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The Saturday night primetime show initially followed the audition process, as hopefuls sang before four judges ( record producer and music executive Pete Waterman, music executive and music manager Simon Cowell, music promoter and music manager Nicki Chapman and Radio DJ and television personality Neil " Dr " Fox ) at various locations around the UK.

Besides the successful auditionees, the poorest " singers " were often aired due to their obvious lack of talent or presence.

Poor singers often faced harsh criticisms from the judges, especially from Simon Cowell ( whose controversial rantings also made him famous on American Idol ).

The judges ' reactions to such performances often ranged from disgust to nearly open laughter ; their style of judgement and attitude towards pop-star wannabes resulted in the controversial opinions of others about the show's setup, including that of Take That manager, Nigel Martin Smith.