Pop Idol icon Gareth Gates strips off for Boybands in the Buff show in saucy career move

Pop Idol legendGareth Gatesstrips off for saucy new boyband stage show and turned up the heat with his cheekiest career move yet - baring (almost) all for his latest gig.

The Pop Idol star, now 40, showed off his ripped physique in a steamy poster for Boybands in the Buff, a naughty new stage show set to tour the UK next year.

Gareth, who shot to fame on the ITV talent show back in 2002, will join a cast of “ripped and ridiculously talented performers” for what’s being billed as “the ultimate throwback concert.”

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Promoters tease fans can expect a night where there’s “so much going on, and coming off”.

They promise: “With nothing but harmonies, dance moves, and a whole lot of skin, the boys belt out the biggest hits of the 90s and 00s, from Backstreet Boys to NSYNC, Blue to Take That, in a show that’s as nostalgic as it is naughty.”

In an Instagram post, Gareth told fans “I cannot wait to join the cast of Boyband in the Buff! Touring the whole of the UK throughout 2026, click the link in my bio for the tour list. But be quick... the closer you are to the front, the better view you’ll have - More dates to be announced soon.”

The show is set to visit more than 25 locations, including Felixstowe, Tunbridge Wells, Stevenage, Aldershot, Clacton-on-Sea and Worcester.

Gareth became a household name when he came runner-up to Will Young in the first series of Pop Idol.

Since then, he’s continued to tour the UK and just last year fronted his own tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Sharing his love of their music at the time, he said “It’s a concert that we want people up at the end, singing along, dancing, having a great night out. My parents always used to listen to them so it’s been drummed into me as a child. And then I’ve done a few shows in the past, which has been based around the music, so to produce my own version of the show is great.”