Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson has unveiled the inspiration behind his tough judge persona on Australian Idol.
At 62, Dicko served as a judge on the beloved reality show for seven years, initially participating in the first two seasons and later returning for three more from 2007 to 2009.
On the podcast docuseries, The Moment It Changed: Touchdown, Dicko confessed that Simon Cowell was the one who motivated him to adopt the role of the ‘mean judge.’
Simon Cowell became infamous for his blunt and unfiltered critiques during his nine-season tenure on American Idol, where he gained a reputation for being brutally honest with aspiring singers.
After Channel Ten secured the rights to the reality phenomenon, Dicko traveled to London to meet Simon Cowell in person.
“I recall being driven from the hotel to the office, and in the limo’s back seat were UK tabloid papers. Simon graced the front cover of three out of four tabloids,” he shared.
Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson has revealed who was the inspiration behind his ‘b***ard judge persona on Australian Idol
‘So I went in, saw Cowell and I went, “What is going on with you? What is going on?”
‘He went, “kiddo you have to do this in Australia. This is going to be fantastic for you. And just quietly the meaner you are, the more the chicks love you.” That was his advice to me.’
Dicko said he was happy to oblige taking on the role of the ‘mean judge’ despite the ‘humiliation’ he would be required to dish out.
‘Idol did require a b***ard judge and I guess I was happy to oblige,’ he said.
‘I realised the role that Simon played and how important that was to the show and whether we like to admit this or not, ritual humiliation of young singers was kind of part of this.
‘There had to be an element of jeopardy when the young hopeful stood in front of the judges and the cameras. And I was that jeopardy, I guess.’
Dicko also admitted that during a screen test for the series he dialed up the meanness and he felt ‘awful’ doing so.
‘I actually did a screen test for Idol for the producers and really was a complete b***ard,’ he said.
Speaking on the podcast docuseries The Moment It Changed: Touchdown, Dicko admitted it was Simon Cowell who encouraged him to take on the role of mean judge
Dicko, 62, was a judge on the popular reality show for a total of seven years, sitting in the chair for the first two seasons and returning for three seasons from 2007 to 2009. Dicko (r) is pictured with Kyle Sandilands (l) and Marcia Hines (c)
‘I went home that night and could not sleep and I felt awful and I talked it over with my wife. I went, with my wife, “I’m not sure I can be the b***ard judge.”‘
Elsewhere in the candid interview, Dicko said he believed Idol had done little to change the face of the Australian music industry.
‘I don’t think Idol changed the record industry at all,’ he said.
‘I think Idol changed the TV industry and changed the life of a few lucky individuals, mine included.
‘If it had changed the music industry we would still be seeing it. We were a blip, a f***ing big blip, but it was a blip.’
During his time on Idol, Dicko certainly faced his fair share of criticism for his judging approach.
Back in 2003, he drew the ire of many after he criticised the appearance of Pauline Curuenavuli in front of a packed studio audience and thousands of viewers at home.
The excruciating moment saw Paulini audition for the judges in an eye-popping gold dress only to have her hopes dashed by Dicko moments later.
Back in 2003, he drew the ire of many after he criticised the appearance of Pauline Curuenavuli in front of a packed studio audience and thousands of viewers at home
‘Choose more appropriate clothing and shed some pounds,’ he told a devastated Paulini on national television.
During his stint on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2023, Dicko reflected on the controversial incident.
He admitted he would be ‘tarred and feathered’ if he tried to do something like that on Australian TV today and revealed people still ask him about the shocking incident.
Dicko later broke down in tears as he recounted a father telling him that he’d caused his daughter’s anorexia over the comments.
‘He said, “This is your fault. She was an Australian Idol fan and when you said that comment to Paulini, she spiraled out of control and she is now in hospital, she might die and if she does, I am going to hold you personally responsible.”
‘To feel that my comments might have driven a beautiful young girl, the apple of her father’s eye, into a hospital ward where she could die, is really hard’.
