HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The X Factor'' is a British
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...
music competition, created by
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 ...
. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's
Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
and Cowell's production company
Syco Entertainment Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2005 through S ...
for ITV, as well as
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simul ...
on
Virgin Media One Virgin Media One, also called Virgin One, is an Irish free-to-air television channel owned by Virgin Media Ireland (part of Liberty Global), operated through its subsidiary Virgin Media Television. The channel was known until 30 August 20 ...
in Ireland. The programme ran for around 445 episodes across fifteen series, each one primarily broadcast late in the year, until its final episode in December 2018. All episodes were 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 ' ...
, with some exceptions: the first three series were hosted by Kate Thornton; while Caroline Flack and
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 ...
hosted the show for the twelfth series. Each year of the competition saw contestants of all ages and backgrounds auditioning for a place, in hopes of proving that they had singing talent. Auditionees attempted to do so before a panel of judges, each selected for their background in the music industry these have included Cowell,
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 ...
,
Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...
,
Dannii Minogue Danielle Jane Minogue () is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She initially gained recognition for her appearances on the television show '' Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on t ...
,
Cheryl Cheryl is a female given name common in English speaking countries. There are several prevailing theories about its etymology. The most common is that it has Italo-Celtic roots and is an Anglicised version of either the French name Cherie (from L ...
, Gary Barlow, Tulisa,
Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the g ...
,
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 ...
,
Mel B Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...
,
Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut stud ...
, 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 ...
. Those acts who survived the auditions entered a bootcamp stage in which the judges each took charge of a category of contestants to mentor, determining who may move on to the live stages of the contest, with a public vote in the live rounds eliminating these contestants one by one. The winner of the live final received a recording contract with record label
Syco Music Syco Music is a defunct division of Syco Entertainment founded by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. Originally founded as S Records, the label launched while Cowell was still employed by BMG, the label oversaw music relea ...
and a cash payment, though the majority was allocated to marketing and recording costs. At the same time of its premiere, ''The X Factor'' was accompanied by
spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...
behind-the-scenes show called '' The Xtra Factor'' on
ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, ...
, which focused on the recent episode's performances; this was later replaced in 2016 with an online spin-off show, ''Xtra Bites'', on
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 ...
. The programme itself proved popular on British television, attracting high viewing figures at its peak over 14 million on average in the seventh series leading to the formation of an international franchise. In addition, many of its acts, including JLS,
Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British v ...
,
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 ...
and Ella Henderson, later went on to release singles that entered number-one in the UK charts. From 2011, viewing figures began to decline, and Cowell later opted to rest the programme in 2019, assigning two spin-offs as mini-series that year '' The X Factor: Celebrity'' and '' The X Factor: The Band''. On 28 July 2021, ITV announced that there were no plans to air another series of the programme, effectively meaning it was shelved.


History

The programme's format was devised by
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...
executive
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 ...
in 2004. The concept for ''The X Factor'' stemmed from his involvement as a judge on ''
Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...
'', another music talent competition that ITV aired from 2001–2003. While the programme had been massively successful in its own right, Cowell disliked the lack of control that he and the judges had on the contestant's progress several individuals, including fellow judge
Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Water ...
, agreed with him that a contestant who won the second series of ''Pop Idol'' had been unworthy to earn victory compared to others who had participated. Cowell eventually made plans to devise a new televised competition, in which he would own the television rights and thus maintain control on decisions held on the new programme. In 2004, ITV secured the rights to broadcast ''The X Factor'' after Cowell approached them with his concept, despite a legal challenge by
Simon Fuller Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer renowned for nurturing and inspiring world class entertainment talent. He is the creator of the ''Idols'' TV format, including the UK s ...
, the creator of ''Pop Idol'', over perceived similarities between the two shows.


Format


Auditions

Each year's competition begins with auditions round, which consists of three stages held several months prior to the series premiere, and within venues around the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
; in some series, auditions were also allowed within the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...
. Participants are required to provide a performance across each stage, focused on singing a piece from another artist to gauge their musical talent. The first round consists of auditionees performing before production staff either by application and appointment, or at "open" auditions that anyone can attend. Those wishing to apply could do so via postal or online applications, with ''The X Factor'' having no upper-age limit and groups can participate. If an auditionee passes this stage, they then move on to the second stage in which they perform before a senior production member. Both of these stages are not filmed, but shots of the crowds waiting to audition are later spliced into audition episodes during final editing; the televised version can sometimes misrepresent the process in this fashion by implying that huge crowds all perform before the judges. Participants that make it to the third stage of auditions then conduct their performance and potential singing talent before the judges for that year's competition. To proceed into the next round of the contest, each participant must secure a majority vote from the judges, otherwise they are eliminated at this point; the judges themselves will usually comment on what they heard first, before they cast their vote. For the majority of series (Series 1–5, 10–11, and 13–14), the third stage auditions were conducted in a closed room in which performance were done without a backing track, while for other series, they were conducted before a live audience (similar to ''
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 ...
'', with performances either done a cappella or over a backing track. Filming takes place during this stage, with the final edits for audition episodes focusing on the best, the worst and the most bizarre.


Bootcamp and judges' houses

In the second round, participants who reach this stage are sent to a "bootcamp" to refine their performances, while they are organised into categories based on the conditions of their application. The first category consists of men and women solo acts aged under 24 both categories were conjoined in early series until separated in the fourth series with the minimum age allowed being 16 (except for the fourth to sixth series where it was lowered to 14). The third category consists of men and women solo acts aged 25 and older (with the exception of a few series where the minimum age was raised to 26, 28 and 29). The final category consists of group acts, which include two or more members within each group. During this time, the producers decide on which judge for that year's competition is assigned to mentoring one of the category of participants. After the judges receive their assigned category, they then oversee two stages of performances from participants in each category, in which they must whittle down the number of participants to around six per category (eight for the seventh and eighth series). The process varies across the programme's history in most cases, their performances during this stage determines whether they move on to the next round or not; in some series, audition tapes are reviewed before the round with the judges making their choices before this stage of the competition. Once the judges each have their selected participants for their category to mentor, these participants move on to the "judges' houses" stage of the competition, which is held in private residences for each judge; according to
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 ...
, these homes tend to not belong to the judges, but rented out for this purpose. In this stage, the participants each conduct a performance before their category's judge, who must decide which of their group will proceed into the live rounds. Both the bootcamp and the judges' homes stages of the contest are pre-recorded, though in some cases, either between the first and second stages of Bootcamp or prior to judges' houses, judges may look at certain rejected solo artists who they feel have potential but may be better suited in a group, and in an attempt to give them a lifeline, then send these acts into a room to form a number of different groups, each depending on size, height, fashion and chemistry. Lineup changes may also sometimes occur depending on what the judges feel the group is missing or which members they think work well with others. In the tenth series, the bootcamp stage was changed to a new format called "Six-Chair Challenge" in which participants had to secure a majority vote to sit in one of six empty chairs for their category, to move into the next stage; if all six seats were filled, the judge of that category must replace one of these participants with another they wish to see through. This new format, despite some tweaks, was not well received by viewers after its introduction.


Elimination stages and Final

Contestants who make it through both the second and third stages eventually enter the live rounds of the competition. By this stage they compete against each other over a series of elimination heats, with those that make it through competition to win in a live final, with these filmed in two parts in a fixed studio venue (except for the final after the eighth series): a performance episode featuring all active participants; and a results episode, which includes a live or pre-recorded performances by celebrity performers. During this time, they move into shared accommodation while involved in the live episodes, sharing this with production staff; filming "behind-the-scenes" within the accommodation is frequently down and used in live episodes for ''The Xtra Factor''. In some series, some additional participants are sometimes selected from the rejects to act as wildcards in these stages, alongside those who progressed to the live episodes. In these stages, each participant not only performs on live television, but also before the judges and a live studio audience. Their routine is often designed to fully judge their singing talent, appearance, personality and stage presence that may not have been noticeable during auditions, with their routine focusing a performance to a specific song originally a pop or contemporary hit from the charts in early series, before being later assigned based on the musical theme for the episode. Performance may sometimes be accompanied by backing dancers and musicians, and, in some cases, participants may also provide their own music and/or dance routines. At the end of each performance, the judges provide feedback on each performance, with their discussions often regularly adding entertainment value to each live episode. However, success is determined by the public vote in each episode. The system involves the same phone number, with exception for the last two digits which, beginning at "01", is assigned to each participant by order of appearance. The phone number is displayed twice for viewers once after a participant's performance is over, and a second time after all performances are completed and phone lines opened. Voting is conducted over a set time period, and closed before the results are announced of each stage of the live shows is shown, with the public vote results not detailing the actual number of votes or the ranked order (first to last) the public placed each act in. In the elimination stages, the two acts to be the lowest ranked in the public vote are revealed, and thus face off against each other in a "final showdown". This consists of conducting a new performance primarily for the judges while earlier series focused on reprisal of their earlier songs, producers later changed this after the fourth series to allow them to pick new songs to perform to. After their performances are completed, the judges vote on which act to eliminate. When the fourth series saw the introduction of a fourth judge, the result was given the chance to be tied. In the event of a tie, the result goes to deadlock, where the earlier public vote determines the elimination of the acts in the final showdown which means, of the two acts in the final showdown, the act who received the lowest number of votes in the public vote is eliminated. Sometimes in certain years, starting with the third series, due to an increased number of acts in the live shows or reduced weeks, a double elimination is featured where the three acts who were the lowest ranked in the public vote are revealed, with the act who finished last in the public vote is immediately eliminated with the other two acts in the bottom two perform in the final showdown for the judges' votes. After only five (series 2, 4–6), or four (series, 1, 3, 7–9), or three (series 10–13, 15) acts remain, no final showdown is involved the act who finished last in the public vote is automatically eliminated. In the final, the public vote decides the winner, who receives at the end of the competition a £1 million recording contract with
Syco Music Syco Music is a defunct division of Syco Entertainment founded by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. Originally founded as S Records, the label launched while Cowell was still employed by BMG, the label oversaw music relea ...
, in association with
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...
, which, by the beginning of the fifth series, included a £150,000 cash advance with the balance covering the costs of recording and marketing. Other highly placed contestants may also be offered recording deals, but this is not guaranteed.


Judges and presenters


Judging history

For the first three series after the programme began in 2004, the judging panel consisted of music executive and TV producer
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 ...
, and music managers
Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...
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 ...
, while it was presented by Kate Thornton. In March 2007, Thornton was dropped from the programme, with
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 ' ...
offered a two-year contract, worth £1 million, to take over as host, which eventually led to him ending his involvement in the '' Big Brother'' franchise later that year to concentrate on his new role. In June that same year, the judging panel was expanded to include a fourth judge, and saw changes in the lineup:
Brian Friedman Brian L. Friedman (born May 28, 1977) is an American dancer and choreographer. Friedman has created the choreography for many popular music artists – such as Britney Spears, Cher, Beyoncé Knowles, and Mariah Carey – as well as for musi ...
took over from Walsh when he chose to leave the programme, while Australian singer
Dannii Minogue Danielle Jane Minogue () is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She initially gained recognition for her appearances on the television show '' Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on t ...
joined the panel. However, Friedman later dropped out of the panel during auditions for the fourth series, being later reassigned as a creative director for the programme, while Walsh agreed to return as a result of this situation. Osbourne later left the programme before the fifth series in 2008, with ITV later replacing her with
Cheryl Cheryl is a female given name common in English speaking countries. There are several prevailing theories about its etymology. The most common is that it has Italo-Celtic roots and is an Anglicised version of either the French name Cherie (from L ...
. During the seventh series, Minogue went on maternity leave, leaving the production staff to fill her place on the panel with a series of guest judges during auditions these included
Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...
, Natalie Imbruglia,
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her campy style, she has been referred to ...
,
Pixie Lott Victoria Louise Lott (born 12 January 1991), better known by her stage name Pixie Lott, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut album, '' Turn It Up'', released in September 2009, reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and sold ov ...
and
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 ...
. In May 2011, Cowell and Cheryl announced their decision to leave the programme before the eighth series, in order to concentrate on the American edition of the programme. That same month, Minogue also left the programme, citing that her schedule for the live episodes of ''
Australia's Got Talent ''Australia's Got Talent'' is an Australian reality television talent show. The show is based on the ''Got Talent'' series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell. The first six seasons aired on the Seven Network, from ...
'' that year would conflict with her involvement with ''The X Factor''. Several celebrities in the music industry were approached to replace all three, before the producers opted for their replacements to be Gary Barlow, Tulisa, and
Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the g ...
. During the eighth series, Rowland was unable to attend live episodes due to medical reasons, leading to previous ''X Factor'' winner
Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is a British singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the British television series '' The X Factor'' in 2008, and has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and S ...
standing in for her. After the series concluded, Rowland opted to drop out of the programme due to other commitments, leading to a series of guest judges being used during the ninth series, before Nicole Scherzinger was chosen as her replacement. In May 2013, Tulisa announced she was leaving ''The X Factor'', with Osbourne revealed to be returning, but later clarifying it was for the tenth series only, with Barlow announcing during its live episodes that he would also be leaving ''The X Factor'' after the series' conclusion. In February 2014, Cowell announced his return as a judge for the eleventh series, as he worked to reinvent the programme. The panel saw him bring back Cheryl as Osbourne's replacement, while replacing Scherzinger with
Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and ...
member
Mel B Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...
. In March 2015, O'Leary announced that he was quitting the show in order to pursue other projects, and was replaced a month later by both
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 Caroline Flack as co-presenters, the latter having served as a backstage presenter since 2013. Walsh later left the programme in May 2015, after revealing that he had spent enough time on ''The X Factor''. With Mel B not signing up for another series, both judges were replaced by
Nick Grimshaw Nicholas Peter Andrew Grimshaw (born 14 August 1984), also known as Grimmy, is an English television and former radio presenter, podcaster and author. He became known for having hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1. He is also known as a t ...
and
Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut stud ...
. In February 2016, Murs quit the programme to focus on his music career, with Flack later departing the programme around the same time. The following month, O'Leary rejoined the programme as presenter. Alongside the change in presenters, the judging panel was also changed again after Grimshaw left in February 2016, Cheryl in April, and Ora in May, Cowell was rejoined by Walsh, Osbourne and Scherzinger, for the next two years, though the latter two cast doubts on this arrangement. Cowell was joined on the judging panel by
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 ...
, Ayda Field and
Louis Tomlinson Louis William Tomlinson (; born Louis Troy Austin; 24 December 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. Tomlinson began his career appearing in television dramas before he auditioned ...
for the fifteenth and final series in 2018.


Series overview

* Winner and runner-up fields include both the participant's name and the category they were placed under in that year's competition. * Viewing figure information is provided by the
Broadcasters' Audience Research Board The Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) is a British organisation that compiles audience measurement and television ratings in the United Kingdom. It was created in 1981 to replace two previous systems whereby ITV ratings were compil ...
(BARB) * Roughly one third of the episodes in the fifteenth series failed to gain enough viewers to make it into the top 15 programmes for their respective weeks; thus many figures are unavailable. The actual average value is less than the 6.19 million figure (which has been calculated using only the figures available).


Reception


Ratings

When the programme initially began in 2004, its viewing figures fell behind those for the BBC's rival talent show ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 j ...
''. However, the situation changed in the following year, when the second series began to attract a larger audience share. While the second series attracted an average of over 8 million viewers during its broadcast, consecutive series increased these figures peak audience figures for the fourth series' live final surpassed over 12.7 million viewers, achieving a share of 55% share of the terrestrial TV audience, while the sixth series achieved a peak audience of 19.1 million viewers and over 63% of the audience share during its broadcast. Viewing figures reached their peak by 2010, with the seventh series achieving average viewing figures of over 14 million viewers, and its live final achieving a peak audience of 19.4 million viewers. In 2011, the eighth series achieved an average viewing figure of 12.4 million viewers during its broadcast, and was effectively overtaken in the ratings battle by ''Strictly Come Dancing'', especially for its live final. From 2012 onwards, ratings of ''The X Factor'' went into sharp decline the tenth series achieved an average viewing audience of 8.5 million viewers, much less than ''Strictly Come Dancing'', with later series proving less popular on Saturday evenings compared to other programmes, such as ''
Michael McIntyre's Big Show ''Michael McIntyre's Big Show'' (adapted from ''Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show'') is a British variety and stand-up comedy television series, presented by British comedian Michael McIntyre. The show was originally a one-off Christmas spec ...
'' and '' Planet Earth II''. By 2017, ratings for the programme were effectively worse off, with ''The X Factor'' achieving low average viewing figures of less than seven million viewers, effectively placing its future in doubt after the fifteenth series, and leading to its eventual cancellation.


Awards

At the 2005 British Comedy Awards, ''The X Factor'' beat '' Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' and ''
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' (referred to simply as ''Saturday Night Takeaway'' or ''SNT'') is a British television variety show, created and presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially known as Ant & Dec), an ...
'' to take the award for Best Comedy Entertainment Programme. This prompting Cowell to remark, "We're not a comedy programme, we're a serious factual drama". In both 2005 and 2006, ''The X Factor'' won the award for " Most Popular Entertainment Programme" at the
National Television Awards The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are vot ...
. At the same awards in 2007, the show also won the award for "Most Popular Talent Show". In 2008 it lost out to ''Strictly Come Dancing'' at the TV Quick Awards, TRIC Awards and National Television Awards, despite beating it in the ratings. In 2010, ''The X Factor'' won "Best Talent Show" at the National Television Awards. The show won the Entertainment award at the 2010 Royal Television Society Awards, described as "Undeniably a brilliant, genre-defining piece of television; the team behind this show never rest on their laurels and are determined to continually raise the bar and set new standards. Must-see television, which everyone talks about on a Monday morning." At the 2011 National Television Awards, ''The X Factor'' won the Talent Show award, beating ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 j ...
'', ''Britain's Got Talent'' and ''
Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their prof ...
''. At the 2012 National Television Awards, ''The X Factor'' again beat ''Strictly Come Dancing'', ''Britain's Got Talent'' and ''Dancing on Ice'' to the award. The show also won Best UK TV Show at the
2012 Kids' Choice Awards The 25th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on March 31, 2012, at 8 p.m. ET in Los Angeles, California, in the United States, where the winners received an orange-colored blimp trophy. Big Help Award winner Taylor Swift received a s ...
. At the 2015 National Television Awards, ''The X Factor'' won Best Talent Show for the first time in three years, beating ''Strictly Come Dancing'', ''Britain's Got Talent'' and ''
The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original '' The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...
''.


Controversies and criticism

From the outset, ''The X Factor'' has attracted heavy criticism. Recurring allegations include: that the excessive commercialism of the show detracts from its supposed purpose of unearthing musical talent and even actively damages and distorts the UK music industry; that auditionees at mass auditions are shabbily treated; that controversy is deliberately courted and orchestrated, and supposedly spontaneous scenes are staged and scripted; that problems with phone lines leave members of the public unable to vote for their favourite acts; and that contestants are manipulated and unfairly edited. This criticism became very public in 2009 when a
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...
campaign targeted against ''The X Factor'' and its effect on British music took "
Killing in the Name "Killing in the Name" is a protest song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, and appears on their 1992 self-titled debut album. It was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992. It features heavy drop-D guitar riff ...
" by
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commer ...
to the Christmas number one spot at the expense of the ''X Factor'' winner's single by Joe McElderry. ''The X Factor'' usually has at least one "novelty" or "joke" act in the live shows, which help to boost ratings and add some fun into the live shows, although they tend to be controversial due to the show being primarily a singing competition. Judge Gary Barlow reportedly had an issue with joke acts when asked to mentor the Overs category in the ninth series, because "Gary doesn't like joke acts and the Overs category is often full of novelty acts." Despite controversially being part of the format, their non-involvement in the tenth series drew criticism, with Olly Mann of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
'' arguing, "The fact that the joke contestants made it through to the live shows used to be the most gloriously British part of ''The X Factor''. We love an underdog... It was a vital part of the format."


International broadcasts


Spin-offs


''The Xtra Factor'' (2004–2016)

''The Xtra Factor'' (known as ''The Xtra Factor Live'' in 2016) was a behind-the-scenes companion show that was broadcast on
ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, ...
in the UK and on
TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television * Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by E ...
in Ireland, usually on Saturday and Sunday nights after the main show, this aired from 4 September 2004 to 11 December 2016. On 18 January 2017, it was announced that ''The Xtra Factor'' would be axed after 13 years and would be replaced by an online show instead.


''The X Factor: Battle of the Stars'' (2006)

''The X Factor: Battle of the Stars'' was a celebrity special edition of ''The X Factor'', which screened on ITV, starting on 29 May 2006 and lasting for eight consecutive nights. ''
Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...
'' was intended to be broadcast in its place as ''Celebrity Pop Idol'' but was stopped shortly before transmission, when ITV selected ''The X Factor'' instead. Nine celebrity acts participated, singing live in front of the nation and facing the judges of the previous ''The X Factor'' series: Cowell, Osbourne and Walsh. Voting revenues were donated to the celebrities' chosen charities. The contestants were Michelle Marsh, Nikki Sanderson, Matt Stevens, Lucy Benjamin, Gillian McKeith, Chris Moyles,
Paul Daniels Newton Edward Daniels (6 April 1938 – 17 March 2016), known professionally as Paul Daniels, was an English magician and television presenter. He achieved international fame through his television series ''The Paul Daniels Magic Show'', which ...
and Debbie McGee,
James Hewitt James Lifford Hewitt (born 30 April 1958) is a British former cavalry officer in the British Army. He came to public attention in the mid-1990s after he disclosed an affair with Diana, Princess of Wales, while she was still married to then-Pri ...
and Rebecca Loos, and "The Chefs", a quartet of celebrity chefs comprising
Jean-Christophe Novelli Jean-Christophe Novelli (; born 22 February 1961) is a French celebrity chef. Early life Novelli was born in Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France, in 1961. He left school at 14 and worked in a bakery before, at the age o ...
,
Aldo Zilli Aldo Zilli (born 26 Jаnuary 1956) is a celebrity chef specialising in Italian cuisine, based since 1976 in the United Kingdom. One of nine children, he was born in the small seaside town of Alba Adriatica in the central Italian region of Abruzz ...
, Paul Rankin and
Ross Burden Ross Kelvin Burden (16 December 1968 – 17 July 2014) was a celebrity chef from New Zealand. His early career was as a model and he became a chef later in life inspired by the time spent cooking with his grandmother. Career Burden's profession ...
. The winner of the show was Lucy Benjamin, mentored by Walsh.


''Xtra Bites'' (2017–2019)

''Xtra Bites'' is the second companion and spin-off show to ''The X Factor'' which replaced ''The Xtra Factor'', although ''Xtra Bites'' is an online spin-off show which started airing in 2017. The show looks at all the action from the show including behind the scenes footage of the judges and interviews with contestants from the show. It is uploaded onto
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 ...
, the show's YouTube channel, and the X Factor page on the
Just Eat Just Eat (formerly known legally as Just Eat plc) is an online food order and delivery brand of Netherlands-based Just Eat Takeaway.com, and a former food delivery company. Just Eat was founded as a separate company in 2001 in Kolding, Denmark ...
website. There were 13 episodes uploaded altogether for the first series, all presented by Becca Dudley. On 23 August 2018, it was announced that ''Xtra Bites'' would return for another series after a successful first series, with new presenters Dudley and Tinea Taylor.
Vick Hope Victoria Nwayawu Nwosu-Hope (born 25 September 1989) is a British TV and radio presenter, journalist and published author. Vick hosts three shows a week across BBC Radio 1 "Going Home with Vick and Jordan", "Life Hacks" and "Official Chart: F ...
took over as host for the celebrity series in 2019.


''The X Factor: Celebrity'' (2019)

A second edition of ''Battle of the Stars'' was confirmed in the latter half of 2019 as ''The X Factor: Celebrity'' and began in October 2019. The show was won by
Megan McKenna Megan Elizabeth McKenna (born 26 September 1992) is an English television personality and singer. After making appearances on '' Ex on the Beach'' (2015–2016), she received wider attention for appearing on '' Celebrity Big Brother'' (2016) an ...
, with
Max and Harvey Max and Harvey are an English singing duo who rose to prominence after posting singing videos on social media. In 2019, they competed in '' The X Factor: Celebrity'' and finished in second place. Career Harvey Kitt Mills and Max Luca Mills are ...
finishing as runners-up.


''The X Factor: The Band'' (2019)

In November 2019, Cowell announced that ''The X Factor: The Band'' would launch on 9 December 2019, with the premise of finding either the biggest male or female group. Each episode lasted for 90 minutes. The show was won by Real Like You, a girl group composed of Jess Folley, Virginia Hampson, Luena Martinèz, Seorsia Jack, Halle Williams and Kellimarie Willis.


Music releases by ''The X Factor'' contestants

, the show has spawned a total of 35 number-one singles: 10 winners' singles (six of which have been the Christmas number one), four charity singles (one each by the finalists of series 5, 6, 7 and 8), and 21 other number-ones by contestants who have appeared on the show (including winners and runners-up). By series 6 in 2009, it had seemingly become such a certainty that the ''X Factor'' winner would gain the Christmas number one slot every year that bookmakers William Hill were considering withdrawing from the 30-year tradition of betting on the outcome. However, hostility to the show's stranglehold on the Christmas number one slot from some quarters had prompted attempts to propel an alternative song to the 2008 Christmas number one spot, and in 2009 a similar internet-led campaign was successful, taking
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commer ...
's "
Killing in the Name "Killing in the Name" is a protest song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, and appears on their 1992 self-titled debut album. It was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992. It features heavy drop-D guitar riff ...
" to Christmas number one at the expense of ''The X Factor'' winner Joe McElderry. McElderry's single climbed to the top of the chart a week later. In series 1–2, the winner's debut album would be released a few months after their victory in the show. The album would contain some new material but would consist largely of
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...
s. This format changed with 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 natio ...
. Cowell, Lewis's ''X Factor'' mentor and newly appointed manager, said: "We could have gone into the studio for a month, made the record quick, and thrown it out. It would have been the wrong thing to do." The success of Lewis's debut album '' Spirit'' ensured that the debut albums of future series winners (such as series 4 winner
Leon Jackson Leon Jackson (born 30 December 1988) is a Scottish singer. He won the fourth series of British talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2007. Following his win, Jackson was the main star of his on-web series entitled ''Leon's Life'', which ran from 20 ...
) would consist more of new material than of cover versions. Series 10 winner Sam Bailey, however, released her debut album of covers, '' The Power of Love'', in March 2014, just three months after winning – the earliest ever debut album release by an ''X Factor'' winner.


Charity singles

During the fifth series of the show, the contestants released a cover of
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the w ...
's "
Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
" in aid of Help for Heroes which reached number one in the UK singles charts. Following the success of the song, Cowell announced that a charity single would be released annually (though the process was discontinued in series 9). He is quoted as saying: "Following last year's record we made with the ''X Factor'' finalists in aid of Help for Heroes, we decided we wanted to do something annually on the show to help good causes."Hit's for kids
''Daily Mirror'', 25 October 2009
The 2009 contestants released a cover of
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
's " You Are Not Alone" which was released in aid of
Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospita ...
and reached number one. The 2010 contestants released a cover of
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's " "Heroes"", with proceeds once again going to the Help for Heroes charity. In 2011, the contestants released Rose Royce's "
Wishing on a Star "Wishing on a Star" is a slow ballad written by former The Undisputed Truth member Billie Rae Calvin and produced by Norman Whitfield. The song was originally offered to Barbra Streisand for her album project but later declined. It was first ...
" and the proceeds were donated to
Together for Short Lives Together for Short Lives is the UK registered charity for children's palliative care. Together for Short Lives’ vision is for children and young people in the UK with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and their families to have as f ...
. This song features previous contestants JLS and
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 ...
. In 2012, it was announced that the winner's single would also be the charity single. The charity single was scrapped after series 8, although the winner's singles from series 9 onwards were all released for charity.


''The X Factor – The Greatest Hits''

In celebration of the show's 10th series, ''The X Factor – The Greatest Hits'' was released on 25 November 2013. The album features 34 songs from 21 of the show's contestants.


''The X Factor Songbook''

''The X Factor Songbook'' is a 60-song compilation album released 24 November 2014.


Merchandise

;DVDs * Series 1: ''The X Factor Revealed: The Greatest Auditions Ever'' (2005) * Series 2: ''The X Factor: The Greatest Auditions Ever'' (2006) * Series 3: ''The X Factor Revealed'' (2007) ;Games * Series 4: ''The X Factor'' – interactive DVD game (2007) * Series 4: ''The X Factor Sing'' – karaoke console game (2007) * Series 5: ''The X Factor: The Board Game'' (2009) * Series 5: ''Top Trumps X Factor'' – card game (2008) * Series 7: ''The X Factor'' – karaoke console game (2010) ;Books * Series 1–3: ''The X Factor: Access All Areas'' (2007) * Series 6: ''The X Factor Annual'' (2009) * Series 7: ''The X Factor Annual'' (2010) * Series 7: ''The Xtra Factor Annual'' (2010) * Series 8: ''The X Factor Annual'' (2011) ;Magazines *''X Magazine'' – weekly publication to accompany the seventh series in 2010. ;Other ''The X Factor'' brand has also appeared on clothing, jewellery, perfume, make-up, toiletries, bedding, gifts, confectionery, soft drinks and pizzas.


Cancellation

While ''The X Factor'' had attracted a large degree of mass appeal from among the British public, become a synonymous part of Saturday night television, after its peak in 2010, viewing figures declined by more than 50% over the next decade, with its final series aired in 2018. Although the programme was put into hiatus by Cowell in 2019, to give the format a break and determine how best to proceed with it, this hiatus continued on throughout 2020, until ITV formally announced in July 2021 that it had 'no current plans' for another series. At the time of its cancellation, the programme's overall format and presentation was described as having gone 'slightly stale' towards the end, with no major appeal to television audience.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:X Factor, The 2004 British television series debuts 2018 British television series endings ITV reality television shows English-language television shows Television series by Fremantle (company) 2000s British reality television series 2010s British reality television series 2000s British music television series 2010s British music television series