Marcia Hines Signs On For ‘Australian Idol’ Reboot

Marcia Hines has been confirmed as a guest judge for the 2023 return of Australian Idol on Channel 7.

Recently it was revealed that Amy Shark, Meghan Trainor and Harry Connick Jr. would be joining controversial Australian radio host Kyle Sandilands on the judging panel for the show’s reboot.

Despite Sandilands, who announced his involvement back in August, ruling out OG crew Hines, Ian Dickson and Mark Holden as possibilities, alongside Osher Günsberg as a potential host, the singer has today shared she will indeed be returning.

“I’m returning to Australian Idol in 2023 as a guest judge!” Hines said. "I feel honoured to have been asked to come back. Australian Idol is a great vehicle for uncovering some fantastic Australian talent. What a ride!”

Hines’ addition to the show follows backlash after its all-white judging panel and co-hosts Ricki-Lee and Scott Tweedie were revealed last month.

In response to criticism about the show’s lack of diversity, Sandilands said via radio: “You can’t say, ‘One judge has got to be a non-binary black person.’ That’s not how the real world works. And it shouldn’t... It should be whoever is worthy of doing it – gay, straight, black, white, non-binary, whatever – that’s not taken into consideration, and it shouldn’t be.”

Australian music legend and former #AustralianIdol judge @TheMarciaHines returns to Idol in 2023 as a guest judge! 👏@AustralianIdol is coming soon to @Channel7 and @7plus 🎵 pic.twitter.com/rhGBfwrkMk

— Australian Idol (@AustralianIdol) October 23, 2022

Originally starting up in 2003, the show quickly became an Aussie favourite and continued until 2009 when it was sadly cancelled.

In those six glorious years, Idol unearthed a plethora of Australian talent with notable stars like Jessica Mauboy, Guy Sebastian, Stan Walker, Shannon Noll and Matt Corby all getting their start on the show. 

Since then, shows like The Voice and The Masked Singer have filled the void that Idol left, but never quite hit the mark. Initially announced to return in 2020, the show was put on hold due to the pandemic, leaving fans waiting another three years for their Idol fix. 

Audition applications, which closed back in August, saw the show introduce four new prerequisites.

Those include: Applicants must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident (for at least two years), be between 15 and 28 years old (as of 1 September 2022), be fully vaccinated with three doses and valid vaccination certificates, and not have any contract, arrangement or agreement with any other TV program, producer or record label.

The Idol franchise is the most widely watched television franchise in the world. It's broadcast in over 150 countries, has 55 adaptations and boasts a global audience of more than three billion viewers.

An exact date for when the show will air has yet to be released.