He might have been sacked to try and pull in ratings with a fresh face, but now Louis Walsh is apparently being brought back to give X Factor ratings a boost.
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Louis, 63, is expected to join the live shows later this year as an impartial fifth judge, offering his opinions on the other judges’ acts.
But in addition to bringing Louis back, it seems the show’s bosses think that a scoring system – much like Strictly’s – could add to the drama during the live shows…
He departed the ITV talent show after 10 years on the judging panel and has reportedly been criticising the choice of judges that have replaced him.
Louis might not have been the most glamorous judge, but he felt like an integral part of the show, offering a fun counterpart to Simon Cowell’s business-like nastiness. “They’re great friends”, a source told The Sun today.
Another insider said: “It’s all been too nice during the auditions this year”.
It’s also been claimed that the ITV show is looking to its biggest rival Strictly Come Dancing for some inspiration. Grimmy (Nick Grimshaw) is popular backstage but viewers think he’s boring.
According to a source, “It’s a massive coup for Louis, who is also going to sign a deal with Simon to help launch Ireland’s Got Talent, as a judge”.
However a spokesperson for the X Factor said that nothing has been confirmed when it comes to the live shows. “It continues to draw in millions of viewers each weekend with millions more watching on catch-up”, they explained.
“Louis is an X Factor legend and Simon wants him back for the live shows”.
“It will make the live shows more exciting”. A total of 9.6m watched the opening episode including 2m on demand.
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Louis’ return has yet to be confirmed, with an X Factor rep telling the Mirror: “Any talks of plans at this stage is speculation”.
