7.30pm sunday / AUGUST 24 & 7.30PM WEKNIGHTS

SUNDAY 24 AUGU ST AT 7.30 (2HOUR PREMIERE)

• "5 out of 6 Australians watch Australian Idol every year"
• Over 40 Top 10 ARIA singles produced by Idol contestants
• Over 20 Top 10 ARIA albums produced by Idol contestants
• Over 5.5 million records sold
• Over 20 careers launched

With statistics not to be scoffed at, Australian Idol returns to Network Ten for a sixth series.

Premiering on Sunday 24 August, Australian Idol will kick off 2008 with the much-loved audition week which will air nightly at 7.30pm. During this week, you will be fast tracked on a journey of highs and lows, following 38,000 contestants as they take their first step in to the spotlight. They will showcase their extraordinary (and sometimes, just plain ordinary) talents for our three judges, Ian 'Dicko' Dickson, Marcia Hines and Kyle Sandilands. Each weeknight will see the audition trail move to a new city and uncover new talent – just which city will the next Australian Idol come from.

In an exciting new twist, Australian Idol set off on its' first ever international venture to London to uncover talented Aussie ex-pats. Dicko was joined on the London judging panel by acclaimed international superstars Darren Hayes and Tina Arena, and together they cast their highly trained eyes and, more importantly, ears across hundreds of London Idol hopefuls. The result? An impressive talent pool, from which six finalists were flown back to Australia for the TOP 100 week.

Ricki-Lee joins the hosting team of Andrew G and James Mathison in 2008 as a mentor for the contestants and shoulder to cry on. She’ll be on hand to provide her unique insight in to the Idol journey. She will also be able to share her knowledge of what it takes to be a hard-working and successful singer in the Australian and international music industry. All three hosts will guide us through the Idol journey, which kicks off with the audition tour starring the good, the bad, the delusional and of course the spine tingling great.

Moving forward through the 2008 series, the live performance shows will be embracing some exciting and challenging new changes. Not only will there be new musical themes introduced but audiences will also witness the inclusion of international and local mentors throughout the series. Not to mention, the introduction of celebrity guest judges to the judging panel. For the Monday night verdict show, there will be a key change to the way the audience determines the elimination result. At the start of each verdict show, the contestants with the lowest amount of weekly votes will be announced and the voting lines re-opened. This will give the audience a vital second chance to save their favourite Idol.

Last, and by no means, least – our 2008 auditions provided us with an exceptional pool of talent to choose from. Who will make it in to the Top 24? You'll have to wait until next week to find out!