Take That star Gary Barlow could be about to take on Simon Cowell himself by launching a musical reality TV show on the BBC.

During his time working on ITV’s Britannia High Barlow is said to have pitched the idea for his show to channel bosses, but they feared it would offend Cowell and so turned him down. Barlow then reportedly took the idea to the Beeb who almost bit his hand off. Word is they are planning to replace the Lloyd Webber shows with Barlow’s all singing, all dancing talent search.

A BBC source told The Sun: “Gary is really keen to get into TV and has come up with a cracking idea. We’ve got high hopes for it. If it gets off the ground it could be something we do every year.”

I imagine that the BBC is a better fit for Gary anyway. The Beeb approach shows of this nature with much more integrity than ITV. The process is much more about finding real talent than mocking those who have none. If this show actually comes off I reckon it will be a huge ratings grabber.