Ticket to ride

It may not have seemed like it at the time – aft er all, it lasted just one nine-episode series and TrueBliss, the girl group it created, broke up aft er less than a year – but Popstars became the most influential show in our television history.

That’s because the 1999 series was the prototype reality singing show. Producer Jonathan Dowling sold the format to Australian production company Screentime, which created a three-season Australian version and licensed it around the world to nearly 40 countries.

It didn’t last long in some places, especially as other reality entertainment formats it inspired such as , and arrived.