X Factor to return?

[onetrickypony]

Unless they are going to a back to basics approach, in getting 'ordinary' people in to audition, then I can't see it working. It needs people who aren't airbrushed to hell on Instagram or on the cusp of a deal somewhere else. The show needs those Tesco Mary types to grab the audiences' attention and go on a journey.

[telebox2001]

Only real big ticket items do mega numbers these days, such as Eurovision and the Jubilee Concert. You've got to be spectacular (or just good at marketing) to get 8m.

And there's no way Cowell's gonna get that on Channel 5.

[Brekkie]

Five years ago C5 may have been interested but it's just not in their programming model at the moment to pick up such a show IMO. Same for Sky really who now seemingly have more entertainment channels than The X Factor had judges, all of whom can pretty much survive on very little new content across the week and essentially exist for the additional on demand brands and to replace channels removed from Sky by rival companies switching to streamers.

[tellyblues]

Channel 5 would probably be seen as a downgrade by Cowell and they haven't really attempted anything of that ilk since, Night Fever?

Walk The Line could have been the successor to TXF if the format wasn't so ridiculous that some random person could win 500k after just one performance.

[johnnyboy]

I'd also suggest allegations such as the below article from two years ago could resurface if X Factor does return...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-53049458

Micha B was amazing. Not my style of music in particular but what a performer. I thought she'd win it that year. She's one of the few who didn't win that I remember who weren't novelty acts.

Micha B, like others, did have a personality foisted upon them as part of their "story" for viewers. I'm really sorry it has given her such problems - she always seemed like a really sweet lass to me. X Factor was awful for doing that.

Another poster made a point that in a competition between X Factor and Pop Idol, X Factor would win because it was on for so long and Pop Idol for two series. I think that person is right. 

It's a pity though because Pop Idol seemed more focused on the music to me (while still being personality-driven to a lesser extent). Unless I have rose-tinted glasses on, I always thought Pop Idol was a more charming, honest and enjoyable show than the X Factor.

[all new Phil]

I'd also suggest allegations such as the below article from two years ago could resurface if X Factor does return...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-53049458

Micha B was amazing. Not my style of music in particular but what a performer. I thought she'd win it that year. She's one of the few who didn't win that I remember who weren't novelty acts.

Micha B, like others, did have a personality foisted upon them as part of their "story" for viewers. I'm really sorry it has given her such problems - she always seemed like a really sweet lass to me. X Factor was awful for doing that.

Another poster made a point that in a competition between X Factor and Pop Idol, X Factor would win because it was on for so long and Pop Idol for two series. I think that person is right. 

It's a pity though because Pop Idol seemed more focused on the music to me (while still being personality-driven to a lesser extent). Unless I have rose-tinted glasses on, I always thought Pop Idol was a more charming, honest and enjoyable show than the X Factor.

Totally agree with the bit in bold. Was surprised she didn’t go on to much commercial success afterwards. I suspect she’d have done better in a later series as the show began to embrace things that weren’t just boring men singing ballads. 

For all the controversy that’s come out since, whilst there’s undoubtedly some issues there I generally think the show tried to push acts who weren’t necessarily palatable to the older part of the audience. There always seemed to be a battle going on between commercially viable acts needing a lot of support to progress vs the vote magnet nice boys singing Bridge Over Troubled Water. I think Pop Idol on the other hand let the latter win out.

[Brekkie]

Misha B was very good - indeed there are many acts who didn't make the finals who were in their peak years. However she always came across as if the show owed her a victory after she got voted out and blamed everything but the process for her defeat, though there is no doubt she got an unnecessarily tough time whilst on the show. As if often the case though that was largely driven by the tabloids who then get on their high horse and blame the show (or social media "trolls") when years later someone says they didn't have a good time on the show.

[telebox2001]

Wasn't she constantly in the bottom two? It felt like the public were constantly rejecting her, but she'd get saved by the judges. Think Katie "you know what, sod it" Waissel was like that too. Kitty Brucknell is another one who hasn't held back in recent years on socials.

Anyone remember the random roulette wheel used to decide the theme the following week? Gosh that was a load of rubbish. Landed on Fright Night just before Halloween! ?

[JLav25]

Wasn't she constantly in the bottom two?  It felt like the public were constantly rejecting her, but she'd get saved by the judges.  Think Katie "you know what, sod it" Waissel was like that too.  Kitty Brucknell is another one who hasn't held back in recent years on socials.

Anyone remember the random roulette wheel used to decide the theme the following week?  Gosh that was a load of rubbish.  Landed on Fright Night just before Halloween! ?

She was in the bottom 2 three times before being eliminated. She wasn’t the first or last contestant to be constantly saved until they were out though

[BBCMeridian]

Anyway the fact of the matter is, The X Factor has passed its sell by date, it should never ever return.

[all new Phil]

Anyway the fact of the matter is, The X Factor has passed its sell by date, it should never ever return.

That is not a fact, it is your opinion.

[telebox2001]

Anyway the fact of the matter is, The X Factor has passed its sell by date, it should never ever return.

That is not a fact, it is your opinion.

A valid one to be fair.  "Nasty" reality shows just don't fly anymore.  Love Island seems to be the exception but the successful reality shows are the jolly happy isn't it all wonderful ones, which can be the only reason for the huge swing in audience from XF to SCD.  Strictly used to get hammered on Saturday night and then out of nowhere it anihilated X Factor.

I mean even Sugar has gone softer in the Apprentice.  It's only Linda Plant on the interviews round who really behaves in a way no real HR department would ever tolerate.

[tellyblues]

Possibly being "nice" helped Strictly to overtake TXF but it wasn't the only reason, which I won't go into again. I do think there is a danger of shows being too nice and since Bake Off and Repair Shop which hark back to 'back to basics' in a different way, we've seen multiple cloned versions with the same tone that don't do anywhere near as well. Yeah schedules have to be filled etc but viewers don't care.

[DE88]

"The X Factor has passed its sell-by date; it should never ever return."

Without meaning to be disrespectful here... why am I thinking of The Lion King all of a sudden?



It *is* a valid opinion, though, as telebox2001 points out. But that's all it is, an opinion - which will count for nothing if XF *does* return.

As regards XF's sell-by date... well, I don't think anyone here can disagree that it passed that well before it fell off the air. For me, 2011 was the last truly good year for the show, with Little Mix winning and 10-11 million people still tuning in every week. 2012 brought us James Arthur, Ella Henderson, Lucy Spraggan and of course Rylan, but this was also the year when the show really started to lose out to Strictly in the ratings - and, perhaps not coincidentally, the twists and contrivances really started to annoy more than impress. In 2013, not many were happy about Sharon returning, and almost everyone could see that Sam Bailey was going to win after the first live show (on the night of the final, the bookies were offering as little as 1/28 on her). And when Simon came back in 2014 and the general reaction was "meh", that for me was the ultimate confirmation that XF's natural lifespan was over and things were just going to carry on downwards.

[Ash101]

Reports in tomorrow’s Daily Star Sunday that it’s a done deal for X Factor to return…… on Channel 5.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/tv/x-factor-...n-27440124