Pop Idol: reality TV pop

Simon Fuller had taken the Spice Girls to a new level of superstardom after taking over as their manager, but for his next trick, the pop svengali did something far more sinister: he reinvented the talent show contest for the modern age, and spawned with it Simon Cowell. Of course, Fuller had drawn heavily for inspiration on Popstars, the TV series that produced Hear'Say; and to begin with, Cowell just seemed like one of the gang, settling in cosily beside fellow judges Pete Waterman, Nicki Chapman and "Dr" Fox. But soon the show took on a momentum of its own, with the country captivated by the final showdown between Gareth Gates and Will Young. Cowell pushed hard for Gareth to win. It didn't happen; if only that should have augured well ...