TELLY quiz queen Anne Robinson may reduce many a grown-up to tears with her acid tongue, but a group of Southampton hairdressers plan to turn her into a big pussycat.

The seven crimpers from Chique Hair & Beauty in Oakley Road, Shirley, will appear as one of six teams on the BBC's Test the Nation - The National 2002 Test show hosted by acerbic Anne and TV presenter Philip Schofield.

Manager of Chique Hair & Beauty, Barbara Lynch will be joined on the great TV showdown by daughter Debbie Moody, 37, Lisa Coster, 27, Claire Crittel, 25, Amey Woodman, 19, Lisa Harris, 17, and Michelle Russell, also 17.

The programme will see the hairdressers take on teams of parents, teenagers, secretaries, rugby players, taxi drivers and a mystery team of celebrities trying to answer 70 questions based on events over the past year.

An excited Barbara said: "It will be scary meeting Anne Robinson, but I think we will be able to give as good as we get! I'm going to offer to give her a free cut and blow dry and maybe some hair extensions. I'm sure she will be trying to make fun of us as well.

"We had a phone call from the show's producers saying they were looking for a team of hairdressers to take part. We said we would love to. They then came to visit us and we answered a few sample questions and told them a bit about ourselves. The next thing we knew they wrote to us to say we had been chosen to appear."

Barbara's daughter, Debbie, said: "I don't want any politics questions, but as we are chatting to customers all day our general knowledge should be pretty good. Apparently one of the teams will consist of mothers and another of teenagers - that should make for some lively viewing."

Viewers of Test the Nation - The National 2002 Test, being screened on BBC1 on Monday, at 8.30pm, will be invited to join in on the night to see how they match up to the studio-based teams and the 300 strong audience who will vote electronically before their average score is totted up.