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With a Little Bit of Help From My Friends

Sam & Mark topped the singles chart on 15th February with a little bit of help from their friends on Pop Idol.

Mark is runner-up in Pop Idol final

Mark was beaten in the Pop Idol final on 20th December 2003 by Michelle.

Mark said: "I could not have done any better with the songs. I think I did myself justice. I'm proud of myself."

Mark, Michelle and a stripper

In the final week of Pop Idol, Mark had a surprise for Michelle.

"I sent her a stripper and she couldn't get him to stop as he didn't speak any English."

Mark wins place in Pop Idol final

On 13th December Mark, from Darlaston in the West Midlands, burst into tears when he discovered he had reached the final. In a shock result favourite Sam was voted off the show.

During the show Mark sang Take That’s Back for Good and Simply Red’s If You Don’t Know Me By Now.

Foxy and Nicki had said they thought Mark would be voted off - as they had done the previous week. Pete said he thought Michelle would go.

As ever with the last word, Simon was asked who he thought would go.

"I haven't got a clue," he replied.

Ant replied: "And it's taken you all this time to realise that."

Simon added: "I think there's going to be an upset this evening." He was right. Sam had been the bookies' favourite for the past several weeks.

And all four judges had predicted wrongly that Mark would be voted off the show the previous week.

After the show Mark said: "As soon as Michelle's name was said, I thought: "OK - fair enough." Then he was too emotional to say any more.

Mark is convinced he's got what it takes to be a chart star - even though Simon had said Mark was "average".

The Yummy Brummie said: "The public no longer listen to what Simon Cowell thinks. Once his word might have been gospel, but not any more.

"People are making up their own minds, and deciding not to side with the judges. I'm determined to make it in the industry."

Mark's stalker

Pop Idol star Mark was given extra security because he was being stalked by an obsessed fan. Mark was being followed by a middle-aged woman who spent hours waiting for him outside Wembley's Fountain Studios.

She has even thrown herself in front of his chauffeur-driven limo in a desperate attempt to speak to him, and her presence in the front row at public events has unnerved the singer.

Mark said: "She threw herself in front of our car which screeched to a halt. Days later I spied her in the front row. It does scare me slightly."

Mark's stud muffin pants

Mark Rhodes was wearing his lucky stud muffin pants for the fifth audition show on 11th October. He sang She's Like the Wind. He got through to the final twelve with 20.3% of the votes - in second place.

Foxy told him: "I thought the performance was a little bit stilted."

Nicki said: "You absolutely delivered."

Pete told him: "You sang it incredibly well."

Simon said: "Great vocal. I don't see - looking at you - charisma."

And Pete told him that he couldn't do anything about that.

Pop Idol In General

Michelle wins Pop Idol final

Michelle McManus was voted the winner of Pop Idol 2003.

Michelle and Mark competed in the Pop Idol final which ran for two hours and 45 minutes.

10.26 million votes were cast in the final - easily beating the 8.7 million votes of Pop Idol I.

Michelle said: "I just want to say thanks - and to everyone who said I couldn't do it, I've done it. Later on she admitted that when the result was announced: "I thought my knees were going to buckle underneath me!"

Mark said: "I could not have done any better with the songs. I think I did myself justice. I'm proud of myself."

Pete Waterman stomped off in disgust and did not show up in the ITV2 show, Pop Idol Extra.

Michelle has won a recording contract worth £2 million with Simon Cowell's record company BMG and will be represented by the 19 management company.

Bookies Ladbrokes admits it took "a hammering" and says a number of people will be collecting winnings worth thousands after placing bets on Michelle to take the title at odds of 33/1 earlier in the competition.

Ladbrokes spokesman Warren Lush said: "A number of punters can celebrate Christmas with £3,300 after placing bets on Michelle at odds of 33/1.

Pete Waterman on Michelle

Pete Waterman said it would be a joke if Michelle won Pop Idol.

Pete said: "To me Michelle has not got the greatest voice. She has a strong voice but I can take you to karaoke bars across Britain and you will find stronger voices.

"If you look at our pop idols in the past 40 years, they are not like her. It's like thinking that she could become the next supermodel - I do not think so.

"Someone once told me that 'to be successful, we have to look successful' and that's the best advice I've ever been given."

Voting collapses in Pop Idol

Despite the record number of votes in the final, the total number of votes cast during the series was only 25 million. Over 31 million votes were cast in the first series of Pop Idol.

The Darkness, Mad World beat The Idols

The Darkness with Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End) or Gary Jules with Mad World are leading the midweeks for the Christmas number one.

The twelve Pop Idol finalists - The Idols - and their cover of John Lennon’s classic, Happy Xmas (War Is Over) are struggling to get sales.

The single was released so that it could become the number one hit this Christmas. Simon said: "If this isn't the Christmas number one I will eat my hat." Was that a promise Mr Cowell?

The twelve Pop Idol finalists

The twelve finalists were Andy, Brian, Chris, Kim, Kirsty, Leon, Marc D, Mark R, Michelle, Roxanne, Sam and Susanne.

Two finalists were chosen in the wildcard show on 18th October. The eight chosen to appear in the show were Susanne Manning, Rebecca Hayes, Kieron McDonald, Sam Nixon, Danielle Tedford, Jodie Connor, Glen Harvey and Jason Brock.

The judges chose Sam to go through to the final twelve and the viewers chose Susanne with 27.2% of the votes.

Michelle and Kim could make it big

Simon Cowell has advised Michelle and Kim: "Don't diet."

He said losing weight could cost the girls votes and added: "It would work against them. The public voted for them because they didn't look like normal pop stars. That's their appeal."

Both girls weighed in at 15 stone before the auditions. Michelle lost two and a half stone on a spinach and broccoli diet but Kim said she would not lose any weight.