X Factor to return?

[all new Phil]

I think part of what made X Factor work in its early days was the joke contestants that we saw less of in the future. I think nowadays it'd be difficult to have these sorts of acts due to them being ridiculed and the toll on mental health. Obviously it was different times back then but they were also usually the moments that everyone would talk about.

There is an element of that but I’d argue that was less so at the show’s peak. Where they went wrong I think is they struck gold with Wagner - a genuinely bonkers act who had just the right level of self awareness - and then continually tried to find more of the same in later series. Any later ‘joke’ acts - Honey G being the prime example - were far too knowing. All yet another consequence of producers trying to cast characters rather than let it all happen naturally.

[Omnipresent]

The sourcing for this seems very weak - "insiders" and "industry sources" could be anybody.

There's nothing to indicate ITV, or any other channel / streaming service, are recommissioning the show.

The Sun have just rehashed the Daily Star article, and they usually get Cowell scoops first.

[tellyblues]

Going back to basics won't stop TXF carrying on from where it left off and dropping to 5 then 4 then eventually 3m. There's little incentive for people to see somebody winning then failing as a popstar so the prize needs to be changed. I would also look at song choices so it isn't the same stuff that people have heard on TXF before. If there's no urgency to have a credible artist then let contestants sing what they want.

[Inspector Sands]

I've been listening to the BBC podcast documentary series about reality TV called  Unreal. The second episode is a potted history of Pop Idol/Stars and X Factor and ends talking about the issues with X Factor and why it ended, which I didn't really know about
It and the whole series is worth a listen 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0c71j2w

[Brekkie]

Fuller, Cowell and who?

Going back to basics won't stop TXF carrying on from where it left off and dropping to 5 then 4 then eventually 3m. There's little incentive for people to see somebody winning then failing as a popstar so the prize needs to be changed. I would also look at song choices so it isn't the same stuff that people have heard on TXF before. If there's no urgency to have a credible artist then let contestants sing what they want.

They always made one step forward, two steps back when it came to credibility.  Raksu and Grace Davies should have been the start of a new era and it's almost scandalous they didn't get the support after to succeed.

I don't buy the narrative a TV show is a complete irrelevance now in trying to break into the charts - just look at Kate Bush.   Yes it's harder and they may not succeed every year in practically gifting the winner at least a number one debut single but you only have to look at Eurovision to see how one breakthrough artist can make a difference to perception.

[telebox2001]

Is Netflix television though?

[tellyblues]

Fuller, Cowell and who?

Going back to basics won't stop TXF carrying on from where it left off and dropping to 5 then 4 then eventually 3m. There's little incentive for people to see somebody winning then failing as a popstar so the prize needs to be changed. I would also look at song choices so it isn't the same stuff that people have heard on TXF before. If there's no urgency to have a credible artist then let contestants sing what they want.

They always made one step forward, two steps back when it came to credibility.  Raksu and Grace Davies should have been the start of a new era and it's almost scandalous they didn't get the support after to succeed.

I don't buy the narrative a TV show is a complete irrelevance now in trying to break into the charts - just look at Kate Bush.   Yes it's harder and they may not succeed every year in practically gifting the winner at least a number one debut single but you only have to look at Eurovision to see how one breakthrough artist can make a difference to perception.

The difference with Kate Bush is that it wouldn't have mattered if she hadn't charted on the back of Stranger Things and it wasn't the point anyway. Contestants on TXF need to be popular or else they are considered a failure. Unless they can write their own material, they're on a hiding to nothing because top songwriters will prefer to work with acts who are credible and can make them more money. The public aren't interested in seeing someone sing covers away from TV so career over basically. Even if they somehow manage to get to No.1, it's downhill from there and with no second week interest, dropping like a stone still makes them a failure. Unfair perhaps but that's the sort of publicity TXF will receive.

[darryl1111]

If it was to return I think the prize needs to be closer to what BGT offers. So a cash prize and a slot performing at some big music show. Maybe Capital’s Summertime/Jingle Bell Ball or something like that. There’s no point promising the winner that they are going to be the next big star as it’s unlikely to happen anymore. Also with Simon not having a record label he’s not going to have as much interest in finding his next big money maker so the contestants should get a fairer chance. So instead of pushing 2 or 3 acts that look like they might do well outside of the competition give everyone their chance to shine and it could make for a decent competition. Getting the judges right is tricky one but I really do hope they keep Louis Walsh as far away as possible.

[KrazyKei]

Shows like this belong in the past. They've had their successes in the 2000's and 2010's but in an age of VOD, people are not spending their weekend evenings watching this, DOI, SCD etc due to our viewing interests being diversified.

[telebox2001]

Strictly still gets huge numbers though.

[Brekkie]

And live shows like this is one of the few weapons ITV has against the streamers.

[gottago]

To me this all comes across as posturing from Simon while ITV considers bringing back Pop Idol with Thames, particularly given that there's a suggestion in one of the reports that he's working with a different production company on it. It was too much of a failure too recently for anyone to consider bringing it back IMO.

[sjames]

I would be interested in seeing a revival of X Factor. It certainly didn't hurt Ant & Dec when they rested Saturday Night Takeaway for a few years and then brought it back and like others have mentioned with Dancing on Ice.

For X Factor to work properly, I think they need to take a leaf out American Idol's book. There was a big fuss for the 'final season' in 2015 only for it to be revived 3 years later on ABC instead of Fox with an all new panel of judges but still keeping Ryan Seacrest as host. They even managed to keep the show going through lockdown too. When you look at the more recent series of Idol, whilst they've not produced worldwide stars, there is more of a focus of allowing contestants to play their own instruments and developing themselves as true artists and still having the themed weeks. Having Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan representing different styles of music makes it interesting in what they're looking for too. The last few years of X Factor had a revolving door of judges some like Ayda Field (Robbie William's wife) were bizarre choices and then there were the controversial unpopular judges like Tulisa and Nick Grimshaw.

X Factor towards the end began to explore the 'development of the artist' process, but never pushed it far enough to allow contestants to write and perform their own songs or instruments. Apart from that occasion with Chico and Lucy Spraggan, one stand out was Kevin Davy White in the penultimate series who was an amazing Hendrix-style guitarist who got better and better each week but only came 3rd.

Someone like Sam Ryder is the kind of the artist that would have been interesting to see taking on different themed weeks.

[Ericak]

There is a new article on Broadcast (I can't link to it at the moment)

It basically says it's unlikely to be with ITV and an ITV spokesperson later in the article says they have no plans at all for a revival.

No Thames Involvement confirmed.

Also details his new dull format he is trying to sell to America where he visits small town/ villages in America to find exciting new talent.   

I agree with Gottago he clearly has had his ego bruised about the possible Pop Idol revival and is attention seeking.

[bfgarmy]

I've been listening to the BBC podcast documentary series about reality TV called  Unreal. The second episode is a potted history of Pop Idol/Stars and X Factor and ends talking about the issues with X Factor and why it ended, which I didn't really know about
It and the whole series is worth a listen 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0c71j2w

Highly recomend that episode  - it's an excellent listen.

I just can't see the X Factor returning or if it does it being much of a success.
a) The public seemed to have grown tired of 'nasty' TV or reality TV with 'mean' judges. The only one really left standing in that mold seems to be The Apprentice and even it's seen better days. In the era of 'Be Kind' does the X Factor really fit in especially given all the stories in recent years of mistreatment of contestants.

b) I'm not sure where X Factor would fit into the reality TV calender now. The Masked Singer dominates the first few months of the year, Strictly, Bake Off and I'm A Celeb dominate the autumnwinter , BGT is established in the spring and Love Island is front and centre of the summer period. Where does X Factor fit into that schedule? Admittedly Love Island is on ITV2 and is most similar to X Factor in terms of its controversial reputation but it can't be denied that it has made that summer slot its own. When would you actually air X Factor?

c) Other than the reality shows mentioned above, reality TV doesn't seem to the runaway hit it once was. Prestige TV and streaming offerings whether those be Line Of Duty, Peaky Blinders, Bridgerton, Stranger Things, Squid Game seem to be the order of the day these days. There's still room for event TV like live sport and events like Eurovision but a reality TV show has to really stand out to get bumper ratings these days. 

d) What version of the X Factor would be returning? Towards the end the format and who was involved seemed to change every year - one year they'd try to be 'current' then the next year back to the 'panel viewers know and love'. All the flip-flopping meant the 'X Factor' brand was diluted and viewers left in droves.

e) It's not really been away long enough to miss it.  Viewers can and have got nostalgic for old formats like Weakest Link or WWTBAM but those were at least away for a bit while X Factor was still around if in name only by 2019.

f) The whole point of X Factor was making a big star and I'm not sure that works so well these days when many artists can just make it big on TikTok instead and where the focus is more on streaming and repeated plays than downloads. It used to be that winning X Factor meant you got Christmas Number 1 and probably a few hits after and so it was treated as a big deal - winning it these days to barely scrape a Top 10 if that just seems a bit naff.

g) Modern day X Factor is now associated with flops. Undoubtedly some notable pop artists came from the X Factor - Little Mix, Leona Lewis, One Direction, Olly Murs, JLS and Leona Lewis for example. But those were all from that 2006-2012 'golden era'. Who were the last real notable names from X Factor? At a push you'd maybe say James Arthur and Ella Henderson who seems to  have found her niche on EDM music. You'd be hard pushed to find many who knows off the top of their head when Ben Haenow or Dalton Harris won the show.

h) People can get nostalgic about shows but that doesn't translate into them being a success when they return. Shows I mention that have returned that viewers did seem keen on having back like Weakest Link, Stars In Their Eyes and WWTBAM have at best been solid performers and at worst flopped and not exactly been anything to write home about.