CRAIG: COWELL’S TOTALLY LOST IT
X Factor a ratings flop says Strictly judge
BITCHY Strictly star Craig Revel Horwood has lashed out at rival Simon Cowell and warned him: “You’ve lost it.” He predicted X Factor will continue to be a ratings flop because fans are bored and prefer watching established stars instead of wannabes. At its peak the ITV singing contest was telly’s most-watched show – pulling in up to 16million viewers in 2010. But in recent years it has trailed behind BBC’s Strictly – attracting around half as many viewers. Some fans called for Cowell to axe his show for good but ITV have commissioned it for three more years. Craig said: “X Factor will never beat us again. That’ll never happen. They’ll never be more popular than us again. Strictly is an unstoppable machine.” ED GLEAVE TV Editor Last weekend Strictly had 9.7million viewers watching while X Factor pulled in just 5.5million.
Craig reckons the wannabe singers on X Factor are no match for the star power of Strictly’s celeb line-up.
He said: “I think we’re doing well because the celebrities are different every year and they always have something else to offer.
“And they bring all of their fan bases with them. Also, they’re not trying to be anything they’re not. That’s what’s great about it.”
ITV’s new deal will keep X Factor on air until at least 2019. In another dig at Simon, Craig insisted he is glad the show will continue because he loves nicking its successful acts for his own projects.
He hired former winner Alexandra Burke for a touring production of Sister Act. Craig said: “It’s great for me to have X Factor on. I can pinch some of the talent. I’ve used Alexandra Burke as the lead in my Sister Act show, which is a sell-out. I’m delighted.
“Thank you Simon for helping me with the casting and doing all the auditions for me for free.
“I basically turn the telly on, I choose people and put them in shows. It makes the world go round.”
Craig is regularly booed by the studio audience. But he insisted: “I’m not as evil as I appear on the programme. In real life I’m delightful.”