It was the iconic Saturday night singing competition that was as much about the drama as it was about the thousands of hopefuls dreaming of instant fame.
From the inappropriate rows between The X Factor’s celebrity judges (both on and off air) to the budding romances between contestants, it was television (and ratings) gold for ITV, with millions watching every week at its peak.
Simon Cowell, the format’s creator and head judge, enjoyed it – no man has ever enjoyed column inches so much.
Now, eight years after the final curtain fell on the final series of The X Factor, amid floundering viewing figures, the series is returning.
And the Herculean task of pulling off this primetime comeback is, I hear, generating as much drama as the show generated in its heyday. As one insider told me: ‘The problem with The X Factor was always that there were so many people involved – there was ITV, Simon Cowell’s team and the production company Talkback Thames. That is why so many disagreements arose. Many of them were about money and that hasn’t changed.
“There are a lot of big ideas, but there’s little agreement right now.”
One of those major disagreements would be between ITV and Talkback, who have not yet finalized the fee the network will pay to air the 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 created.
And those unresolved negotiations have led to an unconstructive briefing war against ITV’s other singing programme, The Voice, which moved from the BBC in 2017.
Simon Cowell with Cheryl Tweedy in the 2018 judging episode of The X Factor
“The Voice has always been a thorn in the side of The X Factor,” says Katie Hind’s insider. The Voice is judged by Danny Jones, will.i.am, Kelly Rowland, Sir Tom Jones and Tom Fletcher
The aim, sources say, is to increase the costs of The X Factor as much as possible by – very publicly – spreading accusations that things are not going well with The Voice.
The show opened two weeks ago with a peak audience of 2.5 million on Saturday night, which is a respectable figure on terrestrial channels today but a far cry from the 19.4 million who saw Matt Cardle win The X Factor in 2010.
“The Voice has always been a thorn in the side of The X Factor,” says my insider. ‘It was once its BBC rival, but when it moved to ITV things became very cruel on The X Factor side. It used The Voice as a stick to beat ITV with and get more money.”
The other sticking point that has left “very irritated people” is Cheryl Tweedy’s move to The Voice. In snapping up the ex-Girls Aloud star, show The X Factor has denied its hugely popular former judge as a mentor for the next series, which is filming this month.
“Even though she has been out of the spotlight for a long time, she is a national treasure, people love her,” the source said.
Despite the row over money between ITV and Talkback, the figures this time are significantly smaller than the eye-watering deals between Cowell and ITV in the past.
Either way, Cowell won’t allow it to be made cheap. “He has way too much pride to do that,” said a source who knows him. “He’s a perfectionist.”
That has left ITV, which is struggling financially, with a problem: it must find a way to afford it.
In previous years, individual judges’ salaries alone have been £1.5 million for the series – and up to £10 million for Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field.
“Each live episode used to cost around £1 million to make,” says the source.
‘But at the time ITV made a lot of money from advertising. That doesn’t happen anymore, so you’re looking at huge cost savings. It would be half the old amount, if not less.
‘Like other terrestrial broadcasters, ITV doesn’t have the money it used to, so it will be difficult to make a big budget show now, but then Cowell won’t cut corners.
‘The problem for ITV is that Simon holds the keys. The X Factor can’t come back without his blessing and if it doesn’t meet his high standards it won’t happen.’
I’m told one solution might be to have fewer live shows and more pre-recorded in-room auditions, which are cheaper to make.
As for the judges, ITV sources say the channel is ‘beyond obsessed’ with influencers, while Talkback Thames is keen to stick with traditional celebrities.
‘Simon Cowell, who created the X Factor format and was head judge, enjoyed it. Never has there been a man who loves column inches so much,” writes Katie Hind.
In arresting 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 2010 X Factor final attracted 19.4 million viewers, all of whom saw Matt Cardle (centre) win. He defeated runners-up Rebecca Ferguson and third-place finalist One Direction
However, Simon will no longer be central, sources emphasize. The live shows are a grueling commitment and I understand that he would rather do a second Netflix series. His first, Simon Cowell: The Next Act, created the boy band December 10 last year.
“ITV, like all other channels, is struggling to attract viewers on Saturdays,” says an insider. ‘Any return for The X Factor would have to have a lower budget and compromises will have to be made.’
They also discuss changing the format to appeal to a younger generation that doesn’t normally watch TV on Saturday nights. Some have suggested creating more controversial moments that can be shared on social media.
The insider added: ‘While Simon doesn’t want to be a judge, he could have a role on the show given how much he’s learned about appealing to younger audiences from working with December 10th. Its success has convinced Simon that real talent can still be found in shows like this.”
This is something The Voice has repeatedly failed at. ‘Can you name one winner?’ asks a source once closely associated with The X Factor. They have a point.
Launched in 2004 with Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh as judges, The
They include Leona Lewis, with three number ones, One Direction (70 million records sold worldwide) and Little Mix (five number ones). “Simon is very proud of this,” says a friend. ‘It would be a shame to undermine all this by bringing back a Poundland version of The X Factor.’
