Everything about this years X Factor is completely dull and flat and has been a disaster before it even went on air. To me, its drawing parallels to when Paula left American Idol and Ellen Degeneres joined the panel half way through a rubbish series after a string of guest judges, and likewise to that I can see a huge shake up next year, both on screen and editorially. Last year was doing well until the wheels fell off during the live shows and in terms of ratings,I think was outperforming 2010. The problems in the latter stages were nothing they couldn't solve, and Kelly just needed not to take it so seriously. The show is crying out for stability and so far just looks unprofessional. They've shot themselves in the foot with Nicole too, as her and Tulisa are both 'playing' the same role.

The editing is pretty poor too, some of the contestants are pretty good but the way the show has been put together is terrible and when they're interacting with the judges its just extremely tedious because none of the judges have a personality, and as sad as it is, X Factor has dug its own grave by becoming so judge-focused. If the judges had a backseat like BGT then they wouldn't have these issues. As already pointed out, IAC had a rough couple of years, as did SCD. It was bound to happen to X Factor at some point but they really need to pull their socks up and use this year as damage limitation (which really should have been last year) because its had a hefty fall in 2 years!


I don't think Dannii would ever return especially not with Sharon, but if they threw obscene USA amounts of money at her, I think Cheryl would return who would work brilliantly alongside Sharon. More realistically I can see Mel B joining next year (potentially dropping Tulisa in favour of Rita Ora), but after seeing the Manchester audition, ITV should have got their hands in their pockets and bought her out of her X Factor Australia contract. This year could have been performing better and had a bit more hype around it because of press reports on how much of a bitch she is.

Simon Cowell would be the first to admit he's not looking for the next Bob Dylan on TXF. The show is basically about getting a Christmas number one and creating a media friendly pop star( mind you I wish Jedward would vanish). I have been rather harsh about the show in the past, but bear in mind the ratings and revenue it has delivered for ITV.

Well, if it was just about getting one number one and ratings, why call it the x-factor, why make every decision of the jury about whether they have longevity or real talent, why sign them up on big contracts.

When has Simon admitted he wants a short-term success who will fade, like so many of his acts do?

BTW not disagreeing with you it is just about ratings and always has been, but the facade has been about much more.

Cowell has created two good formats, based around an age-old talent show basis. He is not a genius, and people need to bear this in mind when they give him carte blanche, as Fox and ITV have done.

I was watching TOWIE on ITV1 last night and for some reason they kept interuppting it some people doing kareoke in a large hall...won't do the ratings any good.

Isn't TOWIE normally on ITV2?

I think you're missing the joke...

It's all been about PSB though - four series of the Paralympic show (within T4, though no idea how it rated) has been much better preparation for the channel itself than a one-off celebrity reality show would be.

As things turned out the Paralympics had the greatest warm up act any event could wish for - the Olympic Games - and I think regardless of what C4 have or haven't done in the build up to the games this year they'll get a much broader audience than ever before. How it all rates remains to be seen - but considering some of the ratings we've seen over the last couple of weeks there hopefully will be an audience there who'll tune in who wouldn't have done in the past.

And bringing it back to The X Factor I do think the Paralympics will kind of act as closure on the Olympics and even if the Paralympics don't rate that significantly that people will be able to draw a line on a fantastic summer once the Paralympics are over and settle more into regular viewing patterns.

I do find it rather overpowering to watch, but I suppose this is what Cowell wants. However, Cowell has gifted ITV two massive hit shows and I'm sure the success of BGT and TXF in the late noughties saved ITV from meltdown during the recession. ( There were rumours in 2009 that a digital channel would close, or ITV1 would close down during the day)
Yet all doesn't seem well in the Cowell empire. TXFUSA and AGT haven't done as well as he thought, ROB has completely underperformed and the TXF here is down. I still think, though, TXF will be around for a few more years.

With Ratings Thread talk of Doctor Who returning, and the debate about new idents, a few clips of relatively low tech examples of both from 1986:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0iAf_ou21Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgtPSbOa3jw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u1x2Coq8g

There's also a brief appearance (sort of!) of GeorgeS's other hero in the second link.

I can't quite work out what she sings in the newest single:

"When the sun sets, baby, on The X Factor..."?

What ratings would you really expect ROB to get?

There needs to be more hype around it if it's going to get what people expect it to get. All Star Family Fortunes used to get 6-7 million back in 2007.

Look he's gifted them one format, x-factor was just a rip-off of Pop Idol, still don't get why ITV just gave him that over Fuller.

Fox have now weakened one of their biggest shows ever, by allowing Cowell to do USXF, the thing is American Idol produced massive stars, because they didn't allow them all to be processed into Cowell's terrible pop churner. Now there's a split fan-base, not good.

No plenty of hype, no substance, yes it should be getting 6-7 million Ant and Dec on a Saturday night.

X Factor?

Well, then why is it rating lower than 6-7 million?

Because it's s**t?

Sorry to be blunt, but that's the truth. ITV expected a lot more ratings wise from series 1 and everything flopped, including the format, plain and simple.

It hasn't clicked with the public even with Ant & Dec people don't want to see it.

Pop Idol used to alternate with Popstars. The year X Factor aired, it should have been Popstars and there weren't anymore plans for another series. I'm a Celebrity moved to the autumn by 2004, meaning Ant & Dec were suddenly unavailable to present any further series' of Pop Idol, and Simon wouldn't have returned to the panel so it probably made more sense to just strengthen X Factor each year instead.


Fox are in a bit of a catch 22. Cowell could've just refused to do American Idol if they didn't let him do X Factor, and he could've just bought himself out of his contract if he had to. He could've taken X Factor to NBC where it could have got a similar audience to what it gets on Fox (bearing in mind America's Got Talent airs on NBC to 10-12m viewers). That means American Idol will be weakened regardless, so by taking X Factor they're benefitting from a weaker American Idol, and have a successor in place should X Factor ever take over American Idol (unlikely in the near future, but it could happen).

Have the posters who like the X Factor on this thread forgotten it's going to be getting its Abbey boost on Sunday nights* later in the autumn, regardless of what happens on Saturday nights?

(* Assuming BBC One rolls over against Abbey, like it did last year with the final series of the clapped out (ratings wise) Spooks?)

We'll never know as Pop Idol was doing decent business and has never officially been finished, ITV did consider reviving it in 2007 but nothing happened.
However, don't mention the Teletubbies and Mr Blobby songs.

There was a lot more going on behind the scenes during Pop Idol and then the launch of X Factor and then you've got Popstars to factor into the equation. And it's not as if the decision worked against ITV. It's a bold assumption that Pop Idol would have done as well for as long as X Factor. And without X Factor they probably wouldn't have had Got Talent either.

As for FOX, they had no choice. They either made the show for their own network or let him go over to NBC and do X Factor and America's Got Talent. Either way, X Factor US was happening. In 2005 it was FOX that patched up relations between Cowell and Fuller but it was only a 5 year fix. In a legal battle between the two Simon's, it was FOX that ended up out of pocket but they did it to protect Idol.

she is no one worth getting excited about.

I can understand the calls for Mel B to be on the judging panel, as well as those who want Miss Cole back, TBH I dont competently understand why she isnt back already. Mel B, Cheryl C, Louis W, and Gary whats his second name again? is a much stronger judging line up, than what X-Factor currently has.

Assuming of course that Downton continues to be a blockbuster! Of course it will be but we should never assume!

Strange to hear the continuity announcer giving a round-up of the plot so far, set against photo stills of certain scenes/characters.

Whatever happened to World Chess Report? That was a bit before my time, but I remember BBC2 covering the World Chess Championships in peaktime in the 1990s, presented by Carol Vorderman. Oo.. Nostalgia.

Well I want it to be stellar as it makes a fortune for ITV.