LONDON (Reuters) - Watch out Boyzone and Westlife: your place in the charts may soon be usurped by a ``Man Band.''

London publicity company 15 Minutes said on Monday it was searching for five men over 50 to prove to the music industry that youth is not necessarily the key to success.

``We came up with the idea after a company meeting when staff began complaining about talentless, manufactured boy bands with all the longevity of a butterfly,'' said Kizzi Nkwocha, media consultant at 15 Minutes.

``We decided we should put together a band of men over the age of 50 with real musical ability, real

singing ability, and some experience, but who the music industry have ignored,'' he said. ``Just because there's snow on the roof doesn't mean the fire's gone out down below.''

The company enlisted the aid of a few experienced musicians such as Roy Hemmings, an original member of 1960s band The Drifters, and advertised in music magazines and actors' magazine The Stage.

``We've had 2,416 applicants in 10 days,'' Nkwocha said.

As soon as the news broke, he said the company was inundated with offers from TV production companies keen to film the band's progress as they are groomed for success.

``It's a bizarre situation. We already have five written bids for the rights to a TV program,'' Nkwocha said. ``We've also already had record companies asking for first refusal on recording rights.

The band -- provisionally called Man Band -- will be formed over the next two weeks, and a single should be out within six weeks.

Aside from age, prospective members will need to prove they have genuine musical ability and the confidence to perform on stage live.

``This is not a gimmick,'' Nkwocha said. ``We want them to tour all over the world. We want to show the music industry that they've been ignoring real talent.''