The five-piece group - whose hits include Love's Got A Hold Of My Heart and a cover of the Bee Gees' Tragedy - are flying to America in November to begin talks with the show's producers.

They include actress and director Debbie Allen, who starred as dance teacher Lydia Grant in the hit 1980s series Fame.

She has since co-produced Steven Spielberg's movie Amistad, and directed the US sci-fi series Quantum Leap.

Steps feature the talents of Ian 'H' Watkins, from Treorchy, south Wales, and Lisa Scott-Lee, from Rhyl, in north Wales.

One of the Steps line-up, singer Faye Tozer, said the new show's format had virtually been written around the group.

"They were doing an English-type Friends thing, but more about what our band is about - 'band is trying to a make it in America' - that was the theme.

"Boyfriends coming in and out, people going off their heads and going doolally," she explained.

Keen to act

But she added all the Steps members were keen to do some real acting for the series.

"They might change our personas. We don't want to play ourselves exactly, that would be really difficult.

"I don't think people could script it the way we really are. We want to play something slightly different," she said.

Steps rose to fame in the UK in 1998 and have recently been trying to make a name for themselves in the US.

Earlier this year they toured America with teenage pop star Britney Spears - which was a success, according to Tozer.

"You'd run on stage, do your thing and if you're lucky you can grab the crowd," she said.

"I don't know how we did it, but when we said jump, they jumped."

British TV viewers will also soon be seeing a lot more of Steps members in the near future.

Lisa and Lee Latchford-Evans are to front Channel 5's Pepsi Chart show next week.

Claire Richards and Ian are to present a children's talent show called Steps to the Stars next year.