| The X Factor | |
|---|---|
| Series 1 | |
| Presented by | Kate Thornton (ITV) Ben Shephard (ITV2) |
| Judges | |
| Winner | Steve Brookstein |
| Winning mentor | Simon Cowell |
| Runner-up | G4 |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Original release | 4 September – 11 December 2004 |
| Series chronology | |
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.