Pop Idol (series 2)
| Broadcast from | 2 August – 20 December 2003 |
|---|---|
| Judges |
Simon Cowell Neil Fox Nicki Chapman Pete Waterman |
| Presenter(s) | Ant & Dec |
| Broadcaster | ITV |
| Michelle McManus | |
| Origin | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Song | "All This Time" |
| Genre(s) | Pop |
| Mark Rhodes | |
The second series of British reality television show Pop Idol began airing on ITV in the United Kingdom on 2 August 2003 and ended on 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.
The live shows began on 25 October 2003, and continued through to the live final on 20 December 2003.
* as of the start of the series
For the first time on the UK version of Pop Idol, there was a Wildcard Round where previously eliminated contestants returned for a second chance at making it through to the live finals. As a result, the final 10 was to become a final twelve. The judges announced which eight contestants would earn a Wildcard place at the end of the October 11 results show, and that after they perform the public would choose one contestant to go through, and the judges would pick another. The eight contestants who contested the Wildcard Round were Jason Brock, Jodie Connor, Glen Harvey, Rebecca Hayes, Susanne Manning, Kieran McDonald, Sam Nixon and Danielle Tedford.
Theme: Songs by contestant's 'Pop Idol'
Due to the addition of two extra contestants through the Wildcard Round, it was announced that for the first two weeks of the finals, two contestants would be eliminated instead of the standard one.
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