X Factor: What time does it start tonight and who are the judges?
We may be living in an ever-changeable world, but some things exist to provide a comforting level of normalcy, such as the continued return of X Factor at the end of each summer. The 14th – yes, 14th – series of Simon Cowell's televised competition is now back on ITV.
Week Three continues tonight, Saturday 16 September, at 8pm on ITV with more from the auditions stage. It then continues at the same time on Sunday. This is everything you need to know ahead of tonight's show.
When will X Factor return?
The X Factor returned with a 90-minute audition show last Saturday (here's everything that happened in the first episode). A near series-low of 6.2 million viewers tuned in for the first episode, making it the lowest-rated series opener since the show's very first series back in 2004. As a result, Simon Cowell is reported to be making several changes to the show, including more guest stars and Saturday night eliminations.
Who is judging it this year?
What a day! Thanks for having me @thexfactor ��
A post shared by ALESHA DIXON (@aleshaofficial) on Jun 24, 2017 at 3:00pm PDT
For the first time in several years, Cowell has kept the judging line-up the same as the last series of X Factor. We can't quite believe it either. After years of firing people, only to rehire younger, more "down with the kids" people, before firing them, and hiring reality TV stalwarts, the same judges from 2016 are returning this year. Which keeps it simple.
The judges are:
Watch out for guest appearances from Alesha Dixon, better known for judging Britain's Got Talent, after she stepped in to cover Scherzinger when the Cats star suffered a back injury.
Who will be presenting?
Again, this series will see a return to classic X Factor with Dermot O'Leary and his slightly too-tight suits back on the stage.
What can we expect from the 2017 series?
After years of trying variously zany ideas – such as the dreaded Six Chair Challenge and the gimmicky jukebox, that randomly selected a theme for the following week – Cowell is channelling the #liveauthentic philosophy central to Instagram and stripping down any unnecessary paraphernalia from the new series.
According to The Sun, Cowell told those auditioning for X Factor at Wembley: "All these crazy things we used to do with themes have gone, no more jukeboxes, none of that rubbish this year.
"The public are smart enough to know what’s real, that’s what we are focusing on this year."
It's also been confirmed that former contestant Harry Styles will be popping up sometime this series, and that grime star Stormzy will appear during the Judges' Houses stage.
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