POP IDOL SET FOR TV COMEBACK AS ITV ENTER TALKS FOR 2023 SERIES

ITV are in talks for a new series of music competition Pop Idol, TV Zone and Super TV understand.

The Pop Idol format was created by Simon Fuller, who also served as Executive Producer. The series was hosted by Ant & Dec and ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003.

The original series were judged by Neil Fox, Nicki Chapman, Pete Waterman and Simon Cowell. A total of 46 episodes were broadcast over 2 series.

TV Zone and Super TV understand that ITV expressed interest in the format before Christmas and entered fresh talks earlier this week with execs from America, Holland and Sweden - including original creator Simon Fuller.

ITV are understood to be interested in rebooting the series for a special season in Autumn 2023 to mark 20 years since it was last on UK TV.

The series has not yet been formerly commissioned from ITV, and host(s) and judges are to be confirmed. ITV did not deny these reports when approached by TV Zone.

The series was put on hiatus in 2004 after Simon Cowell broke away from the show to launch The X Factor. The format then went global with American Idol, Australian Idol, Canadian Idol and Indonesian Idol to name a few.

The series could lead to more series and become a successor to The X Factor, which last aired on ITV in 2019. In a statement last Summer, ITV said: "There are no current plans for the next series of The X Factor at this stage."

Meanwhile, ITV's current singing contest The Voice UK, hosted by Emma Willis, returns this Summer. More details will be revealed in due course.