The X Factor (British TV series) series 7
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.[1] 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.
The X Factor
Dermot O'Leary (ITV)
- Simon Cowell
- Cheryl Cole
- Dannii Minogue
- Louis Walsh
- Geri Halliwell (guest)
- Natalie Imbruglia (guest)
- Katy Perry (guest)
- Pixie Lott (guest)
- Nicole Scherzinger (guest)
21 August –
12 December 2010
The competition was split into several stages: auditions, bootcamp, judges' houses and live shows. Auditions took place throughout June and July 2010, with Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole returning as judges. Minogue missed the auditions and bootcamp due to being on maternity leave, so Geri Halliwell, Natalie Imbruglia, Katy Perry, Pixie Lott and Nicole Scherzinger were brought in as guest judges. Cole missed the auditions in Manchester and bootcamp because she had malaria. Following bootcamp, successful acts were split into four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 28s and Groups. Minogue and Cole returned for the judges' houses stage, and each judge mentored eight acts through judges' houses. The live shows started on 9 October 2010. Four acts initially eliminated at judges' houses were brought back as wildcards, making this series the first to have 16 acts perform in the live shows.
This was the first series of the show to be filmed in high definition, and was broadcast on ITV1 HD and STV HD. From October, The Xtra Factor was also shown in high definition, broadcast on the new channel ITV2 HD.[2] It was sponsored by TalkTalk in the United Kingdom and Domino's Pizza in Ireland.
This series proved to be highly controversial, with many people complaining about the use of pitch correction software on the broadcast of contestants' auditions, the decision to form two groups out of rejected soloists at bootcamp, the rejection of popular contestant Gamu Nhengu at judges' houses, Cole abstaining to vote against one of her own acts she mentored in week 5 of the live shows and having a final showdown in the semi-final. Controversy also surrounded contestants Shirlena Johnson, who was axed over fears for her mental health, and Treyc Cohen, who was reported to already have a record deal when the live shows started. There were also accusations of fixing, which were denied by the show's producers. Despite the controversies, this series was the most watched series to date, with an average of 14.13 million viewers per episode. The final was watched by 17.71 million people, making it the highest rated television episode of 2010, and the entire decade, in the UK. The season tended to occupy a 7.30 PM timeslot.[3]
Charity single[edit]
The series 7 finalists recorded a cover of David Bowie's 1977 song "Heroes" as a charity single in aid of Help for Heroes, a charity which supports injured servicemen and women. The song was recorded in the week beginning 18 October 2010.[87] The video for the single was filmed on 2 November[88] at Three Mills Studios.[89] All sixteen finalists performed the song on 20 November's results show.[78] It was the third year in a row that finalists have released a charity record. The single entered both the Irish Singles Chart on 25 November 2010 and the UK Singles Chart on 28 November 2010 at number 1.[90][91]
Winner's single[edit]
It was reported on 2 December 2010 by the Daily Mirror that the top four contestants, Matt Cardle, Cher Lloyd, One Direction and Rebecca Ferguson, would each record a different song, rather than the same song as in previous series, for their potential debut single. The change was made after Cowell reportedly increased the budget as he wanted songs to suit each act.[92] It was reported on 10 December that Cardle's song would be "Many of Horror", Lloyd's would be "Impossible", Ferguson's would be "Distant Dreamer" and One Direction's song would be "Forever Young".[93] Cardle and Ferguson performed their songs in the final as the last two remaining acts and upon Cardle's winning the contest, his version of "Many of Horror", renamed to "When We Collide", was released.[94][95] It entered both the UK and Ireland Singles Charts at number 1.[96][97]
Voting, revenue and sponsors[edit]
Over the course of the live shows, 15,488,019 votes were cast. Votes made via landline telephones or from the Red Button service cost 35 pence each, with calls made from mobile telephones expected to be more expensive. The votes brought in revenue of more than £5.4 million, though it was expected to be a lot higher because of the unknown cost of mobile phone votes. Proceeds were split between production company Syco, co-producer FremantleMedia, broadcaster ITV and phone vote operator Harvest Media.[98] Advertising slots during the final were sold for up to £250,000, which expected to bring in a further £25 million in advertising revenues, with the number of commercial breaks increased from five to six.[99]
For the second year in a row, The X Factor was sponsored by TalkTalk, as part of a three-year sponsorship deal thought to be worth £20 million, including sponsorship of the show, the 2011 live tour and rights to online clips.[100] TalkTalk enlisted that series 6 contestants John & Edward to launch its interactive initiative on 17 August 2010. Viewers were invited to record a video of themselves performing karaoke in front of a TalkTalk bright lights backdrop, and clips were screened as part of TalkTalk's sponsorship break bumpers.[101] In Ireland, where the series was broadcast on TV3, The X Factor was sponsored by Domino's Pizza.[102]
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
The first episode on 21 August attracted 11.88 million viewers on ITV1,[103] the highest ever ratings for a series premiere of The X Factor.[104] It was watched by 46.5% of television viewers during its original broadcast.[104] The episode also received ratings of 568,000 on ITV1 HD.[105] The first live performance show on 9 October 2010 gained 12.62 million viewers,[103] attaining a 48.5% share of the audience during broadcast.[106] The final result on 12 December was the highest rated episode with 16.55 million viewers on ITV1,[103] a 51.5% audience share[107] and 1.16 million viewers on ITV1 HD.[105] It peaked at 19.4 million (18.14 million on ITV1 and 1.3 million on ITV1 HD)[107] and was the highest rated television episode of 2010 in the UK.[108] Official ratings concluded that the series averaged 14.13 million (including HD), making it the most watched series in the show's history. The series dominated the weekly rankings, taking up the top position for the first four weeks, then the top two positions until the final.[103]