TRL: MTV's flagship show

Britney Spears played Hit Me Baby One More Time on TRL in 1998

Total Request Live (TRL) has become one of the flagship shows on MTV in the US, with appearances from some of the biggest stars in music and film.

Now it is being launched in the UK, broadcasting from studios in Camden, north London, from 19 August.

BBC News Online profiles the show that has proven to be such a success in the US.

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What is TRL?
TRL is a show featuring viewers' video requests, interviews and live performances, beamed live from New York's Times Square every weekday afternoon since 1998.

The show is filmed in front of a small studio audience, and is regarded as a major way to break stars in the US. More than 1,250 episodes have been shown so far.

Why is it such a big deal?
"TRL is quite simply the biggest show that we have ever launched at MTV UK. By scheduling the show in the afternoon, we are bringing something totally new to that slot," said MTV UK & Ireland boss Michiel Bakker.

Mariah Carey once co-hosted an episode with her mother

Who has appeared on it in the US?
Pop stars including Madonna, Eminem, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Marilyn Manson and Snoop Dogg have appeared, as well as Hollywood heavyweights such as Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe. Guest stars for the UK version of the show are currently being kept secret.

Who has hosted the show in the US?
TRL has had celebrity hosts such as Eminem, Britney, Christina, Ja Rule and Mariah Carey - who co-hosted it with her mother. Carson Daly, one of MTV's biggest presenters, made his name on the show.

In the US the show has boasted some much talked-about moments

These include:

October 1998: The Backstreet Boys play the fledgling programme. Times Square is shut down thanks to thousands of fans trying to see the show.

November 1998: Rapper Puff Daddy 'kidnaps' Carson Daly on air.

April 1999: Martial arts star Jackie Chan sings a medley of opera and Eminem songs on the show.

July 2001: Mariah Carey appears live, attempts a striptease and hands out ice creams to a bemused audience. Days later she checks herself into a hospital, citing mental exhaustion.

February 2003: Mummy star Brendan Fraser dresses as a video store employee and tries to persuade fans to rent his old movies.