Simon Cowell is to reunite with a former co-star for a brand new Netflix show where he will create a new boyband, 15 years on from the success of One Direction
Simon Cowell is to reunite with a former co-star for a brand new Netflix show. The music mogul, 65, was the king of the talent show format in the late 2000s as he headed up The X Factor and starred alongside Cheryl, Dannii Minogue, Louis Walsh and Tulisa amongst a host of others over its lengthy run.
During the long run of the ITV talent show, he discovered stars such as One Direction, Alexandra Burke, Olly Murs, Little Mix as well as scores of others. But before The X Factor began its run in 2004, Simon was actually a judge on Pop Idol, the original series that brought Gareth Gates, Will Young and Zoe Birkett to nationwide attention. He was on the panel of the Ant and Dec-fronted programme alongside fellow record producer Pete Waterman, who has now revealed that the pair have been working together once again, this time heading up a programme titled The Next Act for the streaming giant, in which they will be on the hunt for a new boyband together.
Speaking about the new show, which will be released as a six-parter in December this year, Pete said: “I have been doing some filming with Simon for the show.”
Pete famously created The Hit Factory in the 1980s alongside Matt Aitken and Mike Stock, and they launched pop acts such as Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Sonia to mainstream success.
In the late 1990s, Pete enjoyed further success with dance group Steps, and then joined Pop Idol in 2002 along with Simon, Nicki Chapman and Neil Fox.
Speaking to the Daily Star, he added: “It’s great fun to be doing something together again. We are best mates. I agreed to do it straightaway. If Simon asked me to walk across hot coals, I’d do it!”
Pop Idol was a world-first in that it allowed the public to vote for a newcomer to land a record deal. It followed on from Popstars, which documented the process behind the creation of a band with Hear’Say and led to runners-up Liberty X also enjoying chart success.
The following year, viewers watched Popstars: The Rivals, which saw the creation of Girls Aloud as they battled against One True Voice for the Christmas number one.
The Pop Idol franchise ended in 2003 following Michelle McManus’s victory, and Simon launched The X Factor onto the network the following year. The show ran for more than a decade.
