Simon Cowell didn’t give much away, but appeared to hint a new show similar to the X Factor could be on the cards (Picture: Getty Images)
Simon Cowell appeared to hint at the potential for a new X Factor-style show – and it may involve a former contestant.
The music mogul made his first-ever appearance on BBC’s The One Show on Thursday night alongside 2012 X Factor star Lucy Spraggan.
Simon and Lucy have joined forced 10 years after meeting on the acclaimed reality competition as he helps her promote her ‘haunting’ new single, Balance.
The pure nostalgia-fest of an episode also saw Simon reunite with Strictly Come Dancing icon Molly Rainford – 10 years after she appeared on Britain’s Got Talent as a child.
Hosts Alex Jones and Ronan Keating used the opportunity to put Simon on the spot and ask if there could ever be a replacement for the X Factor – something to ‘refeed the pop engine.’
Simon initially was cagey about the idea, saying X Factor began as they believed ‘people need a platform’ to launch their music careers as ‘it’s very difficult to get a record deal.’
X Factor came to an end in 2018, though a celebrity special aired in 2019 (Picture: Getty Images)
Former contestant Lucy suggested she and Simon could ‘make something really special’ if they teamed up for an X-Factor-like show (Picture: BBC)
‘It’s really, really hard. I would argue it’s harder today to get your music noticed than it was 10 or 15 years ago,’ he said.
‘The show did what it intended to do, which was to help people who couldn’t get a record deal for whatever reason … and in a lot of cases, thank God, it did launch careers.’
Lucy praised the show, saying shows like it gave platforms to people – like her – who may not ‘get the same opportunities.’
She went on to suggest that she and Simon would ‘love to make it a better show for contestants’ should it ever return.
Lucy proved hugely popular on the X Factor and has now teamed up with Simon to promote her new single – and reckons they could make a good show together (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I think that the importance is finding new talent and finding the people who really need a voice.
‘They need a platform, and Simon has that and I have the experience of being a contestant, and I think we can make something really special,’ she said.
Simon admitted there ‘might be a plan here,’ and teased: ‘There might have been a conversation.’
Last year, ITV said there were ‘no plans’ for another series of The X Factor, which last aired in 2018.
Elsewhere on the same show, Simon recalled CBBC star Molly’s Britain’s Got Talent audition when she was just 11 years old.
Simon was also reunited with former BGT star Molly, who appeared on the show as a child (Picture: BBC)
‘That was a big song,’ he recalled. ‘At that age, how on earth do you do this without shaking or falling apart?
‘I remember thinking it was incredible. You do remember those great auditions.’
Molly, who flew through the competition to reach the finals, was the youngest-ever contestant at the time.
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She went on to clinch her own CBBC show, Nova Jones, and is now in the semi-finals of the 2022 series of Strictly alongside partner Carlos Gu.
The One Show airs weekdays from 7pm on BBC One
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