ITV 'axes' X Factor reboot after months of talks despite Simon Cowell being 'incredibly keen' to bring it back

ITV has quietly killed off the long-awaited X Factor revival, deciding the show's era of commanding 19 million viewers is simply too far gone to recreate. An insider says bosses concluded 'the days of these types of shows getting tens of millions of viewers are long gone' and that production costs and welfare reforms make a return unworkable right now.

Simon Cowell's rights to the format are held jointly with distributor Fremantle, but ITV holds the broadcast veto.

Former contestants Lucy Spraggan and Jahmène Douglas warned the show's duty-of-care process would need a 'fundamental overhaul' before any return.