The X Factor: farewell to Simon Cowell’s talent circus
The talent show hadn’t actually been on air since 2018, but its death knell was officially sounded last week

“Like a knackered old cruise singer” finally facing the inevitable, The X Factor has left the stage, said Rebecca Nicholson in The Guardian. The talent show hadn’t actually been on air since 2018, but its death knell was officially sounded last week, with ITV’s confirmation that there are no plans to bring it back.
In its heyday, the show – which ran for 14 years – was a “well-oiled machine for churning out pop stars and Christmas No. 1s”. Its caustic creator and judge Simon Cowell was a pop “kingmaker” who used it to promote mega-acts such as One Direction and JLS. But the world has changed: fans now “like to find music for themselves”, on TikTok or YouTube.
“The X Factor was the last moment where TV reigned supreme, and everyone had to share a screen,” said Sean O’Neill in Vice. It could command the attention of the whole family – of a vast range of different demographics. And it traded on a “moving idea”: that there were “bona fide stars kicking about your sixth form, or working on your dentist’s front desk, just waiting to be propelled into stardom”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It certainly made for “great telly”, attracting 20 million people on Saturday nights at its peak in the noughties, said Amy Nickell in The Independent. But it was, to a large extent, about laughing at people: to this day, “Worst X Factor auditions” easily outperform “Best X Factor auditions” on YouTube.
And there was a human cost: vulnerable teenagers and people with mental illnesses were exploited for entertainment, with none of the safeguarding that even the most gruesome reality TV shows offer today.
It wasn’t just about humiliation, said Julie Burchill in The Spectator. The X Factor was one of the few places where “a talented working-class kid could make their voice heard – literally”. And it did feature some “breathtaking performances” by such genuinely talented artists as Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke and Little Mix.
Yes, the desire to wring every last drop of emotion out of contestants’ stories grew cloying. But “in its cheap and cheesy heyday”, the show “communicated more about the human desire to aspire and achieve than any boring old quality drama ever could”.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Thieves nab French crown jewels from Louvre
Speed Read A gang of thieves stole 19th century royal jewels from the Paris museum’s Galerie d’Apollon
-
Bolivia elects centrist over far-right presidential rival
Speed Read Relative political unknown Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, was elected president
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies
Speed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelago
The Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
Diane Keaton: the Oscar-winning star of Annie Hall
In the Spotlight Something’s Gotta Give actor dies from pneumonia at the age of 79
-
Heirs and Graces: an ‘enthralling’ deep dive into the decline of nobility
The Week Recommends Eleanor Doughty explores the ‘bizarre fascination’ with the British aristocracy
-
6 sporty homes with tennis courts
Feature Featuring a clay tennis court in New York and a viewing deck in California
-
Critics’ choice: Seafood in the spotlight
Feature An experimental chef, a newspaper-worthy newcomer, and a dining titan’s fresh spin-off
-
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl: Much glitter, little gold
Feature Swift’s new album has broken records, but critics say she may have gotten herself creatively stuck
-
Theater review: Masquerade
218 W. 57th St., New York City 218 W. 57th St., New York City
-
Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider Woman
Feature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.