I agree - I really hope Popstar to Operastar makes it's long overdue return to our TV screens sooner rather than later, for I do miss it so.

Looking forward to the return of Saturday Night Takeaway night week, will be nice for something interesting to be on ITV on Saturday nights for the first time since about August. Ant and Dec haven't been seen in all of about two weeks so it's about bloody time we had a three month run of them on every week without a break!!

Sarcasm? Actually I enjoyed Popstar to Operastar but they really messed up the second series in terms of production and scheduling.


I wonder when BBC will follow suit in 2014?

I was taking the piss yes but having said that you're right, I thought it was great fun Was the start of McFly's celebrity-reality-genre domination, which can only be a good thing in my eyes

Perhaps the BBC could pick it up, add it to their ever growing failing LE programmes - it might just rate better than their newest commissions.

See, I don't even have to ask if that's sarcasm.


I think we need to have a bitchfest and get everything out of our systems.

It is very difficult to come up with a mainstream television format which is completely new and original, which has never been done before. People criticise the Voice for being a copy of The XFactor but it is very different if you look at the format. And you could easily call XF a copy of Pop Idol which was a derivative format of Popstars the Rivals which came from Popstars which was inspired by New Faces etc.

My business partner and I have developed a stunning original entertainment format never done in Britain before but overall it is extremely difficult to come up with these ideas - this one has taken years in development. In fact, the most original of ideas in recent years such as Dont Scare The Hare and That Puppet Gameshow ended up flopping big time. Which suggests audiences want to watch shows with familiar themes but with slight new twists to them. Saturday Night Takeaway is basically Noel's House Party with some changes to it.

There is very much so

Haha, yes. Its all a bit of fun really.

I might stay out of here tomorrow if The Voice records a series high or series low.

What about a new Saturday night entertainment show which involves amateur singers learning to dance. A cross between XF and SCD. At the start of the competition, there are 10 singers who are paired with a professional dance partner, encorporating all age ranges from kids to grannies to appeal to a broad audience. In every live show, they sing once and also dance once with their professional partner to a different theme each week. Hosted by an older male [O'Grady/Forsyth type] and a younger good-looking female. Judged by a panel of 5 [containing 2 experts in dance, 2 experts in singing, 1 expert in both], each contestant is given a combined score [a max of 10 for their singing performance and 10 for dance from each judge]. Combined with the viewers vote, one contestant [and their professional partner] is eliminated every week. By the end of the series, one contestant will be crowned the winner of being the best singer and dancer overall. Note: this is not my original idea I was referring to in my previous post.

As it's hardly original I should ruddy well hope not.

And perhaps BBC1 and ITV could take it in terms to show an episode? Or an hour of each show each?

But come on man, this idea cant rate any worse than Splash or Britains Brightest. It would get a decent audience, with the right contestants and production values. Maybe throw in a gimmick button or lever thing into the show, which would help increase curiosity.

But with each celebrity having to do two performances, the show would drag on for too long. Plus it's just a blatant rip off of Strictly combined with XF.

See this is the thing- it wouldnt be celebs, it would be members of the public learning to dance [different from SCD and DOI]. And in the first few weeks to make things interesting, for the singing part, the contestants would be paired up randomly to sing with someone else and judged based on those performances. So the first week would have 5 singing performances and 10 dancing performances = 15 overall, doable in a 2 hour slot. Marketed the right way, it could be seen as fresh like how XF seemed different to Idol when it launched and the Voice different from XF. This would rate better than Splash, Britains Brightest, Reflex, That Puppet Gameshow- I guarantee it.

Oh I like it - the acts have to sing and dance on top of a trapdoor. If the judges think they're not good enough then down they go.

In all seriousness I did wonder whether the BBC could combine The Voice and Strictly for a Christmas Special - linking a Voice contestant with a Strictly couple and have the studio audience vote for the team. The singer would have to get used to a different arrangement and perform in a way not to overshadow the dancers so it would be a twist of sorts... but not a sustainable one.

You seem very confident that The Voice will not shred ratings for its 3nd series even after the blind auditions end next week.

The battle rounds are just a shouting contest that's where the ratings go down and people lose interest very quickly. The swinging chairs are its only appeal and a gimmick which many still make fun of.

Watched a few singers on the show already and I wasn't impressed with the talent too many pub singers and name dropping contestants "my cousins Adele" "My brother is Danny from Mcfly" and so on giving the contestants false prise is another pet hate of mine.


Rafa Benitez in disguise?

I think it would just be reality show overkill. There is more of a need for decent new gameshows, or a series like Charmed (not that bad ITV2 version) on a Saturday.

Just to get one thing clear. Im under no illusions, Saturday Night Takeaway is the favourite to win the ratings from next week onwards. So i am expecting a drop for the Voice in the ratings, particularly once the battle rounds begin. But as long as it hits the 6m+ target, that'll be a good result under those circumstances and should ensure a series average higher than last year.

Yes!!! This would be a ratings winner!

I cant remember what it is called but there is actually a gameshow format abroad where contestants fall through a trap door, it's quite funny. I forgot what it was called but it was on NBC a couple years ago.

Edit: Whose Still Standing?- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YL0Y0fsjvY

You can't go from saying 8-9 million is great for the blind auditions then say 6+ is acceptable for the battle rounds because of a bit of healthy competition from Ant and Dec.

X Factor live shows got 8+ million last year and in your eyes that wasn't good enough, so 6+ for the Battle rounds will be seen as a failure same as when The Voice went head to head with BGT and lost the ratings battle forcing BBC to move it to January instead.

So even the trapdoor bit has been done then.

How about a flame-thrower? Outside Robot Wars that is.

I see there has been some world class bitching on here tonight.
Seriouly though dont you guys ever watch any actual telvision?

Popstars wasn't inspired by New Faces. It wasn't "entertainment" as such - the original New Zealand show was a documentary/reality show about how the music industry puts together a pop band, inspired by the success of manufactured pop groups at the time. It's why when they came to the UK, they wanted someone like Simon Cowell (then having a lot of success as an A&R for those kind of groups) to be on screen.

Jonathan Dowling (the creator) was onto something. But he didn't really have a format (indeed the show didn't even get a second series in NZ). He had a documentary/reality series. But what he discovered was that people wanted to see stars being made, and he was the first to attach a record deal to the end of the process. As he admits, “It really took the Simons [Cowell and Fuller] to gear it up to another level.” Idol was the shiny floor entertainment format. What the Simons did was merge Popstars with the trend for reality elimination series (driven by Big Brother).

Popstars: The Rivals was arguably more like Pop Idol than the original run of Popstars!

I do think entertainment formats are tougher - you don't get so many people pointing out all the similarities in the many detective series we get every year.


I'm sure the paper pitch for Splash read similarly. Although lets not kid ourselves about "biggest stars". As for airing against BGT, that worked for The Voice because it was a much hyped, internationally successful format with real potential and the BBC were seen to be gunning for Cowell which was a great press story. Tumble is no more a threat to BGT than Who Dares Wins. Nothing for the papers to get excited about.


Last week you were touting it as the biggest singing show in the country. Now you're lowering targets to 6m.