Olly Murs’ new talent show Starstruck lacks star quality, says the former champion of the iconic series it is based on.
Ian Moor won the 1999 season of Stars In Their Eyes as Chris de Burgh with Lady In Red.
The next year he be came the show’s Champion Of Champions.
But Ian, 48, said Starstruck is not a patch on the original series, which was hosted by Matthew Kelly and ran on ITV from 1990 to 2006.
Ian, who is now a school lab technician and no longer performs, said: “I always tend to prefer originals rather than remakes, with only a few exceptions… and Starstruck is not one of them.
“Olly Murs is a fair choice for host, but let’s face it, he’s no Matthew Kelly.”
Asked if he had any advice for the makers of Starstruck – which launched last weekend – Ian replied: “Don’t try to delve too much into the contestants, make it more about the entertainment.
“The one thing I hated about the likes of The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent is they were too intrusive. Entertainment should draw a line and they crossed that.”
Ian, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, added: “We’ll see where it goes. It’s very difficult to bring back any format with a great deal of success.”
Ian, whose album Naturally got to No38 in 2000, met fiancée Helen Verity, now 46, the next year. They plan to wed next year.
*Starstruck, ITV, 8.30pm Saturday night.
