A 'Popstar' revival is reportedly being planned to find the next big boyband.
Popstars could return to find the next One Direction
An unnamed new talent show inspired by the beloved ITV programme - which launched 21 years ago and brought together acts like Girls Aloud and Hear'Say - is in the pipeline on the hunt for a huge group like One Direction.
A source told The Sun newspaper's TVBiz column: "First ITV brought back 'Big Brother', then the BBC brought back 'Survivor'. Now this might form the holy trinity of big shows from two decades ago.
"There’s been a boom in popularity for programmes from that time among Millennials. But what they want is to go back to the origins of these shows.
"'X Factor' may be the best known and most recent talent contest, but it was 'Popstars' that kicked it all off.”
The series first launched in 2001 as a documentary delving into auditions for a new group, with the likes of Myleene Klass and Kym Marsh going onto form 'Pure and Simple' hitmakers Hear'Say.
The following year Davina McCall fronted 'Popstars: The Rivals', a more traditional talent show which created Girls Aloud.
The proposed new show - which is yet to have a name or TV channel - is set to go back to a "documentary" format looking at a boyband coming to life.
New production company Moon and Back - run by ITV's former head of lights entertainment and 'Britain's Got Talent' executive producer Nigel Hall - is leading the charge.
Hall also worked on the likes of 'I'm A Celebrity' and played a key role in 'Ant and Dec's Saturday NIght Takeaway'.
He is said to be joined in the new venture by Ant and Dec's former manager Russ Lindsay and ITV's former director of global content Dawn Airey.
Scouts are already on the hunt for people aged 18 to 23 to be part of the cast, with the team "looking for the next generation of superstars to form a brand new five-piece boy band".
While the casting call warns about "substantial travel" and being "outside of the UK from January to July 2024", it adds: "If you can dance, sing and have a big personality to match, we want to hear from you.”
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