Dermot O'Leary Q&A

How does it feel to be starting on your second series as the host of The X Factor?
It feels really good and it feels like I belong there now. Last year I felt like the new kid in school walking around the playground asking people to be my friend! But this year it is like your second year in school, you know everyone so you feel more relaxed, especially with the Judges.

 

How have the audition days been?

They are really long days but it has been great. It is a weird myriad of emotions you go through on the door, one person will come through who you know you can have a bit of fun with but then the next person will have a serious story and you know they have been through a lot to get there so your emotions are up and down. I never have notes on the contestants so you have no idea how good they will be. Some people look like real characters but you have no idea how well they will sing so it does keep you on your toes.

 

Which contestants have stood out for you and why?
The interesting thing about being where I am on the door is that I have no idea how good peoples voices are so its really hard to answer that as all I can judge on is their personalities. Sometimes you can hear them sing through the doors or I might pop my head around, but I honestly have no idea most of the time and that is a real fun side of it. But I think the girls’ category will be really strong this year. There have been a lot coming through that just look so talented and self assured, it will be really interesting for me to see at Bootcamp who the Judges
want. I don’t care who goes through as long as Louis doesn’t get what he wants!!

 

Any memorable moments from auditions?
I met a guy who changed his name to Sheriff Lawton. He didn’t want to win The X Factor to be a pop star. He wanted to start his own crime fighting agency to work with the police and needed the £1million prize money to set it up – you couldn’t write it!

 

You’re the first person the contestants see after leaving the Judges, how do you best console them if they have been told they are not good enough?

In honesty you don’t say anything you just let them talk because that is what they want, someone to vent at and to release their emotions too – I act as the confessional and as I have no idea what’s happened in the room I let them have their say and in some cases try and lighten the moment.

 

Do you find you get emotionally involved with the contestants stories?
There was one young girl who had lost her Dad in between her first audition and the Judges call-back, it was her families wish she should still go through with the competition. In a situation like that it is impossible not to get caught up with someone’s emotions and it became more than a TV story. In that case it was about this girls dream and that was her moment in front of the Judges to fulfil her fathers wish.

 

The cameras don’t matter and of course you feel like you have got to look after them and suddenly you don’t really care what questions you are asking you are just hoping they get through. The heartbreak is that you emotionally invest in people and then they go into the room and fall to pieces and don’t deliver. The show isn’t just about who has the best voice, it’s also about who can hold their nerve and who people connect with at home.

 

If you were to audition for the Judges, what would you sing and how would you make yourself memorable?
I’d sing Rule the World by Take That – but if they asked me to dance along I wouldn’t, I’m not an idiot!

Who is your favourite judge and why?
Louis! Simon you can have fun with as you can with Dannii and Cheryl, but there is a limit with them all but with Louis there isn’t. What amazes me is how many women find him attractive. There are so many women that go to jelly at the door with the thought of meeting him – I’m baffled!

If you were judging, what type of judge would you be?
I would be like Cheryl, a soft and nice Judge – but I know I would end up putting everyone through which is probably not best way to do the show!

 

After Sharon walked off one of the live shows last year do you have any tricks up your sleeve for the live shows if the Judges play up again?
At the end of the day it is live TV and you have to just go with whatever happens in the studio and to be honest I really like it that way. It makes it really interesting and that was the great thing about working with Sharon. She was unscripted and anything could happen.

What is your favourite part of the show?
Live shows definitely. Because anything can happen and it is my domain, TV is much more fun when it is live.

What has it been like having Cheryl on board – what do you think she brings to the show?
Cheryl is going to bring so much to the show. She is like a young version of Sharon and in the same way contestants connected with Sharon, they do the same with Cheryl.

 

How is Holly on board for The Xtra Factor?
It’s lovely because she is a friend, I did a reading at her wedding because I’m really close friends with her husband Dan and it’s so nice to have such a good mate there.