MOVE over Simon Cowell. Miss Piggy will be chief judge on the ultimate TV reality show, in which viewers will choose a new Muppet to join a revival of the comic troupe.

Twenty-five years after the puppets retired from television, Kermit will introduce a selection of Muppet hopefuls who will compete to join the wacky cast in a new series.

The satire on Pop Idol will feature Miss Piggy and Gonzo making acerbic observations on the wannabes, created by the Jim Henson Company, before final selection is turned over to the viewers.

After buying the rights to the Muppets in a £30 million deal, Disney has chosen America’s Next Muppet as the vehicle for a peak-time television return for what was once the world’s most successful comedy show.

The six-part series will mark the 50th anniversary of Kermit’s first television appearance and, if it is a hit, will herald a range of Muppet tie-ins, from theme parks to a stage musical.

Reliable Muppet sources revealed that a pilot episode made for the ABC network begins with Kermit and other classic characters setting up the talent contest to find the newest member of the troupe.

The concept updates the original Muppet Show scenario as the setting for the strangest variety show on television, featuring a range of weird and wonderful acts. Statler and Waldorf, the Muppets own worst critics, will again offer a sour running commentary from their traditional box seats.

The series, scheduled to be broadcast next spring, will again show the chaotic scenes backstage as Fozzie Bear, Animal and the rest of the gang organise the challenges on the show. This will give an opportunity for celebrity guests to drop by, a highlight of the series, which ran in 100 countries from 1976 to 1981. Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Lopez have expressed an interest in appearing.

Although weekly voting will be restricted to American viewers, British broadcasters are interested in screening the long-awaited return of the Muppets.

Henson, the puppet genius who introduced Kermit in the US series Sam and Friends in 1955, died in 1990. His children, Brian and Lisa, run the Henson Company and work in partnership with Disney after selling the Muppet rights last year.

Kermit is celebrating his half-century by visiting the top 50 places he has always wanted to see. The globe-trotting tour began appropriately in the small Texas town of Kermit and will take in the Great Wall of China and Wimbledon.

The results will be filmed and released on a DVD, along with a celebration dinner in Kermit’s honour, which Miss Piggy has graciously agreed to host. Steve Whitmire, who had worked with Henson for 13 years, has taken over Kermit’s voice and movements.

ABC will assess demand for a longer-running series after examining the ratings for America’s Next Muppet. The characters will continue to star in feature films, mobile phone clips and a range of merchandise under the Disney deal.

BEHIND THE MAGIC AND MAYHEM

Miss Piggy documented her celebrity lifestyle in a Sow in the City weblog

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