Today marks 15 years since the original series of Pop Idol hit our screens which means 15 years since we all realised we were destined to marry a stuttering 17 year old from Bradford until Jordan had her wicked way with him and we v quickly went off the idea.
Pop Idol may only have lasted 2 series but it paved the way for the reality TV juggernaut that is
The X Factor and the original finalists were fresh faced guinea pigs for Simon Cowell's money making machine but whatever happened to them we hear you wonder?
Well, wonder no more because, here at Pop Kulture, we have an encyclopedic knowledge on stuff like this and if we concentrated as hard on exams as we do on pop stars we would be at Harvard law school by now.
Will Young
The first winner of Pop Idol has been one of the very few reality TV success stories having managed to carve out a career for himself in both music and theatre. He's released four number 1 singles - including the ever fabulous -
Leave Right Now, was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2012 after a star turn as Emcee in
Cabaret which then embarked on a national tour and is currently participating in
Strictly Come Dancing.
Gareth Gates
The first crush of a generation released a few hit singles after
Pop Idol including a cover of
Unchained Melody which won him Record Of The Year 2002 and a duet with The Kumars At No. 42 for Comic Relief 2003. After disappearing for a while he skated back into the public eye with an appearance on
Dancing On Ice which led into a successful career in musical theatre. He's starred in shows such as
Joseph (which we saw. He was in a loin cloth for most of it. It was fabulous)
and
Les Mis on tour and in the glittering West End. He's currently appearing in the national tour of
Footloose and dating Faye Brooks who plays Kate Connor in
Corrie.
Darius Campbell (formerly Danesh)
Despite having a successful career, the Scottish, once ponytail wearer, will always be remembered for
that performance of
Baby One More Time on
Popstars. Luckily, he was able to redeem himself when Rik Waller was forced to pull out of
Pop Idol in the first couple of weeks meaning Darius was allowed to step in to make up the numbers. His first single,
Colourblind reached number 1 and he released a handful more before taking part in the, sadly short lived, Sunday night reality show,
Popstar To Opera Star which he went on to win. He has also carved out a career for himself in musical theatre with roles in
Gone With The Wind and
From Here To Eternity. He's currently starring opposite Sheridan Smith in
Funny Girl in the fancy Savoy Theatre.
Zoe Birkett
At only 16, Zoe finished fourth and was the last remaining female in the competition. She released one single,
Treat Me Like A Lady which is still a solid gold bop tbh before finding her feet in theatre. She's starred in
Thriller Live several times over and was in the original cast of
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert alongside Jason Donovan. In 2014 she entered the Big Brother house and lasted a few weeks before being evicted on day 58. She's recently finished touring in
The Bodyguard, where she shared the lead role of Rachel Marron with Alexandra Burke.
Hayley Evetts
Having already appeared in
Popstars, and failing to reach the top 10, Hayley was slightly more successful in
Pop Idol where she placed fifth.
After the show, she made a bit of a name for herself as a TV presenter fronting
Cruel Holiday for Sky and
Popstars: The Rivals Extra alongside Dane Bowers on ITV2. She also dabbled in acting with an appearance in
Corrie before playing Sandy in a national tour of
Grease alongside Robbie's pal, Jonathan Wilkes as Danny. She tried her hand at music again when she auditioned for
The X Factor in 2012 where she reached bootcamp but was eliminated before judges' houses.
Rosie Ribbons
Going into the finals, Rosie was tipped for glory after her audition reduced Pete Waterman to tears but the nerves clearly got the better of her during ABBA week when her failed attempt at a Mariah-esque
The Winner Takes It All didn't impress and saw her finish sixth. She signed a contract with Telstar Records and released two Top 20 singles;
Blink and a cover of the Jessica Simpson banger,
A Little Bit. In 2007 she moved to Australia where she auditioned for
Australian Idol and reached the Top 24. According to Wikipedia she's since moved back to the UK and was a featured vocalist on an EP which also featured none other than Ed Sheeran.
Laura Doherty
Irish born, Laura found herself in the bottom two so many times on
Pop Idol she christened herself The Sofa Queen which was a smart move as she then secured an advertising deal with Reid Furnishings. She moved back to her hometown of Derry where she taught hip-hop dancing and married her long-term boyfriend. After some digging we found out she fronted a jazz band called The Fontelles but we can't find any info which confirms they're still together.
Aaron Bayley
Geordie, Aaron failed to impress on Burt Bacarach week and was the third finalist to be eliminated from the competition. He still works in music and fronts The Aaron Bayley Band which is - according to their website - the number 1 wedding band in the North East.
Jessica Garlick
Despite being the second person voted off the show (during Christmas week, no less. Where was our festive spirit?) Jessica was chosen to represent the UK in the
Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 where she reached THIRD PLACE. We haven't done any better since although Jade Ewen did come close when she came fifth in 2009. She attempted another go at a music career in 2009 but she isn't on twitter for us to see what she's up to now.
Korben
Real name, Chris Niblett was the first person to be voted off the show but
also holds the honour of being the first reality show contestant to come out as gay. After the show he recorded some dance tracks which never amounted to anything but he's since retrained as a make up artist and was head of make up for Jemma Kidd. He now works as a high flyer for Esteé Lauder.
Images: ITV
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