Little Mix The Search

The premise for Little Mix The Search was announced in October 2019, when applications for the show were opened.^[1][2] The premise of The Search was for British girl group Little Mix to find singers to form a new group.^[3] It was confirmed that the members of Little Mix, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson, would act as judges. Applications closed on 10 January 2020,^[4] and filming commenced later that month.^[4][5] In March 2020, it was announced that comedian Chris Ramsey would be presenting The Search.^[6]

The auditions and group formation episodes had been filmed and were set to air on BBC One in April 2020 with the live shows following shortly afterwards.^[7] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their Summer 2020 Tour was cancelled and the series was postponed while the production team debated how to proceed under lockdown guidelines.^[8] When asked about the effect of the pandemic on The Search, Edwards said: "The live shows bit is coming, obviously we don’t know when but everything else before the live shows we’ve already filmed. So everything’s good to go, we’re basically just waiting for lockdown."^[9] On 20 July 2020, it was announced that the series would premiere later in the year, later confirmed to be on 26 September 2020, beginning with the pre-filmed auditions and group formation episodes, before commencing the live shows under social distancing guidelines.^[10] The groups competed for a chance to support Little Mix on their Confetti Tour in 2021, later rescheduled to 2022.^[1]

On 14 October 2020, it was announced via Twitter that the first live episode, originally set for broadcast on 17 October, had been postponed to 24 October due to several members of the production crew having been tested positive for COVID-19 and entering self-isolation.^[11] The showrunners and producers confirmed that none of the members of Little Mix tested positive for the virus.^[12] On 21 October, it was announced that Thirlwall, who had decided to self-isolate at home as a precaution, would appear during the first live episode solely via video link.^[13] On 24 October, Little Mix performed "Sweet Melody" as part of the "Battle of the Bands" episode, a performance that Thirlwall was absent for.^[14] On 31 October, the semi-final was postponed to 6 November in favour of a BBC News special due to the announcement of new COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in England, with the final following it on 7 November.^[15] On 7 November, it was announced that Nelson would be unable to appear during the final due to an illness; she would ultimately quit the band just over a month after the series had concluded.^[16][17]

On 26 August 2021, it was announced that the show would not be returning for a second series and had been put on an "indefinite hold", with the head of BBC Entertainment citing Edwards' and Pinnock's pregnancies as a factor.^[18]

Colour key

  Indicates that the group was in the bottom two and had to perform again in the sing off

  Indicates that the group was eliminated

  Indicates that the group won the competition

Colour key

  Indicates that the group had the highest score and won the episode

  Indicates that the group was in the bottom two and had to perform again in the sing-off

  Indicates that the group was eliminated from the competition

  Indicates that the group won Little Mix The Search

  Indicates that the group was a runner-up