - SINGAPORE STRAITS TIMES       8 Nov 2004