London’s Candy Bar, one of the longest-running dedicated lesbian bars in the UK, is to be the subject of its own reality TV show.

The six-part series is being filmed under the working title “Candy Bar Girls” and will follow the bar’s relaunch by Soho gay scene entrepreneur Gary Henshaw, who also owns the Ku Bar and Kudos. It will focus on the bar’s staff and customers, including former Big Brother housemate Shabby Katchadourian, the bar’s DJ Lil’ Jo, formerly a contestant on Channel 4’s reality series Shipwrecked, and model and pole dancer Dannii Oriso and her girlfriend Lucy, a Candy Bar bouncer.

Depicting ”the lives and loves of a group of young lesbians who work hard and party even harder in and around this iconic Soho establishment,” Channel 5 is stressing that it is “not about being salacious” but about giving a voice to sections of society who are seldom represented in mainstream media. The programme is being made by Lion Television, whose previous productions have included Britain by Bike with Clare Balding.

Richard Desmond, whose Northern & Shell publishing group owns a number of adult TV channels as well as the Daily Express and OK!, recently relaunched Channel 5. Its director of programmes, Jeff Ford, compared the broadcaster’s situation with that of the lesbian venue, saying: “The Candy Bar, like us, is having a relaunch … They are also like us in that they are trying to build up a business.”

Candy Bar Girls will air in the spring.