Like, no doubt, many of you legends reading this, The X Factor is responsible for at least 60 percent of our iconic personalities.
The ITV singing competition ran from 2004 to 2018 and was nothing short of a cultural milestone, gifting us with iconic moments many of us still quote and reminisce on to this day (Cheryl telling Cher Lloyd she was 'right up my street' and Nicole Scherzinger ripping the microphone from Jahmene Douglas' hand during a 'duet' of Greatest Love of All both come to mind right now), so naturally in the era of comebacks and reboots, we can't help but wonder, will The X Factor ever make a comeback like say, Big Brother?
And perhaps more importantly, in 2024 and beyond, should it?
It's safe to say the show has attracted a fair amount of criticism since going off the air in 2018 after many former contestants spoke out about the negatives of being plummeted into the fame game so suddenly and so harshly.
Then, of course, there was the tragic death of One Direction's Liam Payne in October 2024, which sparked another big conversation about young people's mental health, reality television and duty of care in this day and age.
It's undeniably a big topic of conversation, and one we wouldn't want to dive into fully without speaking directly with someone who has lived the experience, so when we were offered the chance to chat to an X Factor legend, we simply had to broach the subject.
heat recently caught up with X Factor legend turned stage siren Diana Vickers – who found fame on the fifth series of the show won by Alexandra Burke in 2008 – to discuss her new Christmas show at The Clapham Grand with Drag Race UK legend Danny Beard (which sounds RIGHT UP OUR STREET, btw) and her thoughts on a show comeback, if ITV were ever to give it the green light again, are understandably mixed.
When asked whether The X Factor should make a return, Diana told us, 'It's really hard. I think that [after] having a break from things people do want it. It's really weird, something [recently] came up on my algorithm of Girls Aloud and them making the band and I remember saying to my sister, "OMG, that was such an exciting time". I think that people do love that nostalgia, so yeah, I think so.'
Speaking of the show's responsibility to look after artists once the series has wrapped, Diana added, 'I think there needs to be more care. With me, I was really really lucky that I got really great management and they became part of my family and I'm still so close to them now. I just got really looked after, but I think some people were on national television overnight and then had to go back to their jobs and there was no aftercare, so yeah, I think that would have to be the case.'
Speaking of her own pressures on the show, Diana admitted, 'When I was on The X Factor, social media wasn't really around. I was dealing with newspapers coming through the front door and seeing my face on them, thinking, "What have they written about me now?". That was quite overwhelming, let alone if I'd had not just journalists, but every single person in the world's opinion coming at me on socials, I can't even imagine what that would be like.'
Don't miss Danny Beard's Grand Christmas Cabaret at The Clapham Grand – starring Danny Beard, Lill and Diana Vickers, with HunsNet DJs – on Thursday 19 December. Click here for more info.
Speaking of the Clapham Grand show, exclusively Danny told heatworld, 'I'm going to be there with some of my live band, so live music... we've got drag kings, drag queens, my backing vocalist Hayley is involved - she'll be doing solos, as well. Of course, we've got special guest Diana Vickers thrown in the mix. There's going to be something for everyone; there's cabaret, there's burlesque... it's everything and more and it needs to be seen to be believed.'
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Ben Pulsford is a digital writer for Bauer Media, writing for both Closer online and heatworld. When he's not getting paid to gossip about Big Brother, Love Island and The Real Housewives of Cheshire, he's storming the London LGBTQ+ scene as drag queen, Beary Poppins. Both Ben and Beary are awaiting an invite to join The Real Housewives of Cheshire for series 18. The budget's not there, but the drama is 💅.