When Simon Cowell announced he was looking for a new boy band (a challenge he would film for a television audience), the members of his biggest success story, One Direction, weren’t exactly thrilled.

While Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne have earned tens of millions of pounds, it came at a cost.

Some members of the band believed they had lost their “best years”, while others fell into a spiral of alcohol and drugs.

Liam’s membership in One Direction tragically put him on the path to destruction. Two months ago he died after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

And it’s for that reason that music industry executives expected Simon, 65, to abandon the project.

After all, One Direction were managed by music mogul and X Factor judge Simon after they found unimaginable fame on the ITV reality series in 2010.

The Wolverhampton-born singer’s death at the age of 31 left Simon devastated, as was evident at Liam’s funeral last month. He was seen hugging Liam’s parents, Karen and Geoff, outside the church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.

Following Liam’s death, Simon posted a tribute to the singer on Instagram, describing him as a “kind, funny and talented” pop star who “never forgot his fans.”

One Direction were managed by Simon Cowell after they found fame on The X Factor in 2010. Pictured, from left, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Cowell, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Liam Payne.

He added: “Liam, I am truly devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty. And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.

As Simon struggled to come to terms with the death of Liam, who he met when he auditioned for the X Factor when he was 14, there was speculation that the search for a new boy band could be called off.

At the time, Simon’s rep was keen to emphasize that the show would go on, adding the caveat that they “didn’t have a crystal ball”, suggesting plans could change.

But, weeks later, I can confirm that everything remains the same for Simon and the staff working on the project.

An industry insider said: “Of course, Simon found it difficult to concentrate on the new show in the weeks following Liam’s tragic death.

‘But now a decision has been made: it seems right to continue making the documentary. “Staff will return early in the new year to continue working on it.”

The show was initially thought to be called Simon Cowell: The Midas Touch. However, Simon’s representative denied this and said that the title will be revealed in due time.

Liam’s membership in One Direction tragically put him on the path to destruction. Two months ago he died after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Simon Cowell and his wife Lauren Silverman attend Payne’s funeral in Amersham on November 20.

The decision is likely to baffle Liam’s former bandmates, most of whom are no longer in a relationship with Simon, making the rumor that they didn’t speak to him at Liam’s funeral plausible.

“Simon pushed and pushed One Direction,” a source said. ‘He thought that if they worked hard now they would never have to work again.

‘At the time they did. At first they worked and worked, but as their teeth grew in they realized what they were missing.

‘They were doing more than 100 concerts in a year, traveling all over the world, it was a lot. Would One Direction wish that on anyone else? By no means.’

A former colleague of the music supremo also said: ‘You have to wonder why Simon is doing this at this point in his career.

“One Direction worked hard but so did Simon.”

However, that success – and his grueling regime – is unlikely to be repeated. At least not at Simon’s hands.

The Mail on Sunday previously revealed that the show’s original ambition to find a new boy band who could reach the same heights as One Direction had been scaled back after auditions were cancelled. The talent pool was so disappointing that Simon ordered social media influencers to promote the show to convince more rookie singers.

But the painful truth may be that the once-mighty music mogul, who previously dominated the charts with the likes of Leona Lewis, Westlife and Sinitta, is struggling to attract new talent.

In fact, industry insiders have rolled their eyes at his policy of approaching music executives at smaller labels with promises of catapulting their acts to stardom. He hopes they will bow to his power in the industry.

But the strategy has yet to bear fruit, largely because it is considered “absolutely out of touch.”

This is the damning verdict of several artists who insist they would rather go their own way than sign with Simon. Instead, they hope to gain greater recognition through social media.

In fact, one rising star, who already has more than three million followers on Instagram, laughed at the boy band impresario’s record deal offer.

The Mail on Sunday previously revealed that Cowell’s ambition to find a band that could reach the same heights as One Direction had been scaled back after auditions were cancelled.

The highly respected coach who now works with her insisted that signing Simon would be “the worst thing that could happen to her career.”

A second aspiring street act, signed to the same manager, says he would rather work in a store than join Simon’s team.

As the coach put it: “It’s always tempting to take advantage of big players, and Simon is the one with the money.”

‘But, honestly, (the artists) don’t want to. As a manager, it’s easy money, but the new generation would rather fail than sign for Simon. It’s just not cool. “Today’s music is about artistic integrity: Simon is from another era.”

While it has been widely reported that Simon’s new show will screen on streaming giant Netflix, a buyer for the project has yet to be finalized.

Simon’s team did not confirm this when approached.

Interestingly, producers believe that much of the strength behind Simon’s proposed project could come from showing him as a past, with doors slamming in his face for a change.

But it remains to be seen if fans will ever see the king of withering contempt get a taste of his own medicine.