Rylan Clark has said he would welcome The X Factor returning to ITV, but only if the judging panel is not "sanitised" by television executives. The 38-year-old, who rose to fame on the show in 2012, told Heat magazine that he would love to see the programme come back, while stressing that contestants should still face critical feedback.
Rylan on a Possible X Factor Comeback
Speaking about the potential revival, Rylan said: "It's the show that I was born on, and I'd love to see it come back. Apart from Strictly, I think telly is missing a weekly live show where everyone's invested and you follow people's journeys. I owe a lot to that The X Factor. How it would come back and when it would come back, I don't know, but I wouldn't want it to sanitised."
He added: "I don't want it to come back and just he like, 'Oh, everyone's amazing'. I wasn't amazing and got told I wasn't f***ing amazing every week, thank you, Gary Barlow."
Duty of Care and Contestant Welfare
Rylan acknowledged the importance of duty of care, saying: "I know there's the chat about duty of care, and that is really important. As a host now, on all of my shows, I always make sure that contestant welfare is the main priority. That would I definitely need to happen, and no doubt it would. But at the same time, you still have a bit of fun- it doesn't need to be that deep."
Strictly Come Dancing Hosting Changes
Rylan also discussed the hosting changes on Strictly Come Dancing, a role he had been linked to. The job ultimately went to his close friend Emma Willis, along with comedian Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe. Rylan said Emma called him on the day she got the BBC role and that he was thrilled for her.
Defending the series against criticism over the new lineup, he said: "It's different, but just let everyone settle in, and by the end of the series. no one will be saying anything's different." He added: "Listen, whoever was doing that job, whether it was me, Zoe Ball, whether it was X. Y, or Z, things would still be said, because it's different. People would still have an opinion on any type of change. That's what the show is now. Enjoy it."
