The version of American Idol for kids, the aptly titled American Juniors, will begin June 2 on FOX, it was announced today.

The programme will occupy the same timeslots as its parent, 8pm Tuesday (performances) and 8.30pm Wednesday (result).

The first two weeks will be devoted to the auditions process, with the live shows beginning June 17.

Rather than having just one winner, Juniors will put together a five-piece band with kids aged between 6 and 13.

Twenty finalists will be composed of ten aged 6-9 and ten aged 10-13. Viewers will select five from each group to advance to the final ten.

In a departure from the regular format of having one finalist sent home each week, one contestant will win a place in the band each week, giving the others multiple opportunities to succeed.