The X Factor (British series 5)

Last updated

The X Factor
Series 5
Alexandra Burke All Night Long Tour.jpg
Burke during her All Night Long Tour in 2011.
Hosted by Dermot O'Leary (ITV)
Judges
Winner Alexandra Burke
Winning mentor Cheryl Cole
Runner-up Ruth Lorenzo
Release
Original network
Original release16 August (2008-08-16) 
13 December 2008 (2008-12-13)
Series chronology
 Previous
Series 4
Next 
Series 6
List of episodes

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The fifth series was broadcast on ITV from 16 August 2008 until 13 December 2008. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV, while Fearne Cotton was replaced by Holly Willoughby as presenter of spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, and Dannii Minogue returned to the judging panel. Sharon Osbourne left after four series and was replaced by Cheryl Cole. The series was won by Alexandra Burke, with Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April and May, with callbacks in front of the judges in June. The number of applicants for series 5 reached an all-time high with a reported 182,000 [1] people auditioning. A number of well-established music acts from around the world, such as Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Girls Aloud, Take That, Il Divo, and series 3 winner Leona Lewis, performed during the live stages of the show.

Contents

Burke's prize, as winner, was a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music (a subsidiary of Sony BMG). Her debut single, "Hallelujah", written by Leonard Cohen, was released for digital download on 14 December 2008, with the physical format following on 17 December. It was later announced that her single had become the fastest-selling X Factor single at that time.

It was during auditions for the fifth series of the show that viewers were introduced to two teenagers: 15-year-old Jade Thirlwall, who would form one quarter of the winning act of series eight, Little Mix, and 14-year-old Liam Payne, who would become a member of boy band One Direction, formed in the seventh series.

Judges, presenters and other personnel

In February 2008, it was reported that Sharon Osbourne would not return as a judge for the fifth series. [2] On 6 June, six days before filming was due to begin at the London auditions, ITV announced Osbourne's departure from the show. [3] [4] Media speculation over the reasons for Osbourne's departure alluded to rising tensions between her and fellow judge Dannii Minogue, as well as disputes over pay. [4] When interviewed by Chris Moyles on BBC Radio 1, Osbourne said that it was "the best four years of [her] life" but felt that it was "time to move on." [5]

On 10 June 2008, after Osbourne's departure, ITV confirmed that Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole was the new judge and Osbourne's replacement for series 5. Minogue praised the new judge, saying, "She's very knowledgeable about music and I think she's going to bring a new side to the show." [6] Cowell is reported by Minogue to feel that Cole's voiced opinions are something "which he loves". [6]

Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main ITV show, choosing to leave other projects, including his ongoing role as the host of Big Brother's Little Brother , to concentrate on The X Factor. [7] The Xtra Factor presenter Fearne Cotton left after series 4, having presented for only one series, to be replaced by Holly Willoughby. [8] Brian Friedman returned as choreographer and performance coach (billed as "Creative Director"), along with Yvie Burnett as vocal coach.[ citation needed ]

Selection process

Auditions

United Kingdom adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg

London
Cities that auditions were held in.

A reported "record-breaking" 182,000 applied for series 5, [1] [9] with filming for auditions in front of judges taking place in June/July 2008. Auditions were held in the cities of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, and Glasgow. [10]

Due to her commitments with Australia's Got Talent , Minogue was absent from some of the auditions in Birmingham and Cardiff but was not replaced.[ citation needed ]

Bootcamp

As in series 4, all four judges worked together at the bootcamp stage of the competition. This took place at indigO2 at The O2 in Greenwich, London on 4 August 2008, and was televised in two episodes on 27 and 28 September 2008. [11] [12] Contestants are said to have stayed in a nearby hotel in Blackheath. [12]

During bootcamp, around 150 acts were whittled down to 24 who advanced to the next round, six in each category. After completion of bootcamp, the judges were told the category that they were to mentor. Cowell was given the Boys, Walsh the Groups, Minogue the Over 25s, and Cole the Girls.

Judges' houses

This round was filmed in late August and early September and was broadcast over two shows on 4 and 5 October. As in previous years, the judges welcomed the six acts from their selected category to their "homes". [13] Each act had one chance to impress their mentor who, along with a guest judge, had the task of selecting which three acts were to go through to the live shows and which three would be eliminated. For her guest judge, Minogue chose former Spice Girls member and Emma Bunton, Cole chose her fellow Girls Aloud member Kimberly Walsh, Cowell chose singer Sinitta, and Walsh chose Shane Filan from Westlife.

Judges Houses Performances

Boys:

Over 25s:

Groups:

Girls:

Summary of judges' houses
JudgeCategoryLocationAssistantActs Eliminated
ColeGirls Cannes Kimberley Walsh Annastasia Baker, Hannah Bradbeer, Amy Connelly
CowellBoys Barbados Sinitta Mali-Michael McCalla, Liam Payne, Alan Turner
MinogueOver 25s Saint-Tropez Emma Bunton Suzie Furlonger, Louise Heatly, James Williams
WalshGroups Castle Leslie, Ireland Shane Filan 4Instinct, Desire, Priority

Acts

Key:

  – Winner
  – Runner-Up
ActAge(s)HometownCategory (mentor)Result
Alexandra Burke 20LondonGirls (Cole)Winner
JLS 20–23 London and Peterborough Groups (Walsh)Runner-up
Eoghan Quigg 16 Dungiven, Northern IrelandBoys (Cowell)3rd place
Diana Vickers 17 Accrington Girls (Cole)4th place
Ruth Lorenzo 26 Murcia, SpainOver 25s (Minogue)5th place
Rachel Hylton27London6th place
Daniel Evans39 Leyton 7th place
Laura White 21 Atherton, Greater ManchesterGirls (Cole)8th place
Austin Drage22 Grays, EssexBoys (Cowell)9th place
Scott Bruton19 Manchester 10th place
Girlband18–22VariousGroups (Walsh)11th place
Bad Lashes19–2412th place

Live shows

The live shows began on 11 October 2008 and continued through to the finale on 13 December 2008. An added twist for this series, confirmed on the first live show, was that acts in the bottom-two showdown sang a new song of their own choosing, rather than repeating the song they performed in the first part of the show.

Musical guests

Leon Jackson performed on the first live show, promoting his second single "Don't Call This Love". Girls Aloud performed their new single "The Promise" on the second show on 18 October. Will Young performed his new song "Grace" on 1 November. Mariah Carey appeared on 8 November and performed her new single "I Stay in Love", plus a special version of "Hero" with 11 of the finalists (Diana Vickers was ill with laryngitis so could not perform). Leona Lewis appeared the week after and performed her new single "Run". Take That performed on 22 November show, as did series 4 third-place act Same Difference, who performed their debut single, and series 4 runner-up Rhydian Roberts, who sang a track from his debut album. [14] On 29 November show, in the main programme Miley Cyrus performed her single "7 Things", whereas Britney Spears performed her new single "Womanizer" during the result show. On 6 December show, Il Divo sung their latest single "Amazing Grace" from their new album.

Boyzone, Westlife, and Beyoncé were guests on the final show where they duetted with the finalists, with Knowles performing "Listen" with Alexandra Burke. Beyoncé also performed "If I Were a Boy" in the final result show.

Results summary

Colour key

  Act in Boys

  Act in Girls

  Act in Over 25s

  Act in Groups

  Act was in the bottom two and had to sing again in the final showdown
  Act received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown)
  Act received the most public votes
  Act was given a bye and automatically advanced to the following week
Weekly results per act [15]
Act Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Quarter-Final Semi-Final Final
First VoteSecond Vote
Alexandra Burke6th
7.20%
7th
7.15%
6th
8.83%
6th
8.82%
2nd
18.35%
4th
13.31%
4th
14.97%
1st
24.53%
2nd
31.04%
1st
44.02%
Winner
58.34%
JLS7th
5.03%
3rd
9.21%
4th
10.81%
2nd
17.00%
4th
13.26%
5th
9.91%
5th
11.75%
2nd
24.34%
1st
35.03%
2nd
30.65%
Runner-Up
41.66%
Eoghan Quigg1st
21.19%
1st
26.77%
1st
20.73%
1st
19.81%
1st
27.39%
2nd
19.56%
1st
31.79%
3rd
19.58%
3rd
21.14%
3rd
19.58%
Eliminated
(final)
Diana Vickers4th
7.35%
2nd
16.24%
2nd
15.13%
3rd
15.24%
Given bye 1 1st
31.30%
2nd
18.94%
4th
16.32%
4th
12.79%
Eliminated
(semi-final)
Ruth Lorenzo10th
3.47%
10th
2.95%
5th
8.93%
5th
10.25%
7th
6.94%
3rd
13.91%
3rd
16.07%
5th
15.23%
Eliminated
(quarter-final)
Rachel Hylton8th
4.77%
8th
5.01%
3rd
12.21%
9th
3.81%
5th
10.39%
7th
4.48%
6th
6.48%
Eliminated
(week 7)
Daniel Evans5th
7.21%
6th
8.23%
9th
5.94%
4th
10.83%
3rd
13.77%
6th
7.53%
Eliminated
(week 6)
Laura White3rd
16.99%
4th
8.99%
7th
7.53%
7th
7.38%
6th
9.90%
Eliminated
(week 5)
Austin Drage9th
3.63%
5th
8.98%
8th
6.22%
8th
6.86%
Eliminated
(week 4)
Scott Bruton2nd
19.48%
9th
4.17%
10th
3.67%
Eliminated
(week 3)
Girlband11th
2.17%
11th
2.30%
Eliminated
(week 2)
Bad Lashes12th
1.51%
Eliminated
(week 1)
Final ShowdownBad Lashes,
Girlband
Girlband,
Lorenzo
Bruton,
Evans
Drage,
Hylton
Lorenzo,
White
Evans,
Hylton
Hylton,
JLS
No final showdown or judges' votes: results were based on public votes alone
Walsh’s vote to eliminate (Groups)Bad LashesLorenzoBrutonDrageWhiteEvansHylton
Minogue’s vote to eliminate (Over 25s)GirlbandGirlbandBrutonDrageWhite 2 JLS
Cole’s vote to eliminate (Girls)GirlbandGirlbandBrutonDrageLorenzoEvansHylton
Cowell’s vote to eliminate (Boys)Bad LashesLorenzoEvansHyltonWhiteEvansHylton
EliminatedBad Lashes
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Girlband
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Scott Bruton
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Austin Drage
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Laura White
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Daniel Evans
3 of 3 votes
Majority
Rachel Hylton
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Ruth Lorenzo
15.23%
to save
Diana Vickers
12.79%
to save
Eoghan Quigg
25.33%
to save
JLS
41.66%
to win

The total number of votes cast for the entire series was 16,469,064.[ citation needed ]

^1 Due to illness, Diana Vickers did not perform during week 5 and automatically advanced to week 6.
^2 Minogue was not required to vote as there was already a majority.

Live show details

Week 1 (11 October)

Acts' performances on the first live show
ActCategory (mentor)OrderSongCountryResult
GirlbandGroups (Walsh)1"Venus"Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  UK Bottom Two
Austin DrageBoys (Cowell)2"Every Breath You Take"Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  UK Safe
Daniel EvansOver 25s (Minogue)3"I Want to Know What Love Is"Flag of the United States.svg  USA
Alexandra BurkeGirls (Cole)4"I Wanna Dance with Somebody"
JLSGroups (Walsh)5"I'll Make Love to You"
Scott BrutonBoys (Cowell)6"Yeh Yeh"Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  UK
Rachel HyltonOver 25s (Minogue)7"With Every Heartbeat"
Diana VickersGirls (Cole)8"With or Without You"Flag of the United States.svg  USA
Bad LashesGroups (Walsh)9"It Must Have Been Love"Flag of the United States.svg  USA Bottom Two
Eoghan QuiggBoys (Cowell)10"Imagine"Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  UK Safe (Highest Votes)
Ruth LorenzoOver 25s (Minogue)11"Take My Breath Away"Flag of the United States.svg  USA Safe
Laura WhiteGirls (Cole)12"Fallin'"
Final showdown details
GirlbandGroups (Walsh)1"That's What Friends Are For"Saved
Bad LashesGroups (Walsh)2"Wonderwall"Eliminated
Judges' votes to eliminate
  • Cowell: Bad Lashes – gave no reason but described both acts as "shocking"; he later stated on The Xtra Factor that he felt Girlband had shown more emotion in their final showdown performance due to being shown in a earlier slot to be overlooked by the public.
  • Cole: Girlband – gave no reason.
  • Minogue: Girlband – gave no reason.
  • Walsh: Bad Lashes – could not decide between two of his own acts so chose to take the vote to deadlock.

With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Bad Lashes were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 2 (18 October)

Acts' performances on the second live show
ActCategory (mentor)OrderSongResult
Alexandra BurkeGirls (Cole)1"I'll Be There"Safe
Scott BrutonBoys (Cowell)2"She's Out of My Life"
Ruth LorenzoOver 25s (Minogue)3"I Just Can't Stop Loving You"Bottom Two
GirlbandGroups (Walsh)4"Heal the World"
Laura WhiteGirls (Cole)5"You Are Not Alone"Safe
Austin DrageBoys (Cowell)6"Billie Jean"
Daniel EvansOver 25s (Minogue)7"One Day in Your Life"
JLSGroups (Walsh)8"The Way You Make Me Feel"
Diana VickersGirls (Cole)9"Man in the Mirror"
Rachel HyltonOver 25s (Minogue)10"Dirty Diana"
Eoghan QuiggBoys (Cowell)11"Ben"Safe (Highest Votes)
Final showdown details
Ruth LorenzoOver 25s (Minogue)1"Purple Rain"Saved
GirlbandGroups (Walsh)2"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"Eliminated
Judges' votes to eliminate
  • Walsh: Ruth Lorenzo – backed his own act, Girlband.
  • Minogue: Girlband – backed her own act, Ruth Lorenzo.
  • Cole: Girlband – based on the final showdown performances.
  • Cowell: Ruth Lorenzo – chose to take the vote to deadlock as he wanted to give Girlband a second chance whereas he felt Lorenzo did not "play to her strengths".

With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Girlband were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes. During the show, a mistake was made in one of the overlays and Lorenzo's number was briefly displayed incorrectly, meaning any calls to that number would not have registered a vote. After the show, viewers complained that they had dialled this incorrect number and could not get through to vote for Lorenzo, but ITV insisted the issue should not have made any difference to the overall result as Lorenzo received more votes than Girlband and advanced to the third week after the result went to deadlock. [16]

Week 3 (25 October)

Acts' performances on the third live show
ActCategory (mentor)OrderSongBig Band ArtistResult
Scott BrutonBoys (Cowell)1"That's Life" Frank Sinatra Bottom Two
Daniel EvansOver 25s (Minogue)2"The Lady Is a Tramp" Ella Fitzgerald
Laura WhiteGirls (Cole)3"God Bless the Child" Billie Holiday Safe
Eoghan QuiggBoys (Cowell)4"L-O-V-E" Nat King Cole Safe (Highest Votes)
Ruth LorenzoOver 25s (Minogue)5"Summertime" George Gershwin Safe
Alexandra BurkeGirls (Cole)6"Candyman" Christina Aguilera
Austin DrageBoys (Cowell)7"Mack the Knife" Bobby Darin
JLSGroups (Walsh)8"Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" Dean Martin
Diana VickersGirls (Cole)9"Smile" Charlie Chaplin
Rachel HyltonOver 25s (Minogue)10"Feeling Good" Nina Simone
Final showdown details
Scott BrutonBoys (Cowell)1"I Can't Make You Love Me"Eliminated
Daniel EvansOver 25s (Minogue)2"To Where You Are"Saved
Judges' votes to eliminate
  • Cowell: Daniel Evans – backed his own act, Scott Bruton.
  • Cole: Scott Bruton – said that she felt the "belief and passion" in Evans' performance.
  • Minogue: Scott Bruton – backed her own act, Daniel Evans, whom she stated sang the best in the sing off.
  • Walsh: Scott Bruton – commented that Evans "sang every word like he meant it".

Week 4 (1 November)

Acts' performances on the fourth live show
ActCategory (mentor)OrderSongResult
Rachel HyltonOver 25s (Minogue)1"Lost in Music"Bottom Two
Austin DrageBoys (Cowell)2"Wishing on a Star"
Diana VickersGirls (Cole)3"Call Me"Safe
Daniel EvansOver 25s (Minogue)4"Don't Leave Me This Way"
Laura WhiteGirls (Cole)5"Somebody Else's Guy"
Eoghan QuiggBoys (Cowell)6"Could It Be Magic"Safe (Highest Votes)
Ruth LorenzoOver 25s (Minogue)7"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)"Safe
Alexandra BurkeGirls (Cole)8"On the Radio"
JLSGroups (Walsh)9"Working My Way Back To You"/"Forgive Me Girl"
Final showdown details
Rachel HyltonOver 25s (Minogue)1"No More Drama"Saved
Austin DrageBoys (Cowell)2"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"Eliminated
Judges' votes to eliminate
  • Cowell: Rachel Hylton – backed his own act, Austin Drage.
  • Cole: Austin Drage – stated she was prepared to give Hylton a "moment to shine".
  • Minogue: Austin Drage – backed her own act, Rachel Hylton.
  • Walsh: Austin Drage – said Hylton had more to give to the competition and was more of a "raw talent".

However, voting statistics revealed that Drage received more votes than Hylton which meant that if Walsh sent the result to deadlock, Drage would have been saved.

Week 5 (8 November)

Acts' performances on the fifth live show
ActCategory (mentor)OrderSongResult
Eoghan QuiggBoys (Cowell)1"Anytime You Need a Friend"Safe (Highest Votes)
Ruth LorenzoOver 25s (Minogue)2"My All"Bottom Two
Laura WhiteGirls (Cole)3"Endless Love"
Rachel HyltonOver 25s (Minogue)4"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"Safe
Diana VickersGirls (Cole)5Bye Week 1 Automatically Advanced
JLSGroups (Walsh)6"One Sweet Day"Safe
Daniel EvansOver 25s (Minogue)7"Open Arms"
Alexandra BurkeGirls (Cole)8"Without You"
Final showdown details
Ruth LorenzoOver 25s (Minogue)1"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"Saved
Laura WhiteGirls (Cole)2"Over the Rainbow"Eliminated

^1 Due to illness, Diana Vickers did not perform and automatically advanced to the following week. She was due to perform fifth and would have performed "Always Be My Baby".

Judges' votes to eliminate
  • Cowell: Laura White – gave no reason but commented that both acts "were not the worst singers of the night".
  • Cole: Ruth Lorenzo – backed her own act, Laura White.
  • Minogue: Laura White – backed her own act, Ruth Lorenzo.
  • Walsh: Laura White – commented that Lorenzo was "more of a fighter".

However, voting statistics revealed that White received more votes than Lorenzo which meant that if Walsh sent the result to deadlock, White would have been saved.

Week 6 (15 November)

Acts' performances on the sixth live show
ActCategory (mentor)OrderSongBritish ArtistResult
Daniel EvansOver 25s (Minogue)1"It's Not Unusual" Tom Jones Bottom Two
Alexandra BurkeGirls (Cole)2"You Are So Beautiful" Joe Cocker Safe
JLSGroups (Walsh)3"I Want to Hold Your Hand"/"Twist and Shout"/"Hey Jude" The Beatles
Rachel HyltonOver 25s (Minogue)4"You Know I'm No Good" Amy Winehouse Bottom Two
Eoghan QuiggBoys (Cowell)5"One More Try" George Michael Safe
Diana VickersGirls (Cole)6"Yellow" Coldplay Safe (Highest Votes)
Ruth LorenzoOver 25s (Minogue)7"Angels" Robbie Williams Safe
Final showdown details
Daniel EvansOver 25s (Minogue)1"Bridge over Troubled Water"Eliminated
Rachel HyltonOver 25s (Minogue)2"One"Saved
Judges' votes to eliminate
  • Walsh: Daniel Evans – gave no reason but had constantly criticised Evans throughout the competition.
  • Cole: Daniel Evans – stated that she had seen a spark back from Hylton this week.
  • Cowell: Daniel Evans – gave no reason though commented that Hylton "threw it away" with her last performance and that he would have liked to see her perform with more passion; he later stated on The Xtra Factor that he wanted to save Hylton as she was one of his favorite acts in the competition.
  • Minogue was not required to vote as there was already a majority; she stated she would have chosen to take the vote to deadlock as both acts were in her category.

However, voting statistics revealed than Evans received more votes than Hylton which meant that if the result went to deadlock, Evans would have been saved.

Week 7 (22 November)

Acts' performances on the seventh live show
ActCategory (mentor)OrderSongResult
Alexandra BurkeGirls (Cole)1"Relight My Fire"Safe
Ruth LorenzoOver 25s (Minogue)2"Love Ain't Here Anymore"
JLSGroups (Walsh)3"A Million Love Songs"Bottom Two
Rachel HyltonOver 25s (Minogue)4"Rule the World"
Diana VickersGirls (Cole)5"Patience"Safe
Eoghan QuiggBoys (Cowell)6"Never Forget"Safe (Highest Votes)
Final showdown details
JLSGroups (Walsh)1"Stand by Me"/"Beautiful Girls"Saved
Rachel HyltonOver 25s (Minogue)2"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"Eliminated
Judges' votes to eliminate
  • Walsh: Rachel Hylton – backed his own act, JLS.
  • Minogue: JLS – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Rachel Hylton.
  • Cole: Rachel Hylton – said JLS would go further in the competition though stated that it had been the best Hylton had sung since the auditions.
  • Cowell: Rachel Hylton – stated that this was Hylton's third time in the bottom two and that JLS should not have been in the final showdown.

JLS had previously been rehearsing to sing "Rule the World", with the approval of their mentor, Walsh. Contrary to this, Minogue, who had higher priority in the judges' song-selection rota, selected the song for her artist Hylton to sing. This led to an on-screen argument between Minogue and Walsh. [17]

Week 8: Quarter-Final (29 November)

Acts' performances in the quarter-final
ActCategory (mentor)OrderFirst songOrderSecond songAmerican ArtistResult
Ruth LorenzoOver 25s (Minogue)1"I Love Rock 'n' Roll"6"Always" Bon Jovi Eliminated
JLSGroups (Walsh)2"...Baby One More Time"7"You Light Up My Life" Whitney Houston Safe
Alexandra BurkeGirls (Cole)3"Toxic"8"Listen" Beyoncé Safe (Highest Votes)
Eoghan QuiggBoys (Cowell)4"Sometimes"9"We're All in This Together"The Cast of High School Musical Safe
Diana VickersGirls (Cole)5"I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman"10"Everybody Hurts" R.E.M

The quarter-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the act with the fewest public votes, Ruth Lorenzo, was automatically eliminated.

Week 9: Semi-Final (6 December)

Contestants' performances in the semi-final
ActCategory (mentor)OrderFirst songOrderSecond songResult
Eoghan QuiggBoys (Cowell)1"Year 3000"5"Does Your Mother Know"Safe
Diana VickersGirls (Cole)2"Girlfriend"6"White Flag"Eliminated
Alexandra BurkeGirls (Cole)3"Don't Stop the Music"7"Un-Break My Heart"Safe
JLSGroups (Walsh)4"Umbrella"8"I'm Already There"Safe (Highest Votes)

The semi-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the act with the fewest public votes, Diana Vickers, was automatically eliminated.

Week 10: Final (13 December)

Acts' performances in the final
ActCategory (mentor)OrderFirst songOrderSecond songDuet PartnerOrderThird songOrderFourth songResult
Eoghan QuiggBoys (Cowell)1"I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday"4"Picture of You" Boyzone 7"We're All in This Together"N/AN/A (already eliminated)Eliminated
JLSGroups (Walsh)2"Last Christmas"5"Flying Without Wings" Westlife 8"I'm Already There"10"Hallelujah"Runner-Up
Alexandra BurkeGirls (Cole)3"Silent Night"6"Listen" Beyoncé 9"You Are So Beautiful"11"Hallelujah"Winner

Charity single

The twelve contestants together recorded a cover version of Mariah Carey's 1993 hit "Hero" in support of the Help for Heroes charity. [18] The single was available for download from 25 October 2008, after the finalists performed the song live on that night's show. It was released in stores on 27 October, and Simon Cowell predicted it "will go straight to the top of the charts". [19] In the first week of its release it went straight to number 1 and sold 313,244 copies, more than the rest of the top ten combined. [20]

Reception

Ratings

Viewing figures for series 5 were, at the time of airing, the highest ever for any X Factor series, about 20% up on the previous series. [21] This, however, was beaten by the sixth series the following year.

The first show of the series had the highest launch audience for any series, peaking at over 12 million viewers. [22] The entire Auditions phase officially averaged 9.9m, a rise of 1.2m over the previous series.

The Bootcamp episodes performed well in the ratings; although the Saturday episode was beaten for the first time by Strictly Come Dancing , [23] the Sunday episode restored the balance. [24] The Saturday Judges' houses episode had the highest audience since the opening show, and the Sunday episode had a lower rating but still exceeded that of Strictly Come Dancing . [25] The entire bootcamp and judges' houses phase officially averaged 9.8m, a rise of 2.5m over the previous series.

The live shows pulled in very strong audiences, often rating as the most watched programme of the week. [26] The final was the second most watched television programme of 2008 with 14.06m viewers. [27]

Series 5 of The X Factor officially averaged 10.5m, at the time becoming the most watched British talent series of the 21st century.

EpisodeAir dateOfficial ITV1 rating [28] Weekly rank [28] Share
Auditions 116 August10.78148.2% [29]
Auditions 223 August10.10145.4% [30]
Auditions 330 August8.80243.5% [31]
Auditions 46 September9.57142.8% [32]
Auditions 513 September9.96143.2% [33]
Auditions 620 September10.01141.7% [34]
Bootcamp 127 September8.94436.0% [35]
Bootcamp 228 September9.47138.1% [36]
Judges' houses 14 October10.84140.5% [37]
Judges' houses 25 October10.11342.7% [38]
Live show 111 October11.09144.1% [39]
Results 19.05740.8% [39]
Live show 218 October10.21338.5% [40]
Results 29.13939.7% [40]
Live show 325 October10.37239.7% [41]
Results 38.891038.0% [41]
Live show 41 November11.65143.3% [42]
Results 49.72637.6% [42]
Live show 58 November10.72242.6% [43]
Results 59.46735.6% [43]
Live show 615 November11.28143.5% [44]
Results 610.62242.9% [44]
Live show 722 November11.77143.2% [45]
Results 79.98641.1% [45]
Live show 829 November12.67146.0% [46]
Results 811.41250.0% [46]
Semi-final6 December10.30339.1% [47]
Semi-final results10.60239.6% [47]
Final performances13 December13.77250.3% [48]
Final results14.06154.4% [48]
Series average200810.5142.4%

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Walsh</span> Irish manager in the music industry

Michael Louis Vincent Walsh is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He has also served as a judge on television talent competition shows, including Popstars (2001–2002), You're a Star (2003–2004), The X Factor, and Ireland's Got Talent (2018–2019). In March 2024, Walsh entered the Celebrity Big Brother house as a housemate on the twenty-third series.

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The first series was broadcast from 4 September to 11 December 2004. The competition was split into several stages: auditions, bootcamp, judges' homes and live shows, with Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Simon Cowell as judges. Kate Thornton presented the show on ITV, whilst Ben Shephard presented the spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British series 2) British TV competition

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The second series ran from 20 August to 17 December 2005. Shayne Ward became the winner and Louis Walsh emerged as the winning mentor. The second series was longer than the first, with seven acts in each of the three categories going to the judges' homes, and 12 acts in the finals instead of 9. Kate Thornton returned as presenter of the main show on ITV and Ben Shepherd presented the spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2, while Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Walsh returned as judges. 75,000 people auditioned for the series.

<i>The X Factor: Battle of the Stars</i> British television series

The X Factor: Battle of the Stars is a UK celebrity special edition of The X Factor, which screened on ITV, started on 29 May 2006 and lasting for eight consecutive nights. Pop Idol was meant to air in its place as Celebrity Pop Idol but was stopped shortly before transmission, when ITV picked The X Factor over it.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British series 4) British TV series

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The fourth series was broadcast on ITV from 18 August 2007 and was won by Leon Jackson on 15 December 2007, with Rhydian Roberts finishing as the runner-up and Dannii Minogue emerging as the winning mentor. Dermot O'Leary presented for the first time, replacing Kate Thornton, who had been presenting the show since series 1 in 2004. Fearne Cotton replaced Ben Shephard as presenter on the spin-off show The Xtra Factor. The original judging panel consisted of Simon Cowell, Minogue, Sharon Osbourne and Brian Friedman. Friedman left the panel halfway through the first audition episode and was replaced by former judge Louis Walsh.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British TV series) British reality television music competition

The X Factor is a British reality television music competition, created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's Talkback Thames, and Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment for ITV, as well as simulcast on Virgin Media One in Ireland. The programme ran for around 445 episodes across fifteen series, each one primarily broadcast late in the year, until its final episode in December 2018. The majority of episodes were presented by Dermot O'Leary, with some exceptions: the first three series were hosted by Kate Thornton; while Caroline Flack and Olly Murs hosted the show for the twelfth series.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British series 6) Season of television series

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The sixth series started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back series. The show was presented by Dermot O'Leary, with spin-off show The Xtra Factor presented by Holly Willoughby on ITV2. McElderry's winner's single was a cover version of Miley Cyrus's "The Climb". Public auditions by aspiring singers began in June 2009 and were held in five cities across the UK. Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Dannii Minogue and Cole returned as judges. This season was the first to be sponsored by TalkTalk after they took over the sponsorship from The Carphone Warehouse. For the first time, auditions were held in front of a live audience. Following initial auditions, the "bootcamp" stage took place in August 2009, where the number of contestants was narrowed down to 24. The 24 contestants were split into their categories, Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups, and given a judge to mentor them at the "judges' houses" stage and throughout the finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvin Humes</span> English singer, DJ and presenter

Marvin Richard James Humes is an English singer-songwriter, disc jockey, radio host, television presenter, and former actor. Before rising to prominence as a member of the British boy band JLS, he had an acting role in Holby City. As part of JLS, he achieved five number-one singles on the UK Singles Charts and a number-one album on the UK Albums Charts. As of December 2013, they have sold over 10 million records worldwide.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British series 7) Season of television series

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The series saw the creation of boyband One Direction, five boys who entered the competition as individuals. The winner of the competition was Matt Cardle. Cardle was mentored throughout the show by Dannii Minogue. After the victory, he released his debut single "When We Collide". A total of 15,448,019 votes were cast throughout the series. It was presented by Dermot O'Leary, with spin-off show The Xtra Factor presented by Konnie Huq on ITV2, who took over from Holly Willoughby.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British series 8) British TV competition

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eighth series aired on ITV on 20 August 2011 and ended on 11 December 2011. Dermot O'Leary hosted the main show on ITV, while Caroline Flack and series 6 runner-up Olly Murs co-presented the spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Louis Walsh returned to the judging panel and was joined by Gary Barlow, Kelly Rowland and Tulisa. Barlow, Rowland, Tulisa joined the panel replacing judges, Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole. Series 5 winner Alexandra Burke served as a guest judge for week 4 of the live shows due to Rowland having a throat infection.

The X Factor in the UK has been subject to much controversy and criticism since its launch in 2004. This has included allegations of conflict of interest, voting irregularities and overcharging, product placement for sponsors, staging scenes, use of pitch correction technology, and exploiting vulnerable contestants. The series has also been criticised for developing singers as marketable products rather than creative individuals. As of April 2020, there have been fifteen completed series broadcast on the ITV network, as well as spin-offs The X Factor: Celebrity (2019) and The X Factor: The Band (2019).

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The ninth series began airing on ITV on 18 August 2012 and ended on 9 December 2012. Dermot O'Leary returned as presenter of the main show on ITV, whilst Caroline Flack and Olly Murs returned to co-present The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow and Tulisa returned as judges. Nicole Scherzinger was confirmed as the fourth permanent judge after Geri Halliwell, Leona Lewis, Rita Ora, Mel B, Anastacia and Scherzinger herself stood in as guest judges for the vacant position left by Kelly Rowland. After the show of 8 December, two of Scherzinger's acts, James Arthur and Jahméne Douglas, became the top two, meaning that Scherzinger was guaranteed to win. Arthur was announced as the winner on 9 December, and released a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible" as his winner's song. As of 2016, it is the most successful winner's single in the show's history.

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The tenth series began airing on ITV on 31 August, and finished on 15 December 2013. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV and Caroline Flack was back to present spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2, along with comedian Matt Richardson, who replaced Olly Murs. Flack also presented backstage segments during the live shows. Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger returned as judges for their respective tenth, third and second series, with Sharon Osbourne returning to replace Tulisa after five series away. This was Barlow's final series as a judge. Osbourne and Scherzinger also departed the series, but reprised their roles as judges with Walsh again in series 13 and series 14.

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eleventh series began airing on ITV on 30 August 2014 and finished on 14 December 2014. Dermot O'Leary presented his eighth series of the main show on ITV and Sarah-Jane Crawford presented spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2, replacing Caroline Flack and Matt Richardson. Louis Walsh was the only judge from series 10 to return and was joined by former judges Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Simon Cowell, and new judge Mel B, who replaced Sharon Osbourne, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger. Former judge Tulisa returned as a guest judge for the final on 13 December due to Mel B being ill. The series also saw the lower age limit decreased from 16 to 14, as it was in series 4 and 5. This was Walsh's final series as a judge before returning in series 13. It was O'Leary's final series as presenter on the main show, as he announced on 27 March 2015 that he was leaving to pursue other projects, before returning in series 13. On 11 May, Crawford also confirmed via Twitter that she would leave her position as The Xtra Factor presenter.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British series 12) British TV competition

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The twelfth series began airing on ITV on 29 August 2015 and ended on 13 December 2015. The judges were Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, who returned for their respective ninth and fifth series as judges, series 9 guest judge and former The Voice UK coach Rita Ora, and BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw, with Grimshaw and Ora replacing Louis Walsh, the only judge who had been on the show from its inception in 2004, and Mel B. It was presented by Caroline Flack and Olly Murs, who had both previously co-presented spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2 and replaced Dermot O'Leary, who left after eight series. Rochelle Humes and Melvin Odoom presented The Xtra Factor, replacing Sarah-Jane Crawford. Louisa Johnson was announced as the winner on 13 December 2015, making Ora the winning mentor.

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The thirteenth series began airing on ITV on Saturday 27 August 2016 and ended on Sunday 11 December 2016. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV for the ninth time to replace Olly Murs and Caroline Flack, who left after series 12. Simon Cowell was the only judge from the 12th series to return; Nicole Scherzinger, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh all returned, replacing Rita Ora, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Nick Grimshaw. Matt Edmondson and Rylan Clark-Neal replaced Rochelle Humes and Melvin Odoom as hosts of The Xtra Factor, which was rebranded as The Xtra Factor Live and was broadcast live twice every week, with Roman Kemp making appearances as a digital presenter and social media reporter. Matt Terry was announced the winner on 11 December 2016, making Scherzinger the winning mentor for the second time. Saara Aalto finished second.

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The fourteenth series began airing on ITV on 2 September 2017, presented by Dermot O'Leary. For the first time in seven years, the judging panel remained the same as the previous series, with Nicole Scherzinger, Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh returning. This is the first series not to include companion show The Xtra Factor, after it was cancelled in January 2017. Its replacement is a programme called Xtra Bites presented by Becca Dudley on the ITV Hub. This is also the first series to be sponsored by Just Eat, with the show having been sponsored by TalkTalk since 2009, as well as the second time the show has premiered in September, rather than August, since the first series in 2004. Rak-Su won the competition on 3 December 2017 and they became the second group to win the competition and Simon Cowell became the winning mentor for the fourth time.

The fifteenth and final series of the British television music competition The X Factor began airing on ITV on 1 September 2018, presented by Dermot O'Leary. Simon Cowell returned alongside new judges Louis Tomlinson, Ayda Field, and Robbie Williams who replace departing judges Nicole Scherzinger, Sharon Osbourne, and Louis Walsh. Nile Rodgers filled in for Williams while he was away on his tour for weeks 3–5 of the live shows. On 2 December, Jamaican-born singer Dalton Harris won the series making him the first and only foreign contender to win the UK show. This was the only series that featured Tomlinson, Field, and Williams as judges.

<i>The X Factor: Celebrity</i> 2019 celebrity edition of The X Factor

The X Factor: Celebrity is a British celebrity special edition of The X Factor which premiered on 12 October 2019 on ITV. It is a revamped version of the 2006 celebrity format The X Factor: Battle of the Stars. Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh judged this series, with Dermot O'Leary presenting the series and Vick Hope hosting Xtra Bites on YouTube.

References

  1. 1 2 Singh, Anita (11 August 2008). "X Factor's Dannii Minogue says she 'won't miss' Sharon Osbourne". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  2. "Sharon Osbourne quits 'X Factor'?". Digital Spy . 22 February 2008.
  3. "Sharon leaves The X Factor". ITV. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Sharon Osbourne quits The X Factor". BBC News. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  5. "No more X Factor says Sharon". BBC. 9 June 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  6. 1 2 "Dannii Minogue 'Upset' by Sharon Osbourne Feud". the daily goss.com. 8 August 2008. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  7. "Big Brother: Start date announced". Daily Mirror. 25 May 2008. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  8. "Holly joins The Xtra Factor". ITV. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  9. "The X Factor". 4 May 2008. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  10. "Episode 1". The X Factor (series 5). London. 16 August 2008. ITV.
  11. "Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh in X Factor stitch up". Daily Mirror. 10 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  12. 1 2 "Singing before their late supper". News Shopper. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  13. "X Factor | X Factor Judges' House Part 2 Wk41 – ITV Press Centre". Itv.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  14. "Finalist Video Diary". ITV. 23 October 2008.
  15. "The X Factor - Story Detail - the X Factor voting details". xfactor.itv.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  16. "X Factor Bosses Play Down Phone Error". Digital Spy. 23 October 2008.
  17. Lara, Gould (30 November 2008). "X Factor's Louis Walsh: Simon Cowell could fire me". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  18. "Help For Heroes single". ITV. 5 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  19. "Simon backs Heroes". ITV. 7 October 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
  20. "X Factor single tops UK charts". BBC. 2 November 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
  21. The Broadcast Interview: Peter Fincham | In-depth | Broadcast
  22. "10m viewers watch X Factor show". BBC News. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
  23. "'Strictly' beats 'X Factor' in ratings". Digital Spy. 28 September 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
  24. "Extra 'X Factor' tops Sunday ratings". Digital Spy. 29 September 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
  25. "Ratings Roundup". Digital Spy. 12 October 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  26. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Barb.co.uk. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  27. "BARB Since 1981". Barb.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  28. 1 2 "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014.
  29. Record audience for 'X Factor' premiere – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  30. 'X Factor' keeps up ratings pace – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  31. 'X Factor' loses 1m to summer heat – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  32. Latest 'X Factor' draws 9 million – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  33. Encouraging start for 'Strictly' – Strictly Come Dancing News, Digital Spy
  34. 'Merlin' pulls in 6.6 million – Merlin News, Digital Spy
  35. 'Strictly' beats 'X Factor' in ratings – Strictly Come Dancing News, Digital Spy
  36. Extra 'X Factor' tops Sunday ratings – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  37. 'X Factor' back ahead of 'Strictly' in ratings – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  38. Huge audience for 'Potter' on Sunday – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  39. 1 2 'Merlin' ratings rise despite live 'X Factor' – Merlin News, Digital Spy
  40. 1 2 'X Factor' tops Saturday ratings – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  41. 1 2 'X Factor' maintains ratings lead – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  42. 1 2 X marks the spot for ITV1 | Broadcast
  43. 1 2 'Strictly' hits series high with 9.6m – TV News – Digital Spy
  44. 1 2 'X Factor' maintains ratings lead – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  45. 1 2 'Strictly' hits new series high – Strictly Come Dancing News, Digital Spy
  46. 1 2 'X Factor' hits 12.8m ratings high – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  47. 1 2 'X Factor' suffers 'Strictly' knock – X Factor News, Digital Spy
  48. 1 2 'X Factor' finale peaks with 14.6 million – X Factor News, Digital Spy