Popstars The Rivals was a
British televisionPublic television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
talent showA talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
series that was broadcast on
ITV1ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
in late 2002. It was the second UK series of the international
PopstarsPopstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
franchiseA media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
. Unlike the Popstars, which resulted in the formation of one winning group –
Hear'SayHear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
-
Popstars: The Rivals created two rival groups,
Girls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
and
One True VoiceOne True Voice were a British boyband created on the ITV television series Popstars: The Rivals, which also produced girl group Girls Aloud. The band was created by the public, who voted for their favourite hopefuls each week...
, who competed against each other for the Christmas Number One spot on the
UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Popstars The Rivals aired on
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
on Saturday nights from 7 September 2002, beginning with three pre-recorded episodes of preliminary
auditionAn audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
rounds, before switching to live broadcasts of studio performances. During the rounds of live show, viewers voted for their favourite performers
by telephoneTelevoting, telephone voting or phone voting is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone.- Broadcast contest televoting :...
and the
Red ButtonRed Button is a button on the remote control for certain digital television set top boxes in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and By Directv in the USA. It is for interactive television services such as BBC Red Button and Astro...
on
digital televisionDigital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
remote controlA remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
s. In the final weeks, five females and five males were chosen by the British public to form the two groups,
boybandA boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
One True VoiceOne True Voice were a British boyband created on the ITV television series Popstars: The Rivals, which also produced girl group Girls Aloud. The band was created by the public, who voted for their favourite hopefuls each week...
, and
girlgroupA girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
Girls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
. The final episode of
Popstars: The Rivals aired live on 22 December 2002. During the broadcast,
Pepsi Chart Show presenter Neil Fox revealed in a
live link-upA teleconference or teleseminar is the live exchange and mass articulation of information among several persons and machines remote from one another but linked by a telecommunications system...
that "
Sound of the Underground"Sound of the Underground" is the debut single by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, later featured on their debut album of the same name. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, and Niara Scarlett, and produced by Higgins and his production team Xenomania...
" recorded by Girls Aloud had reached
Number one on the Singles Chart, thereby becoming the Christmas Number One. One True Voice's double A-side single, "
Sacred Trust/After You're Gone"Sacred Trust/After You're Gone" is the debut double-A side single by One True Voice. It was released on 16 December 2002, the same day that female winners Girls Aloud released their single Sound of the Underground. The two songs were competing for the coveted Christmas Number One spot in the UK...
" entered the chart at Number Two.
The series was hosted by
Davina McCallDavina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :...
, with the performances judged by
Pete WatermanPeter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
,
Louis WalshLouis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
and
Geri HalliwellGeraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
. In addition to the main show,
Popstars The Rivals Extra aired on
ITV2ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
, presented by popstar
Dane BowersDane Bowers is an English R&B singer, songwriter, DJ and record producer. He was a part of R&B boyband Another Level between 1997 and 2000 when he performed on seven Top 10 singles...
and
Pop IdolPop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
finalist
Hayley EvettsHayley Evetts born 4 March 1976 in Birmingham, England is a singer, TV presenter and stage actor. She rose to fame on the hit British TV talent show Pop Idol. She first came to the attention of the public when she appeared on Popstars, the TV show that launched Hear'say and Liberty X. After failing...
.
Judges
On the judging panel, neither
Nigel LythgoeNigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...
, Paul Adam nor
Nicki ChapmanNicki Chapman is an English television presenter who also works in the British pop music industry. She was also a judge on the ITV reality shows Popstars, with Nigel Lythgoe and Paul Adam, and Pop Idol, along with Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman and Neil Fox...
, the three judges from the first series of
Popstars, returned for
Popstars: The Rivals. Lythgoe had left ITV to work with
Simon FullerSimon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
at
19 Entertainment19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
and become the executive producer of
Pop Idol and
American IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, although he initially expressed an interest in appearing. Chapman also went to 19, where she managed the careers of
Pop Idol winner and runner-up
Will YoungWilliam Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
and
Gareth GatesGareth Paul Gates , is an English singer-songwriter. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show Pop Idol. Gates has sold over 3.5 million records in the UK alone. He is also known for having a stutter, and has talked about his speech impediment publicly...
. Adam turned down the opportunity to return as he was too busy working as a music executive at
RCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
.
The judges for
Popstars: The Rivals were announced as record producer and songwriter
Pete WatermanPeter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
, who as part of 1980–90s production trio
Stock Aitken WatermanStock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting and record producing trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s...
had worked with
Kylie MinogueKylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
,
Jason DonovanJason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
,
Rick AstleyRichard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
and Steps amongst others;
Geri HalliwellGeraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
, who rose to fame as part of
Spice GirlsThe Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
and later had a career as a solo popstar; and Chris Evans, who had presented breakfast shows on
BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
and
Virgin RadioAbsolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
, and
The Big BreakfastThe Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
and
TFI FridayTFI Friday is an entertainment show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2000. The show produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first 5 series. The final series was hosted by a number of Guest Presenters. It was broadcast on...
on
Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. Evans later decided not to appear, and after approaching
Sharon OsbourneSharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
, producers chose
Louis WalshLouis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
, a music manager who had represented
BoyzoneBoyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
,
Samantha MumbaSamantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba is an Irish singer and actress.Her first album was released in 2000. Her most notable role was Mara in the 2002 film The Time Machine. She has also appeared in a number of Irish independent films.-Early life, education and early career:Mumba was born in Dublin,...
,
Ronan KeatingRonan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
and
WestlifeWestlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
, and who had judged on the 2001 Irish edition of
Popstars as the third judge.
Presenters
The series was presented by
Davina McCallDavina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :...
, who had hosted the
Popstars finale in 2001, and also hosted
Big BrotherBig Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
,
God's GiftGod's Gift was a British television game show broadcast for 2 series . It was produced by Granada Television and presented from the studio floor by Davina McCall and Claudia Winkleman . Stuart Hall provided the voiceover for both series...
,
StreetmateStreetmate was a dating game show in the UK that first aired on Channel 4 from 30 October 1998 to 9 March 2001 and ran for 3 series. It was hosted by Davina McCall. It returned on 27 September 2007 but it moved to ITV2 as part of the channel's XXL Thursday line-up...
,
Don't Try This at HomeDon't Try This At Home was a reality show produced by LWT with Golden Square Pictures and broadcast on ITV between 16 May 1998 and 1 September 2001. It took up the slot of the Saturday challenge game show slot left by its long running and more sedate predecessor You Bet!...
, and the 2001
BRIT AwardsThe Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
. Former Another Level singer
Dane BowersDane Bowers is an English R&B singer, songwriter, DJ and record producer. He was a part of R&B boyband Another Level between 1997 and 2000 when he performed on seven Top 10 singles...
and former
Popstars and
Pop IdolPop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
contestant
Hayley EvettsHayley Evetts born 4 March 1976 in Birmingham, England is a singer, TV presenter and stage actor. She rose to fame on the hit British TV talent show Pop Idol. She first came to the attention of the public when she appeared on Popstars, the TV show that launched Hear'say and Liberty X. After failing...
presented
Popstars: The Rivals Extra on
ITV2ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
.
Production
Popstars The Rivals drew on the success of the first series of
PopstarsPopstars was a UK talent show series that was broadcast on ITV in early 2001. It was the first UK series of the international Popstars franchise, and was billed as a documentary on the formation of a modern pop group. The series began with audition rounds of aspiring singers performing songs...
, which aired during the winter months of 2000 and 2001, and
Pop IdolPop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
, which aired in the winter months of 2001–2002.
Popstars resulted in the formation of one winning
pop groupPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
,
Hear’SayHear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
, who was selected solely by the judges, but
Pop Idol made extensive use of
viewer interactivityInteractive television describes a number of techniques that allow viewers to interact with television content as they view it.- Definitions :...
with the home audience voting for their favourite act to win the competition either via the show's official website or by calling
premium-rate telephone numberPremium-rate telephone numbers are telephone numbers for telephone calls during which certain services are provided, and for which prices higher than normal are charged. Unlike a normal call, part of the call charge is paid to the service provider, thus enabling businesses to be funded via the calls...
s. In the months since
Popstars finished, the five runners-up of the show had formed their own group,
Liberty XLiberty X were a British pop vocal group formed by the five contestants eliminated from the final ten qualifiers from the 2001 ITV show Popstars. The group consisted of Tony Lundon, Kevin Simm, Michelle Heaton, Kelli Young and Jessica Taylor...
, and were enjoying more commercial success than Hear’Say. The British media had also begun to create a rivalry between the two groups.
The
Popstars producers drew upon this rivalry for
Popstars: The Rivals to create two winning pop groups, a
boy bandA boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
and a
girl groupA girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
, in a "battle of the sexes", to vie for the Christmas Number One spot in the
UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, a traditionally competitive time in the British music market. To further the rivalry, members of the public were to select who would remain in the show by voting for their favourite acts using premium-rate telephone numbers, text messaging, via the
Popstars website, and with the
Red ButtonRed Button is a button on the remote control for certain digital television set top boxes in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and By Directv in the USA. It is for interactive television services such as BBC Red Button and Astro...
on
digital televisionDigital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
remote controlA remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
s. Each week, the singer with the fewest public votes would be eliminated from the competition until five males and five females remained, who would then form the two rival groups. Elements of
Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's
Big BrotherBig Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
, which aired during the summer months since 2000, were used in
Popstars: The Rivals when the final ten boys and final ten girls moved into two houses and lived together, watched by television cameras.
Applications and auditions
Initial
auditionAn audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
s began on 9 August 2002 at the
Wembley Conference CentreWembley Conference Centre was a conference centre near Wembley Stadium, Wembley, in London, England.-History:Opened in 1977, it was the first purpose built Conference Centre in the UK. Events included conferences, corporate hospitality, annual general meetings, banquets and sports events including...
in London. and continued in a number of cities around the United Kingdom. This stage of the competition was broadcast over three episodes, with auditions taking place in London, Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester. Most contestants were invited to audition after sending in video tapes of themselves singing, but open auditions were also held at
Wembley Conference CentreWembley Conference Centre was a conference centre near Wembley Stadium, Wembley, in London, England.-History:Opened in 1977, it was the first purpose built Conference Centre in the UK. Events included conferences, corporate hospitality, annual general meetings, banquets and sports events including...
in
WembleyWembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
, London on 9 August 2002 and at the
Lowry HotelThe Lowry Hotel is located by the River Irwell in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Although the five star hotel named after the artist L. S. Lowry is within the boundaries of the City of Salford, it is promoted as "The Lowry Hotel, Manchester"...
in Manchester a week later. This was in response to the massive demand of the original
Popstars series which had seen thousands turned away due to time restraints. Just two of the hopefuls advanced from the London open auditions.
The open auditions were broadcast across 3 episodes. Around 100 contestants made it through to the next round of the competition.
Bootcamp
The 102 remaining contestants had to travel to London for the bootcamp stage, where they were met by Davina McCall. With only 50 places available in the next round, the judges had tough decisions to make. The contestants were put through various workshops to test both their singing and dancing abilities. All contestants were able to choose and song to perform, while choreographers judged them on their dancing.
After two days of the workshop, 52 contestants failed to progress and left the competition. 13-year-old Stephanie McMichael was eliminated after producers discovered she had lied about her age and was below the age limit.
The final 50 were next reduced to 30 through another series of workshops. Pete Waterman mentored the boys, Louis Walsh oversaw the girls and Geri Halliwell acted as an intermediary between the two groups. After much deliberation, the judges called contestants to see them individually and deliver their verdicts. All the contestants returned home, with 30 left in the competition.
Judges visits
The last two episodes before the live shows saw the final 30 being reduced to a final 20, with five boys and five girls failing to make the cut. The three judges were assigned contestants to visit separately and deliver the good or bad news of whether they had reached the live finals. The remaining contestants would move into a house together for the live stages of the competition.
The ten eliminated acts were:
Boys – Justin Webb, Sean Haven, Owen Doyle, Jacob Thompson, Jeremy Medcalf
Girls –
Kimberly WalshKimberley Walsh is a British slalom canoer who competed in the mid 2000s. She won a silver medal in the K-1 team event at the 2005 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Penrith, west of Sydney.-References:*...
, Pollyanna Woodward,
Nicola RobertsNicola Maria Roberts is a British recording artist and entrepreneur. In 2002 Roberts auditioned for the reality televisions series and competition Popstars The Rivals which saw her finish in the final line-up of a girl group named Girls Aloud...
, Annika Gavitas, Charlie (?)
Finalists
Ten male and ten female finalists were chosen to perform in the live shows. There was some controversy as one of the original finalists, Hazel Kaneswaren, was forced to pull out of the show because she was 10 days too old at the time of the auditions. The show had an age limit of 24 and Hazel had just turned 25. Her situation was further complicated by the fact that she was eight months pregnant. She had the baby in October 2002.
Kimberley WalshKimberley Jane Walsh is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, television presenter and actress. She is best known for being a member of girl group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
, one of the girls who did not make the final 10, took Kaneswaren's place for the live shows. A special half-hour episode was broadcast on 14 October 2002 to show these changes, with Geri Halliwell informing Hazel of her elimination and Louis Walsh inviting Kimberly back onto the show.
Nicola RobertsNicola Maria Roberts is a British recording artist and entrepreneur. In 2002 Roberts auditioned for the reality televisions series and competition Popstars The Rivals which saw her finish in the final line-up of a girl group named Girls Aloud...
, who also failed to make it through, replaced 19 year old
Nicola WardNicola Ward began her television career on UK television show Stars in Their Eyes, where she performed as Britney Spears. In 2001, she successfully auditioned for the initial series of Pop Idol, but was eliminated before the live rounds began. She went on to reach the final ten female contestants...
, who quit the show over what she
considered "exploitation" of contestants by the producers.
| Category | | Acts |
| Boys |
Daniel Pearce Daniel Pearce is an English musician who was a finalist on the reality TV show Popstars The Rivals. He won a place in the boyband One True Voice, which subsequently released two top ten singles, "Sacred Trust"/"After You're Gone" and "Shakespeare's Words...
(23) |
Anton Gordon (19) |
Andrew Kinlochlan (23) |
Peter Smith (23) |
Mikey Greene (21) |
| Chris Park (20) |
Keith Semple (20) |
Jamie Shaw (17) |
Matt Johnson (16) |
Nikk Mager (18) |
| Girls |
Sarah Harding Sarah Nicole Harding is an English singer-songwriter, actress and model best known for being a member of the pop group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
(20) |
Aimee Kearsley (16) |
Cheryl Tweedy Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
(19) |
Emma Beard (18) |
Kimberley Walsh Kimberley Jane Walsh is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, television presenter and actress. She is best known for being a member of girl group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
(20) |
| Lynsey Brown (19) |
Nicola Roberts Nicola Maria Roberts is a British recording artist and entrepreneur. In 2002 Roberts auditioned for the reality televisions series and competition Popstars The Rivals which saw her finish in the final line-up of a girl group named Girls Aloud...
(16) |
Nadine Coyle Nadine Coyle is an Irish singer, songwriter, actress, and model who rose to fame in the early 2000s as a member of the band Six before becoming a member of successful girl-group Girls Aloud. The group amassed a joint fortune of £25 million by May 2009...
(17) |
Javine Hylton Javine Dionne Hylton , often known simply as Javine, is an English singer. She is most notable for representing the UK at Eurovision Song Contest 2005; beating competition favourite, model Katie Price, for the ticket to Kiev...
(20) |
Chloe Staines (18) |
Results summary
Colour key
| – |
Contestant was in the bottom three/four but was declared safe. |
| – |
Contestant was in the bottom two but was declared safe. |
| – |
Contestant was eliminated |
| – |
Contestant qualified for One True Voice One True Voice were a British boyband created on the ITV television series Popstars: The Rivals, which also produced girl group Girls Aloud. The band was created by the public, who voted for their favourite hopefuls each week...
or Girls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
. |
| – |
Contestant decided to leave the competition. |
Boys
Weekly results per contestant
| Contestant |
Week 1 |
Week 3 |
Week 5 |
Week 7 (Final) |
| Anton Gordon |
Safe |
Safe |
Bottom three |
Qualified |
| Matt Johnson |
Safe |
Safe |
Bottom two |
Qualified |
| Daniel Pearce |
Safe |
Safe |
Safe |
Qualified |
| Keith Semple |
Safe |
Safe |
Safe |
Qualified |
| Jamie Shaw |
Bottom three |
Safe |
Safe |
Bottom two - Qualified |
| Chris Park |
Bottom two |
Safe |
Safe |
Eliminated |
| Mikey Greene |
Safe |
Safe |
Eliminated |
Eliminated (week 5) |
| Nikk Mager |
Safe |
Eliminated |
Eliminated (week 3) |
| Peter Smith |
Safe |
Withdrew |
Withdrew (week 3) |
| Andrew Kinlochlan |
Eliminated |
Eliminated (week 1) |
Girls
Weekly results per contestant
| Contestant |
Week 2 |
Week 4 |
Week 6 |
Week 8 (Final) |
| Nadine Coyle |
Safe |
Safe |
Safe |
Qualified |
| Nicola Roberts |
Safe |
Safe |
Safe |
Qualified |
| Cheryl Tweedy |
Safe |
Bottom four |
Bottom two |
Qualified |
| Kimberly Walsh |
Bottom three |
Bottom four |
Bottom four |
Qualified |
| Sarah Harding |
Safe |
Safe |
Bottom four |
Bottom two - Qualified |
| Javine Hylton |
Safe |
Safe |
Safe |
Eliminated |
| Aimee Kearsley |
Safe |
Safe |
Eliminated |
Eliminated (week 5) |
| Emma Beard |
Bottom two |
Eliminated |
Eliminated (week 3) |
| Chloe Staines |
Safe |
Eliminated |
Eliminated (week 3) |
| Lynsey Brown |
Eliminated |
Eliminated (week 1) |
Live show details
The live shows took on a format where the girls and boys performed on alternate weeks. After the performances had ended the public voted via telephone or the red button to save their favourite act. The live shows were broadcast in two parts, with the performances in the first episode and the results in the second. In the initial episodes, the three contestants with the lowest number of votes made up a bottom three. One was immediately told they were safe and the other two had a nervous wait before one was saved and the other left the competition. In weeks 3 and 4, two contestants were eliminated from each category. The person who was knocked out had to sing again at the end of the show after seeing a montage of their competition journey.
In the final, the six remaining male and female singers performed. Five of the boys formed
One True VoiceOne True Voice were a British boyband created on the ITV television series Popstars: The Rivals, which also produced girl group Girls Aloud. The band was created by the public, who voted for their favourite hopefuls each week...
and five of the girls formed
Girls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
.
The first live show was broadcast on
ITV1ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
on 12 October 2002. The live final took place over two weeks, a couple of weeks before
ChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
on 23 November for the boys and 30 November for the girls.
Week 1 (12 October 2002)
Category performing:
Boys
Bottom three:
Jamie Shaw, Chris Park and Andrew Kinlochlan received the lowest number of votes and ended up in the bottom three. Jamie was told that he was safe, leaving Andrew and Chris in the bottom two.
Andrew was eliminated.
Week 2 (19 October 2002)
Category performing:
Girls
Bottom three: Linsey Brown, Emma Beard and Kimberley Walsh received the lowest number of votes and ended up in the bottom three. Kimberley was told that she was safe, leaving Linsey and Emma in the bottom two.
Linsey was eliminated.
Week 3 (26 October 2002)
Category performing:
Boys
*Note:
Two of the male contestants were due to be eliminated via the public vote in this show. However in the results show, Peter Smith shocked everyone (including the judges) as he announced that he was actually several months too old to be involved in the competition and left the show. This meant that only one of the singers would be voted out by the television audience and there was no bottom three.
Nikk Mager received the lowest number of votes and was eliminated.
Week 4 (2 November 2002)
Category performing:
Girls
Davina announced at the beginning of the show that two girls would be leaving the competition this week.
All the girls got positive comments from at least two of the three judges. Nadine received the best verdict from the judges. After she had performed "Fields of Gold", Louis told her "The performance of the night. Stole the show for me" while Geri said "I'd love to buy a single of yours already".
The girls were split into two groups and were told that one girl would be eliminated from each group. The four girls with the lowest votes were Kimberley Walsh, Chloe Staines, Emma Beard and Cheryl Tweedy.
Chloe and
Emma were the two girls who were knocked out.
Week 5 (9 November 2002)
Category performing:
Boys
Bottom three: Only one contestant was eliminated this week. Anton Gordon, Mikey Greene and Matthew Johnson received the lowest number of votes and ended up in the bottom three. Anton was told that he was safe, leaving Mikey and Matthew in the bottom two.
Mikey was eliminated.
Week 6 (16 November 2002)
Category performing:
Girls
Nadine, Javine and Nicola found out they had made it to the final when the results were announced. Cheryl, Sarah, Kimberley and Aimee knew that one of them would be heading home. Davina then revealed that Sarah and Kimberley were through, leaving Cheryl and Aimee pushing for the one remaining spot.
Aimee was eliminated.
Week 7 - Boys final (23 November 2002)
The boys' final was broadcast on
ITV1ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
on November 23, 2002. Each of the singers performed one song before the public voted for who they wanted in the band. The contestants knew that one of them would miss out.
Results:
Davina McCall returned in the results show to announce the five boys who had qualified. Matthew Johnson became the first member and he was followed by Keith Semple, Daniel Pearce and Anton Gordon. This left Jamie Shaw and Chris Park fighting for the last remaining spot. Davina revealed that Jamie was the final member of the band, meaning
Chris was eliminated.
Week 8 - Girls final (30 November 2002)
The girls final was broadcast on ITV1 a week later, on 30 November 2002. As with the boys there were six contestants remaining so one would lose out on a place in the band.
Note: Sarah was suffering from a sore throat prior to the live show but still managed to perform.
Results:
Davina returned in the results show to reveal the lucky five who had made the band. Cheryl was the first to hear her name called out, despite the negative comments from the judges, and she was joined by Nicola, Nadine and Kimberley. Sarah and Javine were therefore in the bottom and Sarah eventually found out she was to become the fifth member of the group.
Javine was eliminated.
Battle for Christmas number-one
A month after
Girls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
had been formed, ITV broadcast a special show on 22 December 2002 to reveal which of the two groups (if either) had made it to number one in the
UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The show connected with Neil Fox at the
Pepsi Chart Show studios where he ran down the top 10 singles before revealing the act that had charted highest. Girls Aloud were the lucky ones, with their song "
Sound of the Underground"Sound of the Underground" is the debut single by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, later featured on their debut album of the same name. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, and Niara Scarlett, and produced by Higgins and his production team Xenomania...
" reaching number one with first week sales of around 213,000. "Sacred Trust"/"After You're Gone", the double A-side from One True Voice went straight in at number two having sold close to 137,000 copies, while another
Popstars: The Rivals act,
The Cheeky GirlsThe Cheeky Girls are a pop duo consisting of twin sisters Gabriela and Monica Irimia, from Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania, Romania, but based in Britain. After appearing as auditionees in Popstars: The Rivals, they achieved success in the charts with four top ten hits between 2002 and 2004...
charted at number three. "Sound of the Underground" remained at number one for four weeks in total, stretching into 2003.
The girls performed their new single live together for the second time at the end of the programme. Both acts had premiered their debut singles a couple of weeks before on
Popstars: The Rivals.
Girls Aloud
Following on from their Christmas number one, the female winners
Girls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
released their debut album
Sound of the Underground in May 2003 and it went to Number 2 in the
UK albums chartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. They released three singles in 2003 which charted in the top 3 in the UK. They have been successful in achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK Top 10 singles (including four number ones), two UK number one albums, and having been nominated for four
BRIT AwardsThe Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
, winning Best Single in 2009 for "
The Promise"The Promise" is a pop song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their fifth studio album Out of Control . The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania...
".
Each of the girls have also launched careers outside of the band.
Cheryl ColeCheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
has become a successful solo artist in her own right, following a guest appearance on
will.i.amWilliam James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
's "
Heartbreaker"Heartbreaker" is the second single from rapper will.i.am's third album Songs About Girls. The British single version features guest vocals from Cheryl Cole; this version was also featured on Cole's debut solo album 3 Words which was released in October 2009.-Release and reception:Cheryl Cole's...
" in 2008. Her debut solo single "
Fight for This Love"Fight for This Love" is a song by British recording artist Cheryl Cole, taken from her debut studio album, 3 Words. Initially, the song was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the lead single on 16 October 2009 by Fascination Records however, in 2010 it was also released in Europe as the...
" saw international success, reaching number one in Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, as well as top ten in eleven others. Her album
3 Words3 Words is the debut studio album from British pop singer Cheryl Cole, released on 23 October 2009 by Fascination Records. The project is Cole's first solo release following a break from releasing material with her band Girls Aloud whom after seven years have enjoyed five successful albums and...
was certified three times platinum in the UK. Cole is also a judge on the highly popular series
The X FactorThe X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
and a
L'OréalThe L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
spokesperson.
Nadine CoyleNadine Coyle is an Irish singer, songwriter, actress, and model who rose to fame in the early 2000s as a member of the band Six before becoming a member of successful girl-group Girls Aloud. The group amassed a joint fortune of £25 million by May 2009...
released her debut album through a partnership with
TescoTesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
in November 2010. She has worked with numerous songwriters and producers including
Steve BookerSteve Booker is an award-winning British music producer and songwriter best known for "Mercy", "Stepping Stone" and "Rain on Your Parade", three hits he produced and co-wrote for Duffy's Brit and Grammy award winning debut album "Rockferry"...
,
Guy ChambersGuy Chambers is an English songwriter and record producer, perhaps best known for his long partnership with Robbie Williams.- Biography :...
,
Toby GadTobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
,
Tony KanalTony Kanal is an English musician, record producer and songwriter. Kanal is the bassist for the American rock band No Doubt...
, and
William OrbitWilliam Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
.
Following an appearance in the BBC television film
FreefallFreefall is a BBC television film written and directed by Dominic Savage, that premièred on BBC Two on 14 July 2009.Set in the fall of 2007, Freefall is a dramatic satire of the mortgage crisis that led to the worldwide economic downturn...
,
Sarah HardingSarah Nicole Harding is an English singer-songwriter, actress and model best known for being a member of the pop group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
had a starring role in the film
St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold. Harding recorded three solo songs for the soundtrack.
Nicola RobertsNicola Maria Roberts is a British recording artist and entrepreneur. In 2002 Roberts auditioned for the reality televisions series and competition Popstars The Rivals which saw her finish in the final line-up of a girl group named Girls Aloud...
decided to start a solo career of her own. In June 2011, she released her debut single
Beat of My Drum"Beat of My Drum" is a song by British recording artist Nicola Roberts. It was released on 3 June 2011, via Polydor Records, as the first single from Roberts's debut solo album, Cinderella's Eyes. It had an on-air, on-sale release date which meant originally it received no prior promotion,...
which was critically acclaimed. September saw the release of Roberts' debut album
Cinderella's EyesCinderella's Eyes is the debut studio album by English recording artist Nicola Roberts. A member of the British five-piece girl-band Girls Aloud, Roberts drew inspiration from her time with the band...
which was also critically acclaimed by many reveiwers. Roberts also created Dainty Doll, a make-up range aimed at fair-skinned individuals like herself. She has become vocal in her support of laws preventing minors from using sunbeds, in addition to highlighting the dangers of tanning in a
BBC ThreeBBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
documentary
Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning. In 2010, she filmed a guest appearance on
Britain's Next Top ModelBritain and Ireland's Next Top Model is a British reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of Britain's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modelling industry...
.
Kimberley WalshKimberley Jane Walsh is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, television presenter and actress. She is best known for being a member of girl group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
has become a notable television presenter, following her appearances alongside Cole on
The X Factor, her coverage of the
63rd British Academy Film AwardsThe 63rd British Academy Film Awards, hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, took place on 21 February 2010 and honoured the best films of 2009. The Hurt Locker took home the most awards, receiving 6 BAFTAS...
for
MTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, and a stint co-presenting
The 5 O'Clock ShowThe 5 O'Clock Show was a daytime television chat show, which replaced The Paul O'Grady Show and is shown on Channel 4. It is presented by guest hosts every week. The format is along the same lines as O'Grady's show and consists of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts and musical performances...
. She is currently hosting
Suck my popSuck My Pop is a comedy music chat show presented by Kimberley Walsh and Will Best. It is a weekly show, currently showing on Fridays at 7pm, covering music and celebrity news...
for
VivaViva is a music video and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel was officially launched on 26 October 2009 by Alexandra Burke, with an exclusive live performance of her single "Bad Boys". The channel replaced TMF. The channel is owned by MTV Networks Europe and was...
alongside Will Best. Walsh has also modeled for high street chain New Look and
SchwarzkopfHenkel AG & Co. KGaA is an multinational company headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany.The company operates in three business areas: Home Care , Personal Care ,...
hair products.
One True Voice
One True VoiceOne True Voice were a British boyband created on the ITV television series Popstars: The Rivals, which also produced girl group Girls Aloud. The band was created by the public, who voted for their favourite hopefuls each week...
, the winning male group, had a very different level of success. After the disappointment of missing out on the top spot with their debut single and despite the
Popstars: The Rivals joint tour with Girls Aloud being cancelled due to poor sales, they released a further single entitled "
Shakespeare's (Way With) WordsShakespeare's Words is a 2003 single by Popstars: The Rivals male winners. It was released on June 2, 2003. The song was the second and final release by the band as they split up in August 2003 without having brought out an album.-Track listing:...
" which only just reached the top 10 in the summer of 2003.
Daniel PearceDaniel Pearce is an English musician who was a finalist on the reality TV show Popstars The Rivals. He won a place in the boyband One True Voice, which subsequently released two top ten singles, "Sacred Trust"/"After You're Gone" and "Shakespeare's Words...
quit the group at the beginning of June 2003 and, despite the band denying reports that the group was going to split, they inevitably broke up in August 2003. Pearce later went on to audition for the 2009 series of
The X FactorThe X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
, reaching the judges' houses stage before being eliminated. Keith Semple moved to the United States and became the lead singer of
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based rock band 7th Heaven. He auditioned for the
ninth seasonThe ninth season of American Idol premiered on January 12, 2010 and concluded on May 26, 2010 on Fox. Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi all returned as judges, and Ellen DeGeneres permanently replaced Paula Abdul as the fourth judge. Idol Gives Back also returned for the season and was...
of
American IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, but lost his "golden ticket" place due to his legal status and residency considerations.
Other contestants
A number of the contestants who failed to make it into One True Voice or Girls Aloud have managed to achieve some level of success outside of the show. The five boys who did not make it into One True Voice formed the group
PhixxPhixx were an English boy band formed in 2003 from the five runners up on British TV show Popstars: The Rivals. The original members were Andrew Kinlochan, Chris Park, Mikey Green, Peter Smith, and Nikk Mager. Between 2003 and 2005 they had four top 20 singles in the UK...
after being given a £500,000 record deal with independent record label
Concept RecordsConcept Records is a small UK-based independent record label headquartered in London.The company was founded in 1999 by former A&R man for Jive Records and Warner Bros. Records Max Bloom...
, the label of
PopstarsPopstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
rejects
Liberty XLiberty X were a British pop vocal group formed by the five contestants eliminated from the final ten qualifiers from the 2001 ITV show Popstars. The group consisted of Tony Lundon, Kevin Simm, Michelle Heaton, Kelli Young and Jessica Taylor...
. Four of the five girls who failed to qualify for Girls Aloud created
CLEAClea was an English girl group whose members met on the television show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. Chloe Morgan , Lynsey Brown, Emma Beard, and Aimee Kearsley, decided to form a band after they were voted off the series...
(the name comes from each girl's initials).
Javine HyltonJavine Dionne Hylton , often known simply as Javine, is an English singer. She is most notable for representing the UK at Eurovision Song Contest 2005; beating competition favourite, model Katie Price, for the ticket to Kiev...
decided to pursue a career as a solo artist, with a debut single
Real Things"Real Things" is the debut single by English singer Javine Hylton. The single, which features a sample of M.O.P.'s "Ante Up", reached the top 5 in the UK singles chart and is currently the biggest hit of her career to date.-Release history:-Charts:...
reaching the top 10 in the United Kingdom. She was also chosen to represent the
United Kingdom at theThe United Kingdom was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 by "Touch My Fire" performed by Javine.Javine Hylton was born on 27 December 1981 and as a yougster enjoyed listening to her mother’s collection of soul and reggae albums. At the age of 10, she was offered an arts scholarship...
Eurovision Song Contest 2005The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
, where she performed a song called "
Touch My Fire"Touch My Fire" is the fifth single by UK R&B star Javine. The single was the UK's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest for 2005 and her first for Island Records. It was the first new material from Javine since her debut album, "Surrender", was released in 2004.The single reached the #18 in the UK...
".
Two girls from Romania who did not make it past the auditions, Monica and Gabriela, were given a record deal to release songs as
The Cheeky GirlsThe Cheeky Girls are a pop duo consisting of twin sisters Gabriela and Monica Irimia, from Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania, Romania, but based in Britain. After appearing as auditionees in Popstars: The Rivals, they achieved success in the charts with four top ten hits between 2002 and 2004...
. They charted one place behind One True Voice in the 2002 Christmas countdown with "
The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)"Cheeky Song " is a 2002 single by Popstars The Rivals contestants The Cheeky Girls. The song was released while the show was still running, on 9 December 2002, and was later included on their debut album PartyTime. It spent four non-consecutive weeks at number two in the UK Singles Chart in...
" and released an album entitled
PartyTime. They went on to release several more singles, including "Take Your Shoes Off" and "Hooray Hooray It's A Cheeky Holiday".
When
CLEAClea was an English girl group whose members met on the television show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. Chloe Morgan , Lynsey Brown, Emma Beard, and Aimee Kearsley, decided to form a band after they were voted off the series...
disbanded, members Aimee Kearsley and Emma Beard formed a group named LoveShy and attempted to be the British entry for the 2008
Eurovision Song Contest but were knocked out by another girl group,
The RevelationsThe Revelations are a British based girl group formed in 2005.The members are of British, Swedish and Portuguese extraction, consisting of Swedish blonde Annika Magnberg , Portuguese brunette Sarah Vitorino , and redhead Louise Masters...
. Former
PhixxPhixx were an English boy band formed in 2003 from the five runners up on British TV show Popstars: The Rivals. The original members were Andrew Kinlochan, Chris Park, Mikey Green, Peter Smith, and Nikk Mager. Between 2003 and 2005 they had four top 20 singles in the UK...
member Nikk Mager auditioned for
The X FactorThe X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
in 2008, in front of
Cheryl ColeCheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
from Girls Aloud. He failed to advance through the audition stages. Stephanie McMichael, a contestant who pretended she was 16 but then revealed she was 13, later went on and appeared as a contestant on
Big Brother 2008Big Brother 2008 was the ninth series of the British reality television series Big Brother, that aired on Channel 4 and E4. The series was launched on 5 June 2008, and ran for 13 weeks until 5 September 2008. The winner of Big Brother 2008 was Rachel Rice who beat bookies' favourite Michael Hughes...
. She was the first to be evicted, and later released a single called "Camera Shy", and went on to audition for
The X FactorThe X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
.
Ratings
| Programme |
Episode |
UK Air Date |
Timeslot |
Viewers (millions) |
Weekly Rank |
| 1 |
?? |
7 September 2002 |
19:15 |
7.6 |
19 |
| 2 |
?? |
14 September 2002 |
19:15 |
7.6 |
13 |
| 3 |
?? |
21 September 2002 |
19:10 |
6.8 |
15 |
| 4 |
?? |
28 September 2002 |
19:00 |
7.0 |
14 |
| 5 |
?? |
5 October 2002 |
19:00 |
7.8 |
12 |
| 6 |
?? |
5 October 2002 |
21:15 |
6.5 |
17 |
| 7 |
?? |
6 October 2002 |
19:00 |
5.3 |
24 |
| 8 |
?? |
12 October 2002 |
20:25 |
6.6 |
16 |
| 9 |
?? |
19 October 2002 |
19:00 |
7.2 |
16 |
| 10 |
?? |
26 October 2002 |
19:00 |
7.4 |
15 |
| 11 |
?? |
26 October 2002 |
21:05 |
7.4 |
16 |
| 12 |
?? |
2 November 2002 |
19:00 |
7.2 |
15 |
| 13 |
?? |
2 November 2002 |
21:05 |
6.8 |
19 |
| 14 |
?? |
9 November 2002 |
19:10 |
7.2 |
16 |
| 15 |
?? |
16 November 2002 |
19:05 |
7.3 |
17 |
| 16 |
?? |
23 November 2002 |
18:55 |
7.2 |
16 |
| 17 |
?? |
23 November 2002 |
20:55 |
8.9 |
10 |
| 18 |
?? |
30 November 2002 |
18:55 |
7.3 |
14 |
| 19 |
?? |
30 November 2002 |
20:55 |
8.5 |
10 |
| 20 |
?? |
7 December 2002 |
19:35 |
7.2 |
16 |
| 21 |
?? |
14 December 2002 |
18:45 |
5.4 |
24 |
| 22 |
?? |
22 December 2002 |
18:30 |
6.0 |
20 |
Controversy and criticism
As well as contestants being forced out for being over and under the age limit, ITV was met with controversy amid claims that the voting had been rigged in the girls final. It was claimed that viewers wanted to vote for Javine Hylton had been unable to register their votes, with some votes apparently being given to Sarah Harding in error. Hylton ultimately missed out on the final spot in Girls Aloud, which was given to Harding.
London radio station Capital FM received complaints from viewers during their news bulletin. However, the company Red Fig who handled the voting, denied the viewers claims. A spokesman for the show also said they were "satisfied" with the procedure.
Sponsorship
McDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
sponsored the show in a
£The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
4 million deal which covered the programmes on ITV1 and ITV2 and the official website. The sponsorship provided promotion for the show nationwide in McDonald's restaurants. Martin Strowde, the sponsorship director at
Granada TelevisionGranada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
said "We're delighted that McDonald's has teamed up with us for what promises to be the most exciting hit this autumn".
See also
- Popstars (UK)
- Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
- Fame Academy
Fame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
- The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
- Popstars (UK) discography
External links