| The X Factor | |
|---|---|
| Series 7 | |
_series_7&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Matt_Cardle,_HMV_Stockport_(Cropped).jpg) Cardle in Stockport promoting the release of The Fire. | |
| Hosted by | Dermot O'Leary (ITV) Konnie Huq (ITV2) |
| Judges |
|
| Winner | Matt Cardle |
| Winning mentor | Dannii Minogue |
| Runner-up | Rebecca Ferguson |
| Finals venue | The Fountain Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Original release | 21 August – 12 December 2010 |
| Series chronology | |
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The series saw the creation of boyband One Direction, five boys who entered the competition as soloists. The winner of the series was Matt Cardle.[1] He was mentored throughout the show by Dannii Minogue. After the victory, he released his debut single "When We Collide". A total of 15,448,019 votes were cast throughout the series. It was presented by Dermot O'Leary, with spin-off show The Xtra Factor presented by Konnie Huq on ITV2, who took over from Holly Willoughby.
The competition was split into several stages: auditions, bootcamp, judges' houses and live shows. Auditions took place throughout June and July 2010, with Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole returning as judges. Minogue missed the auditions and bootcamp due to being on maternity leave, so Geri Halliwell, Natalie Imbruglia, Katy Perry, Pixie Lott and Nicole Scherzinger were brought in as guest judges. Cole missed the auditions in Manchester and bootcamp because she had malaria. Following bootcamp, successful acts were split into four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 28s and Groups. Minogue and Cole returned for the judges' houses stage, and each judge mentored eight acts through judges' houses. The live shows started on 9 October 2010. Four acts initially eliminated at judges' houses were brought back as wildcards, making this series the first to have 16 acts perform in the live shows.
This was the first series of the show to be filmed in high definition, and was broadcast on ITV1 HD and STV HD. From October, The Xtra Factor was also shown in high definition, broadcast on the new channel ITV2 HD.[2] It was sponsored by TalkTalk in the United Kingdom and Domino's Pizza in Ireland.
This series proved to be highly controversial, with many people complaining about the use of pitch correction software on the broadcast of contestants' auditions, the decision to form two groups out of rejected soloists at bootcamp, the rejection of popular contestant Gamu Nhengu at judges' houses, Cole abstaining to vote against one of her own acts she mentored in week 5 of the live shows and having a final showdown in the semi-final. Controversy also surrounded contestants Shirlena Johnson, who was axed over fears for her mental health, and Treyc Cohen, who was reported to already have a record deal when the live shows started. There were also accusations of fixing, which were denied by the show's producers. Despite the controversies, this series was the most watched series to date, with an average of 14.13 million viewers per episode. The final was watched by 17.71 million people, making it the highest rated television episode of 2010, and the entire decade, in the UK. The season tended to occupy a 7.30 PM timeslot.[3]
- ^ "X Factor winner Matt Cardle hailed by his Essex family". BBC News. 13 December 2010. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ Noah, Sherna (3 August 2010). "ITV to launch digital channels in HD". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ X FACTOR SEASON 7 EPISODE 2, archived from the original on 18 July 2022, retrieved 18 July 2022