Pop Idol series 1 explained

Module1:
Judges:Simon Cowell
Neil Fox
Nicki Chapman
Pete Waterman
Host:Ant & Dec (ITV)
Kate Thornton (ITV2)
Winner:Will Young
Runner Up:Gareth Gates
Network:ITV
ITV2 (Pop Idol Extra)

The first series of British reality television show Pop Idol was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom during the winter months of 2001 and 2002. The show was a singing competition open to people aged between 16 and 26 years old, with the winner receiving a £1 million recording contract to release their debut album. Pop Idol received ratings of as high as 10 million viewers for shows before the live final.[1] The footage of the programme's opening titles, as well as the live final of this series, was used in the first season of American Idol, which began over four months after the airing of the live final, in which Kelly Clarkson won the season.

Auditions were held during the early months and summer of 2001 in various locations across the United Kingdom. Selected acts were broadcast on a series of audition programmes in October 2001. The first live show was broadcast on 15 December 2001 and the live final was held on 9 February 2002. The competition was won by Will Young,[2] with Gareth Gates finishing as the runner-up after a public vote. Both of the finalists went on to have chart successes with both their debut releases and subsequent material. Third-placed Darius Danesh also gained a record deal and achieved a string of top-40 hits in the United Kingdom, including a number-one single.[3]

The live shows were broadcast in two parts on Saturday evenings. Each of the contestants sang in an early show at around 19:00 GMT and the results were given in a show broadcast later in the evening.

Judges and Presenters

The show had four judges, Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman, Nicki Chapman and Neil Fox, who gave comments on both the auditions and live performances of the singers. Chapman had also been a judge on the first series of Popstars, a previous ITV talent show with a similar format. Waterman was later a judge on , the second and final series of Popstars.

Presenting duo Ant & Dec hosted the main shows on ITV, with Kate Thornton presenting the spin-off programme Pop Idol Extra on ITV2.

Finals

Finalists

FinalistAge *FromStatus
Korben21LondonEliminated 1st in Week 1
Rik Waller22GillinghamWithdrew in Week 2
Jessica Garlick20KidwellyEliminated 2nd in Week 2
Aaron Bayley26NewcastleEliminated 3rd in Week 3
Laura Doherty19DerryEliminated 4th in Week 4
Rosie Ribbons18AlltwenEliminated 5th in Week 5
Hayley Evetts25BirminghamEliminated 6th in Week 6
Zoe Birkett16County DurhamEliminated 7th in Week 7
Darius Danesh21GlasgowEliminated 8th in Week 8
Gareth Gates17BradfordRunner-up
Will Young22WokinghamWinner

Heats and live shows

The heats began airing on 3 November 2001, and consisted of five heats of ten singers. The performance shows were prerecorded on the previous Wednesday, and were shown on the Saturday, with the live results shows following after. Contestants dressed the same to create the illusion that the earlier performances were live. The two contestants from each heat with the most votes progressed to the top 10, where all shows were live. The live shows began on 15 December 2001, and continued through to the live final on 9 February 2002.

Results summary

Colour key
 –Contestant was in the bottom two
–Contestant was in the bottom three
–Contestant received the fewest public votes and was eliminated
–Contestant received the most public votes (weeks 1-8)
 –Contestant won the competition
Stage:HeatsLive shows
Week:
PlaceContestant
1Will Young
41.5%		1st
27.3%		1st
22.6%		1st
21.3%		1st
29.8%		2nd
25.2%		2nd
24.0%		2nd
27.9%		1st
39.8%		Winner
53.1%
2Gareth Gates
62.0%		2nd
26.3%		2nd
20.8%		2nd
21.0%		2nd
23.3%		1st
36.6%		1st
25.4%		1st
28.7%		2nd
39.3%		Runner-up
46.9%
3Darius Danesh3rd
19.9%		N/A3rd
19.0%		3rd
18.2%		3rd
18.0%		4th
13.3%		3rd
23.7%		3rd
24.5%		3rd
20.9%		Eliminated (Week 8)
4Zoe Birkett2nd
10.0%		3rd
10.8%		4th
14.2%		4th
11.4%		5th
7.8%		3rd
14.0%		4th
15.6%		4th
18.9%		Eliminated
(Week 7)
5Hayley Evetts1st
33.2%		6th
6.8%		5th
5.1%		5th
8.4%		4th
10.8%		5th
5.8%		5th
11.3%		Eliminated
(Week 6)
6Rosie Ribbons1st
51.2%		4th
10.5%		7th
4.8%		7th
6.9%		6th
5.5%		6th
5.1%		Eliminated
(Week 5)
7Laura Doherty2nd
30.8%		8th
4.3%		8th
4.3%		6th
7.1%		7th
4.8%		Eliminated
(Week 4)
8Aaron Bayley2nd
24.9%		5th
6.8%		6th
5.4%		8th
5.7%		Eliminated
(Week 3)
9Jessica Garlick2nd
12.4%		7th
4.6%		9th
3.8%		Eliminated
(Week 2)
10Rik Waller1st
25.6%		N/AQuitWithdrew
(week 2)
11Korben2nd
24.7%		9th
2.6%		Eliminated
(Week 1)
Heat 5Sarah Whatmore4th
19.8%		Eliminated (Heat 5)
Vanessa Cavanagh5th
3.5%%		Eliminated (Heat 5)
Jade CannellEliminatedEliminated (Heat 5)
Rachel MakinsEliminated (Heat 5)
Davina PereraEliminated (Heat 5)
Joanne SlatteryEliminated (Heat 5)
Hayley BamfordEliminated (Heat 5)
Heat 4Natalie Anderson3rd
12.6%		Eliminated (Heat 4)
Tania Elise Foster4th
5.9%		Eliminated (Heat 4)
Rebecca Govan5th
3.9%		Eliminated (Heat 4)
Sally GoodisonEliminatedEliminated (Heat 4)
Zoey Callandria JonesEliminated (Heat 4)
Lucinda O'ConnelEliminated (Heat 4)
Scott SadariEliminated (Heat 4)
Craig ThomasEliminated (Heat 4)
Heat 3Oliver Manson3rd
8.8%		Eliminated (Heat 3)
Sandi McCash4th
8.5%		Eliminated (Heat 3)
Christopher Mason5th
8.3%		Eliminated (Heat 3)
Suraya Klein-SmithEliminatedEliminated (Heat 3)
Anthony BateyEliminated (Heat 3)
Helen FarrarEliminated (Heat 3)
Andrew DerbyshireEliminated (Heat 3)
Carla WintersEliminated (Heat 3)
Heat 2David Wilson3rd
11.5%		Eliminated (Heat 2)
Katie Neiman4th
8.3%		Eliminated (Heat 2)
Nicola Thomas5th
7.6%		Eliminated (Heat 2)
Nikk MagerEliminatedEliminated (Heat 2)
Jonathan CampbelEliminated (Heat 2)
Kerry PittEliminated (Heat 2)
Chris GazzardEliminated (Heat 2)
Joanne BirchallEliminated (Heat 2)
Heat 1Haifa Kayali3rd
9.0%		Eliminated (Heat 1)
Christopher Tame4th
7.0%		Eliminated (Heat 1)
Juliana Hoy5th
6.0%		Eliminated (Heat 1)
Paula-Jade CreminEliminatedEliminated (Heat 1)
Andy LoveEliminated (Heat 1)
Laverne Scott-RobertsEliminated (Heat 1)
Jayne StalaEliminated (Heat 1)
Ian JohnstoneEliminated (Heat 1)

Live show details

Heat 1 (3 November 2001 - recorded on 31 October 2001)

Act! scope="col"
OrderFromSongResult
Laverne Scott-Roberts1Winsford"Can't Fight the Moonlight" (LeAnn Rimes)Eliminated
Zoe Birkett2Darlington"One Moment in Time" (Whitney Houston)Advanced – (2nd place)
Errol Edwards3Basford"Another Day in Paradise" (Phil Collins)Eliminated
Juliana Hoy4Renfrew"One for Sorrow" (Steps)Eliminated – (5th place)
Paula-Jade Cremin 5Cricklewood"The Greatest Love of All" (George Benson)Eliminated
Christopher Tame6Thirsk"All or Nothing" (O-Town)Eliminated – (4th place)
Jayne Stala7Nottingham"Isn't She Lovely" (Stevie Wonder)Eliminated
Gareth Gates8Bradford"Flying Without Wings" (Westlife)Advanced – (1st place)
Haifa Kayali9Chigwell"Unbreak My Heart" (Toni Braxton)Eliminated – (3rd place)
Andy Love10Berkhamsted"Man in the Mirror" (Michael Jackson)Eliminated
Notes:

Heat 2 (10 November 2001 - Recorded on 7 November 2001)

Act! scope="col"
OrderFromSongResult
Joanne Birchall1Liverpool"Chain Reaction" (Diana Ross)Eliminated
Hayley Evetts2Birmingham"I Have Nothing" (Whitney Houston)Advanced – (1st place)
Chris Gazzard3Bromley"Lately" (Stevie Wonder)Eliminated
Kerry Pitt4Hemel Hempstead"Touch Me in the Morning" (Diana Ross)Eliminated
Jonathan Campbell5Cumbernauld"Deeper Shade of Blue" (Steps)Eliminated
Nikk Mager6Halifax"When You Say Nothing at All" (Ronan Keating)Eliminated
Laura Doherty7Derry"Tears in Heaven" (Eric Clapton)Advanced – (2nd place)
Katie Neiman8Hove"From This Moment On" (Shania Twain)Eliminated – (4th place)
David Wilson9Gateshead"Love Is All Around" (The Troggs)Eliminated – (3rd place)
Nicola Thomas10East Finchley"Finally" (CeCe Peniston) Eliminated – (5th place)
Notes;

Heat 3 (17 November 2001 - Recorded on 14 November 2001)

Act! scope="col"
OrderFromSongResult
Jessica Garlick1Kidwelly"Crazy for You" (Madonna)Advanced – (2nd place)
Andrew Derbyshire2Burnley"Wind Beneath My Wings" (Bette Midler)Eliminated
Suraya Klein-Smith3Bethnal Green"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (Aerosmith)Eliminated
Oliver Manson4Harrow"I Swear" (All-4-One)Eliminated – (3rd place)
Carla Winters5Croydon"Get Here" (Oleta Adams)Eliminated
Sandi McCash6Dundee"Perfect" (Fairground Attraction)Eliminated – (4th place)
Anthony Batey 7"Against All Odds" (Phil Collins)Eliminated
Helen Farrar8Luton"Say a Little Prayer (Dionne Warwick)Eliminated
Christopher Mason9Solihull"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Elton John)Eliminated – (5th place)
Rosie Ribbons10Alltwen"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (Bryan Adams)Advanced – (1st place)
Notes;

Heat 4 (24 November 2001 - Recorded on 21 November 2001)

Act! scope="col"
OrderFrom SongResult
Lucinda O'Connell1Nottinghamshire"How Do I Live" (LeAnn Rimes)Eliminated
Craig Thomas2Cardiff"I Believe I Can Fly" (R.Kelly)Eliminated
Sally Goodison3Barnsley"Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (Eurythmics)Eliminated
Scott Sadari4London"You've Got a Friend" (Carole King)Eliminated
Natalie Anderson5West Yorkshire"Hero" (Mariah Carey)Eliminated – (3rd place)
Zoey Callandria Jones6Lancaster"Think Twice" (Celine Dion)Eliminated
Korben7Bedford"From the Heart" (Another Level)Advanced – (2nd place)
Tania Elise Foster8Brixton"Killing Me Softly" (The Fugees)Eliminated – (4th place)
Rebecca Govan9Manchester"Out of Reach" (Gabrielle)Eliminated – (5th place)
Will Young10Wokingham"Light My Fire" (The Doors)Advanced – (1st place)
Notes:

Heat 5 (1 December 2001 - Recorded on 28 November 2001)

Act! scope="col"
OrderFrom SongResult
Davina Perera1Kent"Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler)Eliminated
Rachel Makins2Melton Mowbray"Torn" (Ednaswap)Eliminated
Vanessa Cavanagh3Greenford"End of the Line" (Honeyz)Eliminated – (5th place)
Rik Waller4Gillingham"I Can't Make You Love Me" (George Michael)Advanced – (1st place)
Joanne Slattery5Southport"Relight My Fire" (Dan Hartman)Eliminated
Hayley Bamford6Yorkshire"Saving All My Love for You" (Whitney Houston)Eliminated
Darius Danesh7Glasgow"(Something Inside) So Strong" (Labi Siffre)Eliminated – (3rd place)
Sarah Whatmore8Salford"Endless Love" (Diana Ross)Eliminated – (4th place)
Jade Cannell9Portsmouth"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" (Whitney Houston)Eliminated
Aaron Bayley10Newcastle Upon Tyne"Walking in Memphis" (Marc Cohn)Advanced – (2nd place)
Notes:

Live show 1 (15 December 2001)

Act! scope="col"
OrderSongMusical Hero Result
Jessica Garlick1"Papa Don't Preach" (Madonna)MadonnaBottom 3
Korben2"A Different Corner" (George Michael)George Michael Eliminated
Zoe Birkett3"I Will Always Love You" (Dolly Parton)Whitney HoustonSafe
Gareth Gates4"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (Bryan Adams)Bryan Adams Safe
Laura Doherty5"She's Out of My Life" (Michael Jackson)Michael Jackson Bottom 2
Will Young6"Until You Come Back to Me" (Aretha Franklin)Aretha Franklin Safe
Hayley Evetts7"Made for Lovin' You" (Anastacia)Anastacia Safe
Aaron Bayley8"Jesus to a Child" (George Michael)George Michael Safe
Rosie Ribbons9"Whenever You Call" (Mariah Carey)Mariah Carey Safe
Notes:

Live show 2 (22 December 2001)

Act! scope="col"
OrderSongResult
Hayley Evetts1"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Brenda Lee)Safe
Gareth Gates2"Last Christmas" (Wham!)Safe
Jessica Garlick3"Merry Christmas Everyone" (Shakin' Stevens)Eliminated
Aaron Bayley4"Blue Christmas" (Elvis Presley)Safe
Rosie Ribbons5"Santa Baby" (Eartha Kitt)Bottom 3
Laura Doherty6"I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" (Wizzard)Bottom 2
Will Young7"Winter Wonderland" (Tony Bennett)Safe
Darius Danesh8"When a Child Is Born" (Johnny Mathis)Safe
Zoe Birkett9"All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Mariah Carey)Safe
Notes;

Live show 3 (29 December 2001)

Theme: Burt Bacharach songs

Act! scope="col"
OrderSongResult
Gareth Gates1"Arthur's Theme" (Christopher Cross)Safe
Zoe Birkett2"I Say a Little Prayer" (Aretha Franklin)Safe
Aaron Bayley3"Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" (Gene Pitney)Eliminated
Laura Doherty4"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" (Lou Johnson)Bottom 3
Will Young5"Wives and Lovers" (Jack Jones)Safe
Rosie Ribbons6"That's What Friends Are For" (Dionne & Friends)Bottom 2
Darius Danesh7"What the World Needs Now Is Love" (Jackie DeShannon)Safe
Hayley Evetts8"Do You Know the Way to San Jose" (Dionne Warwick)Safe

Notes

Live show 4 (5 January 2002)

Theme: Songs from films

Act! scope="col"
OrderSongFilmResult
Gareth Gates1"My Girl" (The Temptations)My GirlSafe
Rosie Ribbons2"Your Song" (Elton John)Moulin Rouge!Bottom 2
Darius Danesh3"Baby Can I Hold You" (Tracy Chapman)HerculesSafe
Hayley Evetts4"Show Me Heaven" (Maria McKee)Days of ThunderSafe
Laura Doherty5"Licence to Kill" (Gladys Knight)Licence to KillEliminated
Will Young6"Ain't No Sunshine" (Bill Withers)Notting HillSafe
Zoe Birkett7"Street Life" (Randy Crawford)Sharky's MachineSafe

Notes

Live show 5 (12 January 2002)

Act! scope="col"
OrderSongResult
Hayley Evetts1"Take a Chance on Me"Safe
Gareth Gates2"One of Us"Safe
Rosie Ribbons3"The Winner Takes It All"Eliminated
Will Young4"The Name of the Game"Safe
Zoe Birkett5"Thank You for the Music"Safe
Darius Danesh6"I Have a Dream"Safe

Notes

Live show 6 (19 January 2002)

Theme: Big band

Act! scope="col"
OrderSongResult
Zoe Birkett1"Get Happy" (Judy Garland)Safe
Gareth Gates2"Mack the Knife" (Bobby Darin)Safe
Hayley Evetts3"That Ole' Devil Called Love" (Alison Moyet)Eliminated
Will Young4"We Are in Love" (Harry Connick Jr.)Safe
Darius Danesh5"Let's Face the Music and Dance" (Irving Berlin)Safe

Notes

Live show 7 (26 January 2002)

Act! scope="col"
OrderFirst songSecond songResult
Gareth Gates1"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (Wham!)"Unchained Melody" (Todd Duncan)Safe
Darius Danesh2"It's Not Unusual" (Tom Jones)"Whole Again" (Atomic Kitten)Safe
Zoe Birkett3"I Wanna Dance with Somebody" (Whitney Houston)"The Power of Love" (Jennifer Rush)Eliminated
Will Young4"There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (Eurythmics)"Night Fever" (The Bee Gees)Safe

Notes

Live show 8: Semi-final (2 February 2002)

Theme: Judges' Choice

Act! scope="col"
OrderSongOrderSongResult
Darius Danesh1"Dancing in the Moonlight" (Toploader)4"Make It Easy on Yourself" (The Walker Brothers)Eliminated
Gareth Gates2"Yesterday" (The Beatles)5"Flying Without Wings" (Westlife)Safe
Will Young3"Beyond the Sea" (Bobby Darin)6"I Get the Sweetest Feeling" (Jackie Wilson)Safe

Notes

Live final (9 February 2002)

In the week leading to the final performances, finalists Gareth Gates and Will Young both went on individual nationwide publicity campaign tours, visiting radio stations and newspapers and giving performances in a bid to help generate support. Both finalists travelled in their own personal bus.[15]

Act! scope="col"
OrderSongOrderSongOrderSongResult
Will Young1"Light My Fire"3"Anything Is Possible" 5"Evergreen"Winner
Gareth Gates2"Unchained Melody"4"Anything Is Possible"6"Evergreen"Runner-up

Reception

Ratings

EpisodeDateViewers (millions)[17] Weekly rank
Auditions 16 October 20015.2424
Auditions 27 October 20015.6219
Auditions 313 October 20014.5730
Auditions 414 October 20015.4520
Auditions 520 October 20015.0930
Theatre rounds 121 October 20016.3818
Theatre rounds 227 October 20016.1419
Heat 13 November 20016.3419
Heat 1 results3 November 2001Under 5.16Outside Top 30
Heat 210 November 20017.4918
Heat 2 results10 November 2001Under 5.15Outside Top 30
Heat 317 November 20016.4022
Heat 3 results17 November 2001Under 5.31Outside Top 30
Heat 424 November 20017.7317
Heat 4 results24 November 2001Under 5.42Outside Top 30
Heat 51 December 20017.6118
Heat 5 results1 December 2001Under 5.4Outside Top 30
The Story So Far13 December 2001Under 5.28Outside Top 30
Live show 115 December 20017.7018
Live show 1 results15 December 20017.4022
Live show 222 December 20017.9111
Live show 2 results22 December 20017.2816
Live show 329 December 20017.5515
Live show 3 results29 December 20014.53Outside Top 30
Live show 45 January 20028.5414
Live show 4 results5 January 2002Under 4.58Outside Top 30
Live show 512 January 20028.0511
Live show 5 results12 January 20027.4013
Live show 619 January 20029.0512
Live show 6 results19 January 20028.6013
Live show 726 January 200210.1611
Live show 7 results26 January 200210.0712
Live show 82 February 200210.289
Live show 8 results2 February 200210.428
Live final9 February 200213.342
Live final update9 February 2002Under 4.82Outside Top 30
Live final results9 February 200212.524
Will Young – Pop Idol23 February 20028.1412
Pop Idol – The Live Concert27 April 20025.5620

Releases

Notes and References

  1. News: Pop Idol audience reaches 10 million . . . 28 January 2002 . 26 April 2009.
  2. News: Will wins Pop Idol . BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation . 10 February 2002 . 26 April 2009.
  3. News: Darius scores first number one . BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation . 4 August 2002 . 26 April 2009.
  4. News: Korben ejected from Pop Idol . BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation . 16 December 2001 . 1 May 2009.
  5. News: Idol's Rick waits on voice . BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation . 19 December 2001 . 1 May 2009.
  6. News: Pop Idol's Rik bows out . BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation . 22 December 2001 . 1 May 2009.
  7. News: Last minute decision for Pop Idol Rik . BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation . 21 December 2001 . 1 May 2009.
  8. News: Jessica voted off Pop Idol . BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation . 23 December 2001 . 2 May 2009.
  9. News: Farewell to Pop Idol's Aaron . BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation . 30 December 2001 . 2 May 2009.
  10. News: Fans demand second chance for Aaron . . . 2 January 2002 . 2 May 2009.
  11. News: Laura loses pop idol dream . BBC News . 6 January 2002 . 22 May 2010.
  12. Web site: Newsquest – Home . thenorthernecho.co.uk . 25 January 2014.
  13. Web site: Pop Idol: Hayley voted off . 20 January 2002 . . . 25 January 2014.
  14. Web site: Pop Idol: Lythgoe warns Cowell, Waterman – TV News . 21 January 2002 . . . 25 January 2014.
  15. News: Pop Idol rivals roll on to battle bus in last vote tussle . The Guardian . London . Matt . Wells . 6 February 2002 . 22 May 2010.
  16. News: Will is TV's pop idol . Edinburgh . The Scotsman . Stephen . McGinty . 11 February 2002.
  17. Web site: Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week) . BARB.

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