Pop Idol Final

After months of searching, thousands of rejections and 19 episodes of auditions, heats and elimination rounds, Mark and Michelle face off in a bid to become the next big thing in the music world. Ant and Dec host the proceedings, while Simon Cowell and his judging panel pass comment, but as ever, it's up to the viewers to decide who best deserves a management and recording contract. However, if the first series is anything to go by, when both Will and Gareth went on to chart success, chances are tonight's runner-up won't do too badly out of the experience either. As well as hearing the finalists singing several times, both solo and together, there'll no doubt be a few surprise appearances along the way. It's a marathon-length show, so expect comments from old contestants and fans in the street, visits to the finalists' home towns, footage of their country-wide campaigns - when they each board their 'battle buses' in an attempt to win the public's vote - and behind-the-scenes highlights, before the winner's name is announced in a nail-biting climax