Pop Idol(TV show/series, 2001-)

Name: Pop Idol
Released: 2001

1h per episode

Scripted Reality in 2 seasons with 41 episodes

Rating: 0.5/5 (with 1 vote)

Pop Idol is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast, one in 2001–2002 and a second in 2003. An immense success when it launched in 2001, Maggie Brown in The Guardian wrote, "the show became a seminal reality/entertainment format once on air that autumn". Series judge Simon Cowell became a major public figure in entertainment, and the show produced instant No. 1 chart hits, including for the first series winner Will Young, whose single "Evergreen" was the fastest-selling debut in UK chart history and the best-selling song of 2002. Pop Idol was subsequently put on an indefinite hiatus after Simon Cowell announced the launch of The X Factor in the UK in April 2004. The show has become an international TV franchise since, spawning multiple Idol series worldwide. In the meantime, a legal dispute arose with the makers of Popstars, which eventually led to the word "pop" being excluded from the titles of all the spin-offs, such as American Idol, Australian Idol, Arab Idol, Canadian Idol, Indonesian Idol, Indian Idol, New Zealand Idol, Latin American Idol, Idol (N... ()

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About Pop Idol

Pop Idol is a British television music competition which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer in the UK based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-2002 and a second in 2003. Pop Idol was subsequently put on an indefinite hiatus after "Idol" judge Simon Cowell announced the launch of the The X Factor in the UK in April 2004. The show has become an international TV franchise since, spawning multiples of Idol series worldwide. In the mean time a legal dispute arose with the makers of Popstars, which eventually led to the word "Pop" being excluded from the titles of all the spin-offs, such as American Idol, Australian Idol, Indonesian Idol, New Zealand Idol, Latin American Idol and Idols.

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Pop Idol Seasons and Episodes

08/09/2003Season 2 - 20 episodes

The second and most recent series of British reality television show Pop Idol aired on ITV on from 13 September to 20 December 2003. Michelle McManus was announced as the winner and received a £1 million recording contract to release her debut album. Ant & Dec returned to present the show on ITV, whilst Simon Cowell, Neil Fox, Nicki Chapman and Pete Waterman all returned as judges. The second series was not as successful as the first series, and the viewing figures for the finale were much lower. Waterman considered McManus an unworthy winner. In 2004, Pop Idol was axed and ITV announced a new show created by Cowell, with no involvement from Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller—The X Factor. The perceived similarity between the two shows later became the subject of a legal dispute. ()

#1 | 08/02/2003Pop Idol - One Year On

The original series of Pop Idol launched the careers of Will Young, Gareth Gates and Darius Danesh aswell as various others. But how are the show's final ten coping with thier new found fame, and what have they been up to? In celebration of the brand new series, this exclusive documentary answers all those questions and more. What became of the YMCA Girl (Caroline Buckley), The 'Express Yourself' lady, and all the rest? Some of the final 50, who got bitterly close to the Top 10 but then fell out the final hurdle are also interviewed.

#1 | 08/09/2003Auditions #1

#2 | 08/16/2003Auditions #2

#3 | 08/23/2003Auditions -#3

#4 | 08/30/2003Auditions #4

#5 | 09/06/2003Theatre Rounds

#6 | 09/13/2003Heat #1

#7 | 09/20/2003Heat #2

#8 | 09/27/2003Heat #3

#9 | 10/04/2003Heat #4

#10 | 10/11/2003Heat #5

#11 | 10/18/2003Wildcard Round

#12 | 10/25/2003Live Show #1

#13 | 11/01/2003Live Show #2

#14 | 11/08/2003Live Show #3

#15 | 11/15/2003Live Show #4

#16 | 11/22/2003Live Show #5

#17 | 11/29/2003Live Show #6

#18 | 12/06/2003Live Show #7

#19 | 12/13/2003Live Show #8

#20 | 12/20/2003Final

#22 | 11/08/2003Series 2 - Elton John Hits - Elimination 5

#23 | 11/08/2003Series 2 - Elton John Hits - Elimination 5 (Result)

#24 | 11/15/2003Series 2 - Disco - Elimination 6

#25 | 11/15/2003Series 2 - Disco - Elimination 6 (Result)

#26 | 11/22/2003Series 2 - The Beatles - Elimination 7

#27 | 11/22/2003Series 2 - The Beatles - Elimination 7 (Result)

#28 | 11/29/2003Series 2 - Big Band - Elimination 8

#29 | 11/29/2003Series 2 - Big Band - Elimination 8 (Result)

#30 | 12/06/2003Series 2 - Christmas Songs - Elimination 9

#31 | 12/06/2003Series 2 - Christmas Songs - Elimination 9 (Result)

#32 | 12/13/2003Series 2 - Judge's Choice - Elimination 10

#33 | 12/13/2003Series 2 - Judge's Choice - Elimination 10 (Result)

#34 | 12/20/2003Series 2 - Grand Final

#35 | 12/20/2003Series 2 - Grand Final (Result)

10/06/2001Season 1 - 21 episodes

The first series of British reality television show Pop Idol was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom during the winter months of 2001 and 2002. The show was a singing competition open to people aged between 16 and 26 years old, with the winner receiving a £1 million recording contract to release their debut album. Pop Idol received ratings of as high as 10 million viewers for shows before the live final. The footage of the programme's opening titles, as well as the live final of this series, was used in the first season of American Idol, which began over four months after the airing of the live final, in which Kelly Clarkson won the season. Auditions were held during the early months and summer of 2001 in various locations across the United Kingdom. Selected acts were broadcast on a series of audition programmes in October 2001. The first live show was broadcast on 15 December 2001 and the live final was held on 9 February 2002. The competition was won by Will Young, with Gareth Gates finishing as the runner-up after a public vote. Both of the finalists went on to have chart successes with both their debut releases and subsequent material. Third-placed Darius Danesh also gained a record deal and achieved a string of top-40 hits in the United Kingdom, including a number-one... ()

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12/13/2001Specials - 3 episodes

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Additional Information

Production country: United Kingdom (UK)

Made by: 19 Television

Original language: English (EN)

Spoken languages: English (EN)

Translated into 1 language: English (EN)

Status: Returning series

First episode released on: 10/06/2001

Latest episode released on: 12/20/2003

Creator: Simon Fuller

Presenter/Host: Ant & Dec

Composer: Cathy Dennis

Keywords: singing competition

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