It hasn’t been on our screens since 2018, but with former judges Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh currently spilling the beans in the Celebrity Big Brother house, there’s been plenty talk about The X Factor recently.
Following 15 series, and creating megastars such as Leona Lewis, Little Mix, One Direction, and James Arthur in the process, the final series aired on ITV/STV in 2018, with the talent show later being axed due to poor ratings.
But now it sounds like the show’s creator Simon Cowell would be keen to bring The X Factor back, admitting to OK! Magazine he thinks it needs to go back to basics.
Simon CowellSimon Cowell © Alamy
He told the publication: “I’m not sure when but it’d be great to have it back.
“I think it would be taken back to basics. When we first started, it was pretty uncomplicated, but over the years, too many elements were added; it lost its identity somewhere. Yes, you might hear some people say they were unhappy or thought they might sell more records, but I am proud of how many people got a start after being on the show.”
However, despite Simon’s words, it sounds like there’s no immediate plans to reboot The X Factor, with the music mogul admitting he’s currently working on a secret project that is ‘brand new’.
As well as kick-starting the careers of the likes of Olly Murs, Alexandra Burke and JLS, Rylan, and Stacey Solomon, The X Factor also had a number of famous faces on the judging panel.
Over the 15 series, the likes of Cheryl, Nicole Scherzinger, Gary Barlow, Louis Tomlison, Tulisa, Olly Murs and Mel B all sat on the panel, as well as guest judges including Britney Spears and Katy Perry.
Footballers’ Wives
Broadcasting between 2002-2006, Footballers’ Wives followed fictional Premier League football club Earls Park, as well as all of the drama from both the players and their fiery wives!
Bad Girls
Set inside a fictional women’s prison, Bad Girls aired on ITV between 1996-2006 and featured some very famous faces, including Claire King and Debra Stephenson.
The Bill
First broadcast in 1983, police drama The Bill certainly proved popular, airing until 2010. The show focused on the lives and work of police officers and starred well-known actors such as Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole and Mark Wingett.
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Don’t Try This At Home© ITV
Don’t Try This At Home
Who remembers sitting down in front of the TV on a Saturday night, watching on as Davina McCall helped members of the public take on tough and fearful challenges?
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Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
She was confident, funny, magical AND she had a talking cat. Sabrina made us all want to be a witch!
The show was also rebooted between 2018 and 2020 as a Netflix series called Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
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Ugly Betty© Channel 4
Ugly Betty
Believe it or not, it’s been a massive 16 years since Ugly Betty last aired on our screens! The show, which featured actress America Ferrera, followed a character called Betty Suarez, who despite her lack of ‘style’, landed a job at a very prestigious fashion magazine.
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Where The Heart Is© ITV
Where The Heart Is
The British drama, which was filmed in the Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite, proved very popular with viewers between 1997-2006, showcasing the lives of a group of district nurses and their families.
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It’s a Knockout© Channel 5
It’s a Knockout
It was stupid, it was crazy, but it was certainly fun! It’s a Knockout started way back in 1966, but the show made a number of returns on BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5!
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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air© The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
We’d love to see Will Smith get back into his character alongside Carlton Banks, however we got the next best thing earlier this year, with the Fresh Prince reboot called Bel Air, which was released earlier this year where Jabari Banks played Will Smith.
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Stars In Their Eyes© ITV
Stars In Their Eyes
A true classic! Stars In Their Eyes, originally hosted by Leslie Crowther, first aired in 1990 with Matthew Kelly taking over in 1993. The show did make a return with Harry Hill in 2015, but it didn’t quite take off!
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The Queen’s Nose© BBC
The Queen’s Nose
Who would have thought that rubbing a 50p coin would be so interesting? We used to love watching the adventures of Harmony as she used up her magic wishes.
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Gossip Girl© AJ Pics/Alamy Stock Photo
Gossip Girl
Although the show was given a reboot in 2021 with a brand new cast, it didn’t live up to expectations of the original series, which aired between 2007-2012.
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Fun House© ITV
Fun House
We used to love watching two schools battle each other in three rounds of madness. Bring back the gunge and Pat Sharp’s
crazy hairstyles!
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Grange Hill© BBC
Grange Hill
Despite being at school all day, we loved to come home and watch other people be at school. Strange. But gripping story lines and relatable characters had us glued to our screens.
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London’s Burning© ITV
London’s Burning
Airing between 1988 and 2002, London’s Burning documented the lives of a fictional London Fire Brigade Blue Watch at the fictional Blackwall fire station.
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The Big Bang Theory© Alamy
The Big Bang Theory was on TV from 2007 until 2019. The show centred around two physicists who shared an apartment, Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter and Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, and their friendship with Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco, who lived opposite.
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Game of Thrones© Alamy
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones lasted for eight seasons between 2011 – 2019. The show starred Sean Bean as Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow.
House of Dragons is the new prequel but we really wish we’d have gotten more (or another ending) to the original Game of Thrones TV show. Who knows, maybe when the last book is out they might make some more episodes…
Back in 2021, ITV/STV bosses did speak about the future of The X Factor, with a spokesperson saying: “There are no current plans for the next series of The X Factor at this stage.”
It was also reported in February 2020 that Simon said he would be “resting” the show, with reports suggesting that this will continue for the next five years at least.
