We go behind the scenes of The X Factor and get all the goss from Simon Cowell himself
Louis’ screaming. Simon’s Twitter backlash. Sharon’s fear. The X Factor gang reveal all...
T his weekend really is Throwback Saturday for The X Factor. Not only does the forthcoming 13th series feature the return of much-loved host Dermot O’leary, but it also sees Simon Cowell reunited with old-school judging stalwarts Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne. Plus, Nicole Scherzinger is back for her first-ever full judging stint alongside Simon. The format itself is also tinged with nostalgia, with the return of the intimate room auditions, which Simon hates. We’ll get to that later...
First, here’s the full, honest, unvarnished truth from the key players about why Simon decided to reunite the old team after last year’s failed revamp... about. “You’ve got to make some changes occasionally to see if things work or not,” he says. But when he sat down with his fellow producers in January of this year, he admits they all said the same thing: “We want Dermot back.” “I started having drinks in early January with friends who work on the show, and it was one of those things that started getting mooted,” recalls Dermot. “People were asking me if I would ever go back – then my agent started asking the same question.”
Dermot then met with Simon in L A about three months ago. “I was so happy to see him,” says Simon. “I think he thought it was going to be an awkward conversation, but I just said, ‘There’s nothing to be awkward about – I should have phoned you, you should have phoned me, but everyone misses you, so come back.’” And how has it been since Dermot returned? “It feels great. A bit odd to start with, but not in a bad way,” says Dermot.
“I think Olly and Caroline did a great job, but the public relate this show to Dermot,” adds Simon. “Even I look at him in the clips and think, ‘God, he’s so good!’”
The screw-up
Simon also admits viewers didn’t respond to last year’s changes to the show. “The good thing about having a Twitter account is that viewers tell you what they think,” he says. “It’s a bit like your mum and dad when they go, ‘Simon, you’ve screwed up.’” And he adds that bringing back judges from the early years of the show was “the easiest decision we have ever
‘Even I look at Dermot and think, “God, he’s so good!”’ THE X FACTOR RETURNS TO ITV THIS SATURDAY (SEE PAGE 93 FOR OUR PREVIEW)
made”. But Louis did let Cowell know what he thought of last year’s series. “He used to phone me every week,” says Simon. “I’d get an hour where he would scream down the phone and I’d be like, ‘Well, stop watching. I can’t help it, it’s not my fault if you don’t like it any more.’”
Louis adds, “Last year, during the show, I would call him up and he would just laugh at me every night. But he’s not going to get anyone as honest and as hardworking as me, let’s be frank.”
As for Sharon Osbourne, she had just one issue when asked to come back. “I didn’t have any reservations about doing the show – only about coming back to England and whether people really wanted me here or not,” she says. But Simon put her at ease. “I see the effect she has on contestants when they walk in the room,” he says. “They love her.”
Antiques Roadshow
As for Nicole, the key to her return was a guarantee from Simon. “He said he wanted to have fun this year, so I said, ‘OK, sign me up.’” Simon compares Scherzy’s way with contestants to that of the experts on Antiques Roadshow.
Yes, really. “Antiques
Roadshow always makes me laugh. When someone’s sitting there with the object, all they really care about is how much it’s worth, but you get the expert talking all about its history. Nicole’s like that when she’s about to give someone a yes or a no. She’s going on and on with her comments, when all they’re thinking is, ‘Give me a yes, give me a yes!’ She doesn’t get that.”
The awkward rooms
As for that other big return – the auditions in unglamorous little rooms – Simon admits, “I hate it! It’s so uncomfortable, so awkward. I can’t stop laughing and the contestants are five feet away from you.” To find out if Simon ever comes to terms with his intimacy issues, be sure to tune in this Saturday…