[Mac Hiavellian]

After years of trying to compete with BB's success on Channel 4 I think ITV may finally have won with X Factor and Britain's Got Talent but does anyone remember their earlier reality/talent shows Popstars (2000), Soapstars (2001) and Popstars: The Rivals (2002)? Pop Idol may only have lasted 2 series in the UK but introduced the idea of performing to an audience which X Factor and Popstars: The Rivals adopted.

In the original Popstars the champions, Hear'Say, disbanded after only 2 years and the rejected hopefuls formed their own group, Liberty X, but also seem to have faded.

I never watched Sopastars but was told the family quit or were sacked from Emmerdale after only about a year.

And in Popstars: The Rivals, Girls Aloud may be still around, but One True Voice split after only a year.

Were these shows failures or did they contribute to X Factor or BGT's success in some way?