The X Factor

For the current series, see The X Factor (UK series 4).

The X Factor
The X Factor logo
Presented by	ITV: Dermot O'Leary Kate Thornton (ex)           ITV2: Fearne Cotton Ben Shephard (ex)
Judges	Simon Cowell Sharon Osbourne Louis Walsh Dannii Minogue Brian Friedman (ex)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	3 completed, 4th being aired, contract renewed through to 2010[5]
No. of episodes	15 (Series 1) 18 (Series 2) 18 (Series 3) TBA (Series 4)
Production
Producers	FremantleMedia, talkbackTHAMES, SYCOtv
Running time	60 – 120 minutes
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	4 September 2004 – present

The X Factor is a British reality television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. It is broadcast on Saturdays on the ITV Network in the UK and on TV3 in the Republic of Ireland, with spin-off "behind-the-scenes" shows The Xtra Factor and The X Factor 24/7 screened on ITV2 and TV3. It is produced by FremantleMedia's talkbackTHAMES and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The "X Factor" of the title refers to the undefinable "something" that makes for star quality. The X Factor is the biggest television talent competition in Europe.

The prize is a £1,000,000 (sterling) recording contract (in addition to the publicity that appearance in the later stages of the show itself generates, not only for the winner but also for other highly ranked contestants).

The X Factor was devised as a replacement for the massively successful Pop Idol, which was put on indefinite hiatus after its second series, largely because Simon Cowell wished to launch a show that he owned the television rights to. (The perceived similarity between the shows later became the subject of a legal dispute.)

The X Factor is billed as the UK's biggest ever talent search, as it was the first such contest to have no upper age limit (although the minimum age was 16, now 14), and to allow both solo singers and groups to compete. The show has proved hugely popular, with the series 3 final attracting eight million votes and 12.6 million viewers. Around 150,000 people auditioned for series 4.

Versions of The X Factor have also appeared in a number of other countries.

Series

For detailed information on each of the series, see the Series 1, Series 2, Series 3 and Series 4 articles.

The first series of The X Factor began in September 2004 and ran to December 2004. It was hugely popular and a second series ran from August to December 2005 . A celebrity special edition The X Factor: Battle of the Stars was shown from May to June 2006. The third series, sponsored by mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, aired from 19 August 2006 and concluded on 16 December 2006.

The show has now been given another three year contact with ITV, which means that it will run at least until series 7 in 2010. Series 4 is scheduled to begin broadcasting on 18 August 2007. The X Factor producers and creator/judge Simon Cowell have cancelled the show's contract with Nokia, and on June 19, 2007 it was confirmed that mobile phone retailer and ex-Big Brother sponsor The Carphone Warehouse will sponsor series 4.

Judges and presenters

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Series 1-3 judges: (from left) Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell

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The X Factor Series 4 judges (from left) are Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne, Dannii Minogue and Simon Cowell.

From series 1 to 3, The X Factor judges were Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh.

After some months of speculation and provisional lineup changes (see the series 4 article), the series 4 judges were finally confirmed in June 2007 as Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue, with Brian Friedman taking a role as performance coach and choreographer. Judge Sharon Osbourne has said she will not return for Series 5 if her new category dosen't win. The show was hosted up to series 3 by Kate Thornton, who will not be returning for series 4. Dermot O'Leary was named as the new host, having signed a contract worth £1 million to present two series of the programme on ITV. However, O'Leary was not forced to leave the Big Brother franchise and will continue to present Big Brother sister shows this summer. It is reported that he will use a helicopter provided by one of the TV companies to commute from Elstree, where Big Brother shows are filmed, to the auditions.

Voice-overs are provided by Peter Dickson and Enn Reitel.

For information about The Xtra Factor presenters, see The Xtra Factor below.

Format

The show is primarily concerned with identifying singing talent, though appearance, personality, stage presence and dance routines are also an important element of many performances. Some acts also accompany themselves on guitar or piano, though almost always over a backing track. The single most important attribute that the judges are seeking, however, is the ability to appeal to a mass market of pop fans.

For series 1–3 the competition was split into three categories: vocal groups (including duos), solo singers aged 16–24, and solo singers aged 25 and over. For series 4, the age limit was lowered from 16 to 14, creating a 14–24 age group. This was split into separate male and female sections, making four categories in all: 14–24 males, 14–24 females, 25-and-overs, and groups.

There are four stages to The X Factor competition:

• Stage 1: Auditions
• Stage 2: Boot camp
• Stage 3: Visits to judges' homes
• Stage 4: Live shows (finals)

Auditions

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Crowds gather for X Factor series 3 auditions

A round of first auditions are held by appointment in front of producers months before the show. These are not broadcast. Selected candidates are then invited back to audition in front of the judges. The producers also hold "open" public auditions at locations across the UK, which anyone can attend. These attract very large crowds.

A selection of the auditions in front of the judges – usually the best, the worst and the most bizarre – are broadcast over the first few weeks of the show (in past seasons some of the oddest have also returned for a special appearance in the final). Each act enters the audition room, often after waiting for hours, and delivers a stand-up unaccompanied performance of their chosen song to the judges. If a majority of the judges say "yes" then the act goes through to the next stage, otherwise the act is sent home. Much like Pop Idol, many acts face harsh criticism from the judges, especially from the controversial Simon Cowell.

Boot camp and visits to judges' homes

After all auditions are complete, each of the judges is allocated a category to mentor. The contestants selected at audition are then further refined through a series of performances at "boot camp" and at the judges' homes, until a small number eventually progress to the live finals (nine in series 1 and twelve in series 2 and 3).

Series 4 will see all four judges work together at the bootcamp, rather than disbanding to manage their own categories. They will choose 24 acts (6 for each category) for the next round, after which they will find out which category they are to mentor. Judges will then disband for the "Visits to the Judges' Homes" round, where their six acts will be reduced to three for the live shows.

Live shows

The finals consist of a series of two live shows each Saturday evening, usually with one act eliminated each week. In the first few weeks of the finals, each act performs once in the first show in front of an auditorium audience and the three judges. Acts usually sing over a pre-recorded backing track, though sometimes live musicians, backing singers and/or dancers are featured.

In the first two series acts usually chose a cover of a pop standard or contemporary hit. In the third series an innovation was introduced whereby each live show had a different theme (for example, Motown), thus increasing the show's similarity to the Pop Idol format. The contestants' songs were chosen according to this theme, and a celebrity guest connected to the theme was invited onto the show. Clips were shown of the guest conversing with the contestants at rehearsal, and the guest also performed in the later results show, immediately before the results were announced. (See the series 3 article for a full list of themes and guests). In series 1, much was made of the idea that each performer/mentor combination was free to present the performance however they wanted, including the performer playing live instruments, or the addition of choirs, backing bands, and dancers. Future series placed much less emphasis on this element.

After each act has performed, the judges comment on their performance, usually focusing on vocal ability and stage presence. Once all the acts have appeared, the phone lines open and the viewing public vote on which act they want to keep.

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Chico performs on the X Factor series 2 finals

In the results show, screened an hour or so later, the two acts polling the fewest votes are revealed. Both these acts perform their song again in a "final showdown", and the judges vote on which of the two to send home. Ties should not be possible, but in the event that a judge refuses to cast a vote the act who came last in the public vote is sent home. The actual number of votes cast for each act is not revealed, nor even the order (this is presumably to maintain interest in the event that there might be a clear winner from an early stage). In series 3, a twist was introduced in one of the live shows where the act with the fewest votes was automatically eliminated, and the two with the next fewest votes performed in the "final showdown" as normal.

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Leona sings in the X Factor series 3 finale

Once the number of contestants has been reduced to four (series 1) or five (series 2 and 3), the format changes. Each act performs twice in the first show, with the public vote opening after the first performance. The second show reveals which act polled the fewest votes, and they are automatically eliminated from the competition (the judges do not have a vote; their only role is to comment on the performances). In series 1 the acts also reprised one of their songs in the second show.

This continues until only two (series 1 and 3) or three (series 2) acts remain. These acts go on to appear in the grand final which decides the overall winner by public vote.

Judges' categories

Series 4 (2007) (mentors TBA)

• TBA: Male 14 to 24's
• TBA: Female 14 to 24's
• TBA: 25 and overs
• TBA: Groups

Series 3 (2006)

• Simon Cowell: 16 to 24s – runner up (Raymond Quinn) and winner (Leona Lewis)
• Sharon Osbourne: 25 and overs – third place (Ben Mills)
• Louis Walsh: Groups

Series 2 (2005)

• Simon Cowell: Groups – third place (Journey South)
• Sharon Osbourne: 25 and overs – runner-up (Andy Abraham)
• Louis Walsh: 16 to 24s – winner (Shayne Ward)

Series 1 (2004)

• Simon Cowell: 25 and overs – winner (Steve Brookstein)
• Sharon Osbourne: 16 to 24s – third place (Tabby Callaghan)
• Louis Walsh: Groups – runner-up (G4)

Audition numbers, ratings and awards

Over 50,000 people auditioned for series 1 of The X Factor, around 75,000 for series 2 and around 100,000 for series 3. The number of applicants for series 4 reached an all-time high with 150,000 people auditioning. Viewing figures of around ten million were claimed for series 2. Over three million public votes were cast in the series 2 semi-final, and six million in the first part of the final. The series 3 final attracted eight million votes and 12.6 million viewers.

In the Republic of Ireland, season one received a viewer rank of 32, and was the second most watched show on UTV. This season was not broadcast on free-to-air in the Republic. Season two received an overall viewer rank of 18, and was the 6th most watched show on the third biggest television network in Ireland, TV3. Season three received an overall viewer rank of 8, and was the third most watched show on TV3. Although The X Factor is a huge hit in the Republic of Ireland and thousands of people audition, it is not Ireland's biggest talent search: the RTÉ One singing competition You're A Star is in fact bigger there. However, overall The X Factor is a bigger competition, with a £1,000,000 recording contract on offer and 200,000 people auditioning for series 4.

At the British Comedy Awards 2005, The X Factor beat Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway to take the award for Best Comedy Entertainment Programme (rather bizarrely, since it is not intended as comedy). The award was presented by Ricky Gervais.

The Xtra Factor

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Original Xtra Factor presenter Ben Shephard.

The Xtra Factor is a companion show that airs on digital channel ITV2 on Saturday nights. It features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of The X Factor and shows the emotional responses of the contestants after the judges comment on their performances.

Cameras follow the finalists during their day, and some of the footage is aired in a spin-off show The Xtra Factor: The Aftermath, which is broadcast in the middle of the week on ITV2. The Xtra Factor: Xcess All Areas is a live show in which there are interviews, games and trips around the contestants' homes. The show also lets viewers know what songs the contestants will be singing in the next live show.

The Xtra Factor was hosted up to Series 3 by Ben Shephard.The voiceover on series 1 to 3 was Peter Dickson. On the 2nd of May 2007 it was revealed in both The Sun and The Daily Mirror that Shephard will not returning after being upset at not getting the main ITV job. On 9 May 2007 it was announced by The Sun newspaper that British TV Presenter Fearne Cotton will take over as host.

The X Factor: Battle of the Stars

The X Factor: Battle of the Stars Logo

The X Factor: Battle of the Stars was a celebrity special edition of The X Factor, which screened on ITV1, starting on 29 May 2006 and lasting for eight consecutive nights. Pop Idol was meant to air in its place as Celebrity Pop Idol but was stopped shortly before transmission, when ITV picked The X Factor over it.

Nine celebrity acts participated, singing live in front of the nation and facing the judges of the previous The X Factor series, Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh. Voting revenues were donated to the celebrities' chosen charities.

It was reported on 26 August 2006 that Simon Cowell had axed the show, describing it as "pointless" and adding "we are never going to do it again".

Just as in the main The X Factor series, there were three categories:

16–24s – Sharon Osbourne

• Michelle Marsh – Eliminated 3rd, 31 May 2006
• Nikki Sanderson – Eliminated 5th, 2 June 2006
• Matt Stevens – Runner-up, 5 June 2006

Over 25s – Louis Walsh

• Lucy Benjamin – Winner
• Gillian McKeith – Eliminated 2nd, 30 May 2006
• Chris Moyles – Third place, 4 June 2006

Groups – Simon Cowell

• Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee – Eliminated 1st, 29 May 2006
• James Hewitt and Rebecca Loos – Eliminated 4th, 1 June 2006
• The Chefs – a quartet of celebrity chefs. Namely: Jean-Christophe Novelli, Aldo Zilli, Paul Rankin and Ross Burden – Eliminated 6th, 3 June 2006

Dispute over rights to format

Simon Fuller, the creator of Pop Idol, claimed that the format of The X Factor was copied from his own show, and, through his company 19 TV, filed a lawsuit against The X Factor producers FremantleMedia, Simon Cowell and Cowell's companies Simco and Syco. A High Court hearing began in London, England in November 2005, and the outcome was awaited with interest by media lawyers for its potential effect on the legal situation regarding the copyrighting of formats. However, in the event the hearing was quickly adjourned and an out-of-court settlement was reached at the end of the month.

Euro X Factor

It was revealed by the Daily Mirror newspaper on 9 December 2006 that Simon Cowell has intentions of launching a "Euro X Factor" within two years. The show, if launched, would feature European countries staging their own X Factor contests, with a winner announced for each. The individual winners would then take part in the "Euro X Factor". The concept is similar to that of World Idol and the Eurovision Song Contest; however, unlike these shows "Euro X Factor" would progress over a number of weeks, with one act eliminated each week, until an eventual international winner is found. It is anticipated that such a show could attract over 100 million viewers per episode, which would make it the world's biggest talent competition, even larger than the popular US show American Idol.

Controversy and criticism

The X Factor was controversial from the beginning. Tabloid reports claimed that the show was fixed, after Louis Walsh allegedly cheated and tried to help a band that he had previously managed get through to the final stages. Footage of Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne coaching contestants to argue back to the judges was also being sold over the Internet to the highest bidder. Shortly before the first ever live show, Sharon Osbourne claimed that Simon Cowell had "rigged" the show by editing footage to make his contestants more appealing to viewers.

The show received a record number of complaints in December 2004, after Sharon Osbourne made a verbal attack on Steve Brookstein in the Series 1 finale. As a result, her future on the show was uncertain, but she later made an apology and was allowed to return.

Sharon and Louis were criticised in October 2005 for tactical voting, due to an alleged pact against Simon Cowell carried forward from the first series. Louis was alleged to have told Chenai Zinyuku in the second live show of the second series that she was safe, because "Sharon owed him one" from the previous show. Later in the same series Louis was heavily criticised for casting the deciding vote to keep Irish group The Conway Sisters in the show at the expense of the popular Maria Lawson, especially after it was revealed that he had worked with the Conways personally prior to the show. The Conway Sisters had supported Westlife, a band managed by Louis, on one of their tours.

There is a suspicion that some of the controversy surrounding the show, such as the bickering between the judges, is deliberately orchestrated to attract publicity. On one occasion, judge Louis Walsh announced after the live Saturday show that he would quit the series, claiming that the other two judges had been 'bullying' him. This included various verbal assaults on Louis, and Sharon Osbourne even throwing water over him, live on air. Louis' announcement was claimed by many to be a publicity stunt, especially when he decided to return to the show the following Saturday night.

Sharon Osbourne has also been criticised for outbursts, including one aimed at first series winner Steve Brookstein live on air, and a Series 3 tirade against Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? presenter Chris Tarrant, who was in the show's audience prior to taping. Tarrant had apparently made a joke about Ozzy Osbourne to which Sharon took exception, but most of her outburst focused on criticising Tarrant's recent infidelity to his wife Ingrid from whom he was in the process of separating. Following this incident rumours in the press indicated that Simon Cowell had felt her behaviour was both inappropriate and hypocritical, and was considering not renewing Sharon's contract for a fourth series.

The X Factor has been criticised for not protecting the online identity of contestants who reached the latter stages of the show. Domain names like leonalewis.net have been bought up and sold for hundreds of pounds on Internet auction site eBay. Despite original problems with the listings of these domains on eBay there now seem to be no issues with the domains being sold for huge profits compared to the tiny fee that was paid for them. The owner(s) of these domains have been accused of cybersquatting by many, including the national press, but the owner(s) have responded by stating that they ran fan sites they no longer have time for, hence the decision to sell.

After series 3, it was discovered that ITV had overcharged viewers who voted via interactive television by a total of approximately £200,000. ITV said a data inputting error was to blame and that they would refund anybody affected on production of a telephone bill. They also indicated that they would make a £200,000 donation to Childline. This error, and those by other broadcasters, eventually led to a temporary suspension of all ITV's phone-in services on 5 March pending an audit and meeting with ICSTIS. The suspension of phone-in programming also saw ITV Play "temporarily" taken off air. ITV Play never came back, and was replaced on Freeview by ITV2+1.

Executive producer Richard Holloway once cut a contestant from the show because she had a girlfriend and was filmed hugging her during an emotional moment. Holloway told producers to edit her out of the show because, 'ITV audiences don't like lesbians'.

The X Factor around the world

The "UK" version of The X Factor effectively includes the Republic of Ireland on an equal footing, and viewers in the Republic have been able to vote in all three series via SMS or telephone. The first series was available to Irish viewers only through the Northern Ireland channel UTV, but subsequent series have been shown on Irish terrestrial TV station TV3. The show has held auditions in Ballsbridge, Dublin and Belfast for all three series, and also in other Irish cities over past seasons. Irish acts reached the finals in both series 1 (Tabby and Roberta) and series 2 (The Conway Sisters and Phillip).

• The X Factor (Australian TV series) began screening in February 2005 on Network Ten. The judges were Mark Holden (Australian Idol judge), Kate Ceberano (singer), and John Reid (a Scottish events manager). Daniel MacPherson (from the soap opera Neighbours and British police drama The Bill) was the show's host. The series rated poorly and will not return for a second season.
• X Factor (Belgium) began screening in September 2005 on VTM; Udo Mechels won the competition with the Cappaert Sisters in second.
• X Factor (Netherlands) appeared on RTL 4 after the autumn of 2006 and ended in February 2007. Sharon Kips won the competition with Richy Brown in second.
• Le Facteur X (Morocco) appeard on 2M TV after the winter of 2007 and ended in April. There are two song contestes; Le Facteur X and Studio 2M. The difference is that Studio 2M will appear in the summer and all Moroccans over the world can do audition. But Le Facteur X appears in the winter and only citizens of Morocco can do audition.
• The X Factor (Iceland) premiered in November 2006.
• El Factor X (Colombia), the first Latin American version, was made in Bogotá, Colombia. The first season started screening in September 2005 and ended in December. Second and thirth seasons followed, along with a children's version called El Factor XS, and a celebrity special similar to the UK's The X Factor: Battle of the Stars.
• The X Factor (Kazakhstan), the first Kazakh version, was due to air in late 2006/early 2007.
• Секрет Успеха, the first Russian series, premiered on RTR in late 2005.
• A pan-Arabian version aired under the name The X Factor, XSeer Al Najah (The X Factor, The Essence of Success) from March 26 2006.
• Factor X (Spain) premiered in May 2007 on Cuatro in Spain.
• As part of Simon Cowell's deal to remain on American Idol, a United States version of The X Factor cannot be produced.

Music releases by X Factor contestants

Singles

Four singles released by contestants in The X Factor have reached number one in the UK Singles Chart:

• Steve Brookstein — "Against All Odds" (2005) (sales: 100,000)
• Shayne Ward — "That's My Goal" (2005) (sales: 1,000,000+)
• Chico Slimani — "It's Chico Time" (2006) (sales: 250,000)
• Leona Lewis — "A Moment like This" (2006) (sales: 800,000+)

Other singles have reached the top twenty. These include:

• Shayne Ward — "No Promises" (2006) #2 (sales: 200,000)
• G4 — "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2005) #9 (sales: 70,000)
• Cassie Compton - "Bring The Walls Down" (2007) #12 (sales: 35,000)
• Shayne Ward — "Stand by Me" (2006) #14 (sales: 25,000)
• Andy Abraham — "December Brings Me Back to You" (2006) #18 (sales: 30,000)
• Maria Lawson — "Sleepwalking" (2006) #20 (sales: 20,000)

Albums

Five albums released by contestants in The X Factor have reached number one in the UK Albums Chart:

• Steve Brookstein (2005) (sales: 250,000)
• G4 (2005) (sales: 700,000)
• Journey South (2006) (sales: 600,000)
• Shayne Ward (2006) (sales: 400,000)
• Raymond Quinn (2007) (sales: 200,000+)

Other albums have also charted in the UK Albums Chart. These include:

• Andy Abraham #2 (sales: 300,000)
• Maria Lawson #20 (sales: 15,000)
• Cassie Compton released 2007
• Ben Mills #3 (sales: 300,000+)
• The MacDonald Brothers #18

DVDs

• The X Factor: The Greatest Auditions Ever, 28 November 2005
• The X Factor: Revealed, 4 December 2006

Networks broadcasting The X Factor

• ITV – United Kingdom
• TV3 – Republic of Ireland

External links

• The X Factor at itv.com
• The X Factor at unrealitytv.co.uk
• The X Factor at talkbackthames.tv
• The X Factor Hub
• X Factor - Vote EM Out
• "Peter Dickson - Voice Artist"