The Final: The Winner.

Well, Baby Shark was not what I would have predicted to start tonight's show! Simon seemed to suggest that he couldn't mention the performers. That was weird. Are they a SYCO thing? Getting a lot of plays and rumoured to be in the running for the Christmas No. 1 but surely it's way too early.

Whatever, someone has to follow that and it's

Anthony

I Predict A Riot with the Kaiser Chiefs.
Now that was really good! Probably due to Ricky Wilson doing a great vocal and the band being great too but Anthony held his own. Pretty amazing and he had genuinely the sheer enjoyment factor.

Ellie Goulding does her guest spot next. A safe act and nothing like Cheryl! She backs Dalton.

Scarlett

One More Sleep with Leona Lewis
Another excellent choice. It's the modern classic Christmas song. Nice but i prefer Leona on her own doing this. I guess Leona must be speaking to Simon Cowell nowadays. Good crowd reaction. Scarlett didn't do herself any harm at all with that.

Nile Rogers gets the next guest spot and I'm delighted to see him also featuring Misunderstood and Acacia & aliyah in his set. Nice touch and they're two good groups I suspect he will ensure we'll see more of.

Dalton

The Power Of Love with James Arthur
The Frankie Goes To Hollywood one not the other one. Beautifully sung. Dalton was sufficiently different to James so that James didn't take it over. An interesting duet but i wonder whether the public will have preferred Ricky Wilson or Leona Lewis tonight?

It really ought to be Dalton who wins this thing. But who knows?

Take That come on as the last guest act and do Shine and some more with Robbie Williams joining them.

The results:

3rd place: Anthony
2nd Scarlett

1st Dalton.

All good.

The Final: Pt 1

The evening starts off with a sing-a-long. We've managed to avoid these so far. With Robbie Williams leading the way, though, especially with Let Me Entertain You, it was not at all bad. Gio was in his element and probably performed better than anyone else.

As stated last week, Simon Cowell has 'changed the rules' so that all three stay in until the second instalment rather than one being kicked out tonight as, possibly, originally planned.

Anthony

Let It Be
Good local lad stuff. OK, suits him well but nothing exceptional. You do tend to think that he's coming 3rd.

Dalton

A quality number. I don't know what it is but could be A Song For You. I deal for his range and style and he produces a pretty powerful performance emotionally. It seems to have bits of Elton John's Your Song but maybe I am mistaken.

He gets the usual amazing crowd reaction and the judges are doing their best not to say that he really has to win the whole thing.

Scarlett

Your Song
Now that's odd. Scarlett actually does do this song. Quite a coincidence. A nice version and she also seems to have great audience support. Robbie Williams actually asks her to do a Hyde Park concert with him! That was totally unrehearsed and off the cuff as we can see from the later exchange with Simon. A nice touch. Simon refers to Fleur East indirectly by saying that he doesn't want to see Scarlett on I'm A Celebrity drinking worm juice in a couple of years' time!

Anne-Marie and James Arthur do their single from the Greatest Show On Earth collection. James looks a bit uncomfortable as a straight act.

Anthony

He performs with Tom Walker with Leave A Light On. 
It's another very good choice as it suits him well. Tom may have stolen quite a bit of the lime light, however, and Anthony was just a bit of accompaniment. For all that there is a lot of love for this guy.

Dalton

He is with Emile Sande with Beneath You're Beautiful.
I am not sure this was a great song for him and the duet. They are well-matched, though, although she seems to hold him back quite a bit. It's nice stuff but could have been even more impressive perhaps. I don't see that bringing home a great deal more votes but my guess is that he ought to have enough already.

We get George Ezra next and Shotgun.

Scarlett

Closing the show with Robbie Williams and Angels ! Her start is a bit uncertain but you can see she is absolutely delighted and so naturally playful that it's like she doesn't really care what happens now. This is all quite endearing. Obviously the duet with Robbie is a great break and she now has a gig with him too but this says to me that she's happy to come second. Interestingly, Simon's smart move with this pairing and her relaxed performance could even switch things!

This will appeal to a lot of voters.

It still seems to be Dalton's to win.

More soon

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Semi Final Pt 2: The Top 4 become 3

Dermot is in a hurry tonight. I guess the producers have had their budgets cut and so there's less time or, more likely, the Christmas adverts are now so long that there isn't a great deal of time left for the show.

Dalton

Opening the show with the Emile Sande song about a Clown. Not as good as he has been still pretty impressive. He seems to be cruising a little now but I am sure he will pull out the stops next week. Recently, this guy, who must be the winner, seems to be relying on some vocal antics rather than emotional interpretation which he was so good at in the early days. Now he's almost a bit ordinary.

Robbie Williams said he thought he was a bit boring too.

Acacia & Alysiah

I now want to see this pair in the final. Too Big For Your Boots mixed with Shut Down. They do seem to be using the same song several times. I guess being in the bottom two for several weeks has used up a lot of their minimal repertoire and, of course, we have heard nearly twice as much from them as anyone else! This was a bit boring too and really did not have any logic in the link which was more of an emergency stop and hill start. All a bit weird and nothing like as good as they have been before. Not as well-synced either. But I'd still prefer them to Anthony or Scarlett in the final. Simon Cowell says they've claimed the right to be there now. Nice.

Anthony

He sings the Oasis number Don't Look Back In Anger. And that's not a bad idea at all, probably the best song he could have chosen and certainly his best performance so far in this competition. Indeed, it could even save him tonight from what I'd thought would be a certain 4th place elimination. We all like the guy but he really ought to go as Scarlett is more likely to contribute usefully to the charts and British pop scene.

Simon wants to change the rules and put all four through to a 'final'. For a moment I thought we were about to see it happen as he suggested to the panel that they talk about it. Shan would have been very hurt.

Scarlett

Something I don't recognise, maybe called I Don't Know My Own Strength and sounds like a Pink number. She even has a Streisand touch in this number and that's quite a compliment. She has become very competent and has an excellent voice with all her bad habits gone. She gets a standing ovation and so I suspect that she will be through.

Tonight I fear it will be Acacia & Alysiah who fall at the final hurdle on the track to the final. Their only hope will be if they scored very heavily and Anthony scored very poorly last night as, whilst he is likely to pile on a lot more with the Oasis number, I feel that few will be bothered to vote again for the pair.

---

Yes, it is A & A who go. They did the Blinded By The Light and something else mash. Scarlett does This Is Me which was good too. I can't believe that Anthony got more votes than Scarlett. The decision is down to Ayda and Louis. I had expected them to leave it to the public vote but they both save Scarlett.

The Top 6 perform (Semi-Final)

They call this a Semi Final but with six still remaining I see it more as just another week except that we're told two will go tonight and another tomorrow! Jeez, someone seems to want to shut this down very rapidly again like last year. This is really not a good idea. As the weeks go by we have better contestants, more experienced and more likely to produce good performances. It seems crazy to cut so many so quickly but there you go.

Brendan

The young lad from Ireland is first tonight with Run. One day he will really start well. Even though the song may be gentle he needs a stronger start. However, this was lovely once he got into it. Super job of the Snow Patrol classic which Simon got Leona Lewis a win with.

Danny

A Shirley Bassey number, This Is My Life. Odd that I don't recognise this. If it hasn't been a hit before then Danny could probably sell a lot of these to the oldies as he does it well. He seems very confident and should definitely get the maximum oldies vote with that excellent performance. I have to hand it to the guy and, whilst he really should go tonight, this performance might save him.

Dalton

A great song choice with an a capella rendition of I'm Feeling Good or whatever the title of this classic is. He almost gets lost, disappearing in the strange set lighting and I am not sure I like all the vocal antics on a number like this one. I prefer less vocal 'movement' but he is still a very impressive act and transcends the others again. The crowd, as ever, are really noisy and supportive.

I am beginning to wonder just how genuine the humble attitude is now. Is he acting a bit? He must by now realise that he will either win or come second and will have a great contract and lots of support from lots of influential people. He's made it via this show, no doubt about that. Unless he has totally ignored all the chatter he must surely realise that he is as good as everyone keeps telling him he is, myself included.

I would be amazed if he doesn't win as things stand but then I was just as amazed that Shan was sent home so who knows?

Acacia and Alysiah

Blinded By Your Grace mixed with something else, possibly I Win
Well that was an odd mash-up for sure but it was very good other than just stopping too soon. I am always impressed by their remarkably good co-ordination and ability to seem so cool and together no matter how complex the performance seems. They do also seem to really enjoy all this and it is effortless. This is another crowd pleaser. A very smart couple with bags of energy and very good on stage. It will be a touch decision tonight. Normally I'd expect them to go. From past votes it must still be likely but I am not sure they'll deserve to this time.

Anthony

Livin' On A Prayer
I don't think he has ever had a start or finish slot. I feel he has to be vulnerable this week even before he starts. It seems to me that Danny has taken the lead in the squawking competition. Yes, this was a weak performance, not bad but really very unexceptional and just a bit boring too. Just a copy of the Jon Bon Jovi number. He'll go.

Scarlett

This Is Me
there's a choir in the audience. A good performance again and a very good song for her. Not something I like much buy it suits her and is the big ballad we have only had competition from Danny for so far. She has a nice voice now - so much improved and more so than the others. I can see her being popular but if two have to go then she has to be vulnerable.

Before the vote closes we get the Abba round!! With Benny and Bjorg too which is pretty special, although we don't see them together, oddly. Maybe they don't get on.

During this Alysiah & Acacia absolutely stand out for their performance of Money Money. It's all a bit naff at the end though but that may well do them some good as everyone else was decidedly average.

---

Anthony actually survives. Oh dear. Danny and, sadly, Brendan leave. I would not have predicted that.

Live Shows: The Top 8 perform

It's Big Band Night, apparently. Not that it made a great deal of difference to the tracks most acts performed.

Scarlett

Can't Take My Eyes Off You
You have to forgive the girl for singing 'off of' I suppose. I might not have done at the start as she was decidedly average and I began to want to look away when she did the attracting Simon thing in a dress that tended to emphasise rather than diminish some of her chunkier parts. But then she giggled and as the song progressed she genuinely seemed to relax and be quite a little star, her voice really soaring across the range, rescuing the whole thing. I actually liked this. She deserves to do well if this is the act that would be on stage for people to pay to see in future.

Brendan

Say Something
Big Band?? No. But never mind. This track first featured in this type of show with Simon giving it to Alex & Sierra on X Factor USA before it had even been played here in the UK. Since then he has used it a lot and to good effect so it is not surprising that he suggested it to Louis T. Don't believe Tomlinson's rebuttal. Simon will have chosen this one. Brendan produced a nice version of it and he seems to have found a pretty big fan base within the audience, at least. When he gives us those special vocal things that he can do so well it is excellent but otherwise he needs to be careful as he was not at all impressive at the start or end, almost speaking the words when we wanted something stronger.

Nile is particularly complimentary about Brendan and I can see him getting signed whatever happens now. Brendan does refer to being a plumber six months ago but I do have to keep reminding people that this guy also did Eurovision Semis. He does know what he's doing.

Shan

Summertime
Ah, the classic. I wasn't too sure whether Shan isn't pushing this track just a bit further than it was designed to go. What she did was first class - as always - and she really must get through to the final. Please. I so much want to see her there. Pure class.

Anthony

Beyond The Sea
He moves around well and he is quite an infectious performer. Great character but this could be his last week. It's all OK bit not spectacular. He seems out of breath and it's a bit of an odd finish too. Such a likeable character but coming 7th or 8th is no bad thing.

Acacia & Aliyah

They do something they've put together themselves in the week. OK, so it's not Big band at all but you can't really expect them to do Mack the Knife (although maybe they could have tried now I think about it!)

This is pretty damn brilliant to my mind - quite a smart performance too. A good tract that worked, super performance and you have to admire these girls. They've been in the bottom three twice now so I might expect them to be there again, simply because of how the viewers are distributed age and style-wise. They should still make it through for another week, though.

Bella

I did recognise the track but i can't place a title or artist. I like what she tried to do and there was quite a lot of quality performance there but the panel's review was not good. I do wonder whether she will get voters' support in enough numbers for this unusual track and suspect she is likely to go.

Dalton

He does a track I really do not know at all. Listen? Could the title. It's not that great. He's accurate maybe but this was not a winner's performance this week. In fact, I found him quite disengaged from the band. It seems that his vocal antics and sheer professionalism towards the end of the track may have saved him getting any criticism as the audience simply didn't want to stop applauding and shouting for him. He really does seem to have this sewn up if you judge by the crowd and the panel's remarks.

Danny

My Way
It's the ultimate karaoke. He did a good job but it would be OK to see him go now. I suspect he'll survive another week yet because of the poor performance of Bella and Anthony and the uncertainty of who votes for the two young girls. Another likeable old fellow but he's got to go soon. We will, I'm afraid to say, forget him after a few weeks.

---

Unbelievably, Shan goes home, losing on the public's voting figures to Acacia & Aliyah. Ayda was unable to decide and is probably responsible, as she could have saved her but left it to the voting figures. Simon was clearly very shocked, as, I suspect was everyone. I can only imagine that in the second public vote people just assumed that she would go through as she had been announced first at the earlier vote, giving the impression that she had the most, perhaps. So people switched to vote for others to help them off the bottom of the pile. To see her go out and the likes of Danny and Anthony go through is very frustrating. But it's nothing new in these competitions, I guess. Simon did announce that he was changing the rules. I thought for a moment that he would put both Shan and Bella into the next round but what he meant was that they would both be included in the X Factor Tour. It seems that they would not otherwise have been included so that is a welcome thing indeed. It gives them a salary and lots of exposure for best part of the next year.

Bella was the act with the least votes at the earlier stage and, as expected, had been the first to leave in 8th position.

Live Shows Week 4

We are now watching the Top Ten for 2018 perform - the acts who have now made it in the sense that they should be included in the X Factor Tour next year and where they'll have many more opportunities to build upon their TV screen success. Whilst it will be disappointing for any act to leave now when the final is not far away, I suspect that most acts now recognise and have figured out where they stand in the rankings.

Gio

The Greatest Show
All totally natural for this guy, making the remarkable stage show seem effortless. This was actually a very complex performance - all praise due to this this guy.

Dalton

California Dreaming
Remarkably good yet again. Whilst I found some of his vocal antics a bit OTT for this particular song which I prefer to hear stripped back, he is now the clear winner of this year's series.

Scarlett

I'll Never Love Again
She did well. Lady Gaga's original is not going to be surpassed but Scarlett put in a good effort. She is here now on personality rather than outstanding ability but ought to be safe this week.

Brendan

Everybody Hurts
An excellent choice and much needed to boost his confidence. I still found his interpretation a little too soft - I need to see a bit more force and he does start to provide this in the second part. This should turn things round for him and Nile makes the great compliment of saying that he would love to record him. I still have to remember that this guy has already been on the huge Eurovision stage, albeit in semis not the final. That must have seemed like a failure at the time but he has already had major support from the industry and so this ought to be pretty safe ground for him and I am surprised that he is not doing better.

Acacia & Aliyah
Survivor
These two perform really well. they had hardly any rehearsal time but still come out with such a great show and fabulous production as if they had known each other for years not weeks. Great style.

Bella

A Million Dreams
Nice job. Well produced and sung but not spectacular. She was a bit more ordinary this week but nonetheless looked and sounded excellent on the big stage. She might be at risk this time.

Misunderstood

Maniac from Flashdance
This sounds like it should be a great choice. It's neat but perhaps a bit restrained for how I would have seen this track. The dancers really need to go a bit crazy as that is the whole concept of the track and these two should be capable of interpreting that easily. Extremely competent, though, as always. Great guys.

Danny
My Heart Will Go On
Good choice as everyone will be able to sing along. It is almost more pleasant than Celine in paces who always annoyed me with the Goo on bit. all a bit karaoke still and I just don't see him on albums other than for the Christmas Grannies. It's all a bit average but it'll please the oldies.

Anthony
Eye Of The Tiger
Patched together again with Danny. Anthony spends most of his time in amongst the audience. The song suits him swell. He shows inexperience, though, when bouncing around and loses control over the notes and timing a bit. Overall this was enjoyable karaoke and you tend to root for the guy without really knowing why.

Shan
Never Enough
Another song from the Greatest Show On Earth and another fabulous, beautiful, flawless performance from this young lady. This girl simply has to make it. She is superb. Maybe the song was not the best tonight but still she is brilliant and if she doesn't win she'll still win contracts as a Runner-Up this year.

---

In a major upset in this year's competition, voters put Misunderstood at the bottom of the pile and they're out first in 10th place.

Gio has to sing off against Acacia & Aliyah and the panel send him home to give the new girls another chance. They know Gio already has established a good West End career and this show can only have enhanced that for him.

It is still another week of big surprises. That is slightly worrying. Just when will Scarlett, Danny and Anthony go?

Live Shows Week 3

Molly

Competent. She's good but I don't think she has yet found her true style. She can do modern girl pop really well and has a super voice but isn't being presented well.

Dalton

Creep. Fabulous. A classic track and always a moment. This guy is great and really looking like the winner already. A genuine artist.

United Vibe

Still not good. Maybe one of the mics didn't work. One guy seemed to be kissing his arm at the start and several times afterwards, This was very average and they're on their way out.

Shan

Sound Of Silence
Brilliant! Just brilliant. She has to be in the final versus Dalton. That's it as far as I am concerned.

Now there is a serious sound problem with the whole program but no-one seems aware on the set. You would have thought that, for a live programme, feedback would tell someone this is going badly wrong. I can only conclude that, in fact, this was not live at all!

Danny

Yet again this guy has trouble but, for a change, it is not his fault! He does a Freddie Mercury number. Pretty good  but nothing to get excited about.

Anthony

He is also affected by the broadcast sound issue. He sings Where My Demons Hide which is also pretty good and he is more entertaining than Danny.

We hear these tracks without the sound issue in a playback on the second show and voting is not counted until then.

Misunderstood

The sound is fixed now and they do Thriller! Very well done, another great performance from this talented pair. They're fixing themselves as a clear 3rd place act in the final.

Scarlett

I Put A Spell On You
An excellent singer this week and she does a good job of this classic track. I have to say, though, that I was wishing I could see Shan do that track as I feel she'd do it more justice rather than simply belt it out.

Acacia & Aliyah

So much older than 14/15. Very professional and an excellent performance again. I have no idea what they sang but, provided that there are enough youngsters voting, they'll do well again.

Bella

In My Blood
Not a track I recognise, it is a serious number and very well performed. It will be a tough decision for people tonight.

Brendan

He does a very odd song and it doesn't work well for me at all. A pity. I suspect he might be in trouble. the sound quality was not good for him either.

Gio

Live And Let Die
Crazy but very classy - another OTT performance but you have to admire his courage and sheer talent.

---

United Vibe are the bottom of the vote and leave.
The panel save Acacia & Aliyah, sending Molly home in another surprising bottom three.

Live Shows Week 2

LMA Choir

Proud Mary should suit them well but this is a confusing noise. The lead is just trying too hard and this didn't work well at all. As entertainment on board a cruise ship they're Ok, I guess, but not for the UK music scene in 2018.

Shan

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
A very nice job of this. Just her against a simple white set. Excellent. A finalist, in my book.

Danny

He's lost his voice. He's a nice guy but this is the second time he's had problems and sympathy only lasts so long. He just seems to be in trouble all the time. He has a nice tone but it doesn't work for me and is actually quite poor in places this week. I can't remember the track.

The judges start doing their vote catching camera grabbing thing which really does not make attractive TV.

Brendan

Believe
The Cher song is a good choice and matches his style well. This is a stronger performance than we've seen before but it is still just a little light. More power is needed to bring out what he can do and emphsise the special tone he has.

Misunderstood

Just Want To be Close To You
Their first cover after a series of great original tracks. They're a 2018 Wham for me. Very good. they deserve to be around for a long time. Not the most exciting song, to be hinest but they must be safe for a while and their tuning and performance are faultless.

Molly

Dermot says she's too young to have any guilty pleasures! She's still a great little pop star, despite all the mistakes she makes. Overall, she pulled this together but i am not at all sure what the voters will make of her performance. I hope they like it as she deserves to get more chances and to establish what she really intends to be as an artist.

Dalton

I Have Nothing
The Whitney number. Brilliant. One of my favourite acts this year and outstanding in many ways. He has a fabulous range and control and is always in tune, spot-on and can interpret lyrics so well. He gets a big crowd approval too.

Scarlett

Always On My Mind
Nice choice but she wanders around the notes far too much and I don't like that. Otherwise she's OK but I don't see her getting much further than the last eight or nine. She'll be safe for a while, though.

Acacia & Aliyah

Another weird combination from this great pair of youngsters who are 14 going on 24. They mix a gentle intro with Shut Down which is entirely the opposite. very good but also very odd. An excellent performance.

Gio

Hit me Baby One More Time
Who would have imagined this guy doing Britney? But he can try and is brave and just one hell of a performer. This didn't work but he is so competent and professional that he may survive and get away with it. He is a lot more likeable now too.

Anthony

I Want To Know What love Is
The Foreigner number that everyone knows and he gives us a nice version. He's a bit karaoke in places but he should outlast old Tetley in that respect. You can't help liking this fellow and he'll survive for a while but, like Scarlett, his days will be numbered.

United Vibe

Simon wants Twitter to vote on a name change. At last these guys sound good together. they might just have saved themselves and start building a fan base to carry them further through. They're still a bit weak but a lot better. Simon says they were 'terrible' and Louis is not impressed either.

Bella

Diamonds Are Forever
A good, strong performance but just a bit 'ordinary'. I am not sure how voters will react.

Janice

She just got through last week. another professional performance but simply uninteresting. However stylish she appears, she doesn't attract an audience in this competition. This also did not suit her at all.

---

It is Janice who is out straightaway, joined by LMA Choir who sang off against Brendan in a surprising bottom three.

Live Shows; Week 1

Sixteen acts. that's quite a lot to fit in, especially as we'll see all of them with reasonably full-length tracks as opposed to the one-liners we've had to put up with for quite a few so far.

Dermot has his proper job back now.

Misunderstood

A good choice for a reliable and impressive first act. WHAM for 2018 perhaps?! It's a song about chewing gum which they've written themselves. That's cool but, whilst the song's OK it's not great. But this pair for a major contender. Robbie says they're the bookies' favourite. Not sure about that but they're certainly in the running.

Anthony

You have to feel happy that he's made it this far. Now I was worried that he might crack up but he did very well. Actually an excellent job of We've Got Issues. I can see him getting support and can't imagine him being 16th this week. Everyone likes him although he isn't going to win.

Danny

The old-style guy who is only 37. He really seems a lot older. Peter Dickinson introduces him as 'Anthony Russell'! Oh dear. Bit of a balls-up and he gets to restart. The song's Hero. All a bit cruise ship. He does have a strong voice and accurate notes and is an excellent singer but he's not a contender for this year's winner. Nice chap but he'll go soon enough.

Molly

Looking very good - someone for whom the makeover has worked well and she seems much older than a mere 16. Fake Love is the song and it's a confident performance. In complete contrast to Danny, she's modern and is a pop star more or less ready to go. Nice personality and this girl should do well. She just needs to be more than ordinary as she is up against some cool acts this year.

Janice

Stylish lady. But she's not one of the cool ones I was talking about. The song Clarity? was not great and seemed to suit a West End stage better than this one. She struggled quite a bit which surprised me as she is one of the most experienced here. Quite average.

Brendan

I'm expecting something good from this guy. He may not be cool but he is good and, unlike the others who are not cool but good, he has a remarkable talent and comes across well in this sort of show. He has bags of big show experience, having represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Admittedly he didn't do very well but that was a poor song. He certainly can manage the huge venue and I see him making it this time. He had a slow build and it was great but missing something. He really ought to be safe but he'll need to impress more with his choice of tracks next time.

Bella

Merging Beautiful with some rap style delivery is going to be her trademark. She's good at this sort of thing. It's current and should keep her around for a while. She is a confident performer and a good personality who is going to make it, I'm sure. Maybe not win but she'll be there next week for sure.

Armstrong

Story Of My Life is his song. Nice job. He starts with his own rap and that switches smoothly into the more familiar refrain. That's original and quite powerful. A brave effort but weak in places and I'm not sure how the voters will go for that. Simon says that he and Bella are his favourites. 

Giovanni

He is in the Bat Out Of Hell musical and does eight shows a week so this guy is one experienced fellow in that respect. You almost wonder why he needs to be on this show as he clearly is well-established and the success of that show provides fame and, I should think, opportunity. He is excellent with a brilliant performance, basically showing most of the others how to do it. Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting was super. I don't know how voters will take to him, though, as he doesn't look so good on the big screen and isn't immediately likeable. I hope he gets to be around a bit longer. Robbie says he wants to perform with him. That's quite a compliment.

United Vibe

A new name. Previous Vibe 5. Neither are great but I don't think it will matter a great deal. I reckon they were fortunate to get here. Slow Hands is a track that seems a bit of a 1D copy. They seem OK but nothing special so far. Nice enough looking lads and some can sing well but they lack any 'X Factor'.

Shan

This girl has been my favourite to win. She does Imagine. Now that's a big song. Wow! That's the big moment we've been waiting for on this show. Superb. Her voice control, pitch, performance - all were 100%. Very good indeed and she is surely a real star.

Ola

Another person with his own number. I thought it was called Jubilant but then I realised it was Jiggle It which kinda loses some of my enthusiasm. It's all good fun and the discos will like this in the summer. He's a great performer too and you tend to want to see him do well but I do feel he can't last that long.

Scarlett

She's a bit less orange now. Does Natural Woman. A good performance, excellent voice and she's been dressed and presented well. Nice job but I don't see her as much of a future star. She's likeable now but it is all a bit karaoke for me. Simon says he thought she was a bit of a pub singer! Bearing in mind she's actually one of his four that is very surprising! I feel her days are strictly numbered. She's made it to the Live Shows but that's it now.

LMA Choir

The Circle Of Life is a good number for this mass of people. It's all very good stuff. Nice presentation and performances. I just don't think they will get very much further.

Acacia & Aliyah

Not A Star any more. Finesse is the Bruno Mars number. I'm not sure if that was a great song choice but they gave it their all. They're so young but do look great on stage and work well together. Very smart and 'in' for 2018. Almost the most 'in' act that there is this year. Everyone was waiting for some more 'street' type stuff, though, which didn't come and that might disappoint the voters. They may just scrape through this week but need a big improvement next time.

Dalton

This is the show closer and a nice spot to get. Interesting. He was one of the best in the auditions and tries Life On Mars tonight. Beautifully done and not easy. Very good vocals indeed. He was one of the best for sure. Super contender who ought to be around for many weeks yet.

We learn that two will go tomorrow night. One being the act with the lowest public vote and the other being the loser in a sing-off between the other two in the bottom three.

I see Danny and United Vibe in the most trouble but also suspect we may see Janice, Gio, LMA and Acacia & Aliyah in the bottom six. I can't really call it at this stage but, if pressed will say Janice and Acacia & Aliyah to go.

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Can you believe it? Ola and Amstrong go, the panel saving Janice.

Judges' Houses: The Boys and The Overs

Louis T watches the boys perform with Niall Rogers and Liam.

Dalton

This guy is brilliant. He has to get through. Very good, totally natural and he looks good too. A star in the making here and the sort of act that X Factor seems to be good at attracting, regardless of the criticism that some of the other contenders tend to justify.

Armstrong

Another strong contender so far. His interesting and challenging version of the Friends theme is pretty brave. A good effort but I'm not sure it was that great an idea. He may deserve a place but it will depend on how the others do in this pretty talented group.

Thomas

One Night Only. Nicely done. An excellent performance which showed his vocal skills well and he kept the showgirl out of things which I think was a good idea. He has a very genuinely enthusiastic and likeable personality but I can see that he could soon get on our nerves as he is a bit one-dimensional and the trans things soon wears off. He really is not attractive to watch on a big screen either. He's confident so might get through as he helps ITV meet diversity and all that and could be relied upon to perform well.

J Sol

Not so good. Nice enough but this was not up to the standard of the other three so far. I think he will be one of the two who don't make it.

Anthony

Everyone seems to be rooting for this guy this year. He has a great story and has had super support from Louis. there is a lot of real soul in his voice and he pours emotion into the song. He's not perfect but, almost a capella, that was a super job. The observers reassure him about a bum note. He thinks he's out. No. He'll make it.

We have to wait overnight for the last act.

Brendan

Nothing Compares 2 U. This is really excellent. A copy of Sinead's single in a way, perhaps, but very well done and absolutely note-perfect. I do wonder where he fits in nowadays. If all he does is this type of track then he will get a little predictable perhaps as the show goes on. He could be a good runner-up rather than a winner and I do see him selling a lot. We do need to recall that he was Ireland's entry in Eurovision too and has had some pretty big gigs so far already.

I was expecting Louis to choose Brendan, Dalton, Anthony and Thomas but he goes for Armstrong. That's a good choice and would be my preferred four boys too. They'll all do pretty well.

Next we get the last category finalised as Ayda, with Robbie in the background, chooses the four Overs acts. She has Leona Lewis and the great Adam Lambert to help her.

I do find the level of talent, or stardom, in this category very lacking this year. I gess it has been like this most years but at least we don't have Louis Walsh making it a great deal worse! Several acts that he would have had in the Live Shows have already, mercifully, disappeared!

Ola

This cool guy from far away is great. He's happy and fun, putting on a super performance that seems just delightful to watch and is at the same time professional. I really don't think they should have been put on the grass to do this, though. It just looks odd and not idea for anyone who naturally wants to dance around. He stands out amongst this lot and I hope he gets through.

Janice

She has looked the part from day one. She is always nicely presented and does her own song. It has some good bits with some passion there but she gets hoarse in places and is not that great. However, she deserves a place amongst this lot. The song itself wasn't well-structured. She seems a bit needy but I see her making the Live Shows.

Ricky

He does When A Man Loves A Woman but I feel the occasion has got the better of him. He seems a little lost and just not exuding much personality a all. He had been better in the earlier auditions. He shows his big voice and passion but it is all a bit on the surface. He is quite off-key too and not enjoyable to listen to after a few lines. He was clearly disappointed himself and knew that he could do better. I cannot believe, though, that, having flowen everyone out there, they don't get several performances to do. I wouldn't mind betting that we get shown this and not some better ones.

Louise

A nice confident start as she goes straight in and maintains it really well. I like her performance. Very nice and likaeable. I hope she gets through as she des emotion well and seems a reliable contender who could grow as the competition goes on.

Gio

This is a strange fellow and coms across as a bit aggressive when compared to the others. Use Somebody is a good track for him and he does it justice. He is very professional and you can see he has acquired stage skills, working well with the backing singers. He has good West End stage experience and is strong and eager. He has to have a good chance in this group but I am not sure he looks that great on the big screen. He seems to be a different person each time and I am not sure he'll be that liked.

Danny

Every series has someone like Danny. He seems so much older than 37. He lives in Benidorm which really should exclude him from the start as he just exudes 70s. He sings Somewhere Over The Rainbow and I can imagine him in some club at 3am doing this to the oldies remaining. He is actually surprisingly good most of the time and sounds great. You just don't want to watch him very much. I have a feeling he will get through.

My choice would be Louise, Ola, Janice and Danny.

Ayda chooses both Gio and Danny and sends Louise home. Pity.

Anyway we now have the Top 16!

Judges' houses: The Groups

The show continues and, with Robbie Williams selecting his four groups, we will know half the acts for the Live Shows by the end of this edition.

I thought it would be a pretty straightforward choice. But I was wrong.

LMA Choir

Almost everyone says at some point that, whilst there are some good individual singers in this big mass of people, we never really get to know them or to see them shine. At best, we see someone for a few seconds and, no matter, how good the choir's interpretation of a song may be, it is still a sort of distant bit of entertainment and not anything we can feel connected to. Their Hold Back The River is good enough but it just seemed to be a group of individuals singing and left me feeling nothing great at all. BGT material, really.

A* or maybe A Star

The two youngsters. Back To Life starts as a bit boring but then they bring it to life and take the track in a completely new direction. The girls are too young to call 'hot' as Robbie or maybe Dermot wanted to say but stopped as we are now in an era where I can't even write that without getting sent abuse. They look good and you'd certainly not guess they were merely 14 and 15! They are current and very together and their audition went down very well. I can see them succeeding whatever happens but they should make the Live Shows.

Panda & Burgandy

Ain't No Mountain High Enough started way off key. This was all very old-style and not really that good. They seemed to be two separate acts. It got a bit more solid and they can each perform but really they are fortunate to have got this far. This has to be the end of the road, despite a possible 'TV' appeal of the pair.

Vibe 5

They look very good but didn't do at all well as a group singing.They have five very different voices and the nasal, high stuff was not great. Some harmonies worked and they seem likeable, not that we really got much character coming through. There is no obvious lead or style or, for that matter, market for an average white boy band. I'm not at all sure they're worth pursuing any further.

Sweet Sense

They do 1D's History and it's an OK sort of audition but lacking anything we'll remember. They're good together and have much more personality than the boys. I can recall previous Judges' Houses, especially at Simon's House with the girls on X Factor USA, when some real class performances were put together and they stay in one's mind, even for acts who didn't do a great deal afterwards. Drew Rienowicz, and I may have got her last name a little wrong, for which I apologise to her now, for example, was absolutely stunning. I expected so much more from these girls.

Misunderstood

Now here is a good group. These two guys are brilliant and will surely fly through to the Live Shows. They sang their own number - I think that could be a first for Judges' Houses - which was London Girls and that was a sure-fire hit. Far superior to every other act there by a huge margin. They could well win the whole thing.

My votes go to Misunderstood, A Star, Sweet Sense and LMA.

Robbie chooses Vibe 5 instead of Sweet Sense. Oh well. They'll go pretty early unless the intervening weeks gets them serious coaching and performance advice.

Judges' Houses: the Girls

At last, X Factor begins to show some quality production and decent performances. This was a very fine show and quite remarkable from the very start when we learn just who Simon Cowell has managed to assemble at his home abroad.

Just to mention a few, we see Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest from American Idol! Dionne Warwick is there, she may be getting on but she's still some celebrity. Paul Anka! Adam Lambert, Leona Lewis. Many more I don't know the names for plus producers and people who have a lot of influence and knowledge but may not be well-known faces to us. We even see Sinitta!

This array of celebrity and singers and sheer buying power did not deter the six girls at all. Naturally they were pretty impressed and amazed to be singing in front of rather more than just Simon on a couch with Louis.

Molly
An excellent start from this 16 year old. A super first audition proper. Not the simplest of songs to perform, I expected her to crumble but she seemed confident. Young and likeable. Maybe a little bland and will she prove to be memorable? Certainly good, whatever the case.

Georgia
Her spoken voice was a bit nervous and she looked strange in red trousers that were too short but I guess would have been 'fashion'. a strange song too. I didn't like it but several in the crowd showed respect for her doing it. A good response indeed.

Shan
My favourite to date for the whole show by quite a margin. She does 'get Back' but it's not the Beatles' song but her own, written just recently. Wow. That's a risk at this stage. It was very good, though, and she got that moment almost. very competent. You could hear some people tell Simon that he has to keep her. I agree.

Maria
She couldn't get a visa so was performing over a video link from London and I got the impression it had been recorded. She performs an inspired version of California Dreaming and I love it. She is definitely the best of all the Filipinos we've had on this competition. I could see her being a star in future and filling concert halls. It was a simple audition and worth the gamble perhaps.

Bella
She's modern and a bit different to all the other entries. The song - supporting a lesbian theme I think - meant a lot to her and she permed it well. It's all OK, edgy and she's unpredictable. The assembled Gods like her a lot.

Scarlett is last up. She sings a song that Dionne Warwick wrote. Difficult. She strats low in er register but eventualy gets into it and gets a standing ovation. That's impressive. I wouldn't have chosen her but that should see her safely through.

I would choose Shan, Maria and Molly, maybe Bella.

It's Shan | Molly | Scarlett | Bella who go through. That seems fair enough.

Dermot O'Leary gives and gets one hell of a lot of hugs in that week!

The 6 Chair Challenge Pt. 2

Louis finishes the selection for the Boys category with the final three entrants, starting with Thomas Pound in the guise of Lady Something or other Wild. He seemed off-key too much  and the switching between one character and the other seems pointless to me. I don't particularly like either although I can see he is a good performer. He gets a seat. Someone goes, I can't recall who.

JSol gives a fine, more traditional X Factor performance and that gets him a seat and someone else goes.

The last act is Dalton. He is possibly the best of all of them and, of course gets a seat. Initially Louis says he wants Thomas Pound to go. That doesn't go down well and the guy has a hissy fit and throws his toys out of the pram as if he had some kind of entitlement to go through. It begins to look staged again. Louis relents and asks JSol and Thomas to sing off for the last place. They both do very well and so Louis now asks Tommy with the guitar to go. Stupid. That guy may not have been great but he would have lasted in the pop world better than the Pound bloke.

So the Boys are Anthony | Amstrong | Dalton Thomas | Brendan | JSol

Next Robbie chooses the groups.

LMA Choir. Lots of people on the stage. More like a BGT act. We get about one line of their effort. it's OK, some of the choir seem very accomplished but they do get lost in the morass. Good standard overall but just not X Factor in my view.

The Squirrels are new to me. They do a sad version of River Deep Mountain High. They get a seat but they'll get kicked out soon enough.

AT Ty we did see before and they're an odd family sort of group. This time they were not at all good. again, they get a seat but I doubt they'll make Judges' Houses.

Tres Amice we saw before too and they do a nice job, although how we're supposed to get a clue based on the line or two we hear I don't know. They're a bit average, to be honest, and not that entertaining. G4 were far better.

Harry & Danny. Another new one on me. two decent enough lads but seriously lacking in charisma. They also get a seat just because there is one .

Lost Tiger are, I think, identical twins. Tight, pretty good but I can't imagine them going far as they are rather forgettable. Once again, we get precious little to go by and they get a seat anyway because there is one left.

Sweet Sense are a manufactured girl band from various entrants. they look and sound good. Lively and the first happy people since the choir. Now they are an obvious seat and get one with someone going away.

The Hewitts are an odd couple. they're off-key and painful to look at and listen to. Individually they might be OK but together it didn't work. they get a seat somehow but soon lose it.

Acacia & Alliyah aka A Star. 15 and 14 but such impressive confidence. Great and they kinda bring the show alive after it really had started to sag. We get a lot more than we did with the others but Robbie still gets booed when he stops them for some reason. He says he wants to hear Bang Bang which they did before. they do this and it's just like they'd rehearsed all this. I expect they did! Obvious seats and they get the Golden Ticket! Simon says he'll sign them whatever happens.

Misunderstood are Geoff and Stephan who have been together 9 years. Quite a contrast to the previous girls but they come up with a great original track called Ghetto Style. Excellent, a good one. They have a good stage presence too. They ought to go far. I don't remember them from before.

Vibe 5 are a manufactured boy band made by the judges. Nice looking lads but no sparkle or X Factor. Better than several on seats so they deserve one at least. But i don't see them making it.

Panda & Burgandy are back and all I can say is Good Lord above. An amusing act but that's all. they still get AT Ty's seat. neither would make the Live Shows in my book.

So it's LMA Choir | Sweet Sense | Acacia & Alliyah | Misunderstood | Vibe 5 | Panda & Burgandy who are through.

The 6 Chair Challenge Pt 1.

In a messy couple of shows the Girls and Overs were decided, as well as some of the Boys but we were left hanging at the end with one or to places still to be filled for the Boys. We have also not yet seen any groups at all!

I should warn readers now that this post contains the completed list of Boys as well as the Groups! I have changed the text colour of those who have yet to be shown on TV but these could be visible if you highlighted the text or, possibly, if your display system created an effect that overrides my colour.

Simon struggled - or, at least, appeared to struggle but I cannot believe that he had not actually decided who to take through to Judges Houses. So it was all a bit staged for my liking.

Ayda was pretty efficient and Louis fairly straightforward so far.

One new addition to the show is a sort of Golden X that sends an act straight through to Judges Houses. It looked a bit strained in how it was used in that the judge had to get up and move to hit the button. They had contrived reasons for doing so which really gave the game away.

So far it looks like pretty sensible decisions are being taken although many youngsters haven't made it that I had expected to. Shan still stands out for me amongst the Girls, Brendan amongst the Boys. None of the Overs seem really that great so far and the groups have been conspicuous by their absence!

Oh well. We're getting there slowly.

Girls

Bella Penfold (Golden X)
Mollie Scott
Georgia Burgess
Maria Laroco
Shan
Scarlett Lee

Overs

Ricky John (Golden X)
Danny Tetley
Giovanni Spano
Janice Robinson
Louise Setara
Olatunji Yearwood

Boys

Dalton Harris
JSOL
Thomas Pound
Brendan Murray (GOLDEN X)
Armstrong Martins
Anthony Russell

Groups

VibeFive – Manufactured group
Misunderstood
Sweet Sense – Manufactured group
LMA Choir
A-Star (GOLDEN X)
Burgundy Williams & Panda Ross

Week 4: Pts1 and 2 The end of the auditions

After an 'oh dear' moment with one act that I think may be a set-up but isn't we get another one that has to be. Some chap from Romania or Italy called Cesar has trousers that are 3 inches too short. I wished that I hadn't noticed that because it spoils the entertainment in that he has some weird operatic voice that can sing in different octaves, playing two parts as it were.

Cesar gets plenty of respect which is deserved but I wouldn't want to see him in the Live Shows or this will be simply BGTII.

Louise Sitara is a cleaner and that's not her real surname but we don't mind. She's an Over at 30 and sings an original tune. Very nice voice. She'd been in a band and had been signed way back but nothing seems to have developed for her. A little bit like Linda Ronstadt in the 1960s in style. She stands out for me. Solid talent.

This is turning into an Overs night as we meet Claire Angel. She is pretty experienced but has quite a lot of bad habits and I doubt she'll get far. Not brilliant but OK. She somehow gets a standing ovation from the panel which I don't understand at all. Robbie even says she's the best technically that he's heard. She does have a nice personality and may be popular, I guess.

Staying with the Overs we meet Panda Ross again. I say 'again' because she got turned down on X Factor USA in each of its three years on screen. So she and Simon go back. She's a talented woman and does a good job of Natural Woman but she's not current or really likely to set the charts alight. Good TV I suppose but there seem to be plenty likely to get through on that reason already who may even also have some chart potential in the UK 2018.

Charlotte Lilly may or may not be an Over but I think probably not. She has a guitar and does a very wacky version of YMCA. I like her but the panel seem unsure.

Gaia Cauchi is from Malta and is just 15 with a brace. She's pretty bouncy and could work in a group perhaps. Not on her own as she stands, though. A bit odd.

Ging Zilla is the ultimate weird guy. Orange hair, beard and tight dress. Frightening in some ways but just amusing in others. He's also Australian and that's a surprise. Actually a damn good singer and entertaining but I'm not really wanting to see too many weird and wonderful acts in the Live Shows.

J-Sol closes the first part of the weekend show with a nice voice, lots of soul and emotion. I am not sure how he'd manage covers rather than his own song. He's pleasant enough and we haven't had many entrants like him so far so I reckon he'll be through easily.

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Part 2

First we meet Thomas Pound from Wales and he's a cheerful sort of guy who we soon discover is also Lady Freda Wild. So, whilst he can clearly sing well he gets told to go away and come back as his drag queen persona.

Chloe McAllister is from Northern Ireland and she sits at a piano and sings a nice Jesse Ware number. Super singer, very talented. Simon says he got bored. Not one of his better off-the-cuff remarks, to be honest. The others love her.

Blaise Duncan is only 16 but has something special about him with a nice Enrique Iglesias number. We have not seen many Latino influences yet and we'll need a few. Not bad, good performance and confidence for his age. It looks like Simon will stick him in a group with some of the ones following.

John is 18 and comes from Cambridge. An OK performance but he's got the looks and a definite group guy for later.

Elliot Horne is another good looking youngster that will have to be in the shows. He's actually quite good on his own so may escape a group.

Now we get an actual group. AT TY are four gospel types who do a weird number and I don't think they're much good at all. I can only imagine the panel heard something completely different to me because they were raving about them.

Thomas Pound is back in his Tina Turner gear that, yes, very conveniently, he had tucked away somewhere for this very moment. Another good job. Genuinely damn good singer but his expression and face don't look great on TV. He'll get quite a bit further but I wouldn't have him on the Live Shows. There really seem to be more than enough weirdos this year.

And that's that.

We now get to see who gets which category. It's been pretty public knowledge for a while now as this was all filmed in the hot, hot summer. But if you did miss it:

Boys: Louis T
Girls: Simon
Overs: Ayla
Groups: Robbie

The people who did get through are sliced pretty much in half with about 60 getting through to the Six Chair Challenge. I only get a glimpse of one or two looking disappointed (or cheering wildly) so cannot really draw much by way of conclusion.

I should be able to access the data for who made it and will add it to the site as and when I have it.

Week 3 Pt 2: Four potential winners in one audition set

All change at the bookies this evening as the producers manage to splice together no less than four acts with the potential to win this thing. I suppose that makes up for only seeing seven acts in total in tonight's programme.

Bella Penfold is first on our screens and is an appealing Essex girl of 19 going on 39. Her voice is low and a bit tobacco-worn but she is most likeable and a good dancer. She's one of those totally natural people who could well be difficult to manage. It's a lazy song but OK and a bit different. She's one to watch and second favourite at the time of writing. I have to say that seems a bit optimistic but lots of people must be backing her to get her odds down to about 10-1.

Lanya Matthews follows her and she's 17 going on 37, from Tottenham, as we get told a few times, and supported by a massive family. Her performance of I'm Telling You is simply magnificent. First class and, to my mind, the best audition by a long way. Another one we should see a lot more of, although her odds are nothing like as short as perhaps the more immediately identifiable Bella.

Dee Losh is from SE London and is 32 going on 22. She sings a song she's written herself. She's a teacher and you're expecting something fairly classy or musically sound. What you get is some fairly outrageous dancing and a rap that does nothing for me but will probably appeal to some. She's OK but I don't see her going far. Having said that, she'll be in the Oldies category and maybe they haven't got many yet.

Dalton Harris says he's come from Jamaica. You get the feeling he has just stepped off the plane, boat or whatever as he's pretty laid back and cool. Difficult to put an age on the fellow and I missed it - or maybe no-one mentioned it. He could be quite young but he could also be in the Oldies. I don't know. If he's in the Oldies then he could do well as this was one fine version of Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word. Nervous start and he wobbles all over the place but, strangely, that kinda endears him to the audience. Everyone loves the chap and we'll see him again. Bookies like him too as he's down at a very low 12-1.

After all this talent I guess we need some no-hoper just to keep those who only tune in to laugh happy. Someone called Ezat Azure, an obvious fan of blue tries to sing Bang Bang and is dreadful as well as weird.

Chap called Nathan comes next and he sings a song called rise Up which is quite a surprise. You don't expect him to be good but he is. Looks like the bloke in the DIY store but superb voice control and phrasing. He deserves to get through and we'll see what else he can do.

The show ends after what seem to have been as many adverts as performances with Shan. She has been a session singer, backing others and doing gigs here and there for other people and decided to have a go on her own. She's a beautiful singer. Another star in the making for sure. Well done to X Factor for still attracting people like this. Yes. Brilliant and possibly my new favourite to win the show.

'Magic', says Simon Cowell who we see congratulating her in the wings afterwards, clearly most impressed and keen to sign her up one way or another. I totally agree.

So do the bookies who now have her as a very clear favourite - and remember they'll have had some inside information about who's still in the running. She was just 2½-1 at the time of writing. Normally I'd place a bet but those odds are way to short for X Factor!! I don't think I have ever been right at this stage!

Week 3 Pt 1: No Super Star.

As the Queen's We Will Rock You slams out of the speakers you get the feeling that this week the producers have extracted the heavier rock style contestants for us.

At first glance Richard Ryan, who's first up this evening, doesn't seem to fit the rock mould, though, with his likeable attitude and talking about his nan. He does, however, come up with a decent cover of I Believe In A Thing Called Love but lacks the original's individual style. He has a good voice but this doesn't quite work. Louis Walsh would have loved him. Simon doesn't but he still gets through.

We have also learned this week that there will be no Boot Camp. Yippee! After 14 years someone has finally listened. I have been going on for years about the need to get rid of that section when the TV time is taken up by anything but singing and has been really tedious and often quite annoying, doing little to help those who may need a bit of extra support to shine in future rounds.

It seems likely that those who get through these beefed up auditions will simply be selected for the next stage by the panel looking again at all of what they produced so far. No doubt there'll be some other advisors too and even some other work or performances elsewhere will be available to take into consideration and even comments on social media!

Even blogs like this, who knows.

Next up is a chap called Gio. He is a more obvious rocker by appearance with chunky build and long flowing hair. He just looks like a young Meat Loaf. He has a great voice and seems to have bags of confidence on the big stage too but there's almost no response at all from the audience. Although he was a bit brash in a way, I would have expected a few supporters or fans to be cheering at least. I have to wonder whether this has also been staged and the audience were told to give him a hard time at first. Anyway, he gets a second go. Doing Iris is often a good idea and he gets a bit more support now. I didn't rate the second performance as much better but they're cheering and he's through. I reckon he'd be better suited to the West End stage and learn while writing this that he has actually been the lead in Jesus Christ SuperStar!

Scott is a bit painful to watch. This guy is ridiculously over-confident and seems to think he will have the girls falling at his feet as soon as he's on the stage. It's a weird, very weird act. He's out.

Armstrong is an interesting entrant. Cool guy with shades and a guitar that matches the sheen on his jacket. He talks about a lot of time in church and has a group of religious people supporting him clappily in the audience and with Dermot. He sings an unusual track Breaking Free from High School Musical. Does a good job. Messy in parts but he is sufficiently talented and individual to stand out this evening.

Next we have a huge pile of youngsters in the LMA Choir. I reckon they should be on BGT not X Factor but never mind. They're pretty good. Passionate and with some good individual performances. Some good people in there but as a whole I found I was confused and didn't know who to follow. They have bags of energy and should make good TV.

Georgia is a great act, Janice Joplin-style perhaps. I like her. A bit strained in places but she's good and could sell records too. Watch out for her.

Saphy Francisco is from the Philippines and sings The Prayer. She thinks she is guided by the Lord and all that. Oh dear. Half way through she changes and sings in a man's voice. That was odd. She does a sort of duo with herself. Not sure I really liked that and I started to wonder whether she might actually be a bloke.

Ricky is one of the few people we get some back-story about. He was homeless but got straight and married and has kids called Heavenly and Star. He does Sam Cook's A Change Is Gonna Come. He does that well and probably gets the biggest applause of the night. That just goes to show the power of a sad old story in the background. Great voice, nice attitude but I'm not sure. He may well make the Live Shows as there are few Overs of much talent so far.

Tom is the last entrant. He was nearly in One Direction as a contender in 2010 when Louis T did get in the band and he didn't. He had made Judges Houses too. You expect something good but his first song was poor and the second only a bit better. He's not that easy to watch, to be honest, with annoying expressions and really not a great singer either. He does pubs and clubs it seems and may have to carry on with them.

Week 2 Pt 2 Athena is not just a company that made posters

This time the Rolls has XF3 and the white Mercedes has XF2.

Sunday's programme starts with Kiki who says she looks like Janet Jackson. She's confident and says she used to lead in the choir so we are expecting something good. She looks right and the track is One Night Only. That's all we'll see her for as this is not good at all. Out of tune from the start. You wish someone would tell her to stop. After the introduction we really did not expect this. I wonder whether she just started on the wrong note and cannot hear the backing. It was way too late when she was stopped. The panel were obviously trying not to be cruel but she's gone.

Burgundy, on the other hand, from Atlanta, delivers a stunning Aretha Franklin-style performance of Respect. Great big voice and bags of personality. Very good but just a bit too 1970s for my liking. Everyone raves about her. I get the feeling they've been getting bored until she came along.

Next we see a couple of pretty tedious blokes with guitars which Simon calls 'busker auditions'. There's some play between Louis and Simon as the latter dislikes blokes with guitars in the main. So the producers smartly come up with the bit with a chap called Tommy who has a guitar but does an good job with his original song King Pin. Decent bit of work with cheerful performance. Very naturally entertaining bloke the public like. He gets through.

Now we see Athena from Greece. She oozes sexuality in such a way that she seems slightly out of place and men are thinking things about her that perhaps they don't want to admit. She has some strange sort of power despite being not spectacularly attractive. She's a good performer, very experienced and even seems to have brought a couple of backing dancers with her. She does Beyonce's Crazy In Love - yes, with those dance moves too. Ayda is clearly not impressed and calls the whole thing cheesy which is pretty accurate. Robbie has fallen under her spell and calls her amazing. Louis and Simon are also entranced and Simon, fairly, says he simply cannot not put her through after that. That was a weird moment. I doubt that we'll see a great more of Athena.

Now we get the first group for quite a while. Three blokes from Hull. If I'd seen the name earlier I'd have guessed that they do opera stuff - this is the classic Nessun Dorma. They call themselves Tre Amici. They're not that great - sort of good but average in this field. Simon says he wants to hear just the middle bloke who he thinks is the one good singer of the three. I don't know whether this is another stage managed thing but the individual is not keen and eventually the three all join together to complete the audition regardless. Of course, the crowd go mad and love them all the more for not breaking up or doing what Simon says. They're different for this year, I suppose, but they're no G4 (and that was a very long time ago!)

Scarlett is the orange girl with the awful make-up and eyebrows last year. She fell at the Six Chair Challenge and deservedly so, in my view. In what strikes me as another stage managed affair she kicks off with a song she says she's written herself. It's no good. Simon says she can have another go and she pretty instantly does a published number that suits her voice and range very well. She does make a decent job of this second one and the crowd seem very supportive. The judges all like her and, of course, she's through once more. I expect this time she'll get a bit further but I just have a feeling that she's going to let herself down at some point either by annoying someone or just being annoying herself. I don't really want to have her face filling my screen again.

That's it. Another two or three possible candidates for the Live Shows here but no-one that I really expect to go far.

Week 2 Pt 1 Every series has to have a nice girl from the Philippines

I didn't spot any registration numbers this time as two new Rolls Royce motors deliver the judges this week. Well, not this week but some time in July, I think, when the weather was extremely warm and lots of people were carrying little fans. At the time of writing, Dermot O'Leary is off at Boot Camp, I'm told. Expect the rumours of who gets through to start emerging any time now!

Natasha is someone who I expect to see more of. She introduces herself in a delightfully honest way as a girl who's got a flower stall in Kentish Town. You have to like her already. She's very good too and has a natural talent. Despite apparently never having performed anywhere before she seems to be happy on the Wembley stage which is impressive. There are a few places where you can see she'd benefit from a bit of advice and training but I still much preferred her version of Impossible to that previous winner's chewed lyric version.

Next we get some youngsters. Not that Natasha was old but these people are really young.

Eliyah is 14. Very enthusiastic, pretty confident and has some good moves.

Acacia is 15 and is a confident rapper but not so sure about the rest of what she did.

Simon asks them to rehearse something else and come back as a pair.

While they're doing that we meet Owen who's just 17 and is known as Ozzie for some reason. He does an Elvis number, Trouble, and you don't get many Elvis numbers on X Factor these days. Well, you might get them in the auditions but the producers don't let us see them which is probably just as well. This guy is a bit strange, with very long straggly hair and a tendency to walk around a lot. He's very thin and wears odd clothes that just don't look right. So he looks odd, sounds a bit odd too but the panel kinda like him and he gets through. I have no idea how he'll cope with the Abba round.

The young girls return and actually do really well, bearing in mind that they've had only an hour to put their act together. Maybe it's something that kids of that age can do. Maybe we get tricked by recordings from different times - although on this occasion I don't think so. They do a version of Bang Bang Into the Room or whatever it's called and it's full of teen attitude and they go together every well indeed. Nice job. I'd probably have put them through anyway as individuals and one, if not both, would have got a fair way down the line so I am not totally convinced the duo is going to fare any better but we'll see.

Felix is another youngster at 20. He is studying for a degree in song writing and is keen to get the transgender word in pretty soon. Then I notice he is dressed a little strangely. He looks and sounds like a bloke at the top but his legs and shoes look like a girl so I am a bit confused and almost wish he'd just got on with the job and not drawn attention to that. He chooses a smart Kodaline track and has an interesting voice that could be good but he does veer off key too often for pleasant listening. I guess he could develop a style that would set him apart from the mainstream and the panel love him. I wasn't too bothered and doubt we'll see a great deal more.

Next we get three blokes who can each sing reasonably well. You can understand why they applied and why their friends and family are there to support them but they are so bland that you simply cannot imagine anyone actually wanting to go out and buy their tracks or download whatever they record. In the earlier X Factor days I reckon one or two, if not all, of these guys would have been through to Boot Camp at least, maybe with a bit of advice about dress and performance they might even go further and start to gather a few fans. In this big arena, though, the auditions are tough in that the big crowd will quickly sense who is entertaining from the very start and they will effectively pass on any rejection or disappointment to the panel there and then. So none of them make it and get a pretty harsh refusal, especially when you look at how considerate to the the youngsters before them the panel had been.

Talking of entertainment, Ivo comes from Bulgaria and he's 42. A choreographer by profession and that skill becomes clear when he performs with a group of dancers. A fascinating and weird affair indeed. Louis Walsh would have loved him and you know he'd make the Live Shows. His voice is mostly in tune and well structured but he makes it warble around at times and the whole thing, couple with the expressive forms taken by the dancers and himself, present more of a work of art than something we'd think about buying and playing in the car on the way to work.

Most bizarre but the panel put him through, even though no-one really sees this as X Factor material. I guess we all want to see what on earth he'll do next. Quite a likeable character too, which helped a lot.

Well, in every series of X Factor one programme has to end with an emotional girl from the Philippines. This year it's Marie, just 17 who comes along with all the classic phrases like 'it's my dream'. She's a very appealing girl, attractive and quite confident. It seems that her family have brought her all the way here just for this audition. No pressure there then. The familiar strains of the intro to Purple Rain start up and, for a moment I am worrying that this isn't going to end at all well. It's a very typical karaoke performance at the start but eventually she starts to break out of that and give something of herself to the song. I still don't find her anything like as impressive as Ruth Lorenzo, for example, who genuinely owned this track when she performed with it. Marie seemed always to be chasing after it and the dramatic changes she made just emphasised how desperate she was not to go home just yet.

This was good TV and she did look like a little star, for sure. No-one would not put her through anyway so there was never much to worry about. I can see her gaining quite a good following as she has everything going for her and, with better song choices, and a bit of control, people will want to see more of her. So a potential Live Show girl maybe, but mainly for the audience figures rather than sheer talent.

S15 Auditions: Week 1 Pt 2 Not Eurovision

If you think that there seems to be a lot of 'filling' at the start then you could well be right; there are just five acts to come this evening. That could be a record low.

In amongst the introduction you'll see the registration XF2 again but this time on a white Mercedes. Does someone really switch the plates before people arrive at the Stadium? I won't tell the DVLA if you don't.

First on the stage is a very bouncy chap called Ola. He comes from Trinidad and Tobago. A talented guy for sure. I have no idea what genre he is doing but it's all good fun and he can certainly perform. It's not the usual fare and is sufficiently different to seem new although it probably isn't going to see him winning anything. The lighting makes it difficult to figure out whether he's young or old but he's certainly energetic and all credit too to the two dancers he has with him but wo get ignored by the judges. I'm not sure what he'll do in the Abba round, though.

Next comes Brendan Murray. He's the first young lad we see this year and his Irish accent and general attitude makes me think we should have something good here. We learn that he was lead singer in a band at 16 but they only had limited success across the water. I sort of recognise him when he starts singing but can't remember where at first. He has a brilliant voice and sings really well. Despite that, Simon stops him and asks him to do a Kate Bush number, Woman's Work, which the guy says he doesn't know. It's all a bit strange and the rest of the panel are left out of the picture. My guess is that this is another set-up for the show and is all pretty well-rehearsed. Brendan goes away.

Several more come and go, also being told that they have the wrong songs but we never learn much more about them so maybe they never do get the right ones. But we do get Brendan back and he has a couple of goes at getting started before, with lyrics in hand, he gets past the first line. He does a first class job of the track and we have a potential winner here in my view.

Now I realise why he seemed familiar. He had been Ireland's entry in the 2017 Eurovision contest but failed to qualify. In fact he only came 13th out of 17 which was pretty poor. The song wasn't great but that still struck me as pretty cruel at the time.

So I may revise my idea about us choosing our entry for Eurovision 2019 from this year's winner!

That took up best part of the show. Someone else we've seen before turns up next. Mark from the Reason reached Judges Houses in 2010 - interestingly, the same year that 1D were there and no one of the 1D guys is on the panel judging. Mark tries Careless Whisper. It's not great, to be honest. Does he get another chance? No. Pretty harsh and he's out. Simon says that he can see no chance that he could get a first grade writer to produce a track for him and, as he doesn't write his own material, there's no hope. I imagine he could say that about a lot of contestants he does see through.

Jackie's next and it's a sort of Susan Boyle moment. She's getting on a bit, works on a farm and hasn't exactly dressed to the nines for the event. You know she'll be good. And, yes, she's an excellent singer and seems genuinely surprised at the audience's enthusiastic reaction. It's good TV, I suppose, and, of course she gets through, although I am not so sure she'll be any easier to write for or sell a great deal more than the other guy might have done.

Last up is Anthony Russell who dropped out last year. He'd been doing well and was the one who looked manic and on the edge of a nervous breakdown every week. He would have made the Live Shows and I reckon he will make it this time if he keeps himself together. Nice to learn that louis Tomlinson had played quite a significant part in rescuing the guy last year - I think they'd net as Louis was helping Simon at Judges Houses. The audience like characters like Anthony. They did spent one hell of a lot of the programme on this, though.

One thing we did learn during the show was that the Final will be on 1 December. I've been working backwards and I really am hoping that this will mean we don't get the indecent rush through Live Shows as we had last year. There would appear to be time for a gradual one-out-each-week flow with a weekend for each of Bootcamp, Six Chair Challenge and Judges Houses, as well as another four audition shows. So you do the maths - for every extra (cheap-to-make) audition show that will mean one more person getting sent home in one week's Live Show (expensive to make).

One good duo, three out-of-tune young girls and some old folk start the series.

The first thing you notice is that there's a lot more gold - the new graphics are very shiny and the red has made way for silver and, yes, more gold. I like the way the show goes pretty much straight into auditions and these are taking place at venues with an audience - and a seemingly quite big one at that. It's quite a contrast to the cardboard sets that we used to see with three judges - invariably someone was otherwise engaged - no Dermot and performers with little more than a cassette player on the floor if they were lucky.

Simon appears first in a rolls with an XF2 number plate and then it's another Rolls with XF3. Or perhaps they're Bentleys. You're left wondering who's got XF1.

It's not a good start. An odd mix of lads calling themselves No Label are all over the place and an appalling last note makes us wonder just what this new series has to offer if that's what the producers chose to start with.

The next act gives us all that 'Oh dear..' feeling as an oldish-looking bloke appears. Danny Tetley says he's knackered, having just flown in from Benidorm where he says he performs on stage. He looks as if he hasn't slept. I'm thinking he's in his 50s and it's quite a shock to hear he's only 37. Apparently he was a contestant on pop idol in 2001. When he does sing he's pretty good but hardly anyone that is going to break into the market in 2018. A good entertainer but really he would not have stood a chance in previous series. This year he gets through. That'll probably be it, though.

Next we have a duo called Misunderstood. Now this is more like it. Modern, talented and a bit different with some cool dance moves from the pair. They look good and sound good with their own track called Juicy Fruit. You can't help but notice that they have a professional and quite obvious backing track running and that helps promote a pretty competent audition. I don't recall that being allowed before - people just sang a capella and hoped for the best most of the time.

Also interesting is the full-length auditions we're getting - that's a good thing, although I may well regret that when the bad ones come along.

Next we get three blonde girls, one after the other. Kezia is 15 and really not very good but Robbie wants to put her in a girl band. She has a crystal voice that could be good be she's so nervous it's not a great audition at all. Nevertheless we'll be seeing her again.

Charlotte follows and she's even more out of tune but she gets through too - as part of some future band.

Molly is the third and I'm thinking that she's be in the band too. She's got a bigger voice and is an improvement on the other two but still nothing great. She's through too and maybe not as part of that group after all. I just sit here thinking that none of these would have made it in previous years.

Louis is very OTT with his praise and you get the feeling generally that everyone has been told to be positive, happy and smiling, come what may. Everyone he sees he says is 'amazing' but that doesn't leave him much room to praise some real talent as and when it appears.

Some weird bloke comes next with a dramatic prepared entrance. He is pretty useless and decidedly strange so it's just as well we don't get to see much of him.

Then we see some very, very strange act - like a family of sorts. A woman sings and she might not have been too bad but the people with her just look extraordinarily dumb and dance ridiculously badly. Whoever dressed them needs their head examined. Needless to say they don't last long. Not even funny. Just odd.

Then Janice Robinson comes along. She says she wrote Dreamer, a classic rave number from the 1990s. She can certainly sing and perform although she seems oddly out of place here. You tend to think that she needn't have to perform and is already in the business and should be doing fine but, perhaps, that is not the case. Who knows. We'll find out more at the next round no doubt.

We end the first edition of Series 15 with some bloke called Andy Hatton who is a major Robbie fan. He kicks off with some odd number and he just sounds weird. Simon gets him to do another song. This sounds rehearsed and staged to me. It's Angels and he finishes up with Robbie on stage singing with him and everyone is happy and singing along too. If anything, it goes on a bit long. The bloke sounds a lot better now and is vaguely in tune. He could be a Robbie tribute act and do reasonably well amongst the 300 other Robbie tribute acts that I guess must be around these days. He's through to Bootcamp, assuming there is a Bootcamp.

Not the most memorable of starts and no obvious contender in this first hour or so. It's a pleasant enough start to the series, I suppose, but they'll need someone a lot better to keep a decent audience in weeks to follow.

I remember thinking that there's no way Louis Walsh would have been up on stage singing with anyone.