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Pop Idol

Pop Idol
Pop Idol logo.png
Genre Reality
Created by Simon Fuller
Developed by Nigel Lythgoe (uncredited)
Presented by Ant & Dec (ITV)
Kate Thornton (ITV2)
Judges Nicki Chapman
Simon Cowell
Neil Fox
Pete Waterman
Composer(s) Cathy Dennis
Julian Gingell
Barry Stone
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 2
No. of episodes 46
Production
Executive producer(s) Simon Fuller
Nigel Lythgoe
Richard Holloway
Ken Warwick
Location(s) Various cities (auditions)
Criterion Theatre (theatre rounds)
Teddington Studios (heats)
The Fountain Studios (live finals)
Running time 60-165mins (inc. adverts)
Production company(s) Thames Television
19 Entertainment
Distributor FremantleMedia
Release
Original network ITV
Picture format 16:9
Original release 6 October 2001 (2001-10-06) – 20 December 2003 (2003-12-20)
Chronology
Related shows The X Factor (UK)
External links
Website

Pop Idol is a British television music competition 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. Pop Idol was subsequently put on an indefinite hiatus after series judge 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 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, Arab Idol, Indonesian Idol, Indian Idol, New Zealand Idol, Latin American Idol, Idol (Poland), Idols (South Africa) and Pakistan Idol.

One of the UK's top-earning TV format 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".


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