Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Shout out to my X
Little Mix have laid into the “scripted” X Factor, and hope to trump former boss Simon Cowell’s ratings, saying: “The best revenge is success.”
The group – who won the show in 2011 – say its viewing figures dropped because it “lost its authenticity”.
Taking a swipe at the series, they vow their new BBC talent show, The Search, will mark a “new dawn of reality TV where authenticity is key”, with Jade Thirlwell saying: “You can’t lie to people. People aren’t stupid any more about the smoke and mirrors.” Little Mix signed to Cowell’s label Syco, but quit two years ago in a row about musical direction.
After plans for the singers’ rival BBC series emerged, X Factor quickly launched The Band last year, which failed to hit three million viewers.
Blasting reality “s o b stories”, Jade says: “The problem is when it’s like a script. It lost its authenticity. The minute it doesn’t seem real, you switch off. How am I meant to believe in it? I could literally write it myself and tell you what’s coming next.” Having starred in a BBC documentary about how social media trolls affected her mental health, Jesy Nelson says the group have prioritised contestants’ aftercare.
“We never had anyone check on us (on X Factor) to see how we were doing mentally, it was all just go, go, go,” she tells Radio Times. Leigh-anne Pinnock agrees: “I wish there was a lot more help.”
Little Mix: The Search launches this weekend on BBC One.