Pop Idol

Season 1

In this follow-up to the hit factual TV show "Popstars", the search is on for a new solo singer. Finalists are selected from auditions held in locations across the UK, and there are plenty of tears from wannabe stars whose hopes are dashed by the frank comments of the judging panel. The final winner, however, will be decided by the British public in a series of telephone polls.

Where to Watch Season 1

21 Episodes

Auditions #1
E1
Auditions #1
Auditions #2
E2
Auditions #2More footage from the nation-wide Open Auditions. The judges are delighted when they discover finalist Zoe Birkett.
Auditions #3
E3
Auditions #3More footage from the nation-wide Open Auditions.
Auditions #4
E4
Auditions #4More footage from the nation-wide Open Auditions. Jessica Garlick is discovered in an open audition. She is a big fan of judge Pete Waterman and is overcome with emotion when she meets him, but she still manages to make a great performance.
Auditions #5
E5
Auditions #5More footage from the nation-wide Open Auditions. Simon Cowell tells hopeful Aaron Bailey that he is 'the people's choice' and all four judges put him through to the second phase.
Theatre Rounds #1
E6
Theatre Rounds #1The competition gets serious when footage from the re-calls of the final 100 is shown. The judges are dissapointed with the majority of the performers, but things eventually pick up. Simon predicts some of the Final 10, but will he be proved correct?
Theatre Rounds #2
E7
Theatre Rounds #2Another chance to see new footage of the Final 100 auditions, in the Nation's capital - London. The judges comment and how the standard has improved considerably. Zoe Birkett blows the judges away with a killer performance.
Heat #1
E8
Heat #1Down to the Final 50, the first group of ten contestants perform a song of their choice. After a week of intense vocal training, Haifa, Jayne, Errol, Chris, Andy, Gareth, Monica, Sarah, Zoe and Chloe take the stage to get through to the Finals.
Heat #2
E9
Heat #2Down to the Final 50, the second group of ten contestants perform a song of their choice. After a week of intense vocal training, they take the stage to get through to the Finals.
Heat #3
E10
Heat #3Down to the Final 50, the third group of ten contestants perform a song of their choice. After a week of intense vocal training, they take the stage to get through to the Finals.
Heat #4
E11
Heat #4Down to the Final 50, the fourth group of ten contestants perform a song of their choice. After a week of intense vocal training, they take the stage to get through to the Finals.
Heat #5
E12
Heat #5Down to the Final 50, the final group of ten contestants perform a song of their choice. After a week of intense vocal training, they take the stage to get through to the Finals.
Live Show #1
E13
Live Show #1The 10 Pop Idol finalists performed in front of a live audience for the final time as the show entered its final stage. Gareth, Zoe, Hayley, Laura, Rosie, Jessica, William, Korben and Aaron all took to the stage to perform songs sung by their own Pop Idols, but 'Roly Poly' Rick's throat infection stopped him from competing. 2 hours after the final nine sang their hearts out, the show returned with the results show. The public had voted and Korben Niblett, the gay George Michael fan, was ejected from the competition.
Live Show #2
E14
Live Show #2'Roly Poly' Rick Waller is forced out of the competition through illness, and is replaced by the person who came third in his heat, Darius himself! Darius joins Zoe, Hayley, Rosie, Gareth, Aaron, William, Jessica and Laura as they perform their favourite Christmas songs to the live studio audience. 2 hours after their performances, Ant and Dec returned with the voting results. Jessica Garlik, the 23-year-old Welsh beauty, was eliminated from the contest, leaving behind the final eight.
Live Show #3
E15
Live Show #3We're down to the last eight, and Gareth, Darius, Aaron, William, Rosie, Laura, Zoe and Hayley each performed Burt Bacharach songs for the live and viewing audience, but also took part in a photo shoot for OK magazine during the course of the week. 2 hours after they performed, Ant and Dec announced the results of the public vote. With the majority of the votes, Aaron Bailey, the 26-year-old train driver, was eliminated from the competition, leaving behind the final seven.
Live Show #4
E16
Live Show #4We're down to the final seven, and tonight Zoe, Hayley, Laura, Rosie, Gareth, Darius and William perform songs of their choices from the movies (everything is sung from James Bond to Titanic), and we also get a glimpse of them spending some quality time together. 2 hours after their performances, Ant and Dec return with the results of the public vote. Laura Doherty, the Irish lovely who has consistently had one of the lowest votes of the show, was finally eliminated from the competition.
Live Show #5
E17
Live Show #5We're down to the final six, and tonight Zoe, William, Rosie, Gareth, Hayley and Darius perform their favourite ABBA songs (these include 'The Winner Takes It All' from Rosie and 'Gimme Gimme Gimme' from Hayley) to the live audience, and we get a glimpse of the six of them spending some time in a luxury health resort. 2 hours later, the usual occurs, and Ant and Dec return with the results of the public vote. Rosie Ribbons, the 23-year-old Welsh shop assistant, is eliminated from the competition, leaving behind the final five contestants.
Live Show #6
E18
Live Show #6As Pop Idol prepares to wind down to a close, Gareth, Darius, Zoe, Hayley and William perform big band numbers (songs sung with a big brass band playing behind them), which is the biggest test in their time in the competition. Some rise to the occassion (Darius, William), but other's fall at the wayside (Hayley, Gareth). 2 hours later, Ant and Dec announce the results of the public vote, and Hayley Evetts, the 23-year-old Brummie babe, was elimination from the competition.
Live Show #7
E19
Live Show #7With only two weeks of the competition left, the final four Pop Idols (Gareth, Zoe, William and Darius) appear at the film premiere of 'Moulin Rouge' and then perform their hearts out with two songs chosen for them by the judges. As Darius swung his hips to Tom Jones' 'It's Not Unusual,' Zoe went for a more subdued romantic mood. But it did her no good. 2 hours after the performances were done, the public had voted and Ant and Dec revealed that Zoe Birkett, the 16-year-old schoolgirl and only female still in the contest, had been eliminated, leaving behind just the three guys.
Live Show #8
E20
Live Show #8With only one week until the winning Pop Idol is announced, the final three guys give it their all to make it to the last stage. William, Darius and Gareth perform two songs each chosen by themselves, and they all give spectacular performances (a thing reiterated by the judges), but one must go. 2 hours after their performances, the show returns with the results. As the bookies predicted, Darius Danesh, the 23-year-old lone Scot in the contest, was eliminated, leaving behind the Final Two - William and Gareth. Who will win?
Final
E21
Final