The X Factor (UK series 5)
Encyclopedia
The fifth UK series of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...

was broadcast on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 in 2008. The series started on 16 August and was won by Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...

 on 13 December, with new judge Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...

 emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April/May, with callbacks in front of the judges in June. The number of applicants for series 5 reached an all-time high with a reported 182,000 people auditioning. A number of well-established music acts from around the world, such as Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...

, Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...

, Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

, Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...

, Il Divo
Il Divo
Il Divo is a multinational operatic pop vocal group created by music manager, executive, and reality TV star Simon Cowell. Formed in the United Kingdom, they are also signed to Cowell's record label, Syco Music...

, Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....

, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...

 and series 3 winner Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....

 performed during the live stages of the show.

Burke's prize, as winner, was a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music (a subsidiary of Sony BMG). Her debut single, "Hallelujah", written by Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...

, was released for digital download at 00:01 on 14 December 2008, with the physical format following on 17 December. It was later announced that her single had become the fastest selling song of all time.

Auditions

A reported "record-breaking" 182,000 applied for series 5, with filming for auditions in front of judges taking place in June/July 2008. Auditions were held in the cities of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

, and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

.

Dannii Minogue was missing from some of the auditions due to visits to her native Australia in order to film auditions for Australia's Got Talent
Australia's Got Talent
Australia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show which premiered on 18 February 2007 on the Seven Network. The show was based on the Got Talent series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell...

.

Bootcamp

As in series 4
The X Factor (UK series 4)
The fourth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in autumn 2007. The first show aired on 18 August 2007 and the series was won by Leon Jackson on 15 December 2007, with Rhydian Roberts the runner-up and Dannii Minogue emerging as the winning mentor...

, all four judges worked together at the bootcamp stage of the competition. This took place at indigO2 at The O2
The O2 (London)
The O2, visually typeset in branding as The O2, is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars and restaurants...

 in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 on 4 August 2008, and was televised in two episodes on 27 and 28 September 2008. Contestants are said to have stayed in a nearby hotel in Blackheath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...

.

During bootcamp, around 150 acts were whittled down to just 24 which advanced to the next round, six in each category.

After completion of bootcamp, the judges were told the category that they were to mentor. The category mentors were as follows:
  • Simon Cowell: Boys
  • Dannii Minogue: Over 25s
  • Cheryl Cole: Girls
  • Louis Walsh: Groups

Judges' houses

This round was filmed in late August/early September and was broadcast over two shows on 4 October and 5 October. As in previous years, the judges welcomed the six acts from their selected category to their "homes". Each act had only one chance to impress their mentor who, along with a guest judge (largely from the music industry), had the task of selecting which three acts were to go through to the live shows and which three would be eliminated.
Category Mentor Location Guest judge
Boys Simon Cowell Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...

 
Sinitta
Over 25s Dannii Minogue St. Tropez  Emma Bunton
Emma Bunton
Emma Lee Bunton is an English pop singer/songwriter and TV and radio presenter. She was a member of the 1990s girl group, the Spice Girls, in which she was known as Baby Spice as she was the youngest member. In 2010, she joined the judging panel on ITV's Dancing on Ice...

Girls Cheryl Cole Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....

 
Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Jane Walsh is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, television presenter and actress. She is best known for being a member of girl group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...

Groups Louis Walsh Castle Leslie
Castle Leslie
Castle Leslie, home to an Irish branch of Clan Leslie, is located on the 4 km² Castle Leslie Estate adjacent to the village of Glaslough, north-east of Monaghan town in County Monaghan, Ireland.-Architecture:...

, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 
Shane Filan
Shane Filan
Shane Steven Filan was one of the lead singers in the Irish pop band Westlife. Filan is one of the five original Westlife members, along with other current members Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Nicky Byrne and former member Brian McFadden....



The acts eliminated at the judges houses stage were:
  • Boys: Alan Turner, Liam Payne
    One Direction
    One Direction are a British-Irish boy band, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. Following The X Factor, the group signed a record contract with Syco Music.One Direction's debut single...

    , Mali-Michael McCalla
  • Girls: Amy Connelly, Annastasia Baker, Hannah Bradbeer
  • Over 25s: James Williams, Louise Heatly, Suzie Furlonger
  • Groups: 4Instinct, Desire, Priority

Judges

The judges for series 5 were Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...

, Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...

, Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...

 and Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...

. On 6 June 2008 (six days before filming was due to begin at the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 auditions) ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 announced that long-standing judge Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....

 had left the show. Media speculation over the reasons for Osbourne's departure alluded to rising tensions between her and fellow judge Dannii Minogue, as well as disputes over pay. When interviewed by Chris Moyles
Chris Moyles
Christopher David Moyles is an English radio and television presenter and author, who currently presents The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on Channel 4....

 on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

, Osbourne said that it was "the best four years of [her] life" but felt that it was "time to move on." She later revealed that fellow judge Dannii was "99.9%" of her reason for leaving, citing that the atmosphere was causing too much stress. Osbourne admitted that when she informed the producers of her decision to resign, she hoped to be kept on instead of Dannii.

Much media coverage and speculation surrounded the question of who would replace Osbourne. Former Spice Girl Melanie Brown
Melanie Brown
Melanie Janine "Scary Spice" Brown , often better known as Mel B, is an English pop singer-songwriter, actress, author and television presenter...

 revealed on 16 September 2008 in an interview for New! Magazine that she, among others, was approached by Cowell as a possible replacement. However, on 10 June 2008, four days after Osbourne's departure, ITV confirmed that Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...

 singer Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...

 was the new judge for series 5 and the replacement for Sharon Osbourne. Minogue praised the new judge, saying: "She’s very knowledgeable about music and I think she’s going to bring a new side to the show." Cowell is reported by Minogue to feel that Cole's voiced opinions are something "which he loves".

Presenters

Presenter Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary is an English television and radio presenter. He established himself as a presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother on Channel 4 before moving on to The X Factor on ITV. O'Leary has also presented on the BBC and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2...

 returned to host the main ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...

 show, choosing to leave other projects, including his ongoing role as the host of Big Brother's Little Brother, in order to concentrate on The X Factor. Xtra Factor presenter Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton is an English television and radio presenter who is known for presenting a number of popular TV programmes such as Top of the Pops and the Red Nose Day telethon. In 2007, she became the first regular female presenter of BBC Radio 1's Chart Show...

 left after series 4, having presented for only one series, to be replaced by Holly Willoughby
Holly Willoughby
Holly Marie Willoughby is an English television presenter and model, known for her work in presenting children's TV and entertainment shows. In her early career she modelled underwear and went on to present CD:UK...

. Brian Friedman
Brian Friedman
Brian L. Friedman, is an American dancer and choreographer, and has created the choreography for many popular music artists - such as Britney Spears, Beyoncé Knowles and Mariah Carey - as well as for music videos, concert tours and television and film productions.-Early life:Friedman was born in...

 returned as choreographer and performance coach (billed as "Creative Director"), along with Yvie Burnett
Yvie Burnett
Yvie Burnett , is a Scottish mezzosoprano singer and vocal coach, best known for her work with Simon Cowell on television shows The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.-Education:...

 as vocal coach.

Categories and finalists

The final 12 were confirmed as follows.

Key:
– Winner
– Runner-up
– Third Place

Category (Mentor) | Acts
Boys (Simon Cowell) Scott Bruton Austin Drage Eoghan Quigg
Eoghan Quigg
Eoghan Quigg is an Irish pop singer and occasional actor from Dungiven in Northern Ireland, who finished third in the fifth series of the British television music talent contest The X Factor in 2008...

Over 25s (Dannii Minogue) Daniel Evans Rachel Hylton Ruth Lorenzo
Ruth Lorenzo
Ruth Lorenzo) is a Spanish singer notable for coming fifth in the fifth series of the British TV talent show The X Factor in 2008.Lorenzo's debut Single "Burn" entered the Spanish Singles Charts at number 16 when she released the single on the 27th of June 2011 in Spain...

Girls (Cheryl Cole) Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...

Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers is an English singer-songwriter, stage actress and fashion designer who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on the fifth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2008...

Laura White
Groups (Louis Walsh) Bad Lashes Girlband JLS

Live shows

The live shows began on 11 October 2008, and continued through to the finale on 13 December 2008. Leon Jackson
Leon Jackson
Leon Jackson is a Scottish singer-songwriter. He won the fourth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2007. Following his win, Jackson was the main star of his on-web series entitled Leon's Life, which ran from 2007 until 2008...

 performed on the first live show, promoting his second single "Don't Call This Love
Don't Call This Love
"Don't Call This Love" is a song by Scottish singer Leon Jackson, released on October 12, 2008 on CD Format and Digital Download. The song is taken from his debut album Right Now and is his second single release after his Christmas number one song "When You Believe" in 2007...

". Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...

 performed their new single, "The Promise
The Promise (Girls Aloud song)
"The Promise" is a pop song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their fifth studio album Out of Control . The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania...

", on the second show on 18 October. This became the first single from their fifth album Out of Control
Out of Control (Girls Aloud album)
Out of Control is the fifth studio album by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It was released in the United Kingdom on 3 November 2008 by Fascination Records. Like their previous albums, Out of Control was crafted by the production team of Brian Higgins and Xenomania...

, as announced by Cole at the X Factor launch in August. Will Young
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...

 performed his new song "Grace
Grace (Will Young song)
"Grace" is a pop song recorded by British singer Will Young and is the second single from his fourth studio album, Let It Go. The song was released on 22nd December 2008, and performed on The X Factor on the 8th November 2008, and subsequently on Children in Need 2008...

" on 1 November. Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...

 appeared on 8 November and performed her new single "I Stay in Love
I Stay in Love
"I Stay in Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her eleventh studio album, E=MC² . It was written by Carey, Bryan-Michael Cox, Adonis Shropshire and Kendrick Dean, and produced by the former two. "I Stay in Love" was released through Island Records on October 28,...

", plus a special version of "Hero
Hero (Mariah Carey song)
"Hero" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on October 19, 1993 by Columbia Records as the second single from Carey's third studio album, Music Box . Originally intended for Gloria Estefan, the song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...

" with 11 of the finalists (Diana Vickers was ill with laryngitis
Laryngitis
Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx. It causes hoarse voice or the complete loss of the voice because of irritation to the vocal folds . Dysphonia is the medical term for a vocal disorder, of which laryngitis is one cause....

 so could not perform). Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....

 appeared the week after and performed her new single "Run" from the deluxe edition of her album Spirit
Spirit (Leona Lewis album)
Spirit is the debut album by British singer Leona Lewis, released by Syco Music in November 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, followed by a worldwide release during early 2008...

. Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...

 performed on the 22 November show, as did series 4 third-place act Same Difference
Same Difference
Same Difference can refer to:* Same Difference, a British singing duo* Same Difference , an album by Swedish death metal band Entombed* Same Difference , a show which aired on Channel 4...

, who performed their debut single, and series 4 runner-up Rhydian Roberts
Rhydian Roberts
Rhydian James Roberts , popularly known as Rhydian, is a classically trained Welsh baritone and crossover artist. He rose to fame on The X Factor in 2007...

, who sang a track from his debut album. On the 29 November show, Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....

 performed her new song "7 Things" and Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...

 performed her new single "Womanizer
Womanizer (song)
"Womanizer" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on September 26, 2008 by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and co-written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of The Outsyders, the song had to be...

".

Boyzone
Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...

, Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...

 and Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

 were guests on the final show where they duetted with the finalists, with Knowles performing "Listen" with Alexandra Burke. Knowles also performed "If I Were a Boy
If I Were a Boy
"If I Were a Boy" is a pop song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was composed by Toby Gad and BC Jean. Jean initially recorded her version of the song which was rejected by Jean's record company. Knowles then recorded a new version for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...

" from her album I Am... Sasha Fierce.

An added twist for this series, confirmed on the first live show, was that acts in the bottom-two showdown sang a new song of their own choosing, rather than repeating the song they performed in the first part of the show (as was the case in previous series). As the series continued, some bloggers noticed a pattern emerging, that the acts performing early on are much more likely to feature in the "sing-off" to decide who will be eliminated.

Results summary

Colour key
– Contestant did not perform
– Contestant received the highest number of votes that week
– Contestant was in the bottom 2 and had to perform in the final showdown
– Contestant received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown)

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10
Round 1 Round 2
Alexandra Burke 6th
7.20%
7th
7.15%
6th
8.83%
6th
8.82%
2nd
18.35%
4th
13.31%
4th
14.97%
1st
24.53%
2nd
31.04%
1st
44.02%
Winner
58.34%
JLS 7th
5.03%
3rd
9.21%
4th
10.81%
2nd
17.00%
4th
13.26%
5th
9.91%
5th
11.75%
2nd
24.34%
1st
35.03%
2nd
30.65%
Runner-up
41.66%
Eoghan Quigg 1st
21.19%
1st
26.77%
1st
20.73%
1st
19.81%
1st
27.39%
2nd
19.56%
1st
31.79%
3rd
19.58%
3rd
21.14%
3rd
25.33%
Eliminated
(Week 10)
Diana Vickers 4th
7.35%
2nd
16.24%
2nd
15.13%
3rd
15.24%
Safe
N/A1
1st
31.30%
2nd
18.94%
4th
16.32%
4th
12.79%
Eliminated
(Week 9)
Ruth Lorenzo 10th
3.47%
10th
2.95%
5th
8.93%
5th
10.25%
7th
6.94%
3rd
13.91%
3rd
16.07%
5th
15.23%
Eliminated
(Week 8)
Rachel Hylton 8th
4.77%
8th
5.01%
3rd
12.21%
9th
3.81%
5th
10.39%
7th
4.48%
6th
6.48%
Eliminated
(Week 7)
Daniel Evans 5th
7.21%
6th
8.23%
9th
5.94%
4th
10.83%
3rd
13.77%
6th
7.53%
Eliminated
(Week 6)
Laura White 3rd
16.99%
4th
8.99%
7th
7.53%
7th
7.38%
6th
9.90%
Eliminated
(Week 5)
Austin Drage 9th
3.63%
5th
8.98%
8th
6.22%
8th
6.86%
Eliminated
(Week 4)
Scott Bruton 2nd
19.48%
9th
4.17%
10th
3.67%
Eliminated
(Week 3)
Girlband 11th
2.17%
11th
2.30%
Eliminated
(Week 2)
Bad Lashes 12th
1.51%
Eliminated
(Week 1)
Final showdown Bad Lashes,
Girlband
Girlband,
Ruth Lorenzo
Daniel Evans,
Scott Bruton
Austin Drage,
Rachel Hylton
Laura White,
Ruth Lorenzo
Daniel Evans,
Rachel Hylton
JLS,
Rachel Hylton
No final showdown/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who is eliminated.
Cowell's vote to eliminate Bad Lashes Ruth Lorenzo Daniel Evans Rachel Hylton Laura White Daniel Evans Rachel Hylton
Minogue's vote to eliminate Girlband Girlband Scott Bruton Austin Drage Laura White N/A 2 JLS
Cole's vote to eliminate Girlband Girlband Scott Bruton Austin Drage Ruth Lorenzo Daniel Evans Rachel Hylton
Walsh's vote to eliminate Bad Lashes Ruth Lorenzo Scott Bruton Austin Drage Laura White Daniel Evans Rachel Hylton
Eliminated Bad Lashes
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Girlband
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Scott Bruton
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Austin Drage
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Laura White
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Daniel Evans
3 of 3 votes
Majority
Rachel Hylton
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Ruth Lorenzo
15.23%
to save
Diana Vickers
12.79%
to save
Eoghan Quigg
25.33%
to win
JLS
41.66%
to win

58.34%
to win

Notes
  • 1 Diana Vickers was issued a bye in week five after suffering from laryngitis.
  • 2 Minogue did not need to vote because Walsh, Cole and Cowell had already all voted against Daniel Evans.


Percentages:

Week 1 (11 October 2008)

  • Theme: UK or US number-one singles
  • Celebrity guest: Leon Jackson
    Leon Jackson
    Leon Jackson is a Scottish singer-songwriter. He won the fourth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2007. Following his win, Jackson was the main star of his on-web series entitled Leon's Life, which ran from 2007 until 2008...

     ("Don't Call This Love
    Don't Call This Love
    "Don't Call This Love" is a song by Scottish singer Leon Jackson, released on October 12, 2008 on CD Format and Digital Download. The song is taken from his debut album Right Now and is his second single release after his Christmas number one song "When You Believe" in 2007...

    ")

Order Artist Song Result
1 Girlband "Venus" Bottom two
2 Austin Drage "Every Breath You Take
Every Breath You Take
"Every Breath You Take" is a song by The Police on the band's 1983 album Synchronicity, written by Sting and Andy Summers . The single was one of the biggest hits of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks and the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. It also topped the...

"
Safe
3 Daniel Evans "I Want To Know What Love Is
I Want to Know What Love Is
"I Want to Know What Love Is" is a 1984 power ballad recorded by the British-American rock band Foreigner. The song hit #1 in both the UK and the U.S. and is the band's biggest hit...

"
Safe
4 Alexandra Burke "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody " is the first single from Whitney Houston's second studio album Whitney. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden, and written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam of the band Boy Meets Girl, who had previously written the number-one Whitney Houston hit "How Will I...

"
Safe
5 JLS "I'll Make Love To You
I'll Make Love to You
"I'll Make Love to You" is a 1994 number-one hit single by R&B group Boyz II Men for the Motown label. The song, which was written by Babyface, was the lead single from their second album II. It was at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, from August 27 to November 26, 1994...

"
Safe
6 Scott Bruton "Yeh Yeh
Yeh Yeh
"Yeh Yeh" is a Latin soul tune that was written as an instrumental by Rodgers Grant and Pat Patrick and first recorded by Mongo Santamaría on his 1963 album Watermelon Man . Lyrics were written for it shortly thereafter by Jon Hendricks of the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. This version of...

"
Safe
7 Rachel Hylton "With Every Heartbeat
With Every Heartbeat
"With Every Heartbeat" is a song by Swedish recording artist Robyn with Swedish producer Kleerup. It was released on 30 July 2007 in the United Kingdom as the second single from the international edition of Robyn's self-titled fourth studio album, Robyn...

"
|Safe
8 Diana Vickers "With or Without You
With or Without You
"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, and was released as the album's first single on 21 March 1987...

"
Safe
9 Bad Lashes "It Must Have Been Love
It Must Have Been Love
"It Must Have Been Love" is a power ballad written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The ballad became the duo's 3rd #1 hit in the United States, and is one of their best-selling releases, leading the single to be certified gold in a number of countries.The song, included...

"
Bottom two
10 Eoghan Quigg "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...

"
Safe
11 Ruth Lorenzo "Take My Breath Away
Take My Breath Away
American pop singer Jessica Simpson covered "Take My Breath Away" and released it as the third single from the album In This Skin in 2004. Her version was produced by Billy Mann. Simpson chose to cover this song because she felt that it was the theme song of her relationship with her then husband,...

"
Safe
12 Laura White "Fallin'
Fallin'
"Fallin" is a song recorded, written, and produced by American recording artist Alicia Keys for her debut album, Songs in A Minor. Released to radio and music video outlets in 2001, it is generally considered her signature song. "Fallin'" became Keys' first number-one single in the United States...

"
Safe
Final Showdown Details
1 Girlband "That's What Friends Are For
That's What Friends Are For
"That's What Friends Are For" is a 1982 song written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager and introduced by Rod Stewart for the soundtrack of the film Night Shift.-Dionne Warwick cover:...

"
Safe
2 Bad Lashes "Wonderwall
Wonderwall (song)
"Wonderwall" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by the band's guitarist and main songwriter Noel Gallagher. The song was produced by Owen Morris and Gallagher for their second album, Morning Glory?...

"
Eliminated


Judges' votes to eliminate:
  • Cowell: Bad Lashes – Described both acts as "shocking".
  • Minogue: Girlband – Had no standout comment on either act.
  • Cole: Girlband – Had no standout comment on either act.
  • Walsh: Bad Lashes – Based on the fact that he couldn't pick between two of his own acts, he chose Bad Lashes to take it to a deadlock.


Notes:
  • As both acts received two votes from the judges, the result went to deadlock and was referred to the public vote. The act that received the fewest public votes was Bad Lashes who were duly eliminated from the show.

Week 2 (18 October 2008)

  • Theme: Michael Jackson
    Michael Jackson
    Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

     songs
  • Celebrity guest: Girls Aloud
    Girls Aloud
    Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...

     ("The Promise
    The Promise (Girls Aloud song)
    "The Promise" is a pop song performed by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their fifth studio album Out of Control . The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania...

    ")

Order Artist Song Result
1 Alexandra Burke "I'll Be There" Safe
2 Scott Bruton "She's Out of My Life
She's Out of My Life
"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by musical artist Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, Bahler stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera...

"
Safe
3 Ruth Lorenzo "I Just Can't Stop Loving You
I Just Can't Stop Loving You
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a popular ballad by singer Michael Jackson featuring a duet with Siedah Garrett. He created "Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu", a spanish version of the song. Written and composed by Jackson, it was originally intended to be a duet between Jackson and his woman of choice:...

"
Bottom two
4 Girlband "Heal the World
Heal the World
"Heal the World" is a song from Michael Jackson's hit album, Dangerous, released in 1991. The music video features children living in countries suffering from unrest, especially Burundi. It is also one of only a handful of Michael Jackson's videos not to feature Jackson himself, the others being...

"
Bottom two
5 Laura White "You Are Not Alone
You Are Not Alone
"You Are Not Alone", released on the 10th of August 1995, is the second single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory. The R&B ballad's composition has been attributed R. Kelly in response to difficult times in his personal life. He then forwarded a bare demo tape to Jackson, who liked the song and...

"
Safe
6 Austin Drage "Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...

"
Safe
7 Daniel Evans "One Day in Your Life
One Day in Your Life (Michael Jackson song)
"One Day in Your Life" is a song recorded by Michael Jackson for his 1975 album, Forever, Michael. and 1981 album, One Day in Your Life. Later released as a single in 1981 due to the strong buzz that generated from the sales of Jackson's hit 1979 album Off the Wall, even though Jackson released...

"
Safe
8 JLS "The Way You Make Me Feel
The Way You Make Me Feel
"The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Released by Epic Records in November 1987, it was the third single from Jackson's seventh studio album Bad. Written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones , the song is credited as being a pop and R&B...

"
Safe
9 Diana Vickers "Man in the Mirror
Man in the Mirror
"Man in the Mirror" is a song recorded by Michael Jackson and written and composed by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett. It peaked at number one in the United States when released as a single in January 1988 off his seventh solo album, Bad. It is one of Jackson's most critically acclaimed songs and...

"
Safe
10 Rachel Hylton "Dirty Diana
Dirty Diana
"Dirty Diana" is a song by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson that is featured on Jackson's seventh studio album, Bad. The song was released by Epic Records on April 18, 1988 as the fifth single from Bad. The song presented a harder rock sound similar to that of "Beat It" from...

"
Safe
11 Eoghan Quigg "Ben
Ben (song)
"Ben" is a song written by Don Black and composed by Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name . It was performed in the film by Lee Montgomery and by Michael Jackson over the closing credits. Jackson's single, recorded for the Motown label in 1972, spent one week at the top of the U.S. pop...

"
Safe
Final Showdown Details
1 Ruth Lorenzo "Purple Rain
Purple Rain (song)
"Purple Rain" is a power ballad by Prince and The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of rock, pop, gospel,...

"
Safe
2 Girlband "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" Eliminated


Judges' votes to eliminate:
  • Walsh: Ruth Lorenzo – Backing his own act, Girlband.
  • Cole: Girlband – Stating that Ruth had nailed her performance of Purple Rain.
  • Minogue: Girlband – Backing her own act, Ruth Lorenzo.
  • Cowell: Ruth Lorenzo – Taking it to deadlock as he wanted to give Girlband a second chance whereas he felt Ruth didn't "play to her strengths".


Notes:
  • The result again went to deadlock and Girlband were eliminated having received the fewest public votes. During the show, a mistake was made in one of the overlays and Ruth's number was briefly displayed incorrectly, meaning any calls to that number would not have registered a vote. After the show, viewers complained that they had dialled this incorrect number and could not get through to vote for Ruth, but ITV insisted the issue should not have made any difference to the overall result.

Week 3 (25 October 2008)

  • Theme: Big band
    Big band
    A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...

  • Celebrity guest: The 2008 Finalists ("Hero
    Hero (Mariah Carey song)
    "Hero" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on October 19, 1993 by Columbia Records as the second single from Carey's third studio album, Music Box . Originally intended for Gloria Estefan, the song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...

    ")

Order Artist Song Result
1 Scott Bruton "That's Life
That's Life (song)
"That's Life" is a popular song written by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon for Frank Sinatra, and released on his 1966 album of the same name. Both the album and the song proved major successes for Sinatra...

"
Bottom two
2 Daniel Evans "The Lady Is A Tramp
The Lady Is a Tramp
"The Lady Is a Tramp" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes In Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green. This song is a spoof of New York high society and its strict etiquette...

"
Bottom two
3 Laura White "God Bless the Child
God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday song)
"God Bless the Child" is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr. in 1939, first recorded on May 9, 1941 under the Okeh label.Holiday's version of the song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in...

"
Safe
4 Eoghan Quigg "L-O-V-E
L-O-V-E
"L-O-V-E" is a jazz song written by Bert Kaempfert and Milt Gabler for American singer-pianist Nat King Cole's 1965 album L-O-V-E...

"
Safe
5 Ruth Lorenzo "Summertime
Summertime (song)
"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP....

"
Safe
6 Alexandra Burke "Candyman
Candyman (Christina Aguilera song)
"Candyman" is a swing jazz song written by Christina Aguilera and Linda Perry for Aguilera's third studio album, Back to Basics. It was released as the album's third and final American single in early 2007. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at 2008 Grammy...

"
Safe
7 Austin Drage "Mack The Knife
Mack the Knife
"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife", originally "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their music drama Die Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera. It premiered in Berlin in 1928 at the...

"
Safe
8 JLS "Ain't That A Kick In The Head?
Ain't That A Kick In The Head?
Ain't That a Kick in the Head? is a song which was written in 1960 with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was first recorded on May 10, 1960 by Dean Martin, with conducting by Nelson Riddle...

"
Safe
9 Diana Vickers "Smile" Safe
10 Rachel Hylton "Feeling Good
Feeling Good
"Feeling Good" is a song written by English singer-songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd starring Cy Grant, who sang the original version of the song...

"
Safe
Final Showdown Details
1 Scott Bruton "I Can't Make You Love Me
I Can't Make You Love Me
"I Can't Make You Love Me" is a 1991 popular song, written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by Bonnie Raitt on her Luck of the Draw album from that year. In August 2000, Mojo magazine voted "I Can't Make You Love Me" #8 on its The 100 Greatest Songs Of All Time list...

"
Eliminated
2 Daniel Evans "To Where You Are
To Where You Are
"To Where You Are" is a song by American singer Josh Groban that appears on his 2001 debut album. It was written by Alan Menken, Richard Marx and Linda Thompson and produced by Richard Marx.-Commercial performance:...

"
Safe


Judges' votes to eliminate:
  • Cowell: Daniel Evans – Backing his own act, Scott Bruton.
  • Minogue: Scott Bruton – Backing her own act, Daniel Evans.
  • Cole: Scott Bruton – Felt the "belief and passion" in Daniel's performance.
  • Walsh: Scott Bruton – Commented that Daniel "sang every word like he meant it".

Week 4 (1 November 2008)

  • Theme: Disco
    Disco
    Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...

  • Celebrity guest: Will Young
    Will Young
    William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...

     ("Grace
    Grace (Will Young song)
    "Grace" is a pop song recorded by British singer Will Young and is the second single from his fourth studio album, Let It Go. The song was released on 22nd December 2008, and performed on The X Factor on the 8th November 2008, and subsequently on Children in Need 2008...

    ")

Order Artist Song Result
1 Rachel Hylton "Lost In Music" Bottom two
2 Austin Drage "Wishing on a Star
Wishing on a Star
"Wishing on a Star" is a 1978 hit single by Rose Royce for Whitfield Records.-Background:Included on their second album, Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom, "Wishing on a Star" is a slow ballad written by Billie Rae Calvin and produced by Norman Whitfield. The lyrics concern a woman longing for the...

"
Bottom two
3 Diana Vickers "Call Me
Call Me (Blondie song)
"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. Released in 1980, "Call Me" topped the singles charts in both the US and the UK ....

"
Safe
4 Daniel Evans "Don't Leave Me This Way
Don't Leave Me This Way
"Don't Leave Me This Way" is an R&B/soul/disco song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert. First charting as a hit for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, an act on Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label in 1975, "Don't Leave Me This Way" was later a hit single for both...

"
Safe
5 Laura White "Somebody Else's Guy
Somebody Else's Guy
"Somebody Else's Guy" is a song written and popularized by Jocelyn Brown in April 1984. In 1997, the song was covered by musician CeCe Peniston for her studio album I'm Movin' On....

"
Safe
6 Eoghan Quigg "Could It Be Magic
Could It Be Magic
"Could It Be Magic" is a song by Adrienne Anderson and Barry Manilow. It was included on Manilow's 1973 debut album, Barry Manilow.Due to its popularity, it was released as a single in 1975, two years after it had originally been recorded, where it reached #6 in the United States.Manilow's...

"
Safe
7 Ruth Lorenzo "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
No More Tears (Enough is Enough)
"No More Tears " is a duet from 1979 by Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand. While Summer was famous for her disco material and Streisand for her more easy listening and soundtrack work , this song fused both sounds with a slow beginning which then develops into a disco song...

"
Safe
8 Alexandra Burke "On The Radio
On the Radio (Donna Summer song)
"On the Radio" is a single by Donna Summer released in 1979 on the Casablanca record label. It was written for the soundtrack to the film Foxes and included on Summer's first international compilation album On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2. It was released as a single and became, in...

"
Safe
9 JLS Medley of "Working My Way Back To You
Working My Way Back To You
"Working My Way Back to You" is the debut single from Irish Boyband Boyzone. It was released in May 1994. The song reached #3 on the Irish Singles Chart. It is one of the few songs to feature Mikey Graham on lead vocals. The band recorded two versions the song, one of which was a collaboration with...

"/"Forgive Me Girl"
Safe
Final Showdown Details
1 Rachel Hylton "No More Drama" Safe
2 Austin Drage "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" Eliminated


Judges' votes to eliminate:
  • Cowell: Rachel Hylton – Backing his own act, Austin Drage.
  • Minogue: Austin Drage – Backing her own act, Rachel Hylton.
  • Cole: Austin Drage – Stated she was prepared to give Rachel a "moment to shine".
  • Walsh: Austin Drage – Said Rachel had more to give to the competition.

Week 5 (8 November 2008)

  • Theme: Mariah Carey
    Mariah Carey
    Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...

     songs
  • Celebrity guest: Mariah Carey
    Mariah Carey
    Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...

     ("I Stay in Love
    I Stay in Love
    "I Stay in Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her eleventh studio album, E=MC² . It was written by Carey, Bryan-Michael Cox, Adonis Shropshire and Kendrick Dean, and produced by the former two. "I Stay in Love" was released through Island Records on October 28,...

    "/"Hero
    Hero (Mariah Carey song)
    "Hero" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on October 19, 1993 by Columbia Records as the second single from Carey's third studio album, Music Box . Originally intended for Gloria Estefan, the song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...

    " Medley)

Order Artist Song Result
1 Eoghan Quigg "Anytime You Need a Friend
Anytime You Need a Friend
"Anytime You Need a Friend" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, for her third studio album, Music Box . It was released on May 31, 1994 through Columbia Records, as the fourth and final single from the album. The...

"
Safe
2 Ruth Lorenzo "My All
My All
"My All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly . It was released as the album's fourth and second commercial single on April 21, 1998 by Columbia Records. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...

"
Bottom two
3 Laura White "Endless Love
Endless Love (song)
"Endless Love" is a song written by Lionel Richie and originally recorded as a duet between Richie and fellow soul singer Diana Ross. In this ballad, the singers declare their "endless love" for one another. It was covered by soul singer Luther Vandross with R&B singer Mariah Carey and also by...

"
Bottom two
4 Rachel Hylton "Against All Odds
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
"Against All Odds " is a song by British singer Phil Collins recorded for soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It is a power ballad in which its protagonist implores an ex-lover to "take a look at me now", knowing that reconciliation is "against all odds" while considering it worth trying...

"
Safe
5 Diana Vickers N/A – see note below. Safe
6 JLS "One Sweet Day
One Sweet Day
"One Sweet Day" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men. The song was written by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and the members of Boyz II Men: Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris, and Michael McCary. "One Sweet Day" was produced by Carey and Afanasieff for...

"
Safe
7 Daniel Evans "Open Arms
Open Arms (Journey song)
"Open Arms" is a popular song originally recorded by American rock band Journey, and released as a single from their 1981 album, Escape. Co-written by band members Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain, the song is a power ballad whose lyrics are an empowering plea to a lover to forgive past wrongdoings...

"
Safe
8 Alexandra Burke "Without You" Safe
Final Showdown Details
1 Ruth Lorenzo "Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.-Story line and song structure:...

"
Safe
2 Laura White "Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...

"
Eliminated


Judges' votes to eliminate:
  • Cowell: Laura White – Commented that the girls "were not the worst singers of the night".
  • Minogue: Laura White – Backing her own act, Ruth Lorenzo.
  • Cole: Ruth Lorenzo – Backing her own act, Laura White.
  • Walsh: Laura White – Commented that Ruth was more of a fighter.


Notes:
  • Diana Vickers did not perform as she was suffering from laryngitis
    Laryngitis
    Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx. It causes hoarse voice or the complete loss of the voice because of irritation to the vocal folds . Dysphonia is the medical term for a vocal disorder, of which laryngitis is one cause....

    . The show's producers allowed her to go through to week six. It was the first time this had happened in the show's history. The producers of the show gave the following statement; "Diana Vickers did not perform on tonight's The X Factor on doctor's orders. Because of these exceptional circumstances producers have let her miss this week's show and she will return to the competition next week. All other artists supported this decision." Vickers had been due to perform "Always Be My Baby
    Always Be My Baby
    "Always Be My Baby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifth studio album, Daydream. It was released by Columbia Records on March 9, 1996 as the third US single and fourth overall. The song was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, who also produced the song...

    ".

Week 6 (15 November 2008)

  • Theme: British classics
  • Celebrity guest: Leona Lewis
    Leona Lewis
    Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....

     ("Run")

Order Artist Song Result
1 Daniel Evans "It's Not Unusual
It's Not Unusual
"It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones after having first been offered to Sandie Shaw. Jones recorded what was intended to be a demo for Shaw, but when she heard it she was so impressed with Jones' delivery that she declined the...

"
Bottom two
2 Alexandra Burke "You Are So Beautiful
You Are So Beautiful
"You Are So Beautiful" is a song written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. It was first recorded by Preston and made popular in a version by Joe Cocker....

"
Safe
3 JLS Medley of "I Want to Hold Your Hand
I Want to Hold Your Hand
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded in October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment....

"/"Twist and Shout
Twist and Shout
"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally titled "Shake It Up, Baby" and recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was covered by The Beatles with John Lennon on the lead vocals and originally released on their first album...

"/"Hey Jude
Hey Jude
"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song widely accepted as being written to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce—although this explanation is not...

"
Safe
4 Rachel Hylton "You Know I'm No Good
You Know I'm No Good
"You Know I'm No Good" a song by English recording artist Amy Winehouse, released as the second single from her second studio album, Back to Black. The track follows in the footsteps of Winehouse's previous singles of a mix of jazz and R&B with her soulful, raspy vocals and this time hip...

"
Bottom two
5 Eoghan Quigg "One More Try
One More Try (George Michael song)
"One More Try" is a U.S. number-one hit song written and performed by George Michael and released by Epic Records in 1988 as the fourth single from Faith.-History:...

"
Safe
6 Diana Vickers "Yellow
Yellow (song)
"Yellow" is a song by English alternative rock band Coldplay. The band wrote the song and co-produced it with British record producer Ken Nelson for their debut album, Parachutes...

"
Safe
7 Ruth Lorenzo "Angels" Safe
Final Showdown Details
1 Daniel Evans "Bridge over Troubled Water
Bridge over Troubled Water
Bridge Over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970 on both Quadraphonic and Stereo formats, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list...

"
Eliminated
2 Rachel Hylton "One
One (U2 song)
"One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, and it was released as the record's third single in March 1992. It was recorded at three recording studios, Hansa Ton Studios, Elsinore, and Windmill Lane Studios...

"
Safe

Judges' votes to eliminate:
  • Walsh: Daniel Evans – Had no standout comment on either performance, but had consistently criticised Daniel throughout the competition.
  • Cole: Daniel Evans – Stated that she had seen a spark back from Rachel this week.
  • Cowell: Daniel Evans – Commented that Rachel "threw it away" with her last performance and that he would have liked to see her perform with more passion, but sent home Daniel.
  • Minogue did not need to vote as there was already a majority.


Notes
  • During the week, ITV were uncertain if Diana would be able to perform due to her continued illness, and raised the question of whether she should be given another week off if she was still too sick to sing. It was, however, later confirmed that she would appear.
  • JLS performed their three songs as a medley.

Week 7 (22 November 2008)

  • Theme: Take That
    Take That
    Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...

     songs
  • Celebrity guests: Take That ("Greatest Day
    Greatest Day (Take That song)
    "Greatest Day" is the lead single taken from British pop group Take That's fifth studio album, The Circus.-Song information:"Greatest Day" was written by Take That themselves and was produced by John Shanks. The song was written and recorded at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill and was mixed in Los...

    "), Same Difference
    Same Difference
    Same Difference can refer to:* Same Difference, a British singing duo* Same Difference , an album by Swedish death metal band Entombed* Same Difference , a show which aired on Channel 4...

     ("We R One
    We R One
    "We R One" is the first and only single from British brother and sister duo Same Difference' debut studio album, Pop. The song was also the duo's debut single. The duo rose to fame when they came third place in the fourth series of ITV1 talent competition The X Factor...

    ") and Rhydian Roberts
    Rhydian Roberts
    Rhydian James Roberts , popularly known as Rhydian, is a classically trained Welsh baritone and crossover artist. He rose to fame on The X Factor in 2007...

     ("The Impossible Dream"
    The Impossible Dream (The Quest)
    "The Impossible Dream " is a popular song composed by Mitch Leigh, with lyrics written by Joe Darion. It was written for the 1965 musical Man of La Mancha...

    )

Order Artist Song Result
1 Alexandra Burke "Relight My Fire" Safe
2 Ruth Lorenzo "Love Ain't Here Anymore
Love Ain't Here Anymore
"Love Ain't Here Anymore" is a song by boyband Take That. Released on 17 May 1994, it was the sixth and final single taken from Take That's second album Everything Changes. It peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart, ending their string of consecutive number-one singles...

"
Safe
3 JLS "A Million Love Songs
A Million Love Songs
"A Million Love Songs" is the penultimate single released by Take That from their debut album and was written by lead vocalist Gary Barlow at the age of 15.-Song information:...

"
Bottom two
4 Rachel Hylton "Rule the World
Rule the World
"Rule the World" is the fifth single from Take That's fourth studio album Beautiful World. It was released in the UK on 21 October 2007 and as a CD single the following day.-Song information:...

"
Bottom two
5 Diana Vickers "Patience
Patience (Take That song)
"Patience" is a song by British boy band Take That. It was released on 13 November 2006 as the first single from their comeback album Beautiful World...

"
Safe
6 Eoghan Quigg "Never Forget" Safe
Final Showdown Details
1 JLS "Stand by Me
Stand by Me (song)
"Stand by Me" is the title of a song originally performed by Ben E. King and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, based on the spiritual "Lord Stand by Me,", plus two lines rooted in Psalms 46:2-3...

"/"Beautiful Girls
Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston song)
"Beautiful Girls" is a song by reggae-influenced musician Sean Kingston from his eponymous debut. The song samples Ben E. King's classic "Stand by Me" and uses digital pitch correction technology on the vocals. The song is about a boy who is suicidal over the failure of his relationship with a...

"
Safe
2 Rachel Hylton "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is a torch song from the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, with lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger...

"
Eliminated


Judges' votes to eliminate
  • Walsh: Rachel Hylton – Backing his own act, JLS.
  • Cole: Rachel Hylton – Stated that it had been the best Rachel had sung since the auditions, but said JLS would go further in the competition than Rachel.
  • Minogue: JLS – Backing her own act, Rachel Hylton.
  • Cowell: Rachel Hylton – Stated that this was the third time Rachel was in the bottom two and that JLS shouldn't have been in the final showdown.


Notes
  • JLS had previously been rehearsing to sing "Rule the World", with the approval of their mentor, Louis Walsh. Contrary to this, Dannii Minogue, who had higher priority in the judges' song-selection rota, selected the song for her artist Rachel Hylton to sing. This led to an on-screen argument between Minogue and Walsh.

  • Take That's performance was pre-recorded due to show timing constraints. Same Difference and Rhydian Roberts both performed live in the results show, though Same Difference lip-synched their performance to a backing track because of their highly choreographed dance routine.

Week 8 (29 November 2008)

  • Themes: Britney Spears
    Britney Spears
    Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...

     songs; American classics
  • Celebrity guests: Britney Spears
    Britney Spears
    Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...

     ("Womanizer
    Womanizer (song)
    "Womanizer" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on September 26, 2008 by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and co-written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of The Outsyders, the song had to be...

    "), Miley Cyrus
    Miley Cyrus
    Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....

     ("7 Things
    7 Things
    "7 Things" is a pop rock song performed by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. The song was co-written by Cyrus, Antonina Armato, and Tim James and produced by John Fields. It was released on June 17, 2008 by Hollywood Records as the lead single of the Cyrus' second album Breakout...

    ")

Order Artist Britney Spears song Order American classic Result
1 Ruth Lorenzo "I Love Rock 'n' Roll
I Love Rock 'n' Roll
"I Love Rock 'n Roll" is a rock song written in 1975 by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of Arrows, who recorded the first released version. The song was later made famous by the hit version recorded by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in 1981....

"
6 "Always
Always (Bon Jovi song)
"Always" is a power ballad by Bon Jovi. It was released as a single from their 1994 album, Cross Road and went on to become their best selling single, with 1.5 million copies sold in the U.S. and more than 3 million worldwide. The song reached #4 in the U.S...

"
Eliminated
2 JLS "...Baby One More Time
...Baby One More Time (song)
"...Baby One More Time" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. It served as Spears' debut single from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . Written by Max Martin and produced by Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, "...Baby One More Time" was released on September 30, 1998,...

"
7 "You Light Up My Life
You Light Up My Life (song)
Many artists have covered "You Light Up My Life" since 1977. The following year, Johnny Mathis recorded and named his album after the song. LeAnn Rimes released her version as a single in 1997, 20 years after Boone's version was released and on the same record label . Her version fared modestly...

"
Safe
3 Alexandra Burke "Toxic
Toxic (song)
"Toxic" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, co-written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, from her fourth album, In the Zone. It was released on January 12, 2004, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. After trying to choose between " Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to...

"
8 "Listen" Safe
4 Eoghan Quigg "Sometimes
Sometimes (Britney Spears song)
"Sometimes" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album ...Baby One More Time . Written by Jörgen Elofsson and produced by Per Magnusson and David Krueger, the song was released as Spears' second single on April 30, 1999 by Jive Records...

"
9 "We're All In This Together
High School Musical (soundtrack)
* Are not on the first disc of the two-disc special edition version. ** Drew Seeley sang in several of the songs, his voice being mixed with Zac Efron's...

"
Safe
5 Diana Vickers "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman
I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman
"I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written by Dido, with additional writing and song production by Max Martin and Rami Yacoub for Spears' third studio album, Britney . It was released on February 5, 2002 by Jive Records, as the...

"
10 "Everybody Hurts
Everybody Hurts
"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 on the French Singles Chart.-History:Much of the song was written by...

"
Safe


Notes
  • This week, there was no final showdown or judges' vote; the act that received the fewest public votes was automatically eliminated. Each act also performed twice, with voting open after all acts performed once.

  • Despite a live performance by Britney Spears, the Miley Cyrus performance was recorded before the main live broadcast due to her tight schedule.

Week 9 (6 December 2008)

  • Themes: Mentor's choice; contestant's choice
  • Celebrity guest: Il Divo
    Il Divo
    Il Divo is a multinational operatic pop vocal group created by music manager, executive, and reality TV star Simon Cowell. Formed in the United Kingdom, they are also signed to Cowell's record label, Syco Music...

     ("Amazing Grace
    Amazing Grace
    "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...

    ")

Order Artist Mentor's choice Order Contestant's choice Result
1 Eoghan Quigg "Year 3000
Year 3000
"Year 3000" is a pop punk song performed by English boyband Busted, released as the second single from their debut album Busted. The song was co-written by Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones from the band McFly, and Busted lead guitarist James Bourne...

"
5 "Does Your Mother Know?
Does Your Mother Know
"Does Your Mother Know", originally "I Can Do It", is the name of a song recorded in 1979 by Swedish pop group ABBA and was the second single to be released from their album Voulez-Vous. The B-side was "Kisses of Fire", also taken from the album.-History:...

"
Safe
2 Diana Vickers "Girlfriend
Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne song)
"Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. The song was written by Lavigne with her producer Dr. Luke for Lavigne's third studio album, The Best Damn Thing . "Girlfriend" was released as the lead single from The Best Damn Thing on 27 February 2007...

"
6 "White Flag
White Flag (song)
"White Flag" is a song by English singer-songwriter Dido, released as the lead single from her second album Life for Rent on 1 September 2003. "White Flag" is the biggest hit of Dido's career. It is considered one of her signature songs, and helped Life for Rent sell over ten million copies worldwide...

"
Eliminated
3 Alexandra Burke "Don't Stop the Music
Don't Stop the Music (Rihanna song)
"Don't Stop the Music" is a dance-pop song performed by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad. It was the third single from the album in most of Europe, the second single in Germany and Spain and the fourth single in the rest of the world...

"
7 "Un-Break My Heart
Un-Break My Heart
"Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American recording artist Toni Braxton from her second studio album, Secrets . Written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, the ballad was released as the album's second single...

"
Safe
4 JLS "Umbrella
Umbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...

"
8 "I'm Already There
I'm Already There (song)
"I'm Already There" is the title of a song recorded by American country music band Lonestar, written by lead singer Richie McDonald along with Gary Baker and Frank J. Myers. It was released in March 2001 as the lead-off single to the band's fifth album, I'm Already There. It spent six weeks at the...

"
Safe

Week 10 (Final, 13 December 2008)

  • Themes: Christmas songs
    Christmas music
    Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...

    ; a duet with a celebrity guest; previously performed favourite; the winner's song, "Hallelujah"
  • Celebrity guests: Beyoncé Knowles
    Beyoncé Knowles
    Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

     ("If I Were a Boy
    If I Were a Boy
    "If I Were a Boy" is a pop song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was composed by Toby Gad and BC Jean. Jean initially recorded her version of the song which was rejected by Jean's record company. Knowles then recorded a new version for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...

    "), Boyzone
    Boyzone
    Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...

     and Westlife
    Westlife
    Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...

  • Group performances: "I Have a Dream" (The Auditionees), "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
    Ain't No Mountain High Enough
    "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is an R&B/soul song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes...

    " (The Finalists)

Order Artist Christmas song Celebrity duet Contestant's favourite Winner's song Result
1 Eoghan Quigg
Eoghan Quigg
Eoghan Quigg is an Irish pop singer and occasional actor from Dungiven in Northern Ireland, who finished third in the fifth series of the British television music talent contest The X Factor in 2008...

 
"I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
"I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" is a popular Christmas song, first released in 1973 by the English glam rock band Wizzard.It reached number four in the UK singles chart. The song was famously beaten to Christmas number one by Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" which remained there for nine...

"
"Picture of You" duet with Boyzone "We're All In This Together
High School Musical (soundtrack)
* Are not on the first disc of the two-disc special edition version. ** Drew Seeley sang in several of the songs, his voice being mixed with Zac Efron's...

"
N/A – eliminated after third performance Third place
2 JLS  "Last Christmas
Last Christmas
"Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1984, on a double A-side with "Everything She Wants". It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo...

"
"Flying Without Wings
Flying Without Wings
"Flying Without Wings" is a song released by Irish boyband Westlife from their self-titled debut album.-Background:The song became an instant hit in the United Kingdom and many parts of the world. The song became the group's third UK number 1 single, spending 13 weeks on charts. It is also one of...

" duet with Westlife
"I'm Already There
I'm Already There (song)
"I'm Already There" is the title of a song recorded by American country music band Lonestar, written by lead singer Richie McDonald along with Gary Baker and Frank J. Myers. It was released in March 2001 as the lead-off single to the band's fifth album, I'm Already There. It spent six weeks at the...

"
"Hallelujah" Runner-up
3 Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...

 
"Silent Night
Silent Night
"Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber...

"
"Listen" duet with Beyoncé "You Are So Beautiful
You Are So Beautiful
"You Are So Beautiful" is a song written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. It was first recorded by Preston and made popular in a version by Joe Cocker....

"
"Hallelujah" Winner

Voting details

On the final Xtra Factor broadcast of the series, shortly after the winner was announced on the main show, presenter Holly Willoughby announced the contestants who received the most votes from the public for each of the 10 live shows. Also the official website published the official percentages of votes per week. Eoghan Quigg had the most with 6. See the results summary for details.

The total number of votes cast for the entire series was 16,469,064.

Ratings

Viewing figures for series 5 were, at the time of airing, the highest ever for any X Factor series, about 20% up on the previous series. This, however, was beaten by the 2009 series
The X Factor (UK series 6)
The sixth series of British television music competition The X Factor started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back...

.

The first show of the series had the highest launch audience for any series, peaking with over 12 million viewers. The entire Auditions phase officially averaged 9.9m, a rise of 1.2m over the previous series.

The Bootcamp episodes performed well in the ratings; although the Saturday episode was beaten for the first time by Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...

, the Sunday episode restored the balance. The Saturday Judges' houses episode had the highest audience since the opening show, and the Sunday episode had a lower rating but still exceeded that of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...

. The entire Bootcamp and Judges' houses phase officially averaged 9.8m, a rise of 2.5m over the previous series.

The X Factors live shows pulled in very strong audiences, often rating as the most watched programme of the week. The final was the second most watched television programme of 2008 with 14.06m.

Series 5 of The X Factor officially averaged 10.5m, at the time becoming the most watched British talent series of the 21st century.
Show Date Overnight rating Share Peak Official rating Weekly Rank Source
Auditions 1 16 August 10.2m 48.2% 12.1m 10.78m #1
Auditions 2 23 August 9.4m 45.4% 10.9m 10.10m #1
Auditions 3 30 August 8.2m 43.5% 9.8m 8.80m #2
Auditions 4 6 September 9.0m 42.8% 10.5m 9.57m #1
Auditions 5 13 September 9.4m 43.2% 10.4m 9.96m #1
Auditions 6 20 September 9.3m 41.7% 10.5m 10.01m #1
Bootcamp 1 27 September 8.2m 36.0% 9.3m 8.94m #6
Bootcamp 2 28 September 8.9m 38.1% 9.8m 9.47m #1
Judges' houses 1 4 October 9.8m 40.5% 11.0m 10.84m #1
Judges' houses 2 5 October 9.5m 42.7% 11.4m 10.11m #3
Live show 1 11 October 10.4m 44.1% 11.3m 11.09m #1
Results 1 8.0m 40.8% 9.2m 9.05m #7
Live show 2 18 October 9.3m 38.5% 10.9m 10.21m #3
Results 2 7.9m 39.7% 9.1m 9.13m #9
Live show 3 25 October 9.7m 39.7% 10.8m 10.37m #2
Results 3 7.7m 38.0% 8.7m 8.89m #10
Live show 4 1 November 10.9m 43.3% 12.1m 11.65m #1
Results 4 8.5m 37.6% 9.8m 9.72m #6
Live show 5 8 November 10.2m 42.6% 11.2m 10.72m #2
Results 5 8.3m 35.6% 10.0m 9.46m #7
Live show 6 15 November 10.6m 43.5% 11.8m 11.28m #1
Results 6 9.5m 42.9% 10.5m 10.62m #2
Live show 7 22 November 10.6m 43.2% 12.2m 11.77m #1
Results 7 9.2m 41.1% 10.0m 9.98m #6
Live show 8 29 November 11.9m 46.0% 12.8m 12.67m #1
Results 8 10.7m 50.0% 11.3m 11.41m #2
Semi Final 6 December 9.7m 39.1% 11.6m 10.30m #3
Semi Final Results 9.8m 39.6% 11.2m 10.60m #2
Final Performances 13 December 13.2m 50.3% 14.6m 13.77m #2
Final Results 13.5m 54.4% 14.6m 14.06m #1
Series average 2008 9.7m 42.4% 11.0m 10.51m

Heroes: Help for Heroes performance

The twelve finalists together recorded a cover version of Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...

's 1993 hit "Hero
Hero (Mariah Carey song)
"Hero" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on October 19, 1993 by Columbia Records as the second single from Carey's third studio album, Music Box . Originally intended for Gloria Estefan, the song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...

" in support of the Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes is a British charity launched on 1 October 2007 to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women wounded since September 11, 2001. It was founded by Bryn Parry OBE and his wife Emma Parry OBE after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham...

charity. The single was available for download from 25 October 2008, after the finalists performed the song live on that night's show. It was released in stores on 27 October, and Simon Cowell predicted it "will go straight to the top of the charts". In the first week of its release it went straight to number 1 and sold 313,244 copies, more than the rest of the top ten combined.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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