TEN "loud-mouthed ladettes" have descended on a former Teesdale finishing school with the aim of being turned into young ladies.

The young women have moved into Eggleston Hall, near Barnard Castle - pictured left - where filming is under way as part of a reality television series which will be broadcast later this year.

From the makers of Wife Swap and Faking It, the new show, Ladette to Lady, attempts to reform the ten women, schooling them in the etiquette, manners and social graces required to live in civilised society.

The makers had hoped to keep the filming secret until nearer the time of broadcast, but word got out as film crews were spotted around the dale, resulting in inquiries to the D&S Times.

"Ladette" has become an accepted term for "young women who behave in a boisterously assertive or crude manner and engage in heavy drinking sessions".

But the ten women will have to mend their ways if they want to remain in line for a top prize, currently under wraps. And Eggleston Hall is the perfect spot to do it.

The original hall was built in the early 1600s and owned by Christopher Sanderson, who was lord of the manor. It was then sold to the Hutchinsons, who ran all the lead mines in the dale, with the hall as it is known today designed by renowned architect Ignatius Bonomi, who revamped it in Greek revival style.

It was later sold to shipbuilder Sir William Gray, whose grandson, also Sir William, is the current owner.

In the Seventies, Sir William's mother, Rosemarie, opened a finishing school for young women. It ran courses in cookery, flower arranging, French, English for foreign students, typewriting and outdoor pursuits such as riding. For girls in their late teens, the courses lasted about a year.

Now closed, the school has been brought back to life for the five week series which starts on ITV on Monday, July 19.

Viewers will see the girls' own clothing thrown away and replaced by more conservative styles as their education begins.

As the weeks unfold, they will have to successfully complete many challenges in order to avoid elimination by viewers and have a chance of winning the final prize.

The tasks include passing themselves off at a dinner dance and country house weekend, cooking for a cordon bleu dinner party and wine tasting