X Factor: Gary Barlow and Lily Allen ‘to join X Factor’…¿and Simon Cowell will be back on panel of five

By
Lara Gould
Last updated at 11:27 PM on 2nd April 2011

Take That star Gary Barlow and pop singer Lily
Allen are being lined up to join The X Factor as judges as the show undergoes a
radical overhaul.

A senior source on the ITV show said the pair
are set to join Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue on the panel.

Simon Cowell is
returning to the show – but only for the live programmes, when the number of
judges will be increased to five.

Cheryl Cole, who is pursuing other opportunities
in America, is not believed to be taking part in the next series.

ITV boss Peter Fincham this week confirmed The X
Factor – which started in 2004 – will be ‘very different’ when it returns in
August.

He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We will announce
plans for the panel when we are ready.

‘But what I can tell you at this stage is
that the new series of The X Factor will be very new and very different from
what we have seen before.’

A senior X Factor source added: ­’Contracts are
due to be signed this week for the existing judges who are returning.

‘Lily
Allen and Gary Barlow are the names that are being talked about to fill the
vacancies.’

Award-winning songwriter Barlow, 40, has already
made several appearances on The X Factor with his band Take That.

Allen, 25,
has said that she planned to retire from making music following the phenomenal success of her two Top 10 albums Alright, Still and It’s Not Me, It’s You.

Barlow and Allen have recently set up their own
record labels and both may be interested in the opportunities to develop talent
as mentors on The X Factor. 

He’s back: Simon Cowell is
returning to the show – but only for the live programmes. Cheryl Cole, who is pursuing other opportunities
in America, is not believed to be taking part in the next series

Even though Simon Cowell is launching the
American version of The X Factor this year, he has agreed to work on the live
part of the British shows.

They are on Saturday and Sunday nights, so Cowell
will be able to appear on the American series, which will be on air on Tuesdays
and Wednesdays.

ITV has agreed to fly him to and from the United States by
private jet twice a week between October and December. Cowell, who was in
London this week, had a meeting with Fincham on Thursday night to discuss his
role in the new series.

He was said to be concerned that leaving the British
series, which was watched by about 12million
viewers a week last year, could lead to a ratings fall, leaving The X Factor
brand as a whole weakened.

The talks, which took place at a secret location,
went on late into the night and an ITV source described the discussions as
‘very positive and very fruitful’.

No contracts were signed but The Mail on Sunday
understands that a verbal agreement was reached between the pair about Cowell ­taking
part in the UK show, and an official announcement is expected this week. 

New faces: A senior source on the ITV show said Barlow and Allen are set to join Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue on the panel

A
source said: ‘X Factor USA is Simon’s priority but that doesn’t mean that he is
going to abandon the UK

‘Even if 20million
people are watching in the United States and it is a huge success, if the British
show’s ratings fall, that will be seen as a failure. Nobody wants that, least of
all Simon.’

It is understood that the new panel of judges –
not including Cowell – will work on the audition stages of the series which
begin in May.

They will tour the country to find contestants
who will go on to the national finals.

The live Saturday and Sunday night shows will
begin in October – and that is when Cowell will appear.

He is unlikely to mentor his own acts because of his other work commitments, but he may act as an objective judge with a ­casting vote.

X Factor executives are believed to favour
increasing the judges’ panel to five during the live shows because it will end
the unpopular ‘Deadlock’ aspect of the show which was used in previous series
to reach a decision on acts when the panel of four was split evenly.

It also gives Cowell the flexibility to miss any
shows if unforeseen problems arise that keep him in the United States.

An ITV spokesman said: ‘We are not in a position
to make any announcements about the panel at this stage.’

Last night a spokesman for Gary Barlow said he
had not been asked to do the show.

A spokesman for Lily Allen did not comment. A
spokeswoman for Mr Cowell said: ‘Everything is still being discussed.’