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Posted by: WhoOdyssey Feb 15 2021, 01:55 PM

I just thought it would be a bit easier to have a new thread for any new information rather than bumping the old thread from the last series

It's now being reported that the show is set to return next year, which would mark 3 years since the last series (and 4 since the last 'proper' one) - I think it might still be too soon, but I'm intrigued as to how the show can be revitalised for the 2020's.

Posted by: Rooney Feb 15 2021, 05:37 PM

Interesting. I think there is still a niche for TV events to happen, but the X Factor was winding down way before the streamers came and provided an even bigger blow. But the continual success of BGT and even The Masked Singer growing in popularity (ok part of this is down to the pandemic, but I also think viewers just love this kind of stuff too) has made me think maybe X Factor could reach out. Not really sure though- the lack of a breakout star for a long time now really hurts the brand and I feel if they went too TikTok/Instagram it would alienate a lot of the traditional core viewing ages.

Posted by: T Boy Feb 15 2021, 06:09 PM

I think they just need to let it die.

Posted by: darrens94 Feb 15 2021, 06:21 PM

With Simon not having a label now I can see him now trying to make a decent show without all the manipulation to get the more marketable acts to win. They should just make the prize more like BGT and just have a cash prize and a slot performing somewhere like Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball or something.

Posted by: Chez Wombat Feb 15 2021, 06:30 PM

After what's come out about the racist treatment that Misha B and Alexandra Burke, they certainly need to make some serious changes, not that I'll be interested either way, it's had its day anyway and the corruption just gets so blatant that it's impossible to take seriously.

Posted by: JosephStyles Feb 15 2021, 06:37 PM

I expect Simon will team up with a major label to sign the winner of the show, that's sort-of the point of the show but I like the idea of having a headline slot as part of the gig, or a support slot alongside a star on tour like Little Mix did on their show? (albeit whether they'd be able to blag the whole tour or just one particular date is another matter )

For me personally, I'd like to see the show going back to basics upon a return. Audition rooms, 10-week live shows (the compact live shows never worked and you were never able to get to know each contestant as well in that time). I enjoyed the six chair challenge though, I'd probably have that instead of any form of bootcamp which is always the least good part of the show.

I think they'd need to be most smart about the judges. As entertaining as he is, Louis Walsh is not the look they need. Simon himself will be there surely but he'd need three varied co-judges, not necessarily all singers. Maybe a producer to join two semi-decent, somewhat current names alongside Simon? I'd also like a greater focus on original music and writing songs, the best of the latter series was the one with Rak-Su and Grace Davies who consistently turned out great original tracks!

And no f***ing big band, motown, or any OUTDATED themes.

Posted by: Dill Doe Feb 15 2021, 07:39 PM

QUOTE(JosephStyles @ Feb 15 2021, 06:37 PM)

I expect Simon will team up with a major label to sign the winner of the show, that's sort-of the point of the show but I like the idea of having a headline slot as part of the gig, or a support slot alongside a star on tour like Little Mix did on their show? (albeit whether they'd be able to blag the whole tour or just one particular date is another matter )

For me personally, I'd like to see the show going back to basics upon a return. Audition rooms, 10-week live shows (the compact live shows never worked and you were never able to get to know each contestant as well in that time). I enjoyed the six chair challenge though, I'd probably have that instead of any form of bootcamp which is always the least good part of the show.

I think they'd need to be most smart about the judges. As entertaining as he is, Louis Walsh is not the look they need. Simon himself will be there surely but he'd need three varied co-judges, not necessarily all singers. Maybe a producer to join two semi-decent, somewhat current names alongside Simon? I'd also like a greater focus on original music and writing songs, the best of the latter series was the one with Rak-Su and Grace Davies who consistently turned out great original tracks!

And no f***ing big band, motown, or any OUTDATED themes.

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Feb 15 2021, 07:49 PM

I feel like I'd have a lot of confidence if Channel 4 brought BB back, but I don't think they will while they have The Circle

Posted by: Liam.k. Feb 15 2021, 08:01 PM

Definite no for bring it back. Like Chez says, all the stories from past contestant have really damaged the show, a show that clearly had already had its day anyway. One part of the show's appeal for me was how grand and spectacular it looked, but in recent years the settings have got tinier and tackier; it's just not the same event TV. I also think audiences have moved on from wanting to watch drama unfold within reality TV and this whole idea of playing with people's dreams. BGT has managed to evolve and already had a different feel to it because, whilst it's still a competition based on real people's passion and dreams, it's so varied in different acts that it's not so much about eliminating who you think is least good until the best wins like the X Factor is, it's just a much more positive, fun show.

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever Feb 15 2021, 10:01 PM

I think if the x factor is to work it needs to rest for longer, if they do bring it back , they need to take the focus away from the judging panel, for the last good few years the show is marketed more about the judges than than the performers so i think that needs to be changed as the judging panels on others shows have a good balance with the contestants. Also the themes, i was so tired of the same themes, movies week, halloween, musicals etc every single year, i know they varied that a bit but it could be more varied. I miss when they done weeks like a Take That week and the the act was there to give the contestants advice etc, i really missed that when they stopped doing it. Given the choice though seeing as someone mentioned it i would pick having Big brother back than x factor.

Posted by: Scene Feb 15 2021, 11:04 PM

I wouldn't bring it back until 2028 at the very earliest. It plummeted in popularity during the last few years it was on air and I doubt many people are missing it. The show doesn't work if no one is talking about it.

I'd be more interested in a Pop Idol revamp instead - British Idol? - at least the contestants on PI/AI have more creative control and there is no blatant manipulation week after week.

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Feb 15 2021, 11:14 PM

QUOTE(Scene @ Feb 15 2021, 11:04 PM)

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever Feb 16 2021, 02:46 AM

I liked the judging panel format better on pop idol as the judges were from the industry which I'd like to see again and if need be have 1 celebrity pop star style judge.

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Jun 23 2021, 10:06 AM

Not sure wether it adds or decreases the chance of The X Factor coming back (probably makes it more likely), but Simon Cowell has a new musical gameshow coming to ITV titled 'Walk The Line' - which he will also be a judge on.

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Jul 28 2021, 10:29 PM

The latest tabloid update for this is a report that the show has been shelved indefinitely. (With a possibility of 2023 if Cowell's new show "Walk the Line" doesn't perform as well as he wants, from what I understand).

I imagine it probably will return at some point, in some form - but it seems like it'll be a decent amount of time before the brand returns.

Posted by: PAJ Jul 28 2021, 10:51 PM

What’s ‘Walk The Line’ about?

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Jul 28 2021, 11:32 PM

QUOTE(PAJ @ Jul 28 2021, 11:51 PM)

Posted by: PAJ Jul 28 2021, 11:44 PM

QUOTE(WhoOdyssey @ Jul 28 2021, 11:32 PM)

Posted by: Cameron Jul 29 2021, 09:58 AM

Simon really has no power these days, he is not the ‘force’ he once was and the recent series’s show this.

Posted by: Rooney Jul 29 2021, 10:33 AM

QUOTE(Cameron @ Jul 29 2021, 10:58 AM)

Posted by: Jade Jul 29 2021, 10:57 AM

I just found out that the winners of X Factor The Band (Real Like You) have over 1 million followers on TikTok?! Not sure if that will actually amount to much but that's a lot more of an online following than I would've predicted

Really not surprised by this news anyway, discourse surrounding the show nowadays seems to be either nostalgia for 'iconic' bad auditions 10+ years ago or on the opposite end, how toxic it was for people's mental health/careers. Maybe it could come back in the future with the theory that 20+ years hits the sweetest spot of nostalgia, but any time soon didn't feel realistic.

Posted by: J00prstar Jul 29 2021, 11:17 AM

It's been in decline for years and the pulling out all the stops to try and make it seem as impactful (voting becoming free and each voter getting 5 a night so they could say they were still getting high numbers, the winner's song becoming a charity song to get sales still and then a charity + collab to pick up existing fan sales) was not at all subtle and to be honest quite sad.

Posted by: Houdini Jul 29 2021, 12:19 PM

QUOTE(Rooney @ Jul 29 2021, 11:33 AM)

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn Jul 29 2021, 01:14 PM

It's about time really, from 2015 onwards it really felt like they were flogging a dead horse and aside from knowing who Louisa Johnson is I couldn't name a winner since 2013 (Sam Bailey) without looking them up!

Interesting to note how the impact of the winner's singles became lessened around the time streaming started to bed itself in properly.

Posted by: T Boy Jul 29 2021, 02:33 PM

It died about 8 years ago, kind of them to get round to burying it.

It was good entertainment for ten years ago but it was always pretty awful how manipulated it all was and it’s amazing now to think they got away with so much. I much preferred Pop Idol as that was so much more stripped back and about the contestants rather than the judges.

It did give me both Matt Cardle and Rebecca Ferguson though so it gets points for that.

Posted by: ThePensmith Jul 29 2021, 06:09 PM

Let's be real here; beyond the Little Mix series, did anyone really care anymore? I know I didn't. I only found myself watching two subsequent series (2012 and 2015) because Olly Murs was co-hosting either Xtra or the main show.

There really is no place for it now. The Masked Singer has more than adequately filled its place for ITV and it's a lot more gentler viewing whilst still being entertaining during the winter months.

Posted by: gooddelta Jul 29 2021, 07:03 PM

Sam Bailey's year (2013) was the last I was personally majorly invested in but even then the cracks were starting to show. The James Arthur/Ella Henderson year in 2012 is the last one that really felt like big deal water cooler TV to me.

I think the writing was really on the wall for the show in terms of its commercial viability though the week Louisa Johnson's single debuted at No.9. The track was a poor choice and Louisa should have been given a strong dance track, much like the Clean Bandit song she guested on the following year, but it was still a surprise that it did that badly.

I'm amazed it limped on for another three series' after that. Rak-Su were good winners and had a lot of potential that sadly never really materialised beyond their actually very good winner's single, but that's pretty much it.

I won't miss it tbh, I watched it out of habit but it got more predictable and formulaic as the years went by, and it essentially killed the Christmas No.1 battle in a way that has never really recovered from (Joe vs Rage aside!).

Still, some of my favourite acts came from the show, namely Leona Lewis and Little Mix, and the global success of One Direction was completely mindblowing.

Posted by: Chez Wombat Jul 29 2021, 08:33 PM

It was a big part of my growing up and I remember at school and in the papers, it was all anyone could talk about from around 2008-2010. It was certainly entertaining for a little bit, but it just became too blatantly manipulated and soulless for me to enjoy after a while, and the recent revelations from past contestants and the exploitation of clearly quite vulnerable people for entertainment just show that a show like this can't work in this day and age. Not that the show was ever really alive at all after about 2015.

Posted by: Dill Doe Jul 29 2021, 09:52 PM

Ans to be honest, what is funny about someone not being able to sing? We get it already! It's just one joke ten thousand times. It was all manipulated, all fake, even down to the judges reacting to empty stages and having pre-rehearsed lines, down to the producers' stortlines and media manipulation by Cowell. Pfft. Hard pass.

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Jan 6 2022, 10:38 PM

Honey G is currently on Celebrity Coach Trip!

(Paired up with Lateysha from Big Brother 2016)

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Apr 25 2022, 06:59 PM

The tabloids are reporting (with a direct quote from Simon) That he is planning to bring back to America before it comes to the UK. Interesting.

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Jun 26 2022, 06:49 AM

The tabloids are now reporting that Simon is reportedly in talks to sign a five year deal with the show, with it set to return next year.

Posted by: .MIKE. Jun 26 2022, 06:56 AM

A 5 year deal for something that won’t reach its previous successes would be crazy.
I feel like they need to pitch it to Netflix or something & make it all a bit different..

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Jun 26 2022, 09:30 AM

Interesting to note that the sources haven’t actually mentioned whether the deal is with itv or not!

Posted by: Skankhunt43 Jun 26 2022, 10:55 AM

FIVE YEARS for this tired old Fix Factor claptrap?! Not to mention how the peoducers use people's poor economic conditions and mental health against them, like a modern day freakshow.

Posted by: Dobbo. Jun 26 2022, 10:57 AM

I can't see this being successful at all unless they radically alter the format. The ppl who watch it for the good singers are bored of the tried and tested format and the other ppl who only watch for the bad auditions will be disappointed as they slowly phased out showing those anyway...

Posted by: J00prstar Jun 26 2022, 11:08 AM

I can see nostalgia viewers if he manages to get Dannii & Cheryl back

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Jul 9 2022, 08:03 PM

The Daily Star are reporting that Channel 5 have picked it up

Posted by: Paradise Lost Jul 9 2022, 10:10 PM

You’d think it’d need a decent shake up format wise.

Posted by: Jord Jul 10 2022, 09:25 AM

X Factor back in the day was inescapable and absolutely huge I’d say the 2008-2010 era of the show it especially felt like it was easily the biggest thing on UK TV we’d see all the contestants in the press throughout the week and we’d all be discussing the events of last weekend , the guest artists, what the contestants were gonna sing the interest was huge.

It then went on the decline and by the end was a shadow of its former self. Because the charts are now run by streaming sites though it’s going to be harder to find acts who will become successful as an artist. Did the show in its original day find an act who had a hit who come from the show in 2014 onwards. Ella Henderson and James Arthur are probably the last two who you can say made an impression and are at least partly known to the GP.

C5 would just make the format seem cheap and tackier too. I think they could throw all the money at this and it won’t have any impact in producing a star other than it just being an entertainment show.

Posted by: Mark. Jul 10 2022, 02:21 PM

QUOTE(WhoOdyssey @ Jun 26 2022, 07:49 AM)

Posted by: Skankhunt43 Jul 10 2022, 04:11 PM

In 2008, man alive the show was HUGE, an absolute event!

Posted by: pippa Jul 10 2022, 11:04 PM

I can't see X Factor been the success Simon wants on Channel 5. If it goes ahead, it won't last any longer than two series.

Posted by: Jessie Where Jul 10 2022, 11:07 PM

Fgs WHY

Posted by: Slayer Jul 10 2022, 11:14 PM

Channel 5? Dead on arrival.

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Jul 10 2022, 11:50 PM

Channel 5 have done very very well in recent years with certain shows. Albeit shows which are nothing like The X Factor

But it is very impressive that 6/10 of their most watched programmes of all time are from 2020 or 2021.

Posted by: J00prstar Jul 11 2022, 03:15 AM

Tbh if channel 5 leans into it being trashy it could do ok. It shouldn't try and recoup its glory days though as it won't have the budget or the pull.

I also think Simon and mean tv comes across a bit differently these days.

Posted by: Lukuzz Jul 11 2022, 08:07 AM

I’d like to see Simon and Cheryl back as judges and then 2 fresh judges

Posted by: ThePensmith Aug 15 2022, 05:55 PM

Don't think this has been posted about anywhere else but apparently a tell all documentary exposing allegations of abuse and bullying behind the scenes on the show is forthcoming: https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/14/x-factor-documentary-exposing-bullying-and-exploitation-in-the-works-17179971/

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever Aug 15 2022, 09:27 PM

That could be a very interesting watch if it goes ahead and could also really damage any chance of success if the show is revived by channel 5 not that I think it will do well regardless.

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Jan 2 2023, 04:21 PM

https://www.nme.com/news/music/simon-cowell-reportedly-in-talks-to-relaunch-the-x-factor-in-the-us-3372781

The latest update in this saga is that Simon is reportedly in talks with NBC to revive the series in the USA.

Good luck with that...

Posted by: Calvin Maxwell Jan 2 2023, 06:45 PM

yeah no I’m still reeling after what they did to fifth harmony

Posted by: WhoOdyssey Mar 11 2023, 01:08 AM

The saga continues as the “moving to Channel 5” rumours have sprouted in the tabloids again.

Posted by: King Rollo Feb 10 2024, 09:00 PM

I've been listening to a six part Radio 4 series on BBC Sounds called 'Offstage: Inside The X Factor' where they cover what really went on behind the scenes from the audition process all the way through to how the contestants coped after it was all over.

They talk to former contestants and members of the production staff. Most of the staff who gave interviews had actors saying their words as they still work in TV and didn't want to be identified.

It was quite an informative listen so I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested.

All the episodes (30 minutes each one) can be found here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001vtth

Posted by: Scene Feb 28 2024, 05:53 PM

If they bring it back it would need some serious work and a big budget. No chasing the glory days and bringing Cheryl or Sharon back. Even Simon shouldn't be on the judging panel. What made the show big in the first place though (or ones of the reasons) was it actually created successful music acts. I don't see how easy it would be to achieve that in the streaming era unless major labels are involved. I don't think Simon's record label even exists now.