Simon Cowell 'forced to abandon' search for next boyband over claims Britain lacks talent

Simon Cowell might be a judge on Britain's Got Talent - but during the auditions he held recently for male singers, talent was reportedly in very short supply. The music mogul, who was once branded Mr Nasty for his cutting critique of performers, had tried to revive the boy band trend for a new reality show, The Midas Touch.

However, he has now been forced to abandon his plans altogether, according to reports by the Daily Mail, after struggling to find hopefuls who meet his strict criteria. He is said to have become increasingly "frustrated" as new recruits failed to live up to expectations.

Simon had held auditions in London, Liverpool and Dublin for teenagers aged between 16 to 18. He had hoped to replicate the success he'd had with One Direction, which shot to fame after appearing on the X Factor back in 2010 and then became one of the best-selling British boy bands of all time.

However, turnout is said to have been unexpectedly low and some male vocalists had a background of singing in bands that had been rejected before. The news comes after Simon headed a huge publicity drive, borrowing the famous wartime slogan "Your country needs you" and changing it to "Simon needs you" on billboard posters.

A source connected with the new show reportedly told the Daily Mail: "Simon has been told the original idea behind the series needs to change. Rather than focusing on the creation of a boyband capable of going on to massive success, the focus is now much more on him."

"His frustration is at the auditions where many of the singers turning up are cast-offs from bands that didn't make it," they continued.

"But perhaps more crucially, Simon has been told to come to terms with the fact that maybe the era of the chart-topping boyband is over. It is devastating for him."

A producer reportedly added: "It's going to be a documentary on Simon coming to terms with the fact the golden days of discovering boybands might be over.

"It might be compelling viewing to watch his downfall after so many years as the star of Saturday night TV."

Express.co.uk has approached a representative for Simon Cowell for comment.

Simon and fellow X Factor judges such as Louis Walsh had once been responsible for launching the careers of numerous household names, including One Direction and Westlife.

However, Simon caused a stir when he branded the original line-up of Westlife - his co-star Louis' group - "ugly".

Meanwhile, the country is currently in Taylor Swift mania mode and the American songstress - who returns to British shores on August 15 - has reached billionaire status.

Could it be that boy bands are no longer in fashion - or that the quality this year isn't as high as in the past?

No doubt when The Midas Touch launches, fans will quickly find out.