London is the most diverse city in the world. Over eight million people from a kaleidoscope of different cultures, classes and faiths rub along together in the capital. But can they live harmoniously under one roof? ITV's 'Melting Pot' programme adapts the reality TV concept to create a unique experiment in cultural diversity with six young Londoners.

The Londoners from six different religious denominations spend a week living together in a house in South London. Cameras record their every waking moment, as they reveal and confront their own prejudices. The resulting six-part series is a fascinating insight into just how tolerant or intolerant Londoners really are, and how little we know about the varied cultures and religions of the people around us.

The participants in the show are:

• Bhagwandass Jassi (27) - an Indian Hindu who moved to London from Coventry six years ago. He is single, and has started up his own Internet business.
• Carol Moses (31) is an actress and single mother who designs T-shirts. A spiritualist, she lives in West London.
• Miguel Marquess (24) is an aspiring DJ who works as a road-sweeper. His parents are Catholic Portuguese, but Miguel was born and brought up in London.
• Sabrina Malik (25) lives in central London and works for a pharmaceutical company. She describes herself as a moderate Muslim.
• Gary Lawford (32) was born in Greenwich, but divides his time between London and Brighton. He works at a rehearsal studio, and has an eclectic mix of beliefs.
• Clare Hedwat (25) is originally from Manchester, but moved to London three years ago. She is a practising Jew.

Clare's arrival at the house is delayed until Shabbat has been broken. When she does join the others, she explains that she will need to kosher the kitchen before she can eat hot food prepared in it. A lengthy - and increasingly heated - discussion follows. And then Jassi decides to tell them about his own requirements. It quickly becomes apparent that food is going to be a significant issue in the household. But there is worse to come ... and before the week is up, one of the six will make an untimely departure from the house!

Series producer Naveed Chowdhary-Flatt says: "Everybody thinks they're very tolerant. But when you put six people together in a house for a week, a very different picture emerges. Obviously, a lot comes down to the individual personalities. But as the series highlights, cultural background is also a major factor - and in ways that we hadn't always foreseen. Its interesting to see that young Londoners, who you would expect to be very relaxed with other cultures, are in fact anything but."

Co-executive producer Parminder Vir OBE said: "World events since September 11th have revealed just how ignorant we are of each other's cultures. Melting Pot is taking a small step towards increasing our understanding of what we really know and what we really feel about each other. The idea of this series was to create a multicultural family under one roof and to experience living cultural diversity."

'Melting Pot' will be screened on Thursday 4 March 2004 11.30 to 12.00 pm ITV1 London Region.