XFactor

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

In the old days there were freak shows at Fairs. Nowadays it's been repackaged as talent shows (and has been for as long as there has been TV - people credit Cowell with this but New Faces was nigh on identical. And Opportunity Knocks anyone?). People love the bit with the nutters and the occasional (relatively) talented singer. Then get bored as the filter out the chaff until the very last few are left. It's an old, old formula. Don't kid yourself it's the modern generation!

 

[Uncle C]

In the old days there were freak shows at Fairs. Nowadays it's been repackaged as talent shows (and has been for as long as there has been TV - people credit Cowell with this but New Faces was nigh on identical. And Opportunity Knocks anyone?). People love the bit with the nutters and the occasional (relatively) talented singer. Then get bored as the filter out the chaff until the very last few are left. It's an old, old formula. Don't kid yourself it's the modern generation!

I think you'll find that those previous shows were talent shows, which included comedians, dog acts, muscle men, and all sorts of other dross.

X Factor is exclusively for singers as was Pop Idol.

 

[Icy Gull]

In the old days there were freak shows at Fairs. Nowadays it's been repackaged as talent shows (and has been for as long as there has been TV - people credit Cowell with this but New Faces was nigh on identical. And Opportunity Knocks anyone?). People love the bit with the nutters and the occasional (relatively) talented singer. Then get bored as the filter out the chaff until the very last few are left. It's an old, old formula. Don't kid yourself it's the modern generation!

True, Opportunity Knocks was just as naff and I mean that most sincerely.

 

[BensGrandad]

True, Opportunity Knocks was just as naff and I mean that most sincerely.

Those were the days

 

[Wozza]

people credit Cowell with this but New Faces was nigh on identical

I don't really remember New Faces too well, but did it have...

Televised auditions (inc poor performers)? No.
Same competitors every week (not just winner) so public get to know/care about them? No.
Strong editorial - eg contestants' backstories? No.
Lots of behind the scenes coverage? No.
Massive PR to ensure show is in papers every day? No
Phone voting? No

So, "nigh on identical"? Er... no!

 

[keaton]

Will this weeks revelations about the obvious fix affect the viewing figures. At the time my wife said it was wrong for Dermot O Leary to go to Cheryl Cole after Simon Cowell, she should have been the last judge to have voted. However, that would have meant the BBC favourite would be out rather than forget her words again and just give up and still get voted back.

Why's Katie the BBC favourite?

 

[Uncle C]

Those were the days

There is one big difference. In those days the audience participated with quiet English applause.

Today the brain dead, Sun reading audiences allow themselves to be whipped into a frenzy by hyped up presenters. Its very much a crap Americanism and seemed to start with "Come on Down".

Without all this hype and repetition, for those viewers that have the memory span of a gold fish, program running times could easily be halved.

I find the best way to watch these programs is recording them and then using the 'fast forward' button, stopping only to hear the singing and judges comments.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Wozza - fairly disingenuous analysis. Of course it wasn't identical but it was a proto-xfactor of sorts.

Judges doing good cop/bad cop - yes
Freaks mixed in with the talent - yes
Press coverage - yes it did - although of course things have moved up a gear or three in the digital age
Bigger audiences than xfactor - yes
Public voting - yes. In the 80's people voted by post
Same competitors - yes. Steve Cassidy for example won it three times apparently.

Very clear line of heritage for me - definitely the xfactor of it's day. So I think arguing that xfactor is nothing new ( bar a few twists and extra coverage afforded by multiple TV channels and the internet) is pretty fair.

 

[Wozza]

Wozza - fairly disingenuous analysis.

Sure. So why not do the same...?

Judges doing good cop/bad cop - yes
Freaks mixed in with the talent - yes
Press coverage - yes it did - although of course things have moved up a gear or three in the digital age
Bigger audiences than xfactor - yes
Public voting - yes. In the 80's people voted by post
Same competitors - yes. Steve Cassidy for example won it three times apparently.

Nice one.

The point is: Cowell took the dated talent show format and added several key new elements - most involving reality TV elements and marketing/PR - and made it relevant for the new millennium. On a global scale too.

 

[ROSM]

Sure. So why not do the same...?



Nice one.

The point is: Cowell took the dated talent show format and added several key new elements - most involving reality TV elements and marketing/PR - and made it relevant for the new millennium. On a global scale too.

Well actually Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller did with Popstars and Pop Idol. Simon Cowell has taken it further with x factor and the 'got talent' franchise.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Wozza - I have a slight feeling that we are managing to argue whilst actually broadly agreeing. Gotta love NSC.

 

[Mellotron]

Wagner is good, but only becuse he annoys the judges by still beig there and therest arent all that.

He doesn't annoy them, they're doing what's called "acting". They clearly feel its worth now having a novelty act each year to keep audiences up.

UNBELIEVABLY some people still fall for it.

 

[Uncle C]

He doesn't annoy them, they're doing what's called "acting". They clearly feel its worth now having a novelty act each year to keep audiences up.

UNBELIEVABLY some people still fall for it.

+1 with that Widdicome walrus.

The public who vote in their droves think they are getting one over on the shows. In reality they are the ones being manipulated but are too stupid to see it.

 

[crodonilson]

'Liked you last week, loved you this week'

:yahoo:

 

[Uncle C]

'Liked you last week, loved you this week'

:yahoo:

"That was without doubt the best performance of the entire series"

 

[BensGrandad]

Why's Katie the BBC favourite?

Sorry should have been ITV favourite, typing error, as the producers didnt want her to get eliminated as told by Dermot so Dreary.

 

[keaton]

Sorry should have been ITV favourite, typing error, as the producers didnt want her to get eliminated as told by Dermot so Dreary.

I thought for a moment there was a mass cross-channel controversy.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Sorry should have been ITV favourite, typing error, as the producers didnt want her to get eliminated as told by Dermot so Dreary.

Might be Dermot So Dreary to you old fella, but he's off to do the US show next year and being replaced by some VERY dull bint.

Cowell is going too - so he can concentrate on the US show.

 

[BensGrandad]

I suppose like all he had to do as his producers said but he caused the problem by going to Cheryl after Simon . As she had the 2 losers he should have left her untill last and gone to Louis then Danni but that way Katie would have been voted out, which the producers didnt want as he said.

I think there must be better presenters about than him anyway.

 

[keaton]

Why should they have gone to Cheryl at the end? Don't they go along the line?