A new six-part BBC Radio 4 podcast, Offstage: Inside The X Factor, explores the fame, the fortune and the fallout on the TV show.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of The X Factor which became one of Britain’s biggest TV shows. At its height, it drew audiences of nearly 17 million. It sometimes turned ordinary people into superstars, but what was it like behind the scenes?
BBC News reporter Chi Chi Izundu looks beyond the glitz and glamour to find out the reality of being a contestant on the show. Featuring contributions from contestants and former staff, Chi reveals the joy and heartbreak of those looking for fame and fortune.
Chi Chi’s used to be a Radio 1 Newsbeat showbiz journalist and covered every twist and turn of The X Factor. In the podcast, she explores the contestants’ journey from auditions through to the live shows and asks what happened after the cameras stopped rolling.
Despite not being on our screens since 2018, the series also hears how social media has played a part in bringing old auditions to a new generation.
Chi Chi Izundu said: “The X Factor was on our screens for 15 years and became a cultural phenomenon.
“Every year tens of thousands of people applied to get on the show, with some catapulted to stardom overnight.
“I wanted to know what happened to some of those X Factor contestants after their brief flirt with fame.”
Rhian Roberts, Commissioner Podcasts, Formats & Digital, BBC Radio 4, 3 and 4 Extra added: “In Offstage: Inside The X Factor, the team will share stories from behind the scenes, lifting the lid on the surreal X Factor journey.
“Chi Chi’s podcast series is an insightful exploration of reality tv and pop culture, unpicking the contestant journey from start to finish.”
Offstage: Inside The X Factor will be on BBC Sounds from Friday 26 January and broadcast on Radio 4 weekly on Saturdays at 11.30pm, beginning on Saturday 27 January.
