BARBARA Taylor Bradford's To Be The Best (CTV, tomorrow and Monday at 9 p.m.) is "a contemporary story about an unorthodox and endlessly fascinating family" whose "drama is played out in the glamorous arena of the wealthy and privileged, but underscored by a cutthroat world of jealousy and treachery. To hold on to Emma Harte's precious dream, and ensure that it becomes her own children's glittering legacy, Paula O'Neill (Lindsay Wagner) must be more relentless, more ruthless than her formidable grandmother. To be the best, she must act with daring and courage to preserve the Harte empire from her unscrupulous enemies - so that Emma's dream lives on.

"Lindsay Wagner, whose versatile talents have made her one of America's most accomplished actresses (who can forget The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman?) . . . changed the colour of her hair to a beautiful red-gold for her role of Paula, and was given 18 different hair styles by the film's chief hairdresser, Stephen Rose, who received an Emmy Award for his work on Poor Little Rich Girl."

But that is not all the press material tells us, of course. The mini- series also stars Fiona Fullerton, "one of Britain's most talented and beautiful actresses. . . . Fiona, who only appears in America, is always in smart suits. As Harte's representative in New York she appears as an attractive executive, without going into power suits. . . . It's really a matter of helping the audience identify and know the characters by the clothes they wear."

Anthony Hopkins "plays the role of Jack Figg, a laconic, diffident, dry, sardonic security man who has a little romantic attachment to Lindsay Wagner. 'It's the sort of part I like to play - easy. Nevertheless I give it my all, whatever that means.' Stephanie Beacham, late of The Colbys and "one of Britain's most beautiful and talented exports, plays the role of mysterious Arabella . . . Stephanie never had the chance to read Barbara Taylor Bradford's To Be The Best before starting work on the movie. Her puppy ate it as soon as she brought it home!

"Stephanie's principal charity concerns deaf children. Stephanie is totally dead (sic) in her right ear and only has 40 per cent hearing. . . "Barbara Taylor Bradford's fifth novel, To Be The Best, is a sequel to A Woman of Substance and Hold the Dream." Before becoming a bestselling novelist, "she edited a decorating magazine and wrote a decorating book. She was then offered a decorating column called Designing Woman, which was syndicated in 185 U.S. newspapers for a 12-year period. Seven more books on interior design were published during this time. . . .

"Barbara and Robert Bradford (her husband, the mini-series' producer) live in a 47th-floor apartment in Manhattan with a fluffy white Bichon Frise dog named Gemmy, who sits under Barbara's desk for up to 18 hours a day while she is writing."

Faithful readers will also be happy to know that BTB "is already plotting her next book beginning with a one-sentence summary in a secret diary shared only with her husband."

As for the mini-series itself, it's about four hours long, including commercials. The press book, from which these gems were culled, is a lot more fun and it's 58 pages.

JOHN HASLETT CUFF