Music

Holy Shit: ‘Australian Idol’ Is Coming Back To TV

Time to get rid of those nodules and get your touchdown arm ready.

Australian Idol is returning to TV in 2022 on Channel 7

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Channel 7 has today announced that Australian Idol will return to our TVs in 2022, more than ten years since the last season aired.

The singing competition, which launched the careers of Guy Sebastian, Casey Donovan, Lisa Mitchell, Matt Corby and Jessica Mauboy among many more, originally aired on Channel 10 from 2003 to 2009. Now, it’s jumping ship to 7, where it will sit alongside fellow singing competition The Voice, as well as Australia’s Got Talent.

For now, information’s pretty sparse: there’s no news on hosting or panel names. The original Australian Idol featured Marcia Hines, Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson and Mark Holden on the panel, with hosting by Osher Günsberg and James Mathison. Alum Riki-Lee Coulter later co-hosted, and Kyle Sandilands replaced Dickson on the panel in 2005.

The show was announced during  7’s Upfronts, an industry event where networks announce upcoming shows and plans. Reaction to the news has mostly been positive, though some are questioning the need for three separate singing shows on one channel.

Stay tuned for more news. In the meantime, revisit some of the more wild moments of the original Australian Idol, our look back at ten of the biggest careers the show launched, from Dean Geyer to Courtney Act, as well as some overlooked careers and moments.