The X Factor (British TV series) series 5

The X Factor
Series 5
Burke during her All Night Long Tour in 2011.
Hosted byDermot O'Leary (ITV)
Holly Willoughby(ITV2)
Judges
WinnerAlexandra Burke
Winning mentorCheryl Cole
Runner-upJLS
Release
Original network
Original release16 August (2008-08-16) –
13 December 2008 (2008-12-13)
Series chronology
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Series 4
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Series 6
List of episodes

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The fifth series was broadcast on ITV from 16 August 2008 until 13 December 2008. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV, while Fearne Cotton was replaced by Holly Willoughby as presenter of spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, and Dannii Minogue returned to the judging panel. Sharon Osbourne left after four series and was replaced by Cheryl Cole. The series was won by Alexandra Burke, with Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April and 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[1] people auditioning. A number of well-established music acts from around the world, such as Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Girls Aloud, Take That, Il Divo, and series 3 winner Leona Lewis, 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, was released for digital download on 14 December 2008, with the physical format following on 17 December. It was later announced that her single had become the fastest-selling X Factor single at that time.

It was during auditions for the fifth series of the show that viewers were introduced to two teenagers: 15-year-old Jade Thirlwall, who would form one quarter of the winning act of series eight, Little Mix, and 14-year-old Liam Payne, who would become a member of boy band One Direction, formed in the seventh series.

  1. ^ Singh, Anita (11 August 2008). "X Factor's Dannii Minogue says she 'won't miss' Sharon Osbourne". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.