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Cowell's US talent show heads to the UK
Simon Cowell's latest American reality TV show, that saw a 120-year-old yodeller battle it out with a pair of acrobats for a $1m dollar prize, is coming to the UK.
ITV is to screen a UK version of X Factor creator Cowell's America's Got Talent, a reworking of the tried-and-tested talent show formula.
This time, rather than be restricted to singers of varying abilities, like The X Factor and Pop Idol - in which Cowell was a judge - performers of any persuasion get a chance to win over a panel of judges.
And lining up to offer their verdict on the acts are Cowell himself - who was not a judge in the US version - and former Mirror editor Piers Morgan, who in the American show took the "Mr Nasty" role usually reserved for Cowell. They will be joined by another, as yet unnamed, judge.
The US show also featured singer Brandy and former Baywatch star David Hasselhoff as judges. But the Hoff is unlikely to recreate his role in the UK, having recently told Newsweek magazine that it wasn't his "cup of tea" and that Cowell conned him in to appearing on the show in the first place.
In the US, America's Got Talent has proved a hit, with more than 12 million viewers tuning into the show's premiere last month, the night's most-watched programme on US television, and more than the debut of American Idol in 2002.
The UK series, devised by Cowell's production company Syco TV, will see all kinds of acts, from singers and comedians to dancers and magicians, audition in front of the judges in a bid to win a "substantial cash prize".
Paul Jackson, the ITV director of entertainment and comedy, said: "America's Got Talent has cut through the clutter of the American summer to be the most talked about show on network TV."
Cowell said the show's success in America had made him even more enthusiastic about bringing it to the UK: "This competition has no rules and no age limits. On this show absolutely anything can happen. In addition to the cash we will announce a very special prize for the winner in the next few weeks".
In the US version each of the three judges has a button in front of them that they can press when they have seen enough of the act. If all the judges press their buttons, then the contestant's performance is terminated.
Morgan has become notorious for abusing the system by leaning over the other judges' desks and pressing their buttons to get rid of acts he doesn't like.
A spokeswoman for ITV said the UK version has not got a title yet and is unlikely to be screened before next year.
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