Popstars judge Louis Walsh has commenced a scorching attack on Robbie Williams, stamping him to be a “jumped-up karaoke singer” who definitely would not make it on any reality popstar show.

Louis laid into Robbie after the star claimed shows such as Fame Academy and Popstars The Rivals were “cruel television ****ing with people’s lives for entertainment”.

In an exclusive interview Louis blasted out “Robbie Williams is Mr Karaoke. He is the guy that did all the really sad, sad recordings of Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow’s Could It Be Magic? with what’s that group, oh yeah, that Take That bunch.

“How can he say the programmes are bad? Now, if it had been George Michael saying that then maybe I would listen, but certainly not Robbie Williams.”

“He is a jumped-up karaoke singer. He did that album ‘Swing When You’re Winning’ and Frank Sinatra fans wanted to murder him. When he was in Take That he wasn’t very good. He was simply the one with no clothes on, the silly one, not the talent.”

“If Robbie hadn’t got lucky he would have been the first in the queue to audition in Manchester for Popstars and he wouldn’t have got through with his voice.”