ITV 'IN TALKS TO REVIVE THE X FACTOR' AFTER SEVEN YEARS OFF-SCREEN TO BOOST ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE

ITV is reportedly in talks with production company Fremantle to revive iconic music competition The X Factor after seven years off screen. ITV and Fremantle declined to comment.

The X Factor ran from 2004 until 2019 before being dropped after its celebrity and band spin-offs and launched the careers of acts such as One Direction, Little Mix, Olly Murs and Rylan Clark.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "They can explore a younger, fresher panel, with new faces and have Cowell behind the scenes. The plan is for the show’s return to take on a new life and be updated to envelop social media generation... The X Factor was one of the most iconic shows in TV history and created dozens of stars and household names who are still riding high today. Executives at Talkback Thames have had discussions with ITV chiefs about a comeback and they are super-keen for it."

Meanwhile, earlier this year Sky announced it has commissioned a new documentary exploring the highs - and lows - of ITV entertainment juggernaut The X Factor.

The "premium" and "definitive" documentary series explores aspects of the ITV talent contest which ran from 2004 until 2019 before being dropped after its celebrity and band spin-offs. The documentary will speak to those closest to The X Factor story, both in front of and behind the camera, including Simon Cowell.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Getting Simon on board is a huge coup in its own right as he is, after all, the man who was always at the heart of the show during the 15 years that X Factor was on our screens. But it has wider significance because it means that other famous names who appeared on the series have effectively been given Simon’s blessing to be involved in the documentary too..."

It follows reports in 2022 that a separate documentary was in development which would reveal "devastating allegations" of "bully exploitation and harassment" experienced by former contestants on the show.

Last year Sky announced it has teamed up with Gemma Collins for a brand-new series pulling back the curtain on her life as she enters a pivotal chapter: the road to marriage and motherhood.

This is the Gemma you haven’t seen before. The eight-part series produced by Navybee joins Gemma behind the scenes of her daily life for the next year, from glamourous events to quiet moments at home as she juggles a blended family, planning the wedding she’s always dreamed of and hopefully having a much longed-for baby of her own through IVF. 

Best known for her magnetic personality and headline-making career, Gemma Collins is ready to take off the GC mask and show us the woman behind the persona, opening up for the first time on how her past has shaped the woman she’s become. She’ll share her hopes for a future as a mother, and the highs and lows of love, commitment, and the strength it takes to keep going under public scrutiny. This is a rare and unfiltered look at a woman embracing vulnerability, chasing hope and redefining happiness on her own terms. 

More details will be announced in due course.