Darius Danesh has won through

The talent scouts on Sunday's edition of Pop Idol handed him another chance at stardom when they passed him through the first audition.

But Mr Danesh was warned that if he had any chance of winning the lucrative record deal prize he would have to tone down his "corniness".

Nicki Chapman, a judge on both Popstars and now Pop Idol, said: "I do rate your voice. I've always said you've got something - whether it's the ultimate pop idol, I don't know, but you certainly do have a talent."

Mr Danesh also won praise from another judge, Pete Waterman, for his rendition of Seal's hit Future Love Paradise.

He told the pop hopeful: "Interesting song to pick. I thought you gave a great performance of it."

Number one

But a third judge on the panel, Simon Cowell, warned: "You have one more opportunity to try and lose your corniness. I thought it before and I think it now."

Earlier this year Mr Danesh was dumped from Popstars after the judges criticised his over-the-top freestyle rendition of the Britney Spears' hit Baby, One More Time.

The band that was formed from the winning contestants, Hear'Say, has since gone on to top the charts twice.

Interesting song to pick. I thought you gave a great performance of it

Pete Waterman

The group made history when their first release, Pure and Simple, became the fastest-selling debut single ever and they enjoyed simultaneous number ones for single and album releases.

They also scored a second number one success with the single The Way To Your Love.

Hear'Say members later launched a cheeky attack on Mr Danesh during an interview on a Scottish commercial radio station.

When asked if Popstars had been "edited to make him look an arse", singers Kym Marsh and Suzanne Shaw replied: "No, he was really like that."

But Mr Danesh has remained undaunted by his initial failure and has always insisted that he will be a major star in his own right.

His recent success on Pop Idol now opens the way for another attempt at realising his dream.