It was produced in the United Kingdom at Fountain Studios in London, using the set from the recently completed second series of Pop Idol.

Additionally, Canada’s CTV Network used Canadian Idol host Ben Mulroney (with the show on Fox, which used Ant and Dec as hosts, was not simulcast with the CTV feed, to prevent Canadians from calling the American toll-free number to vote for their idol, Ryan Malcolm).

[4] In Poland, World Idol was the highest-rated in its timeslot, 4.5 million viewers, and 28.6 share per cent.

[4] In the United States, World Idol was the number-one show of the night among adults from 18–34 but drew a disappointing 6.5 million viewers overall.

[4] In the UK, over 4 million tuned in, but the show was beaten by other popular programs that aired Christmas night.