Aspiring popstars could be in luck as Simon Cowell is reported to be set for a new talent show deal with Netflix, where he hopes to find the next One Direction.
For years, wannabe singers tried to impress music mogul Cowell as the scariest judge on series Pop Idol and The X Factor, but it's been five years since a series of the star search last aired on ITV.
Now, Cowell could be back on the audition trail as The Sun is reporting that he is poised to sign a deal with Netflix for a series called Simon Cowell: Midas Touch, where he'll be looking for the next big pop group.
If you're in any doubt over what Cowell can do for a pop career, take a look back over these acts who he made into stars.
Sinitta
Before Simon Cowell became the TV show judge everyone loved to hate, he had already been making waves in the music industry with his first label Fanfare Records. His first major hit came in 1986 with Sinitta's So Macho.
Cowell and Sinitta dated for a while and remain close friends.
Novelty acts
After Fanfare Records, Simon Cowell joined BMG as an A&R man where he turned down the chance to sign Take That. It was at BMG that Cowell realised the power of television, where he became known for a string of novelty records from TV stars including releases from Big Breakfast puppets Zig and Zag, the Power Rangers, and 1993's WrestleMania: The Album.
Robson & Jerome
In 1994, Robson Greene and Jerome Flynn were two of the main stars of ITV's hit drama Soldier Soldier. After their characters Dave and Paddy performed a cover of Unchained Melody on the show, there was huge demand from viewers to buy their version of the song.
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Simon Cowell — by then at RCA — snapped them up and their version of the song (most famously performed by the Righteous Brothers) was a number one hit in 1995, staying in the top spot for an impressive seven weeks. It remains one of the best-selling singles in UK charts history, going double platinum.
Teletubbies
After earning his first million from Robson & Jerome, Cowell used his experience as a novelty hit maker to propel another set of unlikely TV stars to the top of the pop charts: The Teletubbies.
The popular children show was an instant success when it first aired on CBBC in March 1997, and Cowell raced to sign them up for a pop single. The song Teletubbies say 'Eh-Oh' hit number one in December that year, but missed out on the coveted Christmas number one spot to the Spice Girls' Too Much.
Cowell also signed David Hasselhoff but failed to translate the Baywatch star's fame into UK chart success.
5ive
After missing out on Take That, Cowell hired Chris Herbert — the man who put together the Spice Girls — to do the same thing, but with a boy band and 5ive was born. The group went on to sell 1.6m albums, and 3.4m singles and have reunited a number of times since splitting in 2001.
Westlife
Louis Walsh convinced Simon Cowell to come to Dublin to see his new boyband after enjoying success with Boyzone, and he signed them up to a five album deal after their second audition. They went on to have many hits securing their first number one in 1999.
TV judge
In 2001, new TV series Pop Idol signed Simon Cowell to be its 'nasty judge', and the rest is history. The first series of Pop Idol proved a hit for Cowell not only as a TV judge, but also in terms of signing acts to his label who had huge success.
Of course, he signed series winner Will Young — but also bagged runner-up Gareth Gates, with both singers going on to score number one hits.
But while the series itself was short-lived, it was just the launchpad to Cowell's career in the public eye as he cemented himself as the go-to pop expert and moved on to his new, incredibly popular replacement series, The X Factor, and Britain's Got Talent alongside America's Got Talent.
Cowell's company Syco signed up many contestants from the talent shows including Il Divo, Little Mix, One Direction and many more.
