Is Simon Cowell playing matchmaker for Olly Murs and Caroline Flack?

Ah Simon Cowell – he loves being the almighty puppet master, doesn’t he? And it seems for this year’s* X Factor*, he’s extending his power beyond the hopeful contestants, because apparently Simon quite fancies himself as the role of matchmaker.

And naturally Olly Murs and Caroline Flack are his first subjects.

Xtra Factor presenter Melvin Odoom told The Sun:

He’s such a classic embarrassing dad.

But obvs it's not just Simon that sees something there - everyone knows that the pair have a close, flirty friendship. Even if,as they said in a recent heat interview, they’ve got a brother-sister relationship now.

But Melvin describes it as:

"They have this incredible chemistry. There's not a presenting duo around that has that kind of bond.

"They know what the other is thinking and they are always laughing and joking on set - but there is that kind of will-they won't-they tension which they've always acknowledged and played with."

And now both are single – Olly and his girlfriend of three years, Francesca Thomas, have now split, and Caroline parted ways with on-off boyfriend Jack Street several months ago - Simon’s clearly routing for them to Get.It.On.