Organisers of Thursday's MTV Europe Music Awards in Edinburgh have hired more than 100 students to take the place of pop stars every time they leave their seats. Whenever singers such as Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott or Dido get up to go on stage, go backstage or even visit the bathroom, the students will be drafted in to sit temporarily at the stars' tables.

　　An MTV spokeswoman said the idea was that when TV cameras pan round to film the audience, no seats will be empty.

　　Students from Queen Margaret University College, Stevenson College and Perth College have been chosen for the honour of mingling with some of the industry's A-list stars.

　　The substitutes can only expect to occupy the seats for around 10 minutes and they may well be called upon three or four times during the course of the night, the spokeswoman said. She added that drafting in seat-fillers was common practice at all major awards ceremonies.