The X Factor will not air this year

7 February 2020

'The X Factor' will not return this year.

Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell - who is the boss of the hit ITV singing competition - has decided to "rest" the series for the next 12 months, meaning there will be no new series on screens in 2020 for the first time in 16 years.

A TV insider told The Sun newspaper: "Simon wants to really think through the show and how to reinvigorate it for the future.

"Although 'The X Factor' is contracted for one more series, ITV totally understand the rationale behind the idea of resting it this year and want to give Simon and the team the time to do what they feel is right."

The news comes as Simon signed a new deal to air 'Britain's Got Talent' until 2024, which included a 2020 version of 'The X Factor'.

Simon's plans to "reinvigorate" the show come after 2019 saw two new versions of the franchise - 'X Factor: Celebrity' and 'X Factor: The Band' - hit screens, though neither format proved hugely successful with audiences.

However, a spokesman for 'Britain's Got Talent' and 'The X Factor' has said plans for the show's future have not yet been "finalised".

They said: "Plans for this autumn are still being finalised and will be announced in due course. We are currently filming Britain's Got Talent 2020."

'The X Factor' began in 2004, and launched the careers of chart superstars including One Direction, Little Mix, Olly Murs, James Arthur, and Leona Lewis.

Meanwhile, the 60-year-old media mogul recently hit out at rival talent shows including 'The Voice' and 'The Masked Singer', as he branded them "depressing" and "disrespectful".

Whilst talking to a hopeful during auditions for 'Britain's Got Talent', Simon said: "There are so many people like you who need a break.

"When I see shows like 'The Masked Singer' or 'The Voice', where people have their back to a singer - which I find so disrespectful - if we're not careful, people like you won't have these shows to have a shot on. Which is why I am very thankful ITV have given us the five-year deal they did.

"Where else do you go? If the future is shows like that, you might as well give up. There's talent in every country. You showcase people and give them an opportunity.

"It reminds us why we make these shows, to meet people like you. Otherwise it's just going to be an ex-soap star dressed as a monster, and I can't think of anything more depressing."