Popstars meets Big Brother

The new series of TV talent show Popstars was beginning today in the latest bid to create two new chart sensations.

Popstars: The Rivals will spawn a boy band and a girl band who will battle it out for the Christmas number one slot.

Thousands of hopefuls will be auditioned in front of judges Geri Halliwell, Pete Waterman and Westlife manager Louis Walsh.

Some of the best - and worst - will be featured in tonight’s show which producers hope will be as popular as its predecessor.

The first series of Popstars created Hear’say, who went on to have a record-breaking number one with their debut single although their career now looks to be on its last legs.

The new show is hosted by Davina McCall and has some of the elements of her last reality series, Big Brother.

The judges will whittle the wannabes down to a short-list of 10 boys and 10 girls.

They will then live together in two Big Brother-style houses under the watchful eye of the TV cameras.

Viewers of the ITV1 show will then take part in a phone vote to evict one boy and one girl each week.

When the final line-ups are decided, Walsh will mastermind the girl band and Waterman will manage the boys in the race to the top of the Christmas charts.

Halliwell is picking up a reported £500,000 (€794,500) for her role and has already caused a minor controversy when Walsh said she insisted on giving the thumbs-up to “cute” boys even if they couldn’t sing.

Bookmakers have already made the as-yet unformed boy band favourite for a Christmas number one.

Ladbrokes has the unnamed act as evens to be the big festive hit, while Coral puts the band at 5-4.