The fifteenth and final series of the British television music competition ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' began airing on ITV on 1 September 2018, presented by

Dermot O'Leary Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ' ...

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

returned alongside new judges Louis Tomlinson,

Ayda Field Ayda Field (born Ayda Sabahat Evecan, May 17, 1979) is a Turkish-American model and actress. She is best known for being a regular panellist on British television show ''Loose Women'', a judge on the British ''The X Factor'', alongside her husba ...

(credited as Ayda Williams), and

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

who replace departing judges

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...

, Sharon Osbourne, and

Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later be ...

. Nile Rodgers filled in for Williams while he was away on his tour for weeks 3–5 of the live shows. On 2 December, Jamaican-born singer

Dalton Harris Dalton Harris (born 29 December 1993) is a Jamaican singer. In 2010, he won ''Digicel Rising Star'', and subsequently signed with VP Records. In 2018, he won the final season of '' The X Factor'' in the United Kingdom. Early and personal life ...

won the series making him the first and only foreign contender to win the UK show. This was the only series that featured Tomlinson, Field, and Williams as judges.

Judges and presenters

On 6 June 2018, it was announced that Sharon Osbourne would return to judge the fifteenth series, but only for the live shows, due to her ongoing work commitments in the United States. The next day, long-serving judge

announced that after thirteen years on the show, he would leave to focus on other projects. Earlier in the year, it was reported that

would not return as a judge for the fifteenth series. On 30 September 2018, Osbourne announced her decision to no longer appear as a judge during the live shows, stating that she had "seen the new judges finding their rhythm and are doing brilliantly".

confirmed his return as head judge and

’s return as presenter. After much speculation, it was announced on 16 July 2018 that

(credited as Ayda Williams), Louis Tomlinson, and

would join Cowell on the series' judging panel to replace Osbourne, Scherzinger, and Walsh. On 23 August 2018, it was announced that '' Xtra Bites'' would return after a first series, presented by Becca Dudley again, and she would be joined by a co-host named Tinea Taylor. On 2 November 2018, it was revealed that Nile Rodgers would fill in for Williams on the panel during some of the live shows, due to Williams' touring commitments. Rodgers sat alongside Williams on 3 November, before fully substituting for him on 4, 10, 11 & 17 November. In a statement, Rodgers stated: "I had such a great time with Louis at the Judge's House in Ibiza a couple of weeks ago that when the opportunity came to step in for Robbie I could not say ('no')", "From

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

and Sister Sledge to Duran Duran and Daft Punk, I've had great experiences with Groups in my career, so I look forward to giving them as much support as I can while Rob is away!". Williams returned to the panel on 24 November.

Selection process

Auditions

Auditions for performers took place only at London's

SSE Arena, Wembley Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...

, on 18–20, 22–24 and 26–28 July 2018.

Deliberations

Instead of the traditional bootcamp stages, a deliberation stage (similar to that employed by ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...

'') was introduced to cut down the number of performers at the six-chair challenge. This took place on 30 July 2018 at the

Tobacco Dock Tobacco Dock is a Grade I listed warehouse located in the East London district of Wapping, and thereby the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Part of the London Docks designed by Scottish civil engineer and architect John Rennie, the warehouse w ...

in London. It was broadcast on a single episode on 23 September 2018 after the final auditions show. After the "deliberation" and "reveal" stages, but before the start of the "six-chair challenge", the judges found out the categories they are mentoring: Cowell mentored the "Girls", Field mentored the "Over 29s", Williams mentored the "Groups", and Tomlinson mentored the "Boys".

Six Chair Challenge

The Six Chair Challenge took place over the course of three days, from 1–3 August 2018, at the SSE Arena in Wembley. A new twist was added with the introduction of a golden button, similar to ''

Got Talent ''Got Talent'' is a British talent show TV format conceived and owned by Simon Cowell's SYCOtv company. It has spawned spin-offs in over 69 countries, in what is now referred to as the 'Got Talent' format, similar to that described by Fremantle ...

''s Golden Buzzer. When this was pressed, the act in question was guaranteed a 'Safe Seat', and would go straight through to Judges' Houses. The Six Chair Challenge was aired over 3 episodes starting on 29 September 2018 and finished on 6 October 2018.

Judges' Houses

It was announced by O'Leary during an appearance on '' This Morning'' that the Judges' Houses would be filmed in late September 2018, and that three of the judges' houses would be in Los Angeles (Cowell, Field and Williams); Tomlinson's houses would be hosted in Ibiza. Cowell judged from Malibu, while Field and Williams each judged their categories separately from their home in Beverly Hills. The guest judges were announced to be including

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

alumnus

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...

and Series 3 winner

Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved nationa ...

in assisting Field,

David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Br ...

with Williams, and Cowell's

colleagues Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest along with Diane Warren,

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

, Lewis and

Sinitta Sinitta Malone (born 19 October 1963), known mononymously as Sinitta, is an American-born British singer, actress and television personality. She initially found commercial success in the mid-1980s with the single "So Macho" and had several ot ...

to assist Cowell, who hosted a house party consisting of various singers, songwriters and record producers for the Girls to perform in front of. Tomlinson was assisted by his

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...

bandmate

Liam Payne Liam James Payne (born 29 August 1993) is an English singer. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. Payne made his debut as a singer in 2008 when he auditioned for the British television series ''The X Factor''. After being ...

and Nile Rodgers. Maria Laroco was not able to secure the correct visa in time to travel to Malibu with the remaining Girls for this stage of the competition. Unlike similar instances where the affected contestants withdrew from the competition, Laroco sang to Cowell via video link from a London studio. 16 contestants were put through to the live shows at this stage, four from each category. This last-minute change was lobbied by Cowell who was unable to narrow his Girls down to just three; the other judges were then allowed one more act each for their own categories as well.

Acts

Key: : – Winner : – Runner-Up : Yellow ffff00 pog

– Golden Buzzer/Safe Seat (Six-Chair Challenge)

Live shows

The contestants were announced after each category performed at Judges' Houses. There were 16 contestants (4 from each category) this year. The Live Shows were broadcast for 7 weeks from 20 October to 2 December. This year the live shows reverted to the previous format of all performances on the Saturday night and the results show on the Sunday night. However, there are 16 finalists and a reduced number of live shows, so almost all of the live result shows had double eliminations. Nile Rodgers temporarily replaced Williams on the panel, due to touring commitments. Rodgers appeared in Williams's place from 4–18 November. For the first time since 2008, there was no elimination on the Saturday (1 December 2018). Instead, all 3 finalists progressed the Sunday (2 December 2018) live final results show.

Musical guests

Keala Settle and

Rak-Su Rak-Su are an English R&B group, formed in Watford. In 2017, they won the fourteenth series of ''The X Factor'', becoming the first male group to do so. The group is made up of Ashley Fongho, Jamaal Shurland, Myles Stephenson, and previously M ...

, the winners of the previous series, performed on the first live results show. Little Mix and Kylie Minogue performed on the second live results show.

James Arthur James Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's " Impossible", was released by Syco Music after the fi ...

and

Jonas Blue Guy James Robin (born 2 August 1989), known professionally as Jonas Blue, is an English DJ, record producer, songwriter, and remixer based in London. He is known for recruiting young artists for his dance-pop and tropical house productions, wh ...

and

Lennon Stella Lennon Ray Louise Stella (born August 13, 1999) is a Canadian singer and actress. She portrayed Maddie Conrad on the musical-drama series ''Nashville'' (2012–2018). Before going solo in 2018, Stella performed with her sister as the duo Lennon ...

performed on the third live results show.

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom ...

and

Lady Leshurr Melesha Katrina O'Garro (born 15 December 1987), known professionally as Lady Leshurr (), is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and producer. She is known for her ''Queen's Speech'' series of freestyles, the fourth of which became popular i ...

performed on the fourth live results show. Cheryl and Tom Walker performed on the fifth live results show.

Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, singer, composer and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma M ...

and

Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, producer, a member of the musical group ABBA, and co-composer of the musicals '' Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamma Mia!'' He co-produced the films ...

appeared on the sixth live show (Andersson doing a Masterclass with the semi-finalists and Ulvaeus appearing on the judging panel alongside Williams, Field, Tomlinson and Cowell to judge the performances).

Zara Larsson Zara Maria Larsson (, ; born 16 December 1997) is a Swedish pop singer. In 2008, at the age of 10, she won the second season of the talent show '' Talang'', the Swedish version of the ''Got Talent'' format. Since then she has received recognit ...

performed on the sixth live results show. The live final featured a performance from

(with

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

) on the live final results show.

Final venue

Unlike the previous series where the live final was held at The ExCeL Center in London, instead this year's final was held at the normal venue which is

The SSE Arena, Wembley Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...

in London.

Winners single

The winners single was the winning contestant's duet from the Sunday (2 December 2018) result show with all proceeds going to the children's charities Together for Short Lives and

Shooting Star Chase Shooting Star Children's Hospices is an English children's hospice charity (No: 1042495). The charity cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families, across Surrey and West London. They provide spec ...

. It is the eighth year running that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has waived any VAT on ''The X Factor'''s winners single. The winner was announced to be

who performed a duet with

on " The Power of Love".

Results summary

;Colour key Act in team Louis Act in team Simon Act in team Robbie Act in team Ayda

Live show details

Week 1 (20/21 October)

* Theme: This is Me * Musical guests: Keala Settle (" This Is Me") and

(" I Want You to Freak") This week's results show featured a double elimination. The three acts with the fewest votes were announced as the bottom three, and the act out of the three with the fewest public votes was then automatically eliminated. The remaining two acts then performed in the final showdown for the judges' votes. ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Field: Armstrong Martins – backed her own act, Janice Robinson, saying she deserves to be in the competition. * Tomlinson: Janice Robinson – backed his own act, Armstrong Martins. * Williams: Armstrong Martins – gave no reason but many fans accused Williams of backing his wife's act. * Cowell: Armstrong Martins – said that despite Martins being more interesting, Robinson was the better singer.

Week 2 (27/28 October)

* Theme: Guilty Pleasures * Musical guests: Little Mix (" Woman Like Me") and Kylie Minogue ("

A Lifetime to Repair "A Lifetime to Repair" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue from her fourteenth studio album '' Golden'' (2018). Written by Minogue, Sky Adams, Danny Shah and Kiris Houston, and produced by Adams, the song was released as the fou ...

") This week's results show featured a double elimination. Lines were frozen on Sunday at 7:30 pm, 30 minutes before the results show, and Janice Robinson was eliminated after the special guest performance from Little Mix after receiving the fewest votes. Lines then reopened and the two acts with the next fewest votes then performed in the sing-off. ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Williams: Brendan Murray – backed his own act, LMA Choir. * Tomlinson: LMA Choir – backed his own act, Brendan Murray. * Cowell: Brendan Murray – gave no reason. * Field: LMA Choir – could not decide so chose to take the vote to deadlock. With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. LMA Choir were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 3 (3/4 November)

* Theme: Fright Night * Musical guests:

(" Empty Space") and

(" Polaroid") The live show was pre-recorded during Saturday afternoon to allow Williams to be present before flying to South America for touring commitments. Nile Rodgers appeared as a guest judge, filling in for Williams during the third results show and the fourth & fifth live shows and results shows. This week's results show featured a double elimination. Lines were originally scheduled to be frozen on Sunday at 7:30 pm, 60 minutes before the results show, the act receiving the fewest votes leaving the competition at the beginning of the show before lines would reopen and the two acts with the next fewest votes would then perform in the sing-off. However, due to a technical issue that affected the sound during Danny Tetley and Anthony Russell's performances, Saturday's public vote was cancelled and lines instead opened in the results show on Sunday. At the start of the live results show, all of the performances were shown in full before the public vote opened for 14 minutes. ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Rodgers: Molly Scott – based on the sing-off performances, effectively backing Williams' own act, Acacia & Aaliyah. * Cowell: Acacia & Aaliyah – backed his own act, Molly Scott. * Field: Molly Scott – based on the sing-off performances. * Tomlinson: Molly Scott – said both acts have potential but he was not sure Scott was "quite there yet".

Week 4 (10/11 November)

* Theme: "Movies" (songs from films) * Musical guests:

When I Fall in Love "When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in the film ''One Minute to Zero'' as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the firs ...

") and

featuring

(" Moves") This week's results show featured a double elimination. Lines were frozen on Sunday at 7:30 pm, 60 minutes before the results show, and Misunderstood were eliminated after the special guest performance from Bublé after receiving the fewest votes. Lines then reopened and the two acts with the next fewest votes then performed in the sing-off. ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Rodgers: Giovanni Spano – backed Williams' own act, Acacia & Aaliyah. * Field: Acacia & Aaliyah – backed her own act, Giovanni Spano, saying he brought fun and vital entertainment to the competition. * Tomlinson: Giovanni Spano – believed Acacia & Aaliyah had a future as recording artists while Spano had more of a future in musical theatre. * Cowell: Giovanni Spano – gave no specific reason but praised both acts' sing-off performances.

Week 5: Quarter-Final (17/18 November)

* Theme: Big Band * Musical guests: Tom Walker (" Leave a Light On") and Cheryl (" Love Made Me Do It") This week's results show featured a double elimination. Lines were frozen on Sunday at 7:30 pm, 30 minutes before the results show, and Bella Penfold was eliminated immediately at the beginning of the show. Once that occurred, lines reopened for a few more minutes and the two acts with the next fewest votes performed in the sing off. During the results show, Cowell originally told the acts that the final six would go on ''The X Factor Live Tour'' in 2019. After the elimination of Shan Ako, Cowell stated that he would allow both her and Penfold to join the final six on tour as well. His statement meant that the final eight would perform on the tour rather than the final six. ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Cowell: Acacia & Aaliyah – backed his own act, Shan Ako. * Rodgers: Shan Ako – backed Williams' own act, Acacia & Aaliyah. * Tomlinson: Acacia & Aaliyah – based on "vocal ability" without being led by his emotions. * Field: Shan Ako – praised both acts' sing-off performances but could not decide so chose to take the vote to deadlock, though fans accused Field of not wanting her husband to return without an act in the competition. With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Shan Ako was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 6: Semi-Final (24/25 November)

;24 November *Theme: Get Me to the Final (Part I) & Mamma Mia This week's semi-final featured a triple elimination. During Saturday's show, the lines froze where the two acts with the fewest votes were immediately eliminated. They then re-opened and closed during Sunday's results show ahead of the final sing-off of the series. In addition, following all of the act's first performance during Saturday's show, each act performed a segment from an

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...

song where

joined the judging panel for the performances. ;25 November * Theme: Get Me to the Final (Part II) * Musical guests:

Ruin My Life "Ruin My Life" is a song by Swedish singer Zara Larsson, released as a single on 18 October 2018. Initially released as a standalone single, the song was later included on Larsson's third studio album, ''Poster Girl (album), Poster Girl''. The s ...

") ;Judges' votes to send through to the final * Cowell: Scarlett Lee – based on the sing-off performances, and said he would have made the same choice even if Scarlett Lee was not his own act; he said without her, the final would not be the same. * Williams: Acacia & Aaliyah – backed his own act, Acacia & Aaliyah. * Field: Scarlett Lee – based on the sing-off performances. * Tomlinson: Scarlett Lee – based on the vocals only in the sing-off performances.

Week 7: Final (1/2 December)

;1 December *Theme: No theme; Celebrity duets *Group Performance: " Let Me Entertain You"/" Rock DJ"/" Freedom" (Top 10 contestants with

) *Musical guests:

& Anne-Marie ("

Rewrite the Stars "Rewrite the Stars" is a song performed by Zac Efron and Zendaya for the film ''The Greatest Showman'' (2017). It was released on November 17, 2017 by Atlantic Records as a promotional single from '' The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture ...

") and

George Ezra George Ezra Barnett (born 7 June 1993) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. After releasing two EPs, '' Did You Hear the Rain?'' (2013) and '' Cassy O (2014), Ezra rose to prominence with the release of his hit single, "Budapest", ...

(" Shotgun") ;2 December *Theme: Winners duets *Musical guests:

Pinkfong Pinkfong (Hangul: 핑크퐁) is a South Korean children's educational brand of The Pinkfong Company (formerly SmartStudy), a South Korean educational entertainment company. Pinkfong consists of mainly children's songs, of which the most famous ...

Baby Shark "Baby Shark" is a children's song associated to a dance involving hand movements that originated as a campfire song dating back to at least the 20th century. In 2016, "Baby Shark" became very popular when Pinkfong, a South Korean entertainment ...

"), Ellie Goulding (" Close To Me"), Nile Rodgers &

Le Freak "Le Freak" is a 1978 funk / disco song by American R&B band Chic. It was the band's third single and first ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B number-one hit song. Along with the tracks " I Want Your Love" and "Chic Cheer", "Le Freak" scored number ...

"/" 'Till The World Falls"/" We Are Family"/" I Want Your Love"/" Do You Wanna Party"/" Good Times"/"

Rapper's Delight "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop mus ...

" with Acacia & Aaliyah and Misunderstood) and

(" Shine"/" Everything Changes" with

)

Reception

Ratings

As of September 2018, all official ratings include those who watched on demand via the ITV Hub. : The ratings over a 28-day period, including the broadcasts on ITV and streaming through

ITV Hub ITVX (formerly ITV Hub) is a British online video-on-demand service operated by ITV plc, ITV. The service offers predominantly features content from ITV1, as well as ITV Digital Channels, ITV Digital channels and some licensed content. The serv ...

using BARB's four-screen dashboard system (includes viewers watching on tablets/smartphones). : The ITV rank for the programme compared to other ITV broadcasts for the week.

Controversies

Accusations of transphobia

During the audition stage, 20-year-old transgender man Felix Shepherd impressed the judges with his rendition of " All I Want" by

Kodaline Kodaline () are an Irish rock band. Originally known as 21 Demands, the band adopted their current name in 2012 to coincide with the changing of their music. The group comprises Steve Garrigan, Mark Prendergast, Vincent May and Jason Boland. G ...

, and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Before singing, Williams asked him about his background; Shepherd said he was there to prove to people that he was "more than just a

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

guy." Williams responded by asking him: "So when you were born, what was your name?", thus

misgendering Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger tow ...

him. Although many fans of the show were supportive of the representation, many were outraged by Williams' question, though Shepherd stated that he was not offended by Williams.

Sharon Osbourne

On 5 September 2018, whilst on

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, '' The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terr ...

's radio show, Osbourne accused Cowell of underpaying her for the new series. She used some offensive language to criticise Cowell and the show's auditionees, which led to a backlash from fans who suggested that Osbourne should be replaced. Osbourne subsequently announced her decision to not participate during the live shows. Various sources reported that Osbourne had been fired over the interview and Stern stated that he believed she had been tipped off to keep quiet. Osbourne later refuted Stern's allegations and stated that her comments were only made in jest and were not to be taken literally, but that they were misappropriated by other people including ''The X Factor''’s production company due to Stern wanting to give Cowell a bad reputation by using his radio show. She added that although the company wanted to fire her, Cowell was not upset with the comments and wanted her to remain on the show, but that it was ultimately her decision to step down out of fear of awkwardness between her and fellow judges Williams and Field, with whom she is close friends, though she did not rule out a return to the show in the future.

Sound problems

During the third week of live shows, sound issues caused the judges, O'Leary and contestants to sound distorted. As the show was not live, O'Leary did not address the sound problems until the following night's live results show, but at the end of the programme, another message said: "Due to a technical issue, tonight's vote has been cancelled. It will open in tomorrow night's show." During the results show all the performances of the night were replayed before the lines opened to make the vote as fair as possible for the contestants.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:X Factor (British series 15), The 2018 British television seasons 2018 in British music 15 United Kingdom 15