The X Factor is a British TV music competition designed to discover new singing talent, featuring hopefuls selected from public auditions. Conceived by Simon Cowell, the show premiered in September 2004 and has been broadcast annually from late summer to December. Produced by FremantleMedia’s Thames and Cowell’s SYCOtv, it airs on the ITV network in the UK and TV3 in Ireland, with a behind-the-scenes spin-off, The Xtra Factor, shown on ITV2. The X Factor is the original version of the global franchise of the same name. It was created to replace the popular Pop Idol, which went on indefinite hiatus after its second season, primarily because Cowell, a former Pop Idol judge, wanted to create a show he owned the rights to. The similarities between the two shows eventually led to a legal conflict. The “X Factor” in the title refers to the elusive quality that signifies star potential.

The initial judging panel included Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, and Louis Walsh. Dannii Minogue joined in the fourth season, and Cheryl Cole took over from Osbourne in the fifth season after her exit. After the seventh season, Cowell and Cole left to judge the American version, while Minogue departed due to her commitments to Australia’s Got Talent. Kelly Rowland, Tulisa Contostavlos, and Gary Barlow then joined Walsh for the eighth season, but Rowland did not return for the ninth season and was replaced by Nicole Scherzinger. Osbourne returned in 2013, taking over from Contostavlos. Since 2007, Dermot O’Leary has hosted the show, succeeding the original host, Kate Thornton. The competition is divided into several stages, tracking contestants from auditions to the grand finale. Initially, auditions were held in a room with just the judges, but from the sixth season onward, they took place on a stage before the judges and a live audience. Contestants who pass the auditions move on to “bootcamp” and then to “judges’ houses,” where judges select three or four acts to mentor for the live shows. During these live shows, the public votes for their favorite performers each week.