The X Factor (UK series 5)
| The X Factor | |
|---|---|
| Series 5 | |
| Broadcast from | 16 August – 13 December 2008 |
| Judges |
Simon Cowell Dannii Minogue Cheryl Louis Walsh |
| Presenter(s) | Dermot O'Leary (ITV1) |
| Co-presenter(s) | Holly Willoughby (ITV2) |
| Broadcaster |
ITV ITV2 (The Xtra Factor) |
| Winner | |
| Alexandra Burke | |
|
Burke during her All Night Long Tour in 2011. | |
| Origin | Islington, London, England |
| Song | "Hallelujah" |
| Genre(s) | R&B, pop, soul |
| Mentor | Cheryl |
| Runner-up | |
| JLS | |
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 fifth series was won by Alexandra Burke, with Cole 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[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 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.
It was during auditions for the fifth series of the show that viewers were introduced to 15-year-old Jade Thirlwall, who in series eight would form one quarter of the winning act that year, Little Mix.[2] The fifth series also introduced 14-year-old Liam Payne who became a member of successful boy band One Direction, formed in series seven.
Judges, presenters and other personnel
In February 2008, it was reported that Sharon Osbourne would not return as a judge for series 5.[3] On 6 June, six days before filming was due to begin at the London auditions, ITV announced Osbourne's departure from the show.[4][5] 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.[5] When interviewed by Chris Moyles on BBC Radio 1, Osbourne said that it was "the best four years of [her] life" but felt that it was "time to move on."[6] She later revealed that Minogue 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 Minogue.[7]
Much media coverage and speculation surrounded the question of who would replace Osbourne. Spice Girls singer Mel B revealed on 16 September 2008 in an interview for New! Magazine that she, among others, was approached by Cowell as a possible replacement.[8] However, on 10 June 2008, four days after Osbourne's departure, ITV confirmed that Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole was the new judge and Osbourne's replacement for series 5. 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."[9] Cowell is reported by Minogue to feel that Cole's voiced opinions are something "which he loves".[9]
Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main ITV show, choosing to leave other projects, including his ongoing role as the host of Big Brother's Little Brother, to concentrate on The X Factor.[10] The Xtra Factor presenter Fearne Cotton left after series 4, having presented for only one series, to be replaced by Holly Willoughby.[11] Brian Friedman returned as choreographer and performance coach (billed as "Creative Director"), along with Yvie Burnett as vocal coach.
Selection process
Auditions
A reported "record-breaking" 182,000 applied for series 5,[1][12] with filming for auditions in front of judges taking place in June/July 2008. Auditions were held in the cities of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, and Glasgow.[13]
Due to her commitments with Australia's Got Talent, Minogue was absent from some of the auditions in Birmingham and Cardiff, but was not replaced.
Bootcamp
As in series 4, all four judges worked together at the bootcamp stage of the competition. This took place at indigO2 at The O2 in Greenwich, London on 4 August 2008, and was televised in two episodes on 27 and 28 September 2008.[14][15] Contestants are said to have stayed in a nearby hotel in Blackheath.[15]
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. Cowell was given the Boys, Walsh the Groups, Minogue the Over 25s and Cole took charge of the Girls.
Judges' houses
This round was filmed in late August/early September and was broadcast over two shows on 4 and 5 October. As in previous years, the judges welcomed the six acts from their selected category to their "homes".[16] Each act had only one chance to impress their mentor who, along with a guest judge, had the task of selecting which three acts were to go through to the live shows and which three would be eliminated. For her guest judge, Minogue chose former Spice Girls member and successful solo artist Emma Bunton. Cole chose her fellow Girls Aloud member Kimberly Walsh, Cowell chose singer Sinitta and Walsh chose Shane Filan from Westlife.
| Judge | Category | Location | Assistant | Contestants eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole | Girls | Cannes | Kimberley Walsh | Annastasia Baker, Hannah Bradbeer, Amy Connelly |
| Cowell | Boys | Barbados | Sinitta | Mali-Michael McCalla, Liam Payne, Alan Turner |
| Minogue | Over 25s | Saint-Tropez | Emma Bunton | Suzie Furlonger, Louise Heatly, James Williams |
| Walsh | Groups | Castle Leslie, Ireland | Shane Filan | 4Instinct, Desire, Priority |
Categories and finalists
Key:
- – Winner
- – Runner-up
- – Third place
| Category (mentor) | Acts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys (Cowell) | Scott Bruton | Austin Drage | Eoghan Quigg |
| Girls (Cole) | Alexandra Burke | Diana Vickers | Laura White |
| Over 25s (Minogue) | Daniel Evans | Rachel Hylton | Ruth Lorenzo |
| Groups (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. 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).
Musical guests
Leon Jackson performed on the first live show, promoting his second single "Don't Call This Love". Girls Aloud performed their new single, "The Promise", on the second show on 18 October. This became the first single from their fifth album Out of Control, as announced by Cole at the X Factor launch in August. Will Young performed his new song "Grace" on 1 November. Mariah Carey appeared on 8 November and performed her new single "I Stay in Love", plus a special version of "Hero" with 11 of the finalists (Diana Vickers was ill with laryngitis so could not perform). Leona Lewis appeared the week after and performed her new single "Run" from the deluxe edition of her album Spirit. Take That performed on 22 November show, as did series 4 third-place act Same Difference, who performed their debut single, and series 4 runner-up Rhydian Roberts, who sang a track from his debut album.[17] On 29 November show, Britney Spears performed her new single "Womanizer".
Boyzone, Westlife and Beyoncé Knowles 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" from her album I Am... Sasha Fierce.
Results summary
- Colour key
| – | Contestant was in the bottom two and had to sing again in the final showdown |
| – | Contestant received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown) |
| – | Contestant received the most public votes |
| Contestant | 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% |
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, Lorenzo |
Bruton, Evans |
Drage, Hylton |
Lorenzo, White |
Evans, Hylton |
Hylton, JLS |
No final showdown or judges' votes: results were based on public votes alone | |||
| Walsh's vote to eliminate | Bad Lashes | Lorenzo | Bruton | Drage | White | Evans | Hylton | ||||
| Minogue's vote to eliminate | Girlband | Girlband | Bruton | Drage | White | N/A2 | JLS | ||||
| Cole's vote to eliminate | Girlband | Girlband | Bruton | Drage | Lorenzo | Evans | Hylton | ||||
| Cowell's vote to eliminate | Bad Lashes | Lorenzo | Evans | Hylton | White | Evans | 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 |
^1 Due to illness, Diana Vickers did not perform and was automatically put through to the next week.
^2 Minogue was not required to vote as there was already a majority.
Live show details
Week 1 (11 October)
- Theme: UK or US number-one singles
- Musical guest: Leon Jackson ("Don't Call This Love")
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girlband | 1 | "Venus" | Bottom two |
| Austin Drage | 2 | "Every Breath You Take" | Safe |
| Daniel Evans | 3 | "I Want to Know What Love Is" | Safe |
| Alexandra Burke | 4 | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" | Safe |
| JLS | 5 | "I'll Make Love to You" | Safe |
| Scott Bruton | 6 | "Yeh Yeh" | Safe |
| Rachel Hylton | 7 | "With Every Heartbeat" | Safe |
| Diana Vickers | 8 | "With or Without You" | Safe |
| Bad Lashes | 9 | "It Must Have Been Love" | Bottom two |
| Eoghan Quigg | 10 | "Imagine" | Safe |
| Ruth Lorenzo | 11 | "Take My Breath Away" | Safe |
| Laura White | 12 | "Fallin'" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Girlband | 1 | "That's What Friends Are For" | Safe |
| Bad Lashes | 2 | "Wonderwall" | Eliminated |
- Judges' votes to eliminate
- Cowell: Bad Lashes – gave no reason but described both acts as "shocking"
- Minogue: Girlband – gave no reason
- Cole: Girlband – gave no reason
- Walsh: Bad Lashes – unable to pick between two of his own acts and chose Bad Lashes to take it to a deadlock
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result was deadlocked and reverted to the earlier public vote. Bad Lashes were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.
Week 2 (18 October)
- Theme: Michael Jackson
- Musical guest: Girls Aloud ("The Promise")
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Burke | 1 | "I'll Be There" | Safe |
| Scott Bruton | 2 | "She's Out of My Life" | Safe |
| Ruth Lorenzo | 3 | "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" | Bottom two |
| Girlband | 4 | "Heal the World" | Bottom two |
| Laura White | 5 | "You Are Not Alone" | Safe |
| Austin Drage | 6 | "Billie Jean" | Safe |
| Daniel Evans | 7 | "One Day in Your Life" | Safe |
| JLS | 8 | "The Way You Make Me Feel" | Safe |
| Diana Vickers | 9 | "Man in the Mirror" | Safe |
| Rachel Hylton | 10 | "Dirty Diana" | Safe |
| Eoghan Quigg | 11 | "Ben" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Ruth Lorenzo | 1 | "Purple Rain" | Safe |
| Girlband | 2 | "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" | Eliminated |
- Judges' votes to eliminate
- Walsh: Ruth Lorenzo – backed his own act, Girlband
- Cole: Girlband – based on the final showdown performances
- Minogue: Girlband – backed her own act, Ruth Lorenzo
- Cowell: Ruth Lorenzo – decided to take it to deadlock as he wanted to give Girlband a second chance whereas he felt Lorenzo didn't "play to her strengths"
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result was deadlocked and reverted to the earlier public vote. Girlband were eliminated as the act with 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.[19]
Week 3 (25 October)
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Bruton | 1 | "That's Life" | Bottom two |
| Daniel Evans | 2 | "The Lady Is a Tramp" | Bottom two |
| Laura White | 3 | "God Bless the Child" | Safe |
| Eoghan Quigg | 4 | "L-O-V-E" | Safe |
| Ruth Lorenzo | 5 | "Summertime" | Safe |
| Alexandra Burke | 6 | "Candyman" | Safe |
| Austin Drage | 7 | "Mack the Knife" | Safe |
| JLS | 8 | "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" | Safe |
| Diana Vickers | 9 | "Smile" | Safe |
| Rachel Hylton | 10 | "Feeling Good" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Scott Bruton | 1 | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | Eliminated |
| Daniel Evans | 2 | "To Where You Are" | Safe |
- Judges' votes to eliminate
- Cowell: Daniel Evans – backed his own act, Scott Bruton
- Minogue: Scott Bruton – backed her own act, Daniel Evans, though stated he sang the best in the sing off
- Cole: Scott Bruton – said that she felt the "belief and passion" in Evans' performance
- Walsh: Scott Bruton – commented that Evans "sang every word like he meant it"
Week 4 (1 November)
- Theme: Disco
- Musical guest: Will Young ("Grace")
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Hylton | 1 | "Lost in Music" | Bottom two |
| Austin Drage | 2 | "Wishing on a Star" | Bottom two |
| Diana Vickers | 3 | "Call Me" | Safe |
| Daniel Evans | 4 | "Don't Leave Me This Way" | Safe |
| Laura White | 5 | "Somebody Else's Guy" | Safe |
| Eoghan Quigg | 6 | "Could It Be Magic" | Safe |
| Ruth Lorenzo | 7 | "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" | Safe |
| Alexandra Burke | 8 | "On The Radio" | Safe |
| JLS | 9 | "Working My Way Back To You" / "Forgive Me Girl" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Rachel Hylton | 1 | "No More Drama" | Safe |
| Austin Drage | 2 | "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" | Eliminated |
- Judges' votes to eliminate
- Cowell: Rachel Hylton – backed his own act, Austin Drage
- Minogue: Austin Drage – backed her own act, Rachel Hylton
- Cole: Austin Drage – stated she was prepared to give Hylton a "moment to shine"
- Walsh: Austin Drage – said Hylton had more to give to the competition
Week 5 (8 November)
- Theme: Mariah Carey
- Musical guest: Mariah Carey ("I Stay in Love" / "Hero")
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eoghan Quigg | 1 | "Anytime You Need a Friend" | Safe |
| Ruth Lorenzo | 2 | "My All" | Bottom two |
| Laura White | 3 | "Endless Love" | Bottom two |
| Rachel Hylton | 4 | "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" | Safe |
| Diana Vickers | 5 | Did not perform | Given bye |
| JLS | 6 | "One Sweet Day" | Safe |
| Daniel Evans | 7 | "Open Arms" | Safe |
| Alexandra Burke | 8 | "Without You" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Ruth Lorenzo | 1 | "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" | Safe |
| Laura White | 2 | "Over the Rainbow" | Eliminated |
Due to illness, Diana Vickers did not perform and was automatically put through to the next week. She was due to perform fifth and would have sung "Always Be My Baby".
- Judges' votes to eliminate
- Cowell: Laura White – gave no reason but commented that both acts "were not the worst singers of the night"
- Minogue: Laura White – backed her own act, Ruth Lorenzo
- Cole: Ruth Lorenzo – backed her own act, Laura White
- Walsh: Laura White – commented that Lorenzo was more of a fighter
Week 6 (15 November)
- Theme: British classics
- Musical guest: Leona Lewis ("Run")
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Evans | 1 | "It's Not Unusual" | Bottom two |
| Alexandra Burke | 2 | "You Are So Beautiful" | Safe |
| JLS | 3 | "I Want to Hold Your Hand"/"Twist and Shout"/"Hey Jude" | Safe |
| Rachel Hylton | 4 | "You Know I'm No Good" | Bottom two |
| Eoghan Quigg | 5 | "One More Try" | Safe |
| Diana Vickers | 6 | "Yellow" | Safe |
| Ruth Lorenzo | 7 | "Angels" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Daniel Evans | 1 | "Bridge over Troubled Water" | Eliminated |
| Rachel Hylton | 2 | "One" | Safe |
- Judges' votes to eliminate
- Walsh: Daniel Evans – gave no reason but had consistently criticised Evans throughout the competition
- Cole: Daniel Evans – stated that she had seen a spark back from Hylton this week
- Cowell: Daniel Evans – gave no reason though commented that Hylton "threw it away" with her last performance and that he would have liked to see her perform with more passion
- Minogue was not required to vote as there was already a majority
During the week, ITV were uncertain if Vickers 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.[20] It was, however, later confirmed that she would appear.[21]
Week 7 (22 November)
- Theme: Take That
- Guest Mentors: Gary Barlow & Mark Owen
- Musical guests: Take That ("Greatest Day"), Same Difference ("We R One") and Rhydian ("The Impossible Dream")
| Act | Order | Song | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Burke | 1 | "Relight My Fire" | Safe | ||
| Ruth Lorenzo | 2 | "Love Ain't Here Anymore" | Safe | ||
| JLS | 3 | "A Million Love Songs" | Bottom two | ||
| Rachel Hylton | 4 | "Rule the World" | Bottom two | ||
| Diana Vickers | 5 | "Patience" | Safe | ||
| Eoghan Quigg | 6 | "Never Forget" | Safe | ||
| Final showdown details | |||||
| JLS | 1 | "Stand by Me"/"Beautiful Girls" | Safe | ||
| Rachel Hylton | 2 | "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" | Eliminated | ||
- Judges' votes to eliminate
- Walsh: Rachel Hylton – backed his own act, JLS
- Cole: Rachel Hylton – said JLS would go further in the competition though stated that it had been the best Hylton had sung since the auditions
- Minogue: JLS – backed her own act, Rachel Hylton
- Cowell: Rachel Hylton – stated that this was Hylton's third time in the bottom two and that JLS shouldn't have been in the final showdown
JLS had previously been rehearsing to sing "Rule the World", with the approval of their mentor, Walsh. Contrary to this, Minogue, who had higher priority in the judges' song-selection rota, selected the song for her artist Hylton to sing. This led to an on-screen argument between Minogue and Walsh.[22]
Week 8 (29 November)
- Themes: Britney Spears; American classics
- Musical guests: Miley Cyrus ("7 Things") and Britney Spears ("Womanizer")
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruth Lorenzo | 1 | "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" | 6 | "Always" | Eliminated |
| JLS | 2 | "...Baby One More Time" | 7 | "You Light Up My Life" | Safe |
| Alexandra Burke | 3 | "Toxic" | 8 | "Listen" | Safe |
| Eoghan Quigg | 4 | "Sometimes" | 9 | "We're All in This Together" | Safe |
| Diana Vickers | 5 | "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" | 10 | "Everybody Hurts" | Safe |
This week did not feature a final showdown and instead the act with the fewest public votes, Ruth Lorenzo, was automatically eliminated.
Week 9: Semi-final (6 December)
- Themes: Mentor's choice; contestant's choice
- Musical guest: Il Divo ("Amazing Grace")
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eoghan Quigg | 1 | "Year 3000" | 5 | "Does Your Mother Know" | Safe |
| Diana Vickers | 2 | "Girlfriend" | 6 | "White Flag" | Eliminated |
| Alexandra Burke | 3 | "Don't Stop the Music" | 7 | "Un-Break My Heart" | Safe |
| JLS | 4 | "Umbrella" | 8 | "I'm Already There" | Safe |
The semi-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the act with the fewest public votes, Diana Vickers, was automatically eliminated.
Week 10: Final (13 December)
- Themes: Christmas songs; celebrity duets; song of the series; winner's single
- Group performances: "I Have a Dream" (auditionees) and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (all finalists)
- Musical guest: Beyoncé ("If I Were a Boy")
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song (duet) | Order | Third song | Order | Fourth song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eoghan Quigg | 1 | "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" | 4 | "Picture of You" (with Boyzone) | 7 | "We're All in This Together" | N/A | N/A – already eliminated | Third place |
| JLS | 2 | "Last Christmas" | 5 | "Flying Without Wings" (with Westlife) | 8 | "I'm Already There" | 10 | "Hallelujah" | Runner-up |
| Alexandra Burke | 3 | "Silent Night" | 6 | "Listen" (with Beyoncé) | 9 | "You Are So Beautiful" | 11 | "Hallelujah" | Winner |
Voting details
On the final The Xtra Factor broadcast of the series, shortly after the winner was announced on the main show, Willoughby announced the contestants who received the most votes from the public for each of the 10 live shows. Also, itv.com 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.
Reception
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.[23] This, however, was beaten by the sixth series the following year.
The first show of the series had the highest launch audience for any series, peaking at over 12 million viewers.[24] 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,[25] the Sunday episode restored the balance.[26] 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.[27] The entire bootcamp and judges' houses phase officially averaged 9.8m, a rise of 2.5m over the previous series.
The live shows pulled in very strong audiences, often rating as the most watched programme of the week.[28] The final was the second most watched television programme of 2008 with 14.06m viewers.[29]
Series 5 of The X Factor officially averaged 10.5m, at the time becoming the most watched British talent series of the 21st century.
| Episode | Air date | Official ITV1 rating[30] | Weekly rank[30] | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions 1 | 16 August | 10.78 | 1 | 48.2%[31] |
| Auditions 2 | 23 August | 10.10 | 1 | 45.4%[32] |
| Auditions 3 | 30 August | 8.80 | 2 | 43.5%[33] |
| Auditions 4 | 6 September | 9.57 | 1 | 42.8%[34] |
| Auditions 5 | 13 September | 9.96 | 1 | 43.2%[35] |
| Auditions 6 | 20 September | 10.01 | 1 | 41.7%[36] |
| Bootcamp 1 | 27 September | 8.94 | 4 | 36.0%[37] |
| Bootcamp 2 | 28 September | 9.47 | 1 | 38.1%[38] |
| Judges' houses 1 | 4 October | 10.84 | 1 | 40.5%[39] |
| Judges' houses 2 | 5 October | 10.11 | 3 | 42.7%[40] |
| Live show 1 | 11 October | 11.09 | 1 | 44.1%[41] |
| Results 1 | 9.05 | 7 | 40.8%[41] | |
| Live show 2 | 18 October | 10.21 | 3 | 38.5%[42] |
| Results 2 | 9.13 | 9 | 39.7%[42] | |
| Live show 3 | 25 October | 10.37 | 2 | 39.7%[43] |
| Results 3 | 8.89 | 10 | 38.0%[43] | |
| Live show 4 | 1 November | 11.65 | 1 | 43.3%[44] |
| Results 4 | 9.72 | 6 | 37.6%[44] | |
| Live show 5 | 8 November | 10.72 | 2 | 42.6%[45] |
| Results 5 | 9.46 | 7 | 35.6%[45] | |
| Live show 6 | 15 November | 11.28 | 1 | 43.5%[46] |
| Results 6 | 10.62 | 2 | 42.9%[46] | |
| Live show 7 | 22 November | 11.77 | 1 | 43.2%[47] |
| Results 7 | 9.98 | 6 | 41.1%[47] | |
| Live show 8 | 29 November | 12.67 | 1 | 46.0%[48] |
| Results 8 | 11.41 | 2 | 50.0%[48] | |
| Semi-final | 6 December | 10.30 | 3 | 39.1%[49] |
| Semi-final results | 10.60 | 2 | 39.6%[49] | |
| Final performances | 13 December | 13.77 | 2 | 50.3%[50] |
| Final results | 14.06 | 1 | 54.4%[50] | |
| Series average | 2008 | 10.51 | N/A | 42.4% |
Heroes: Help for Heroes performance
The twelve finalists together recorded a cover version of Mariah Carey's 1993 hit "Hero" in support of the Help for Heroes charity.[51] 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".[52] 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.[53]
References
- 1 2 Singh, Anita (11 August 2008). "X Factor's Dannii Minogue says she 'won't miss' Sharon Osbourne". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
- ↑ "Jade Thirlwall X Factor audition 2008 - 15 years old". YouTube. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ↑ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s103/the-x-factor/news/a89946/sharon-osbourne-quits-x-factor.html#~oM5pdx4Pc2eXCH
- ↑ "Sharon leaves The X Factor". ITV. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- 1 2 "Sharon Osbourne quits The X Factor". BBC News. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- ↑ "No more X Factor says Sharon". BBC. 9 June 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
- ↑ Cox, Emma (28 November 2008). "Iceberg Danniis a creep and bully". The Sun. London.
- ↑ Mel B nearly a scary judge, MSN Entertainment, 16 September 2008
- 1 2 "Dannii Minogue 'Upset' by Sharon Osbourne Feud". the daily goss.com. 8 August 2008. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
- ↑ "Big Brother: Start date announced". Daily Mirror. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- ↑ "Holly joins The Xtra Factor". ITV. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- ↑ "The X Factor". ITV Media. 4 May 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ↑ "Episode 1". The X Factor (series 5). London. 16 August 2008. ITV.
- ↑ "Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh in X Factor stitch up". Daily Mirror. 10 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
- 1 2 "Singing before their late supper". News Shopper. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
- ↑ "X Factor | X Factor Judges' House Part 2 Wk41 – ITV Press Centre". Itv.com. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ↑ "Finalist Video Diary". ITV. 23 October 2008.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20081216232728/http://xfactor.itv.com/stories/story-detail/item_100567.htm
- ↑ "X Factor Bosses Play Down Phone Error". Digitalspy. 23 October 2008.
- ↑ The X Factor – Story Detail – Diana's still rough
- ↑ Nathan, Sara (13 November 2008). "Its Do or Di". The Sun. London.
- ↑ Lara, Gould (30 November 2008). "X Factor's Louis Walsh: Simon Cowell could fire me". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
- ↑ The Broadcast Interview: Peter Fincham | In-depth | Broadcast
- ↑ "10m viewers watch X Factor show". BBC News. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
- ↑ "'Strictly' beats 'X Factor' in ratings". Digital Spy. 28 September 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
- ↑ "Extra 'X Factor' tops Sunday ratings". Digital Spy. 29 September 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
- ↑ "Ratings Roundup". Digital Spy. 12 October 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ↑ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Barb.co.uk. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ↑ "BARB Since 1981". Barb.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- 1 2 "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014.
- ↑ Record audience for 'X Factor' premiere – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- ↑ 'X Factor' keeps up ratings pace – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- ↑ 'X Factor' loses 1m to summer heat – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- ↑ Latest 'X Factor' draws 9 million – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- ↑ Encouraging start for 'Strictly' – Strictly Come Dancing News, Digital Spy
- ↑ 'Merlin' pulls in 6.6 million – Merlin News, Digital Spy
- ↑ 'Strictly' beats 'X Factor' in ratings – Strictly Come Dancing News, Digital Spy
- ↑ Extra 'X Factor' tops Sunday ratings – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- ↑ 'X Factor' back ahead of 'Strictly' in ratings – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- ↑ Huge audience for 'Potter' on Sunday – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- 1 2 'Merlin' ratings rise despite live 'X Factor' – Merlin News, Digital Spy
- 1 2 'X Factor' tops Saturday ratings – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- 1 2 'X Factor' maintains ratings lead – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- 1 2 X marks the spot for ITV1 | News | Broadcast
- 1 2 'Strictly' hits series high with 9.6m – TV News – Digital Spy
- 1 2 'X Factor' maintains ratings lead – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- 1 2 'Strictly' hits new series high – Strictly Come Dancing News, Digital Spy
- 1 2 'X Factor' hits 12.8m ratings high – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- 1 2 'X Factor' suffers 'Strictly' knock – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- 1 2 'X Factor' finale peaks with 14.6 million – X Factor News, Digital Spy
- ↑ "Help For Heroes single". ITV. 5 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
- ↑ "Simon backs Heroes". ITV. 7 October 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
- ↑ "X Factor single tops UK charts". BBC. 2 November 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2008.