ITV Executive Teases Possible ‘X Factor UK’ Return
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The X Factor hasn’t aired a regular season in the UK since 2018, and it seemed like the show had run its course. However, ITV executive Kevin Lygo recently teased that the show could make a return to television as it prepares for its 20th anniversary in 2024.
Could ‘The X Factor UK’ Return Soon?
According to the Daily Mail, Lygo recently told the Broadcasting Press Guild, “I suspect X Factor has not gone away forever, never say never.” He added, “It was our most successful show for almost 20 years and we’re still working with Simon on a daily basis.”
The X Factor’s last regular season aired in 2018, followed by the spin-offs X Factor: Celebrity and X Factor: The Band. In 2021, ITV officially canceled the show, saying there were “no current plans” for another season.
Then earlier this year, reports claimed that Simon Cowell had signed a deal for the show to return in 2023 on Channel 5. The judge chatted with Talent Recap in September about the possibility of a comeback.
“The only reason I would make the show again is if there was a purpose for making the show,” Cowell said. “Like we set out in the first place. Do artists need a platform like that still? The answer is probably yes. So it’s more likely than not.”
SEE ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: SIMON COWELL TALKS ABOUT HIS RETURN AS JUDGE ON ‘THE X FACTOR UK’ 2023
What Channel Will Air the Show?
Around the time of the show’s cancelation at ITV, an X Factor insider reportedly told The Sun, “Simon remains at the top of his game and knows how to make a hit. He owns the rights to the show, and it’s his call – not ITV’s – whether or not he drops it.”
That makes us wonder where we can expect to see the show if it does return. It sounds like ITV hasn’t given up on it, but previous reports connected the comeback to Channel 5.
As The Sun’s source said of Cowell at the time, “the last thing he wants is for X Factor to fizzle out with a whimper and become a bit of a joke — especially in contrast to the show in its pomp.”
We’ll have to keep waiting to find out if and when (and where) we can expect another season.
