Freshmen on Campus

Five British students are crossing the pond to experience a semester at Houston University in Texas, in this brand new docusoap made exclusively for Trouble. The young Brits will be immersed in day-to-day campus life, attending classes, trying out for sports teams, and partying on down with the frat boys and sorority sisters.

The five stars are a cross-section of London life. 19-year-old Luke Oakeshott is the son of a peer in the House of Lords, and enjoys horse riding, training as a cadet in the Royal Navy, and drinking pink gin in the East India Gentlemen’s Club. Design student Mitesh Patel, 23, works as a promoter for London clubs in his spare time, and hopes to organise a big party during his time in the Lone Star State. Representing the girls are Tara Al-Wali, 20, a podium dancer and non-practicing Muslim; Debbie Otubambo, also 20, a criminology student with an eight-month old son; and 19-year-old world traveller Claudia Grant, who’d like to study anthropology.

The students don’t know what to expect from their stay, and all are wondering how they will fit into the pecking order of jocks, preppies, cheerleaders and nerds. But more importantly, can they survive the famous ‘spring-break’ madness, when their American counterparts go wild? And how will they adjust to the culture shock of swapping liberal London for conservative Texas, a state where gun-carrying is practically mandatory and the death penalty still very much in place?

One thing is for sure: each is about to undergo an intense and emotional journey, with the cameras there to follow their reactions every step of the way.