X Factor’s back, but Cowell’s keeping quiet

X FACTOR guru Simon Cowell has defended the show’s revamp, saying a shake up was essential to keep the format fresh — but he wasn’t revealing too much about the prospective changes.

‘I have to be careful what I say because I have learnt through the years that whatever you do, other people copy you,’ he said.

The ITV talent competition will be back next month for a 14th series, with its creator (pictured above) saying: ‘You can’t keep making the same show every year.’

He added: ‘I think if you just make the same show each year, it becomes boring and predictable.

‘So you try and make changes for the better, not everything works but some ideas we’ve got for the live shows are going to be good.’

Cowell said there would be a reduction in the number of live shows this time around, and original music would be introduced into the format.

This year he will be joined on the judging panel by usual suspects Sharon Osbourne, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh, and Dermot O’Leary will host once again.

However, the format’s spin-off show Xtra Factor has been axed in the shake up.

Presenter O’Leary said of it ending: ‘I was sad, but I get it.

‘We’ve made The X Factor for 14 years now but the way people watch the show has changed; now we have massive hits on YouTube compared to how it used to be, so you have to work harder on a show to keep people’s attention.

‘Similarly, Xtra Factor started in a time when a lot of people watched that kind of show, but things have moved on.’

The X Factor returns to ITV on Saturday, September 2, and Sunday, September 3, at 8pm.

Author: Simon Wilgress-pipe