2008 was heralded as the best season yet! The Winner, Wes Carr, was granted a $200,000 artist development fund and his winner's single 'You' launched with great success. Series 6 brought to the show special guest mentors, such as Cyndi Lauper and Chris Isaak to help our Idols along the way. And we welcomed former Idol Ricki-Lee Coulter to the hosting crew, alongside Andrew G and James Mathison. The performances in 2008 were bigger, bolder and breathtakingly grand!

2007 proved to be another exciting addition to the Idol series with the winner, Natalie Gauci, moving on to produce a platinum selling album, "The Winner's Journey". Series 5 also saw the return of Ian "Dicko" Dickson as a judge, as well as Marcia Hines and Kyle Sandilands. It was a fantastic year of performances!

2006 was a year of change for Idol. The age restrictions were broadened and for the first time, contestants were allowed to play instruments and perform songs they had written themselves, bringing a new dimension to the show. The final three were Irish-born Damien Leith, Darwin schoolgirl Jessica Mauboy and South African-born Dean Geyer. Damien was named Australian Idol 2006 and performed "Night Of My Life", which shot to Number 1.

2005 saw a new bad boy on the block, with radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands taking a seat at the judge's panel, replacing Dicko. Kyle soon became infamous for his blunt comments and while contestants overwhelmingly loved him, Marcia didn’t always seem so sure. Kate DeAraugo, Emily Williams and Lee Harding made the top three, with Kate being named Australian Idol winner. Not surprisingly, her single "Maybe Tonight" hit Number 1.

Back for its second season, Idol expanded its nationwide search for talent, ensuring it brought viewers an even more diverse range of Aussie talent. Last Idols standing were Casey Donovan, Anthony Callea and Courtney Murphy in a finale that broke Season One’s record as the highest rating program in Australian TV history. Casey was named Australian Idol and shot to Number 1 with "Listen With Your Heart".

Australia embraced Australian Idol right out of the gate and it became the year's hottest show, throwing the contestants, judges and hosts into the limelight. The season's biggest controversy saw Cosima De Vito pulling out of the top three, citing throat problems. The spectacular finale became the highest rating program in Australian TV history and saw Guy Sebastian named winner. The show went on earn an International Emmy nomination for Best Foreign Program.