Reports suggest The X Factor, once one of Britain's most-watched Saturday night television shows, is being lined up for a comeback. According to The Sun, ITV and Talkback Thames are in early talks to revive the singing competition, this time with a younger, Gen Z-friendly judging panel, in an attempt to recapture the mass audiences it commanded before its 2018 cancellation.

Launched in 2004 by Simon Cowell, The X Factor helped launch the careers of One Direction, Harry Styles, Little Mix and Leona Lewis, and drew a peak audience of 17.7 million for its 2010 final. Ratings later declined amid changing viewing habits and off-screen controversy, leading to its axing and two unsuccessful spin-offs. A source told The Sun that ITV, having struggled with newer formats such as The Neighbourhood and The Fortune Hotel, sees the revival as a safer bet, with a refreshed line-up of judges and Cowell reportedly involved behind the scenes to update the show for a social media-savvy audience.