X Factor Review: Thanks Danyl

And so it's back. For minutes on end we were told by that shouty man that this year's X Factor is set to be bigger than ever: more auditionees, more exotic ways to transport the judges from one venue to another (speedboats!) and - of course - more opportunities to underscore the action with Take That's Shine.

The big change for this series is the introduction of an audience at each of the audition venues.

But I'm not sure it worked in quite the way Simon Cowell thought it would. There was something about that old audition format which pitted auditionee solely against judges. Both sides were close enough to properly eyeball each other and there was a sense that what we were watching was, by and large, an honest assessment of vocal talent. Move the auditions into a packed auditorium and suddenly that central process is diluted.

More than one act on this first show directed their attention beyond the judging panel and out into the cheap seats. Those able to successfully whip up the crowd fared better than they might have, had they relied solely on their vocal, er, talent.

The introduction of an audience, and the unpredictability that comes with them, did at least have one positive benefit. Yes we still got the requisite rubbish singers (Lithuanian duo The Dreamgirls had a nightmare), but those would-be performers with questionable mental health were largely absent. One presumes the watching members of the public couldn't be trusted not to jeer, or perhaps even throw fruit at them.

This X Factor opener came down - once again - to the calibre of the acts, the judges and the presenter. Unfortunately, although still as loveable as ever, Dermot O'Leary is wasted on this show. He pads around like an affectionate puppy, but just isn't given enough to do, and never gets a chance to stamp his identity on the show. 

Meanwhile, with the judges their usual selves (acerbic Simon; golden girl Cheryl; desperately-seeking-attention Dannii and unofficial-cheerleader-of-the-Irish Louis) it was up to the acts to save this first episode. By about 80 minutes in, it was all looking a bit lacklustre - a procession of the ordinary with bad hair to match the bad voices.

Then teacher Danyl Johnson turned up with his rendition of With A Little Help From My Friends. At last, here was a really impressive performance. The audience and judging panel rose as one and The X Factor finally had its water cooler moment. It wasn't worth sitting through nearly an hour-and-a-half of fair to middling telly to get there though.

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The live auditions were held at: Manchester Central, Birmingham's ICC, Cardiff's CIA, London's Excel Centre and Glasgow's Braehead Arena. In our gallery, we take a look back at some of the hopefuls featured on the opening show.