What a week!

Maria Agius, daughter of flamboyant businessman Jean Agius, is carving out a career of her own on satellite TV in London.

I was recently lucky enough to get my first big break in TV, and have been given the chance to present a music show called ‘Showcase’ which goes out every night on Sky Digital and Cable.

The show features unsigned bands which I get to interview and who then perform live in the studio.

I love doing the programme, I’m getting the chance to meet some really interesting musicians and we also feature all different types of music, from hip-hop to rock, so there’s always plenty of variety.

Just recently we had the reggae artist Eddy Grant and the star of the film Fame, Valerie Landsburgh, on the show. It was great interviewing Valerie, especially with the whole Fame revival thing that’s taking place right now.

The schedule for recording ‘Showcase’ is very gruelling. We do all the programmes for the forthcoming week on Saturday at the BBC studios in Silver Road. Sometimes I’m there until two in the morning.

My break into television came about when I met Gulruh Khan, a documentary producer well-known for her work on dolphins. Although I’d trained in theatre and done some research work at the BBC on chat shows such as ‘Kilroy’, everyone needs a bit of luck.

Gulruh was eating at dad’s restaurant, Cafe Sicilia, and we got talking. She asked me if I’d like to assist her on a short film she was making called ‘Mantra for the new Millennium’, so obviously I jumped at the chance.

The film, which had as its theme some of the pressing environmental problems that we needed to look at as we came to the end of the last century, was shown at the Alexandra Palace in the presence of Prime Minister Tony Blair and a number of other politicians .

Coincidentally, the underwater director of the film was Maltese – a man called Michael Portelli.

I really loved working with both Gulruh and Michael; they’re true professionals and I learnt a lot from them. The film also gave me a lot of personal satisfaction because environmental issues are very important to me, especially wildlife.

In fact, I hope to do some further work with Gulruh. Much as I love the music show I’m hosting, my dream would be to get the chance to work on and present documentaries on wildlife and environmental issues.

Over the past three years, I have also been presenting a once-a-week show on Charing Cross hospital radio .

The show, which I do voluntarily, is broadcast to all the patients in the hospital and is not only really rewarding, but has also helped provide me with great training. Just now, we are organising a special show for the children on the cancer wards and I ’m really looking forward to that.

The rest of my working life centres around organising events and managing promotions. I have organised a number of functions, ranging from gallery openings to parties for the rich and famous . I organised a small private party for Puff Daddy and Jennifer Lopez in the days when they were still together at the Papagaio club and that was great, although I love organising charity events too. I’ve realised that they’re more rewarding.

As I’ve got older my priorities have changed. When I was at school I always wanted to act, especially when I did well in theatre studies. I was also encouraged to go into modelling and was signed up by Rage Modelling Agency.

I’ve done some work on the catwalk and photographic shoots, but I’ve realised that my Mediterranean curves that I must have inherited from the Maltese side of my family were going to work against me! I have, however, done some body doubling and stand-in work. I was Catherine Zeta Jones’ stand-in for the film ‘Entrapment’ and Jennifer Lopez’s body double for the cover of Elmore Leonard’s book ‘Out of Sight’ – two women both renowned for their curves!

I regard myself as being a complete mixture of my mum and dad. I have inherited so me of my dad’s wild side and some of my mum’s conservative nature. Family is very important to me and although I clash sometimes with my sister, Lily, we’re very close in many ways. I also get on well with both my parents. Although dad is spending more time here now, they’re still mad about each other and both have really big hearts.

It was fun being a little girl and having a dad who entertained the rich and famous at his restaurants. I remember being 13 years old and having dinner with Eric Clapton. Not many youngsters have those sort of memories!

My Maltese roots are also very important to me, especially since I spent a year here when I was nine years’ old, and went to St Dorothy’s school. It’s strange, when I’m here I feel very English and when I’m in London I feel very Maltese. But London’s so cosmopolitan anyway that it’s not an issue. I feel lucky to have the experience of two different cultures to draw on, and two lovely countries to call home.

Maria says that she would love to give Maltese bands the chance to perform on ‘Showcase’. Any artists interested in applying to be on the show can contact her on 0044 208 746 2000