what is the history of pop idols from the uk

[Faezakhan]

what is the history of pop idols in the uk

[mikewith]

It was the phenomenally successful follow-up to a show called 'Popstars', which lead to the creation of a completely manufactured group called Hear'Say (now appearing in bargain bins and secondhand shops across the land). Pop Idols is the brain child of Simon Fuller (ex-manager Spice Girls, also S Club 7) and Simon Cowell (record company A&R and now a celebrity 'baddie' in the UK through his appearances on the show). It was a huge success, dominating TV, splashed all over the papers.... even the serious ones. Lovers of 'real' music were horrified, but they (we!) were in a tiny minority. And the terrible news is -- wherever you are in the world -- the format is coming to a TV set near you.World domination beckons. (And the music? For what it's worth, the music is almost uniformly awful).

[karstdejong]

Cowell basically came up with the idea while doing A&R for RCA. He went to ITV with it, who promptly took it on board. This is an artcile on him: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4
339389,00.html