X Factor

The 2010 ratings suggest otherwise.

Well 2009 and 2010 are by far the biggest series but it's more the constant chopping and changing between the arenas and the rooms in the years since that haven't helped the show. To their credit I think it's one thing they got right with the celeb series - a compromise of them auditioning to the judges and a small audience.

I felt the first 2 episodes of the Celebrity series were lovely. It was the right balance of humour and seriousness. If only the lives were more like that last week.

Um.

I think everyone has different thoughts on what worked and what didn’t, hence why every change, either with a new idea, or back to an old idea results in falling viewing figures.

Nobody could ever get a consensus on whether silly joke acts had a place in the live shows for example.

Also should bad singers feature in the auditions for people to laugh at, or should it all be nice and positive (and therefore often dull)

Is Louis Walsh a joke you should be axed, or an TXF legend that should always be there?

Also it was a victim of becoming so big, and so epic, you can’t sustain that forever.

And with a generally fickle younger audience who move on quickly and something quickly feels old hat, rather than older viewers who like a routine every year.

Slightly different. Steve went on to win the same evening this happened. The viewers clearly were against Sharons comments. It felt like the public really did choose the winner, where as now we are pretty much told who to vote for.

It still felt nasty, sour and awkward though.

Although for the record Steve Brookstein has proven himself to be an awful person since in my view.

I’ve always liked Steve but that’s a different story ....

It feels like the show is going the American Idol route now. Much more toned down, less brash.

Not really a different story. It says a lot about your judgement if you can bring yourself to like someone that's said some of the things he has over the years. Such as the inappropriate and homophobic comments he made on Twitter the day that Gareth Thomas was forced to disclose his HIV status. Or making a dig about Simon's mother dying.

Have you read Steve’s book?

Early X Factor was must-watch TV because it had that mix of undiscovered talent and the delusional acts where everyone had a good laugh at their expense. In the live shows, there was always the knowledge that Simon might randomly take against a singer and rip shreds off them in front of the nation at any moment.

Then a few things happened. Some of the more ridiculous auditions started to be obviously put on for the camera, and this was carried through to the live shows where of course it's nowhere near as funny if the act is in on the joke. At the same time criticism started to grow that it wasn't fair to treat people in such a way that they were being mocked, and concerns were raised about the possible effects on mental health of participants, and so they toned it down.

The fundamental problem with the show is that the producers never then found a way to develop that original format without resorting to those tactics, because it was always so reliant on them. Hence we got audience then no audience, sing off then no sing off, chairs then no chairs (then chairs but watered down so that it makes no sense anyway...) and so on it goes.

ITV really should have cut their losses a long time ago and switched to a different format e.g. to The Voice when the BBC originally took it. But of course Cowell didn't want to let it go, and ITV didn't want to upset Cowell and so here we are. Surely even he must now realise it's time to call it a day.

They had some very angry failures of auditions like Juurj, former member of Dubel Trubull!
I spelt them wrong on purpose because the pronunciation of those names with their accents is funny imo