Pop Idol
Encyclopedia
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV
on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest
to decide the best new young pop
singer (or "pop idol") in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003. Pop Idol was replaced in 2004 with The X Factor
.
The Idol series
has become an international franchise
, although a legal dispute with the makers of Popstars
meant that the word "Pop" had to be excluded from the title. As such, spin-offs have included American Idol
, Australian Idol
, Latin American Idol
, Idols (Denmark
, Netherlands
, Finland
, South Africa
, West Africa
, Serbia-Montenegro & Macedonia), Idool
(Belgium), Canadian Idol
, Indian Idol
, Indonesian Idol
, New Zealand Idol
, Hay Superstar
(Armenia), Idol stjörnuleit
(Iceland), Pinoy Idol
(Philippines), Idol
(Sweden), Idol
(Norway), Idol
(Poland), Nouvelle Star
(France), Deutschland sucht den Superstar
(Germany
), Singapore Idol
, Malaysian Idol
, Vietnam Idol
, Music Idol
(Bulgaria), Ídolos
(Brazil and Portugal), Greek Idol
, Super Star (Arab States
), Hrvatska traži zvijezdu
(Croatia), SuperStar KZ
(Kazakhstan), Eesti otsib superstaari
(Estonia), Slovensko hľadá SuperStar
(Slovakia
), Macedonian Idol
, Super Girl (People's Republic of China) and Kokhav Nolad
(Israel).
exports, Pop Idol made extensive use of premium-priced viewer interactivity, with viewers voting by telephone, mobile telephone texting
(not used on series one), through the "red button
" on digital television sets, or via the official website. The final of the first series of Pop Idol in February 2002 received the highest-ever one-night vote for a UK TV show, making the show one of ITV
's most profitable. The sister show on ITV2
, Pop Idol Extra, hosted by Kate Thornton
also made extensive use of mobile phone text messages to raise additional revenue. The first Pop Idol received very high voting figures despite allowing only telephone and Internet voting and not making use of texting or the "red button".
The Saturday night primetime show initially followed the audition process, as hopefuls sang before four judges (record producer and music executive Pete Waterman
, music executive and music manager Simon Cowell
, music promoter and music manager Nicki Chapman
and Radio DJ and television personality Neil "Dr" Fox) at various locations around the UK. Besides the successful auditionees, the poorest "singers" were often aired due to their obvious lack of talent or presence. Poor singers often faced harsh criticisms from the judges, especially from Simon Cowell (whose controversial rantings also made him famous on American Idol
). The judges' reactions to such performances often ranged from disgust to nearly open laughter; their style of judgement and attitude towards pop-star wannabes resulted in the controversial opinions of others about the show's setup, including that of Take That
manager, Nigel Martin Smith.
The viewing public quickly fell in love with the format though, as viewing figures indicated. Watching middle aged men openly critique hapless teenagers and young adults proved to be popular television as those watching at home experienced a satisfying sense of schadenfreude
. The judges' policy of speaking candidly would have to be sanitised in series 2, however, as it received condemnation from MPs
.
Once the first round of auditions were completed, the series moved to the Criterion Theatre
, where further auditions saw the judges decide on a group of 50. Unusually, this was the final point at which the judges had direct control over the contestants' fates, as the remainder of the results would be driven solely by viewer voting.
Stage 3 of the series took place in a conventional TV studio. The 50 contestants were split into five groups of ten, each of whom sang one song for the judges, accompanied only by a piano. Each judge offered their opinion, and at the end of the pre-recorded show phone lines opened for votes. Later the same evening a live show followed in which the voting results were revealed, the top two earning a place in the final ten. In series 2, a wildcard round (an innovation that originated on American Idol) was added, in which the judges selected ten rejected contestants and gave them a second chance. In this special edition, one contestant (Susanne Manning
) was selected by the viewer vote, and one (Sam Nixon
), chosen by the judges. This meant that the next stage began with twelve contestants, rather than the ten in series 1.
For the final stage, the show moved to a more lavish TV set, where all remaining contestants sang on live television, accompanied by either a backing track or live band. Most editions had a theme, with contestants singing songs from a particular genre or artist (no original songs were performed at any stage in the competition). Again, the judges offered comments, but the results were decided by viewer voting. Again, a live results show was broadcast later in the evening, but this time the singer with the fewest votes was eliminated, the rest continuing to the following week, until only the winner remained.
Exceptions to the usual format were limited. In series 1, Darius Danesh was promoted to the live shows when Rik Waller
dropped out. Danesh was third in the results for the group where Waller had won his place. Also, the first two live shows of series 2 saw two contestants leave, in order to rebalance the numbers after the addition of the two extra performers from the wildcard show.
, with Gareth Gates
coming second. Michelle McManus
won the second series. All of the top three contestants from series 1 had number 1 singles in the UK. Will Young
continues to be a recording artist. Darius Danesh had two hit albums and has appeared in the West End musicals Chicago
, playing the role of Billy Flynn, and Gone with the Wind
, originating the role of Rhett Butler. He also appeared in the touring version of Guys and Dolls as Sky Masterson. Gareth Gates
initially had great success, which later dried up (though his third album, released in June 2007, charted at No. 23). Finalists Rosie Ribbons
and Zoe Birkett
have both scored chart hits, whilst Jessica Garlick
represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002
. Semi-finalist Sarah Whatmore
had two chart hits, despite failing to be voted into the top 10. Series 2 contestants enjoyed significantly less chart success, which many believe damaged the credibility of the show and helped hasten its demise in its home country.
Immediately after the second series of Pop Idol, the same set was used to host World Idol
, in which winners of various Idol series around the world, including original Pop Idol winner Will Young, American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson
and Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian
, competed in a one-off competition, complete with a large judging panel featuring one judge from each country (Simon Cowell
officially representing American Idol, with Pete Waterman the "official" UK judge). The surprise winner was Norway's Kurt Nilsen
, who proceeded to minor UK chart success. Cowell was strongly critical of World Idol, and it is highly unlikely to be staged again.
After the second series of Pop Idol in 2003, ITV
put the show on indefinite hiatus. This was because judge and music executive
Simon Cowell wished to produce his own show, The X Factor
, which he and his record label (Syco
) held the rights to. In 2005, Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller filed a lawsuit against The X Factor producers claiming that the format was copied from his own show. The case was eventually settled out of court.
ITV's licence to produce Pop Idol has since expired, meaning that other channels could theoretically acquire the series. Despite rumours (see below), no broadcaster has since acquired the rights to the format in the UK.
Despite running for only two series, Pop Idols impact was immense and led 19 Entertainment
and Fremantle Media to roll the format out globally; currently there are over 50 versions in 110 countries, including, notably, American Idol
, again featuring Cowell as a judge.
, with co-producers FremantleMedia
and 19 Television
, began talking to UK broadcasters about reviving the show in a revamped format on a different channel. While Sky1 and Five initially expressed interest in buying the show, no revival has been announced.
for the PlayStation 2
on October 30, 2003. The player creates his/her own singer, then they must sing their way through the auditions, theatre stages, heats, and then the finals. The game increases in difficulty as the player progresses through the competition. With each stage of the finals, one or two players with the least public vote tally are eliminated. The gameplay mainly consists of lining up a moving symbol with a fixed object in the centre of the screen and pressing the corresponding symbol on the game's controller. If the player presses it when the symbol is in the middle of the circle, their singer sings a good note. If he or she presses it when it is not in the circle, or mistimes their press, the singer sings a bad note.
A World Idol
international television special was held in December 2003, featuring national first series Idol contest winners competing against each other; viewers worldwide voted Norwegian Idol's
Kurt Nilsen
"World Idol".
The similar Popstars
format preceded Pop Idol, and was succeeded in Britain by one series of Popstars: The Rivals and seven series of The X Factor
as of December 2010. After Popstars producers threatened legal action, a deal was struck that, among other clauses, does not allow the use of the word "pop" in the title of Pop Idol editions outside of the UK.
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
to decide the best new young pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer (or "pop idol") in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003. Pop Idol was replaced in 2004 with The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
.
The Idol series
Idol series
The British talent search television series Pop Idol has spawned spin-offs in 42 territories, in what is now referred to as the "Idols" format, as described by FremantleMedia...
has become an international franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
, although a legal dispute with the makers of Popstars
Popstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
meant that the word "Pop" had to be excluded from the title. As such, spin-offs have included American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, Australian Idol
Australian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
, Latin American Idol
Latin American Idol
Latin American Idol is the Latin American edition of the popular British franchise of Idols, well-known for its American version American Idol. The show aims to discover the pop idol of the Latin American region...
, Idols (Denmark
Idols (Denmark TV series)
Idols: Ærlig Jagt. Ægte Talent. is the Danish version of the worldwide TV format Pop Idol which is broadcast on TV3 Danmark.-Season one:In mid 2003, auditions were held in Aarhus & Copenhagen...
, Netherlands
Idols (Netherlands)
Idols is a television show on the Dutch television network RTL 4, which is part of the Idol series based on the popular British show Pop Idol. The show is a contest to determine the best young singer in the Netherlands....
, Finland
Idols (Finland)
Idols is a Finnish reality-television singing competition that airs on MTV3 . It debuted in the summer of 2003, and went on to become one of the most popular shows on Finnish television...
, South Africa
Idols (South Africa)
Idols is a television show on the South African television network M-Net, based on the popular British show Pop Idol. The show is a contest to determine the best young singer in South Africa....
, West Africa
Idols West Africa
Idols West Africa is the West African version of the Idol series franchise. Based in Nigeria, it is a talent contest to find a recording artiste, and aired on M-Net in 2007. Like the Pan-Arab entry to the series, the show incorporated countries throughout the West African region.-Season 1:The show...
, Serbia-Montenegro & Macedonia), Idool
Idool
Idool is the Belgian version of the Idol series. The series was launched in late 2002 by Belgian television network VTM. The contestants are first narrowed down to 100 contestants, and then down to 30-50 through several auditions and tests by a panel of judges. From this point on, the viewers...
(Belgium), Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
, Indian Idol
Indian Idol
Indian Idol is an adaptation of the Pop Idol format. It started airing in India with the first season in 2004-2005 and followed that with second , third and fourth seasons...
, Indonesian Idol
Indonesian Idol
Indonesian Idol is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia Asia, which began airing on RCTI on March 2004. Part of the Idol franchise, it was as a spin-off from the UK show Pop Idol...
, New Zealand Idol
New Zealand Idol
NZ Idol, more commonly known as New Zealand Idol, was the New Zealand version of the Idol series originated as the hit British TV series Pop Idol. New Zealand first saw the Idol format when TV2 aired American Idol 2, which garned impressive ratings...
, Hay Superstar
Hay Superstar
Hay Superstar / Hye Superstar is the Armenian version of the British television hit show Pop Idol. It is a talent contest to find the best young singer in Armenia.-Summary:-Season 1 :...
(Armenia), Idol stjörnuleit
Idol Stjörnuleit
Idol stjörnuleit is Iceland's version of the British reality series Pop Idol. The show allows the people of Iceland—through telephone voting—to select the winner of several televised singing contests, following the same format as Pop Idol...
(Iceland), Pinoy Idol
Pinoy Idol
Pinoy Idol was a Philippine interactive reality-based singing competition created and developed by FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment which aired on GMA Network...
(Philippines), Idol
Idol (Sweden)
Idol is a Swedish reality-competition talent show airing on TV4. It debuted in August 2004, and it has since become one of the most popular shows on Swedish television...
(Sweden), Idol
Idol (Norway)
Idol: Jakten på en superstjerne is a television show on the Norwegian television channel TV 2, based on the popular British show Pop Idol. The show describes itself as a "Search For A SuperStar". The contestants are first narrowed down to 100 contestants, and then down to 24-50 through several...
(Norway), Idol
Idol (Polish TV series)
Idol is a television show on the Polish television network Polsat, based on the popular British show Pop Idol. The show is a contest to determine the best young singer in Poland. It is hosted by Maciej Rock....
(Poland), Nouvelle Star
Nouvelle Star
Nouvelle Star is a French television series based on the popular Pop Idol programme produced by FremantleMedia and broadcast by M6 in France....
(France), Deutschland sucht den Superstar
Deutschland sucht den Superstar
Deutschland sucht den Superstar is a German reality talent show, also commonly known by its initials DSDS. Part of the Idol franchise, it was created by English media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show Pop Idol, of which two series were broadcast between the years of 2001 and...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), Singapore Idol
Singapore Idol
Singapore Idol is a television show on Channel 5 of MediaCorp TV. It is a competition among undiscovered singers in Singapore. Like others in the Idol series, it is modelled after Pop Idol. The current judges are singer/songwriter Dick Lee and record producers Florence Lian and Ken Lim. Previous...
, Malaysian Idol
Malaysian Idol
Malaysian Idol is the Malaysian version of the Idol Series that started in UK, similar to shows such as UK's Pop Idol and American Idol in the franchise. This show is a contest to determine the best young singer in Malaysia, with the winner receiving a major record deal, although some runners-up...
, Vietnam Idol
Vietnam Idol
Thần tượng âm nhạc: Vietnam Idol is a Vietnamese reality television competition to find new solo singing talents. It is part of the Idol franchise; it originated from the reality program Pop Idol created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller...
, Music Idol
Music Idol
Music Idol is the Bulgarian version of the British television hit show Pop Idol. It is a talent contest to determine the superior pop performer and its first season was aired on bTV from February 26 until June 7, 2007. During its third season, the show went international and auditions took place in...
(Bulgaria), Ídolos
Ídolos
Ídolos may refer to:*Ídolos Brazil*Ídolos Portugal* Ídolos, Chilean telenovela...
(Brazil and Portugal), Greek Idol
Greek Idol
Greek Idol is a reality television competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, it is based on the British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller. The first season of the show debut on March 5, 2010 on Alpha TV. The second season is scheduled to premiere on 19 February 2011...
, Super Star (Arab States
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
), Hrvatska traži zvijezdu
Hrvatska traži zvijezdu
Hrvatska traži zvijezdu is the second Croatian version of Pop Idol and is currently airing on RTL Televizija....
(Croatia), SuperStar KZ
SuperStar KZ
SuperStar KZ was a reality television show based on the popular British show Pop Idol, which aired from 2003 to 2007 on the Kazhak television station Perviy Kanal Evrasia. The talent contest determined the best young singers in Kazakhstan by allowing viewers to vote by phone or SMS...
(Kazakhstan), Eesti otsib superstaari
Eesti otsib superstaari
Eesti otsib superstaari is an Estonian reality-competition gameshow airing on TV3. It debuted on 11 March 2007 and it has since become one of the most popular shows in Estonia...
(Estonia), Slovensko hľadá SuperStar
Slovensko hladá SuperStar
Slovensko hľadá SuperStar is a casting television show based on the popular British show Pop Idol. The show is a contest to determine the best young singer in Slovakia and is shown by the national TV network STV from season 1 & 2...
(Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
), Macedonian Idol
Macedonian Idol
Macedonian Idol is a Macedonian reality-competition talent show airing on A1 TV, based on the popular British show Pop Idol. The auditions for the first season started in the summer 2010 and the show aired for first time on 13 November, 2010. Hosts of the show are Ivanna Hadžievska and Nenad...
, Super Girl (People's Republic of China) and Kokhav Nolad
Kokhav Nolad
Kokhav Nolad is an Israeli reality television show searching for talented new vocalists based on the British Pop Idol and American Idol model. Since its debut on Israeli Channel 2 in 2003, Kokhav Nolad has achieved great popularity and turned out many new musical stars...
(Israel).
Series format
One of the UK's top-earning TV formatTV program format
A TV format describes the overall concept, premise and branding of a copyrighted television program.The format is licensed by TV networks, so that they may produce a version of the show tailored to their nationality and audience. Formats are a major part of the international television market...
exports, Pop Idol made extensive use of premium-priced viewer interactivity, with viewers voting by telephone, mobile telephone texting
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
(not used on series one), through the "red button
Red Button (Digital Television)
Red Button is a button on the remote control for certain digital television set top boxes in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and By Directv in the USA. It is for interactive television services such as BBC Red Button and Astro...
" on digital television sets, or via the official website. The final of the first series of Pop Idol in February 2002 received the highest-ever one-night vote for a UK TV show, making the show one of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's most profitable. The sister show on ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
, Pop Idol Extra, hosted by Kate Thornton
Kate Thornton
Kate Thornton is an English journalist and television presenter. Early in her career, she was notable for her articles at the Daily Mirror and for her role as editor of Smash Hits magazine...
also made extensive use of mobile phone text messages to raise additional revenue. The first Pop Idol received very high voting figures despite allowing only telephone and Internet voting and not making use of texting or the "red button".
The Saturday night primetime show initially followed the audition process, as hopefuls sang before four judges (record producer and music executive Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
, music executive and music manager Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, music promoter and music manager Nicki Chapman
Nicki Chapman
Nicki Chapman is an English television presenter who also works in the British pop music industry. She was also a judge on the ITV reality shows Popstars, with Nigel Lythgoe and Paul Adam, and Pop Idol, along with Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman and Neil Fox...
and Radio DJ and television personality Neil "Dr" Fox) at various locations around the UK. Besides the successful auditionees, the poorest "singers" were often aired due to their obvious lack of talent or presence. Poor singers often faced harsh criticisms from the judges, especially from Simon Cowell (whose controversial rantings also made him famous on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
). The judges' reactions to such performances often ranged from disgust to nearly open laughter; their style of judgement and attitude towards pop-star wannabes resulted in the controversial opinions of others about the show's setup, including that of Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
manager, Nigel Martin Smith.
The viewing public quickly fell in love with the format though, as viewing figures indicated. Watching middle aged men openly critique hapless teenagers and young adults proved to be popular television as those watching at home experienced a satisfying sense of schadenfreude
Schadenfreude
Schadenfreude is pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. This German word is used as a loanword in English and some other languages, and has been calqued in Danish and Norwegian as skadefryd and Swedish as skadeglädje....
. The judges' policy of speaking candidly would have to be sanitised in series 2, however, as it received condemnation from MPs
MPS
MPS may refer to:* Robinson List, aka Mail Preference Service, direct mail opt-out system* Malmin Palloseura, association football club from Helsinki, Finland.* Marginal propensity to save* Master Production Schedule...
.
Once the first round of auditions were completed, the series moved to the Criterion Theatre
Criterion Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
, where further auditions saw the judges decide on a group of 50. Unusually, this was the final point at which the judges had direct control over the contestants' fates, as the remainder of the results would be driven solely by viewer voting.
Stage 3 of the series took place in a conventional TV studio. The 50 contestants were split into five groups of ten, each of whom sang one song for the judges, accompanied only by a piano. Each judge offered their opinion, and at the end of the pre-recorded show phone lines opened for votes. Later the same evening a live show followed in which the voting results were revealed, the top two earning a place in the final ten. In series 2, a wildcard round (an innovation that originated on American Idol) was added, in which the judges selected ten rejected contestants and gave them a second chance. In this special edition, one contestant (Susanne Manning
Susanne Manning
Susanne Courtney was a contestant on the second series of Pop Idol in the UK in 2003. She was known for her husky voice and caused the most headlines out of all the contestants at the time. She now appears on the Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Berkshire...
) was selected by the viewer vote, and one (Sam Nixon
Sam Nixon
Sam Nixon is an English singer and television presenter. He came third on the Pop Idol television series in 2003 and is now one half of the duo Sam & Mark, with the other being Mark Rhodes.-Early life:...
), chosen by the judges. This meant that the next stage began with twelve contestants, rather than the ten in series 1.
For the final stage, the show moved to a more lavish TV set, where all remaining contestants sang on live television, accompanied by either a backing track or live band. Most editions had a theme, with contestants singing songs from a particular genre or artist (no original songs were performed at any stage in the competition). Again, the judges offered comments, but the results were decided by viewer voting. Again, a live results show was broadcast later in the evening, but this time the singer with the fewest votes was eliminated, the rest continuing to the following week, until only the winner remained.
Exceptions to the usual format were limited. In series 1, Darius Danesh was promoted to the live shows when Rik Waller
Rik Waller
Rik Waller is an English singer.-Pop Idol:Waller is best known for being a finalist in the first series of the British ITV television series Pop Idol...
dropped out. Danesh was third in the results for the group where Waller had won his place. Also, the first two live shows of series 2 saw two contestants leave, in order to rebalance the numbers after the addition of the two extra performers from the wildcard show.
Results and legacy
The first series was won by Will YoungWill Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
, with Gareth Gates
Gareth Gates
Gareth Paul Gates , is an English singer-songwriter. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show Pop Idol. Gates has sold over 3.5 million records in the UK alone. He is also known for having a stutter, and has talked about his speech impediment publicly...
coming second. Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus is a Scottish singer-songwriter, actress, radio DJ and television presenter, who rose to fame after winning the second series of the UK talent show Pop Idol....
won the second series. All of the top three contestants from series 1 had number 1 singles in the UK. Will Young
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
continues to be a recording artist. Darius Danesh had two hit albums and has appeared in the West End musicals Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, playing the role of Billy Flynn, and Gone with the Wind
Gone With The Wind (musical)
Gone with the Wind is a musical based on the Margaret Mitchell's novel of the same name and its 1939 film adaptation, with music and lyrics by Margaret Martin, and a book by Martin, adapted by Sir Trevor Nunn....
, originating the role of Rhett Butler. He also appeared in the touring version of Guys and Dolls as Sky Masterson. Gareth Gates
Gareth Gates
Gareth Paul Gates , is an English singer-songwriter. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show Pop Idol. Gates has sold over 3.5 million records in the UK alone. He is also known for having a stutter, and has talked about his speech impediment publicly...
initially had great success, which later dried up (though his third album, released in June 2007, charted at No. 23). Finalists Rosie Ribbons
Rosie Ribbons
Rosemary "Rosie" Ribbons is an Australian-born, UK-raised singer. In the early 1980s, her English father , Ronald, visited Australia...
and Zoe Birkett
Zoe Birkett
Zoe Birkett was one of the youngest contestants on the ITV show, Pop Idol, being only 16 at the time.-Music career:...
have both scored chart hits, whilst Jessica Garlick
Jessica Garlick
Jessica Julie Anne Garlick is a Welsh pop singer.Garlick made her first steps into showbusiness when she was 16. At that age she won the Welsh final of the TV talent show Star For A Night. The same year she also featured in Michael Barrymore's My Kind of Music...
represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002
Eurovision Song Contest 2002
The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place on 25 May 2002 at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
. Semi-finalist Sarah Whatmore
Sarah Whatmore
Sarah Louise Whatmore and raised in Walkden, in the City of Salford, England, is an English singer, best known from the British TV series Pop Idol.-Pop Idol:...
had two chart hits, despite failing to be voted into the top 10. Series 2 contestants enjoyed significantly less chart success, which many believe damaged the credibility of the show and helped hasten its demise in its home country.
Immediately after the second series of Pop Idol, the same set was used to host World Idol
World Idol
World Idol was the title of a one-off international version of the television show Pop Idol, featuring winners of the various national Idol shows around the world competing against each other.The performance show was held on Christmas Day 2003, with the results show held on New Year's Day...
, in which winners of various Idol series around the world, including original Pop Idol winner Will Young, American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
and Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...
, competed in a one-off competition, complete with a large judging panel featuring one judge from each country (Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
officially representing American Idol, with Pete Waterman the "official" UK judge). The surprise winner was Norway's Kurt Nilsen
Kurt Nilsen
The following is a discography of albums and singles released by Norwegian music artist Kurt Nilsen.-Albums:-Singles:-Other releases:*1998 Shoe...
, who proceeded to minor UK chart success. Cowell was strongly critical of World Idol, and it is highly unlikely to be staged again.
After the second series of Pop Idol in 2003, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
put the show on indefinite hiatus. This was because judge and music executive
Music executive
A music executive or record executive is person within a record label who works in senior management, making executive decisions over the label's artists...
Simon Cowell wished to produce his own show, The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
, which he and his record label (Syco
Syco
Syco Entertainment, often known as simply Syco , is a global joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment focused on the production and exploitation of music, television, film and digital content...
) held the rights to. In 2005, Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller filed a lawsuit against The X Factor producers claiming that the format was copied from his own show. The case was eventually settled out of court.
ITV's licence to produce Pop Idol has since expired, meaning that other channels could theoretically acquire the series. Despite rumours (see below), no broadcaster has since acquired the rights to the format in the UK.
Despite running for only two series, Pop Idols impact was immense and led 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
and Fremantle Media to roll the format out globally; currently there are over 50 versions in 110 countries, including, notably, American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, again featuring Cowell as a judge.
Series one (2001/02)
| Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Young Will Young William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise... |
Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner (week 9) |
| Gareth Gates Gareth Gates Gareth Paul Gates , is an English singer-songwriter. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show Pop Idol. Gates has sold over 3.5 million records in the UK alone. He is also known for having a stutter, and has talked about his speech impediment publicly... |
Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Runner-up (week 9) |
| Darius Danesh Darius Danesh Darius Campbell , also known as Darius Danesh or simply Darius, is a British Iranian platinum-selling singer-songwriter, a West End stage actor, operatic baritone, Sunday Times best-selling author, and an Ambassador for The Prince's Trust.He established himself as a popular West End leading... |
1 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 8) |
| Zoe Birkett Zoe Birkett Zoe Birkett was one of the youngest contestants on the ITV show, Pop Idol, being only 16 at the time.-Music career:... |
Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 7) |
|
| Hayley Evetts | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 6) |
||
| Rosie Ribbons | Safe | Bottom three | Bottom two | Bottom two | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 5) |
|||
| Laura Doherty | Bottom two | Bottom two | Bottom three | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 4) |
||||
| Aaron Bayley | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 3) |
|||||
| Jessica Garlick Jessica Garlick Jessica Julie Anne Garlick is a Welsh pop singer.Garlick made her first steps into showbusiness when she was 16. At that age she won the Welsh final of the TV talent show Star For A Night. The same year she also featured in Michael Barrymore's My Kind of Music... |
Bottom three | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 2) |
||||||
| Rik Waller Rik Waller Rik Waller is an English singer.-Pop Idol:Waller is best known for being a finalist in the first series of the British ITV television series Pop Idol... |
Did not sing, due to illness | Withdrew (week 2) |
|||||||
| Korben | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 1) |
|||||||
- 1 Had been eliminated in previous rounds, but reinstated following Rik Waller's exit.
Series two (2003)
| Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle McManus Michelle McManus Michelle McManus is a Scottish singer-songwriter, actress, radio DJ and television presenter, who rose to fame after winning the second series of the UK talent show Pop Idol.... |
Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner (week 9) |
| Mark Rhodes Mark Rhodes Mark Thomas Rhodes is an English singer and television presenter.-Career:... |
Bottom three | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Bottom three | Safe | Bottom two | Safe | Runner-up (week 9) |
| Sam Nixon Sam Nixon Sam Nixon is an English singer and television presenter. He came third on the Pop Idol television series in 2003 and is now one half of the duo Sam & Mark, with the other being Mark Rhodes.-Early life:... |
Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom | Eliminated (week 8) |
| Chris Hide | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Safe | Bottom three | Bottom | Eliminated (week 7) |
|
| Susanne Manning | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Bottom | Eliminated (week 6) |
||
| Roxanne Cooper | Safe | Safe | Bottom two | Safe | Bottom | Eliminated (week 5) |
|||
| Andy Scott-Lee Andy Scott-Lee Andy Scott-Lee is a Welsh pop star, who is an ex-member of the group 3SL. After the group broke up, he appeared in the second series of Pop Idol, making it to the final seven. Scott-Lee is now a member of the group G*Mania. Scott-Lee's estranged wife is the former Liberty X member, Michelle Heaton... |
Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom | Eliminated (week 4) |
||||
| Kim Gee | Safe | Bottom three | Bottom | Eliminated (week 3) |
|||||
| Marc Dillon | Safe | Bottom two | Eliminated (week 2) |
||||||
| Brian Ormond | Safe | Bottom two | |||||||
| Kirsty Crawford Kirsty Crawford Kirsty Crawford, born 25 November 1983, is a vocalist originally from Glasgow, United Kingdom. Kirsty deferred a place at Medical School after finding success on ITV's Pop Idol in 2003, after which she signed a contract for a solo project, writing and recording material with Mark Goldenberg ,... |
Bottom two | Eliminated (week 1) |
|||||||
| Leon McPherson | Bottom two | ||||||||
- Note: Following the completion of the series, the official Pop Idol companion book published percentages of votes for each contestant every week. In some circumstances, the book suggested that the bottom 2 or 3 contestants were not the same as announced by the show hosts. It is not known if the incorrect result was announced, or if the book merely made a typing error. However, the contestant deemed to have had the lowest percentage was always eliminated on that week, meaning the overall result of the show was not changed.
Relaunch of Pop Idol
On 1 October 2006, ITV's licence to produce Pop Idol in the UK ran out and its creator Simon FullerSimon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
, with co-producers FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...
and 19 Television
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
, began talking to UK broadcasters about reviving the show in a revamped format on a different channel. While Sky1 and Five initially expressed interest in buying the show, no revival has been announced.
Video games
Pop Idol was released as a video game developed by CodemastersCodemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
on October 30, 2003. The player creates his/her own singer, then they must sing their way through the auditions, theatre stages, heats, and then the finals. The game increases in difficulty as the player progresses through the competition. With each stage of the finals, one or two players with the least public vote tally are eliminated. The gameplay mainly consists of lining up a moving symbol with a fixed object in the centre of the screen and pressing the corresponding symbol on the game's controller. If the player presses it when the symbol is in the middle of the circle, their singer sings a good note. If he or she presses it when it is not in the circle, or mistimes their press, the singer sings a bad note.
Related programmes
The Idol format has been launched in dozens of nations worldwide, and there have been many imitations of the programme.A World Idol
World Idol
World Idol was the title of a one-off international version of the television show Pop Idol, featuring winners of the various national Idol shows around the world competing against each other.The performance show was held on Christmas Day 2003, with the results show held on New Year's Day...
international television special was held in December 2003, featuring national first series Idol contest winners competing against each other; viewers worldwide voted Norwegian Idol's
Idol (Norway)
Idol: Jakten på en superstjerne is a television show on the Norwegian television channel TV 2, based on the popular British show Pop Idol. The show describes itself as a "Search For A SuperStar". The contestants are first narrowed down to 100 contestants, and then down to 24-50 through several...
Kurt Nilsen
Kurt Nilsen
The following is a discography of albums and singles released by Norwegian music artist Kurt Nilsen.-Albums:-Singles:-Other releases:*1998 Shoe...
"World Idol".
The similar Popstars
Popstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
format preceded Pop Idol, and was succeeded in Britain by one series of Popstars: The Rivals and seven series of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
as of December 2010. After Popstars producers threatened legal action, a deal was struck that, among other clauses, does not allow the use of the word "pop" in the title of Pop Idol editions outside of the UK.
See also
- Pop Idol discography
- Pop Idol: The Big Band AlbumPop Idol: The Big Band AlbumPop Idol: The Big Band Album is a compilation album featuring big band songs recorded by the final 10 from the first UK series of Pop Idol.-Track listing:#"Beyond the Sea" — featuring Will Young...
- American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
- Australian IdolAustralian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
- PopstarsPopstarsPopstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
- Fame AcademyFame AcademyFame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
- The X FactorThe X Factor (TV series)The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
- Starmania