It was the iconic Saturday night singing contest that was as much about the drama as the thousands of hopefuls dreaming of instant stardom.
asserted
that → dream → stardom
From the unseemly spats between The X Factor’s celebrity judges – both on and off air – to the burgeoning romances between contestants, it was television (and ratings) gold for ITV, with millions tuning in every week at its peak.
asserted
millions → burgeon → peak
Simon Cowell, who created the format and was head judge, revelled in it all – never has there been a man who enjoys column inches so much.
asserted
who → create → inches
Now, eight years after the final curtain came down on the last series of The X Factor, amid floundering viewing figures, the show is set to return.
asserted
show → come → figures
And the gargantuan task of pulling off this prime-time comeback, I hear, is provoking just as much drama as the show generated in its heyday.
asserted
show → pull → heyday
As one insider tells me: ‘The problem with The X Factor was always that there were so many people involved – you had ITV, Simon Cowell’s team and the production company, Talkback Thames.
asserted
you → tell → ITV
That is why so many of the disagreements happened.
asserted
many → happen → disagreements
Many of them were around money and that hasn’t changed.
asserted
that → change → money
One of those big disagreements is said to be between ITV and Talkback, who are yet to finalise the fee the network will pay to broadcast the show.
asserted
network → say → show
Half of that fee will go to Cowell, who owns the format and will have the final say on any decisions about how the show is made.
asserted
show → go → decisions
And those unresolved negotiations have led to an unedifying briefing war against ITV’s other singing show, The Voice, which moved from the BBC in 2017.
asserted
which → lead → 2017
Simon Cowell with Cheryl Tweedy in the judges' houses episode of The X Factor back in 2018
‘The Voice has always been a thorn in The X Factor’s side,’ says Katie Hind's insider.
asserted
insider → say → side
The Voice is judged by Danny Jones, will.i.am, Kelly Rowland, Sir Tom Jones and Tom Fletcher
asserted
Voice → judge → Jones
The aim, sources say, is to drive up the cost for The X Factor as much as possible by spreading allegations – very publicly – that The Voice isn’t doing well.
asserted
Voice → say → allegations
The show opened with a peak audience of 2.5 million in its Saturday night slot two weeks ago, which is a respectable figure on terrestrial channels today but doesn’t compare to the 19.4 million who watched Matt Cardle win The X Factor in 2010.
asserted
Cardle → open → 2010
‘The Voice has always been a thorn in The X Factor’s side,’ says my insider.
asserted
insider → say → side
‘It was once its BBC rival but when it moved to ITV things got very vicious on The X Factor side of things.
asserted
things → move → things
It used The Voice as a stick to beat ITV with to get more money.’
asserted
It → use → money
The other sticking point that has led to ‘very irked people’ is Cheryl Tweedy’s move to The Voice.
asserted
that → lead → Voice
In nabbing the ex-Girls Aloud star, the show has denied The X Factor its hugely popular former judge as a mentor for the next series, which starts being filmed this month.
asserted
which → nab → series
‘Even though she has been out of the limelight for a long time, she’s a national treasure, people love her,’ says the source.
asserted
source → ’ → her
Despite the row over money between ITV and Talkback, the numbers this time are significantly smaller than the eyewatering deals between Cowell and ITV in the past.
asserted
numbers → eyewatere → past
Regardless, Cowell will not allow it to be made cheaply.
asserted
it → allow → ?
‘He has far, far too much pride to do that,’ says a source who knows him.
asserted
who → have → him
‘He’s a perfectionist.’
asserted
He → ’ → ?
That has left ITV, which is struggling financially, with a problem: It needs to find a way to afford it.
asserted
It → leave → it
In previous years, individual judges’ salaries alone were reported to be £1.5 million for the series – and up to £10 million for Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field.
asserted
salaries → report → Williams
‘Back in the day, each live episode might have cost around £1 million to make,’ says the source.
uncertain
source → cost → million
‘But back then, ITV made a lot of money from advertising.
asserted
ITV → make → advertising
That doesn’t happen anymore, so you are looking at a huge reduction in costs.
asserted
you → happen → costs
It would have half of the old sum, if not less.
asserted
It → have → sum
‘Like other terrestrial broadcasters, ITV doesn’t have the money it used to have so it will struggle to make a big budget show now, but then Cowell won’t cut corners.
asserted
Cowell → have → corners
‘The problem for ITV is that Simon holds the keys.
asserted
Simon → hold → keys
The X Factor cannot come back without his blessing and if it isn’t going to be up to his high standards then it won’t happen.’
asserted
it → come → standards
I’m told one solution might be to have fewer live shows and more pre-recorded room auditions, which are cheaper to make.
uncertain
which → tell → shows
As for the judges, sources at ITV say the channel is ‘beyond obsessed’ with influencers, while Talkback Thames is minded to stay with traditional celebrities.
asserted
Thames → say → celebrities
'Simon Cowell, who created the X Factor format and was head judge, revelled in it all – never has there been a man who enjoys column inches so much,' writes Katie Hind
In nabbing ex-Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole, fellow ITV music show The Voice has denied The X Factor its hugely popular former judge as a mentor for the next series
The X Factor final in 2010 earned 19.4 million viewers, who all watched Matt Cardle (centre) win.
asserted
Cardle → create → viewers
He beat runner-up Rebecca Ferguson and third-place finalist One Direction
Simon, however, won’t be taking centre stage again, sources have stressed.
asserted
sources → beat → stage
The live shows are a gruelling commitment and I understand he would rather do a second Netflix series.
asserted
he → understand → series
His first, Simon Cowell: The Next Act, last year created the boyband December 10.
asserted
first → create → boyband
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
