Not only those that he counts as friends, but his fans, critics and enemies began wonder-ing if he would consider retiring. That September, he offered a clue when it was announced that he would be one of the judges on the Irish series of Popstars. Although he would manage the band, he said it would be his last. Louis didn’t own the Irish franchise to Popstars. The franchise was purchased by an Irish production company called Shinawil in early 2001. The firm’s managing director Larry Bass reckoned that he would have to involve Louis if he were to make the programme a success. “I think trying to do a Popstars-type TV show, if you didn’t have Louis in a market the size of Ireland, it might be a little bit of a damp squib, but he would transcend the market and make it interesting and worthwhile.” Louis was reluctant to get involved in the programme. He didn’t want the publicity. While the public knew the name Louis Walsh, few people knew what he looked like.
