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The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The first series was broadcast from 4 September to 11 December 2004. The competition was split into several stages: auditions, bootcamp, judges' homes and live shows, with Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Simon Cowell as judges. Kate Thornton presented the show on ITV, whilst Ben Shephard presented the spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2.
Auditions were held in Dublin, Newcastle, London, Leeds, Birmingham and Glasgow.
Steve Brookstein won the series, with Cowell as the winning mentor.[1] Brookstein went on to have some chart success, with runner-up group G4 achieving two platinum albums before splitting up in 2007, but reuniting in 2014.
Before the auditions, advertisements appeared on ITV, newspapers, and trade magazines, promising that the new show would encourage groups to join, and while the emphasis was on singing, would welcome those who played musical instruments and wrote their own songs. The show would differentiate itself from its predecessor, Pop Idol.
For the first episode of auditions, which aired on 4 September 2004, the judges visited Leeds and London. The second episode aired on 11 September 2004 in which the judges visited Newcastle. The third aired on 18 September 2004, the fourth on 25 September 2004 and the fifth on 2 October 2004.
After the auditions, each judge was allocated a category at random:
Each judge chose 12 acts from their category to go through to round two. After bootcamp, each judge selected five acts to progress to the judges' homes round. The bootcamp episodes aired on 9 and 16 October 2004.
In judges' homes, the 15 acts went to the homes of their respective judges, where they were interviewed and performed again. Each judge then chose three acts to go through to the live shows, making a total of nine contestants.
16-24s:
Location: Hackney Empire
Task 1: Perform "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder in lines of 10.
Task 2: Giving a solo performance of one of these two chosen songs below:
Task 3: Interviews in front of the press and talking about their personal lives.
Task 4: Choose one song from The Beatles back-catalogue and perform it in front of their competitors and Sharon.
Groups:
Location: Angel Recording Studios
Task 1: Perform a song of their own choosing in front of Louis and his team.
Task 2: Write an original song entitled "Right Now" that must contain all these five words:
Task 3: Learn a new song overnight
Task 4: Sing a song that they think that showcases all of their members voices to the best of their ability.
Over 25s:
Location: The Landmark London
Task 1: Both the females and males perform one song of their choice separately one at a time with the opposite gender watching their performance.
Task 2: Learn a new song overnight with another member of the category to perform as an duo.
Task 3: Perform a song that will convince Simon and his panel that they are capable of moving on to the next round.
16-24s:
Groups:
| Judge | Category | Location | Assistants | Acts Eliminated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Over 25s | London | Annie Skates, Sinitta | Odis Palmer, Lloyd Wade | |
| Osbourne | 16-24s | Buckinghamshire | Mark Hudson, Terry Longden, Jack Osbourne | Megan Ramsay, Andy Steed | |
| Walsh | Groups | Dublin | Linda Martin, Faye Sawyer, David Laudat | 4Tune, Advance |
Key:
– Winner
– Runner-Up
| Act | Age(s) | Hometown | Category (mentor) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Brookstein | 35 | London | Over 25s (Cowell) | Winner | |
| 22-24 | Various | Groups (Walsh) | Runner-up | ||
| Tabby Callaghan | 23 | County Sligo, Ireland | 16-24s (Osbourne) | 3rd place | |
| Rowetta Satchell | 38 | Over 25s (Cowell) | 4th place | ||
| Cassie Compton | 17 | North London | 16-24s (Osbourne) | 5th place | |
| Voices with Soul | 25-42 | Groups (Walsh) | 6th place | ||
| 2 to Go | 23-24 | Notts | 7th place | ||
| Verity Keays | 51 | Grimsby, Lincolnshire | Over 25s (Cowell) | 8th place | |
| Roberta Howett | 23 | Dublin, Ireland | 16-24s (Osbourne) | 9th place |
Two live shows were broadcast each Saturday evening during the competition. Until week 5, each act performed once in the first show, then the public voted for the act that they wanted to remain in the show. In the other results show, the two acts with the fewest votes were revealed. These two acts then had to sing again before the three judges decided whom to eliminate.
The format changed in the sixth week: each act performed twice in the first show and performed one of their songs in the results show. The act with the fewest votes was eliminated at the end of the second show.
The live shows started on 23 October 2004 and ended on 11 December 2004.
Act in Over 25s
Act in Groups
| - | Act was in the bottom two and had to sing again in the final showdown | |
| - | Act received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown) | |
| - | Act received the most public votes |
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Brookstein | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner | |
| G4 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom Two | Safe | Safe | Safe | Runner-Up | |
| Tabby Callaghan | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom Two | Safe | 3rd | Eliminated | |
| Rowetta Satchell | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | 4th | Eliminated | ||
| Cassie Compton | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom Two | Eliminated | |||
| Voices with Soul | Bottom Two | Safe | Bottom Two | Bottom Two | Eliminated | ||||
| 2 to Go | Safe | Bottom Two | Bottom Two | Eliminated | |||||
| Verity Keays | Safe | Bottom Two | Eliminated | ||||||
| Roberta Howett | Bottom Two | Eliminated | |||||||
| Final Showdown | Howett, Voices with Soul | 2 to Go, Keays | 2 to Go, Voices with Soul | G4, Voices with Soul | Callaghan, Compton | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | |||
| Walsh's vote to eliminate (Groups) | Howett | Keays | 2 to Go | Voices with Soul | Compton | ||||
| Osbourne's vote to eliminate (16-24s) | Voices with Soul | Keays | 2 to Go | Voices with Soul | None (abstained) | ||||
| Cowell's vote to eliminate (Over 25s) | Howett | 2 to Go | G4 | Compton | |||||
| Eliminated | Roberta Howett 2 of 3 votes Majority | Verity Keays 2 of 3 votes Majority | 2 to Go 2 of 2 votes Majority | Voices with Soul 2 of 3 votes Majority | Cassie Compton 2 of 2 votes Majority | Rowetta Satchell Public vote to save | Tabby Callaghan Public vote to save | G4 Public vote to win | |
| Act | Order | Song (Original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voices with Soul | 1 | "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson) | Bottom Two |
| Verity Keays | 2 | "I Will Always Love You" (Dolly Parton) | Safe |
| Roberta Howett | 3 | "Superstar" (Carpenters) | Eliminated |
| 2 to Go | 4 | "Don't Know Much" (Linda Ronstadt) | Safe |
| Steve Brookstein | 5 | "When a Man Loves a Woman" (Percy Sledge) | |
| Cassie Compton | 6 | "Alfie" (Cilla Black) | |
| G4 | 7 | "Everybody Hurts" (R.E.M) | |
| Rowetta Satchell | 8 | "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (Dusty Springfield) | |
| Tabby Callaghan | 9 | "You Really Got Me" (The Kinks) |
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowetta Satchell | 1 | "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (U2) | Safe |
| 2 to Go | 2 | "Always" (Atlantic Starr) | Bottom Two |
| Cassie Compton | 3 | "Without You" (Mariah Carey) | Safe |
| Verity Keays | 4 | "Wind Beneath My Wings" (Bette Midler) | Eliminated |
| G4 | 5 | "Don't Look Back in Anger" (Oasis) | Safe |
| Tabby Callaghan | 6 | "My Oh My" (Slade) | |
| Steve Brookstein | 7 | "If You Don't Know Me by Now" (Simply Red) | |
| Voices with Soul | 8 | "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Aretha Franklin) |
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tabby Callaghan | 1 | "Addicted to Love" (Robert Palmer) | Safe |
| Voices with Soul | 2 | "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Simon & Garfunkel) | Bottom Two |
| Steve Brookstein | 3 | "Smile" (Charlie Chaplin) | Safe |
| 2 to Go | 4 | "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"(from Dirty Dancing) | Eliminated |
| Cassie Compton | 5 | "I Say a Little Prayer" (Dionne Warwick) | Safe |
| Rowetta Satchell | 6 | "Over the Rainbow" (Judy Garland) | |
| G4 | 7 | "...Baby One More Time" (Britney Spears) |
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| G4 | 1 | "Circle of Life" (Elton John) | Bottom Two |
| Rowetta Satchell | 2 | "MacArthur Park" (Donna Summer) | Safe |
| Tabby Callaghan | 3 | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"(Aerosmith) | |
| Voices With Soul | 4 | "Lady Marmalade" (Labelle) | Eliminated |
| Cassie Compton | 5 | "Hero" (Mariah Carey) | Safe |
| Steve Brookstein | 6 | "Help Me Make It Through the Night" (Kris Kristofferson) |
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Brookstein | 1 | "Let's Stay Together" (Al Green) | Safe |
| Cassie Compton | 2 | "All by Myself" (Eric Carmen) | Eliminated |
| G4 | 3 | "My Way" (Frank Sinatra) | Safe |
| Tabby Callaghan | 4 | "Sweet Child o' Mine" (Guns N' Roses) | Bottom Two |
| Rowetta Satchell | 5 | "Somewhere" (from West Side Story) | Safe |
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowetta Satchell | 1 | "River Deep - Mountain High" (Tina Turner) | 5 | "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (Diana Ross) | Eliminated |
| G4 | 2 | "You'll Never Walk Alone" (from Carousel) | 6 | "Somebody to Love" (Queen) | Safe |
| Steve Brookstein | 3 | "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" (Jackie Wilson) | 7 | "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" (R.Kelly) | |
| Tabby Callaghan | 4 | "More Than Words" (Extreme) | 8 | "Livin' on a Prayer" (Bon Jovi) |
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tabby Callaghan | 1 | "Pride (In the Name of Love)" (U2) | 4 | "Sailing" (Rod Stewart) | Eliminated |
| Steve Brookstein | 2 | "Have I Told You Lately" (Van Morrison) | 5 | "Greatest Love of All" (George Benson) | Safe |
| G4 | 3 | "O Holy Night" (Traditional) | 6 | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen) |
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song (song of the series) | Originally performed in.... | Order | Third song (winner's single) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Brookstein | 1 | "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" | 3 | "Smile" | Live Show 3 | 5 | "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" | Winner | |
| G4 | 2 | "Nessun Dorma" | 4 | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Live Show 7 | 6 | "Creep" | Runner-Up |
| Episode | Air date | Official ITV1 rating[2] (millions) | Weekly rank (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions 1 | 4 September | 5.25 | 39 |
| Auditions 2 | 11 September | 6.53 | 26 |
| Auditions 3 | 18 September | 7.08 | 21 |
| Auditions 4 | 25 September | 7.24 | 21 |
| Auditions 5 | 2 October | 6.71 | 26 |
| Bootcamp 1 | 9 October | 6.69 | 28 |
| Bootcamp 2 | 7.89 | 23 | |
| Judges' houses | 16 October | 7.32 | 23 |
| Live show 1 | 23 October | 7.19 | 25 |
| Live results 1 | 7.83 | 19 | |
| Live show 2 | 30 October | 6.53 | 28 |
| Live results 2 | 7.26 | 25 | |
| Live show 3 | 6 November | 6.89 | 29 |
| Live results 3 | 7.02 | 28 | |
| Live show 4 | 13 November | 7.42 | 22 |
| Live results 4 | 6.88 | 26 | |
| Live show 5 | 20 November | 7.91 | 25 |
| Live results 5 | 7.98 | 23 | |
| Live show 6 | 27 November | 8.06 | 29 |
| Live results 6 | 8.01 | 30 | |
| Live semi-final | 4 December | 7.79 | 27 |
| Live results 7 | 7.52 | 30 | |
| Final | 11 December | 8.62 | 21 |
| Final results | 9.96 | 13 | |
| Series average | 2004 | 7.40 | |
It was reported in tabloid newspapers that the show's audition process was unfair after Walsh was accused of cheating. He was thought to have advised the group Co-Ed on things such as song choices, which caused controversy after it was revealed that he had actually previously managed Co-Ed after they appeared on the Irish version of Popstars in 2001. Also, footage of Cowell and Osbourne coaching contestants to argue back to the judges was being auctioned over the Internet.[3]
Before the first live show, Osbourne accused Cowell of "rigging" the show by editing footage to make the contestants in his category more appealing to viewers.[4] Osbourne attracted criticism again following the final in December 2004 when she was forced to make an apology after attracting what Cowell referred to as "record complaints" over an outburst by Osbourne in which she criticised eventual winner Steve Brookstein. This left her place on the show uncertain,[5] although she returned for the second series in 2005.