The X Factor

Kim Kardashian for president! How my obsession with reality TV got out of control

From Wife Swap to Big Brother to Towie, Sirin Kale has been a proud and passionate reality TV addict since her tweens. But as she delved deeper for her new podcast, she came face to face with its dark side

Sirin Kale

13, May, 2022 @12:00 PM

‘I thought, what would Prince do?’ How we made Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis

‘It came out a year after I won The X Factor. I was worried people might have forgotten me, but the song became so huge I still can’t explain it’

Interviews by Dave Simpson

14, Feb, 2022 @2:00 PM

Life after Will Young: how talent shows shaped Britain

Love them or loathe them, Pop Idol, The X Factor and their ilk have reshaped British culture

Barbara Ellen

29, Jan, 2022 @6:00 PM

Flashback – JLS: ‘X Factor was a crash course in this industry. Zero to hero in 10 weeks’

Aston, Marvin, JB and Oritsé recreate their audition photo and reflect on backflips, friendships, reuniting and turkey farming

Harriet Gibsone

04, Dec, 2021 @12:00 PM

Jesy Nelson on leaving Little Mix: ‘I felt everybody hated me’

The singer left one of the most successful girl bands of all time after a decade of relentless trolling. Now, as she prepares to go solo, she reveals why she’s ready to return to the spotlight on her own terms

Simon Hattenstone

21, Aug, 2021 @7:00 AM

Alexandra Burke: ‘I got asked to bleach my skin after X Factor’

Her career has taken her from pop success to Strictly and the stage. She discusses the pain of racist comments, the joy of duetting with Beyoncé – and the enduring influence of her late mother

Arifa Akbar

09, Aug, 2021 @5:00 AM

Pop maestro Simon Cowell finally bows to the public’s resounding ‘no’ vote | Rebecca Nicholson

The X Factor won’t be returning to our screens. It had long outstayed its welcome

Rebecca Nicholson

31, Jul, 2021 @4:30 PM

The good, the bad and Harry Styles: X Factor’s most memorable entrants

As ITV confirms it has no plans for a new series, we take a look back at some of the characters that the show foisted on the world

Kevin Rawlinson

29, Jul, 2021 @5:54 PM

It’s a no from me: ITV confirms The X Factor will not be back

No plans for a new series, says broadcaster, with Simon Cowell reportedly not keen to carry on

Kevin Rawlinson and agency

29, Jul, 2021 @2:57 PM

Little Mix: Confetti review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

(RCA/Columbia)
Liberated from Simon Cowell, Britain’s biggest girl band are free to make the music they want. But it sounds strangely familiar…

Alexis Petridis

05, Nov, 2020 @12:00 PM

Alexandra Burke says music industry told her to bleach her skin

X Factor star also says she was told not to wear braids in order to appeal to a white audience

Ben Beaumont-Thomas

20, Jun, 2020 @3:22 PM

From Big Brother to Strictly and The X Factor, reality TV has a black women problem

Misrepresentation of black women is all over television, but talent shows create the perfect storm of anxiety viewing – and don’t look set to change any time soon

Yomi Adegoke

17, Jun, 2020 @12:00 PM

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