Simon Cowell to ‘time X Factor auditions to stop contestants droning’

The judge is said to be fed up with the auditionees’ ‘spiel’
Time's up: Simon Cowell is to speed up the X Factor auditions by timing the contestants
REUTERS

Simon Cowell is reportedly planning to time this year’s X Factor hopefuls in a bid to speed up the audition process.

It’s the latest in a series of rumoured shake ups to the singing competition which include hosting the auditions in a theme park, using Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle for the judges’ houses phase, and encouraging acts to perform their own music rather than covers.

A source told The Sun that head judge Cowell would be ‘brutal’ in his bid to cut down the auditions, commenting that the music mogul is ‘sick and tired of [would-be contestants’] spiel’.

“Simon has been in millions of these auditions and basically just wants to speed them up.”

“Artists don’t know they’re being timed, so viewers should expect some brutal cutting from Simon,” the source said.

“He’s sick and tired of hearing contestants spiel as well as long, droning, performances eating up time.”

“So being able to keep track of how long they’re taking means he can speed them up once they’ve gone on for extra minutes.”

X Factor winner Matt Terry - in pictures

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The news comes ahead of the 13th run of the show which is due to kick off on ITV later this year.

But after the previous series suffered from falling ratings, Cowell has been looking at different ways to shake up the show in a bid to reverse its fortunes.

It’s rumoured he’s banned comedy acts like last year’s stand-out contestant rapper Honey G from the upcoming series, after she was dropped from Simon Cowell’s label.

X Factor will return to screens later this year.

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