Simon Cowell is embarking on a new kind of talent search.

The Got Talent impresario has teamed with Box to Box Films, the prolific producer behind Netflix hit Formula 1: Drive to Survive, to film a hunt for a One Direction-style boy band.

Cowell will audition hopefuls across the UK from next month, with open days taking place in Newcastle, Dublin, Liverpool, and London.

In a press notice announcing the auditions, organizers said the talent hunt is a stripped-back affair, swapping shiny-floor studios and TV audience votes for core talent discovery.

Box to Box Films is following the journey for a “potential documentary series,” but it is not clear if the project has found a home on a streamer or broadcaster.

A recent report in The Sun (a newspaper Cowell keeps close) said a potential Netflix deal is in the offing after he held talks with streamers about the documentary.