We chanced upon Nigerian Idol last night.

It's in the early stages of the live shows of Season 2, and it's being shown in the UK on HiTV which is Sky channel 204.

This judge, Charly Boy, is 'quite something'.

Here he is singing a song.

Here's 'Dermot'.

It's always interesting to see pop formats we know inside out being tweaked for countries whose televisual languages are so different. Some things are the the same - nobody is safe from the clutches of a certain tune by a certain young lady, and here's one of this year's finalists, Diwari, singing 'Someone Like You' - but some bits are completely different.

One of the judges is Jeffrey Daniel from Shalamar, for a start. Say what you like about The X Factor, it's never had a member of Shalamar on the judging panel and that's stone cold pop fact.

But the main thing that immediately jumps out is how the show seems to focus on constructive criticism in a way UK reality pop shows haven't really since Popstars and Pop Idol 1, or the dark days of Fame Academy. It feels at times - and we know this sounds ridiculous - as if some of the judges might actually want contestants to do well. Without the ramped-up drama and bickering judges, without the bangs and crashes and whooping audience members, performances and judges' comments are also allowed time and space to breathe, too.

Here's something from Whitney tribute week.

It might feel primitive compared with the Bruckheimerised Saturday night shows we're used to seeing from UK and US versions of Idol and The X Factor, but it feels a lot more natural.

Mind you, if you want melodrama, THIS is how you kick off a Whitney tribute.

Anyway like we say it's Sky channel 204 if you're interested. The official site below is worth a poke around in, too.

More info:
» Nigerian Idol official site