The problem with txf is that its not about the singing anymore, its about the judges no one remembers what the acts were singing but do remember Gary and that fag ash breath thing with Tulisa. Everyone knows that Ella will win, we now that from the start just like Leona Lewis did, txf need to be like THE VOICE judge them on voice only and looks later, Jade was by far the better in the sing off than Union J but i do remember the judges judge the acts on the sing off, but this was not the case, this year the x factor is on after BBC Strictly come dancing so ratings is not the issue this year, the x factor USA has better singers and is taken seriously and thats why MR. Cowel is there . AND WHY IS IT THAT EVERY SINGOFF THE ACTS SING BETTER THAN THEY DO ON SATURDAY NITE, DO AWAY WITH THEME NITES AND ALLOW THEM TO SING WHATEVER THEY WANT WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE JUDGES

I do like the x factor but it needs to be refreshed into something what you think? less time talking on the show and more singing, i sky plus it because after every act an AD break

I think I may have lost my sprakle, has anyone seen it? Seriously though I think there are many reasons why the X Factor is going down the pan audience fatigue due to the endless unfairness of the program may have something to do with it.

No need to shout. I think the reason they sing better in the sing-off is because they know they have a 50/50 chance of leaving.

The initial problems came when Cheryl Cole came on the panel and that's where cracks started to emerge. After that, the show went downhill from there. Gary Borelow makes me fall asleep and Louis really needs to go now

The viewing figures rose by about 2m when Cheryl joined, and then in the following 2 years continued to grow into the stratosphere. She can't have been that much of a problem.

I think you`ll find Cheryl Cole boosted ratings and the show went downhill when she left followed by Simon Cowell .
If you look at that last 2 series of the show with the new juges thats were the problem lies , Then you have too much of the sob stories which people have got wise to and is a massive turn off. Then add the way the rules are bent to suit certain people and you have your recipe for people getting fed up and switching to other channels.
I have always loved X.Factor but even I am pissed off with the way the programme is going and the usless singers they put through while sending home the better ones.

Yes it did rose but it was all the shananigans with Simon and Cheryl put many people off watching XF in the first place and then it totally lost it's sparkle when they left and never recovered from there

For every person they put off they must have attracted two more because the ratings soared. Not just because of them of course, all kinds of shenanigans brought in viewers so that the show went from an overnight average of 8m in 2007 to 13m in 2010 and now back down to 9m.

As to the OP's question, the show has always been about the judges as much as anything. They're the returning characters that keep viewers involved. Pop Idol is still synonymous with Simon Cowell in his Mr Nasty years rather than any contestant (even though Will Young has done well). X Factor just built further on that.

Here are some averages for the finals of each series. They show the complete opposite to what you suggest.

2007- (before Cheryl)- 12.23m
2008- (Cheryls first year)- 14.06m
2009- 16.28m
2010- (Cheryl's last series)- 16.55m
2011- 12.09m

It obviously wasn't just Simon & Cheryl, but you can't deny the impact Cheryl had on the show.

She made impact on the show for sure for her beloved followers as she does have a huge fan base here in the UK. Personally, Simon left XF UK for USA had the main detrimental effect on the show - that's the reality - that is the actual truth. Love him or loathe him, he was the MAIN reason why XF UK was so successful

Guys i really dont think Cheryl cole made it any better, it was the acts that were on it those years,she have a following, Ella is so much a favourite this year it makes it so hard to watch, Lucy is a one trick pony, Christopher is a very Cruise ship singer, while Rylan will be busy performing in the Gay Club scene

There simply isn't enough talent that makes you go wow week after week. Leona, Alexandra and Rebecca did this for me week after week.

Well said!!

I'd go as far to say as her fan base is caused by X Factor and she is just as much a product of X Factor as Leona, Alexandra, One Direction etc.

I don't think you could place the blame on one particular person, I think the problem was the entire panel was cleared out in favour of substandard replacements. Granted, the ratings were up at the start of 2011 but dropped like a stone when the novelty wore off. My point is, Cheryl had a massive impact on the show and the ratings completely contradict your suggestion that she ruined it.


I'm not saying she made it any better, I'm just saying she didn't kill the show off when she joined and is partially responsible for making X Factor as big as it became. I think you're putting too much emphasis on the acts too. Series 6 had a terrible set of contestants but was the biggest ever series at the time of airing. The judges play just as much a part, they're the returning faces year after year that the programme is built around. The hype around the XF judges is unlike any other show, where they try to build that kind of hype around the judges but it fails. Whether that is a good or bad thing is a different debate altogether.

I partly agree to some extent but she did start to lose some fans in her final year as XF judge especially with all the controversy surrounding Kate Waissel and Cher Lloyd. This show certainly made her but it has broke her too. The main reason why the show has fallen is the absence of Simon Cowell plus a weaker judging panel