The fourth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in autumn 2007. The first show aired on 18 August 2007 and the series was won by Leon Jackson on 15 December 2007, with Rhydian Roberts the runner-up and Dannii Minogue emerging as the winning mentor.

The show's fourth run saw a number of changes to the format, most notably the lowering of the minimum age for participants from 16 to 14 and the increase in the number of categories from three to four resulting from the division of the under-25s into separate male and female categories.

The series hit the headlines even before recording began. Some of the controversy centred upon whether 14-year-olds should be eligible to enter, and also on the high-profile dismissals of judge Louis Walsh and presenter Kate Thornton, to be replaced by choreographer and Grease Is The Word judge Brian Friedman and Big Brother's Little Brother host Dermot O'Leary respectively. Before hiring Freidman and Minogue, Cowell had apparently approached colleague and fellow American Idol judge Randy Jackson, and close friend and X Factor mentor Sinitta. Walsh, however, was quickly reinstated, with Friedman becoming the show's choreographer.

Jackson's prize as winner was a £1 million recording contract. His first single release was"When You Believe", originally recorded by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, re-worked for the finalists by composer Stephen Schwartz and released to download on 16 December 2007 (with the CD format following on 19 December). The single became that year's Christmas Number One in the UK Singles Chart.

The series was Sharon Osbourne's final series.

Judges

Lineup

In March 2007 it was reported that judge Louis Walsh, who had appeared in all three previous series, had been sacked. This, along with the additional category, created vacancies for two new judges to join the original panel of Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne. The new judges were initially confirmed as Dannii Minogue and Brian Friedman.

Friedman appeared as a judge at early auditions, but on 22 June 2007 it was announced that he had stood down after discussing with Cowell that he was struggling in the role. Walsh was then reinstated and rejoined Cowell, Osbourne and Minogue at the Manchester auditions. Friedman remained on the show as a performance coach and choreographer, billed on screen as "Creative Director". Suggestions that Walsh's firing and rehiring was concocted to generate publicity were denied.

Commenting on Friedman's replacement by Walsh, Osbourne said that there was no "chemistry" within the original judging lineup, and that the atmosphere was "very uncomfortable". Cowell stated that the atmosphere was "very weird". For his part, Friedman said he felt "incredibly let down with the British talent".

In a clip of the show that aired at the ITV Autumn Launch, Osbourne said that she felt it was "her year to win", adding: "If I don't win I will fire myself – before someone else does!"

Osbourne's walkout

During the results of the first live show on 20 October, judge Osbourne walked away from the panel after it was revealed that both the bottom two acts came from her category. This left the three remaining judges (Cowell, Minogue and Walsh) to decide which of the bottom two would leave the contest. When presenter Dermot O'Leary asked Osbourne for her vote she claimed to have left the show, saying, "I'm out—gone". It later emerged that Osbourne was dissatisfied with the last-minute rescheduling of the programme from 17:45 to 17:30, claiming that fewer people saw the performance of her act, Kimberley Southwick, as she was first on stage. After a considerable amount of media coverage, including Paul O'Grady apparently convincing Osbourne to return live on his chat show, it was confirmed on 23 October by Osbourne's spokesman that the judge would return to the show. A newspaper source explained that leaving prematurely would have been breach of contract and the legal repercussions would have made it in Osbourne's interests to return to the panel.

Alleged feuds and alliances

During the filming of The X Factor, there was much media speculation about rumoured feuds between the judges, most notably between Sharon Osbourne and Dannii Minogue. One report emerged of a backstage argument just 15 minutes before they were due to go live on television. On one show, Minogue criticised contestant Niki Evans's tuning, which prompted Niki's mentor, Louis Walsh, to suggest live on television that Minogue herself could not sing. Minogue then reportedly missed part of the results show as she was crying. In an interview published on December 2 2007, Minogue stated "As for Sharon, you don't click with everybody. But it's her choice not to be friends. Apparently she's envious because I'm younger and prettier.", and in another that she felt "younger and prettier" compared with the other judges. During Osbourne's appearance on The Graham Norton Show, she stated, referring to Minogue, "She knows she's there because of her looks, not because of her contribution to the music industry." In a press conference held on Wednesday December 12 2007, when asked why she had been publicly talking about Minogue, Osbourne said "It's an even playing field, Dannii speaks about me, I speak about her." Minogue said in turn "I've looked up to Sharon and Louis for years and I wanted to be part of that gang. But when they're slating you, you think: 'Please don't, I really like you.'" Cowell admitted that Osbourne did not feel comfortable about having a new judge and that Osbourne and Minogue would never be "the best of buddies," adding that if Osbourne wanted to leave the show, he would let her (in fact, Osbourne left after series 4). The Daily Mail reported that Cowell was forced to sit the judges down, asking them to maintain a civil relationship with each other behind the scenes. The apparent flirting between Cowell and Minogue also generated comment in the popular media.

Impartiality

Series 4 presented a change in the panelists' judging style. Simon Cowell said at the ITV Autumn Launch: "We tried to be bit more impartial as judges, and that, you'll see a lot more of on X Factor. There's still competition within the judges but our job essentially is to find a star." This ethic was put into practice with the judges working together at the bootcamp. At the live stages, the acts were no longer introduced with their mentors at the start of the show. Only the judges were introduced, after which the individual performances began.

Presenters

Following the departure of series 1–3 presenter Kate Thornton, Dermot O'Leary took over as host for series 4. In an interview with ITV Head of Entertainment and Comedy, Paul Jackson, O'Leary said he was still getting used to handling the rejected at the auditions: "I'm still trying to work it out. It's an emotionally exhausting show to do."

Fearne Cotton became the new host of The Xtra Factor on ITV2, following Ben Shephard's resignation. Shephard reportedly quit because he was not given the job of lead X Factor host on ITV.

Standard of talent

At ITV's Autumn launch on 12 July 2007, Simon Cowell discussed the upcoming series. He said that in previous years the programme had been more like a "popularity contest" than a talent show. When asked about the standard of talent, Cowell said: "It's in a different league this year... we're going to have the best 12 [finalists] we've ever seen". This came with comments that the series 4 auditions had gone "brilliantly".

Series 4 also saw more emphasis placed on the international standing of The X Factor, with Simon Cowell calling it the "biggest show in Europe" with around 150,000 auditioning for the series. Referring to the impact that the international success of series 3 winner Leona Lewis had had on the show, Dannii Minogue said at the Sheffield auditions: "I think that Leona has completely upped the ante now on this show, and there's no turning back. We're looking for an international standard of acts that can sell millions of albums". In response to the expectation of a raised standard of talent on the show, producers tried with series 4 to assemble what Dermot O'Leary called an "international panel of judges"; this was particularly the case with the original judging lineup that included Brian Friedman. There were also more international contestants in series 4, with two acts from the United States, numerous acts from Japan and a Brazilian act auditioning.

Nevertheless, Cowell said before the first live show that "I think we could be heading for a train wreck," referring to the fact that the public did not believe any of the final 12 this year were as good as the previous year's winner, Leona Lewis. But he added, "But if you take Leona out of the equation, they weren't that good last year. As a whole, we've probably got the most talented 12 we've had. We just haven't had the chance to showcase them properly yet."

Auditions

Initial auditions with producers took place in April and May 2007, with callbacks in front of the judges in June. The number of applicants reached an all-time high with 150,000 people auditioning in the cities of London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and Belfast. Eight thousand people attended an open audition at Emirates Stadium (home of Arsenal F.C.), London, on 9 June 2007. Due to the record number of applications an additional open audition was held at Birmingham Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on 21 July 2007.

Auditionees needed a minimum of three "yes" votes (previously two) from the judges to proceed to the next round.

Bootcamp

Series 4 saw all four judges work together at the bootcamp, rather than disband to manage their own categories as happened in previous series. Bootcamp was broadcast over a two-part show on Saturday 29 September. Episode 7 showed the first round at the Heythrop Park Hotel in Oxfordshire, where the acts were whittled down to 12 in each category (48 acts in total). The next episode, showing the second round at the Apollo Theatre in London, was screened a few hours later. Here the acts were further reduced to six in each category – a total of 24 acts. After this, the judges were told which category they were to mentor. These were:

• Simon Cowell: Groups
• Sharon Osbourne: Girls
• Dannii Minogue: Boys
• Louis Walsh: Over-25s

The judges then disbanded for the "Visits to the Judges' Houses" round.

Visits to judges' houses

In the "visits to judges' houses" round, each judge chose three of their remaining six acts to go forward and represent them on the live shows. The locations for the round were confirmed during episode 8 on September 29; they were later revealed by Louis Walsh not to be the judges' real homes. Simon Cowell took his six acts to Marbella; Sharon Osbourne to Los Angeles; Louis Walsh to Dublin; and Dannii Minogue to Ibiza. As in previous series the judges, now disbanded, were joined by an adviser to help them make decisions. Simon Cowell was joined by former pop star Sinitta; Sharon Osbourne by Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger; Louis Walsh by Westlife singer Kian Egan; and Dannii Minogue by songwriter and music producer Terry Ronald. The judges' houses stage was broadcast over a two-part weekend special. Episode 9 on Saturday 6 October showed all 24 acts performing for a place in their mentor's top three and, subsequently, the live shows. The final twelve were revealed the day after on Sunday 7 October.

The acts eliminated in this round were:

• Boys: Luke Bayer, Charlie Finn, Dominic Harris
• Girls: Victoria Closs, Kimberley Howlett, Stephanie Woods
• Over 25s: Daniel Boulle, Icaro Taborda, Zyta Zebihi
• Groups: Ghostt, I Sette Cantanti, W4

Categories and finalists

Twelve acts made it through to the live shows.

Note: All ages given are as of the start of the live shows in October 2007.

Key:

– Winner

– Runner Up

– Eliminated

– Withdrawn

Category (Mentor)	Acts
Boys (Dannii Minogue)	Leon Jackson	Rhydian Roberts	Andy Williams
Girls (Sharon Osbourne)	Alisha Bennett	Emily Nakanda	Kimberley Southwick
Over 25s (Louis Walsh)	Daniel DeBourg	Niki Evans	Beverley Trotman
Groups (Simon Cowell)	Futureproof	Hope	Same Difference

Boys

Leon Jackson

Leon Jackson (born 30 December 1988, aged 18 at the time of the show) is from Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland and was a retail sales assistant at the time of his appearance on the show. He auditioned in Glasgow having only started singing properly in August 2007. Jackson says that singing is the only thing that makes him happy. Before he made it through to the finals, Jackson had been planning to start an Architectural Technology course at Napier University.

Jackson won The X Factor final on 15 December 2007 over runners-up Rhydian Roberts and Same Difference.

Rhydian Roberts

Rhydian Roberts (born 14 February 1983, aged 24 at the time of the show) is a classically trained singer from Powys, Wales who auditioned in Cardiff. His voice type is baritone and he had vocal training for seven years prior to auditioning. He is a graduate of Birmingham City University (formerly the University of Central England in Birmingham) and at school played trumpet and cornet. Roberts had appeared in singing competitions before — since the age of five he regularly competed in the annual Urdd Eisteddfod, and in 2007 won two first prizes.

Roberts played rugby for his school, attends the gym daily and worked as a personal trainer. He was once the strongest bench presser in Wales during his teens but gave up weight lifting for a career in music. During his time on the show there was controversy over the way in which producer edit footage to make him appear, what Roberts calls, a "pantomime villain". He also received highly critical comments from judge, Sharon Osbourne. As a Welsh speaker Roberts has recorded messages and interviews for Radio Cymru, recording an audio diary for the station's Dylan a Meinir Show, and has also appeared on S4C shows such as Wedi 7. Although he was the bookmaker's clear favourite to win, Roberts finished second in the competition.

Andy Williams

Andy Williams (born 8 October 1984, aged 23 at the time of the show) auditioned in Cardiff. At the time, he ran an asbestos removal company in his hometown of Newport. He auditioned for series 1 of The X Factor at the age of nineteen but was turned down. He was eliminated in week four: 10 November.

Girls

Alisha Bennett

Alisha Bennett (born 22 February 1984, aged 23 at the time of the show) is the oldest of the girls. She is from Wembley, London where she auditioned. Before entering The X Factor, she was educated at Mill Hill School and later worked as a receptionist at a fitness gym. She was inspired to audition after watching Leona Lewis win the show in 2006. Bennett was in the bottom two on 20 October and 27 October but was saved by the judges both times. She was next in the bottom two on 17 November and was subsequently eliminated ahead of Hope, becoming the last of Osbourne's acts to go.

Emily Nakanda

Emily Nakanda (born 21 August 1992, aged 15 at the time of the show) was the youngest of the series 4 finalists. She auditioned in London, gaining the inspiration to follow her dream of becoming a singer from a personal health issue. Two weeks into the live shows, press reports emerged with video footage of Nakanda apparently attacking another teenage girl in a "happy slapping" attack. On 2 November, ITV announced that Nakanda had withdrawn from The X Factor due to the media attention the videos had brought, after apparently being told by Cowell that she would be forced out if she did not leave of her own accord.

Kimberley Southwick

Kimberley Southwick (born 21 January 1988, aged 19 at the time of the show) is from Tamworth, Staffordshire. At the time of her appearance she worked as a bartender in her parents' pub. She auditioned in Birmingham, singing "Show Me Heaven" by Maria McKee, which the judges preferred over her first song, "Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson. She attended the Italia Conti Academy but left after a year because she was not comfortable there. She has also performed on Michael Barrymore's entertainment show, My Kind of People. Southwick was the first to be eliminated on 20 October. Southwick had a small role in a season 6 episode of Shameless, broadcast on 10 February 2009.

Over 25s

Daniel DeBourg

Daniel DeBourg (born 13 April 1976, aged 31 at the time of the show), from Chelmsford, is a songwriter and singer who has written songs for Jamelia and previously had a recording contract with Dreamworks. He released an album, Tell the World, in the United States in 2002, as well as a single, "I Need an Angel". He was influenced by the videos of Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson to pursue dance by the age of four, and by the age of eleven he had been admitted to study at the exclusive Royal Ballet School. He has also worked with R. Kelly. He was the second to be eliminated on 27 October.

Niki Evans

Niki Evans (born 13 December 1972, aged 34 at the time of the show), from Polesworth, worked as a catering manager in a school. Auditioning in Birmingham, she applied for The X Factor after finding the application form in her recently deceased father's belongings. She had been in bands since the age of 12 and at 16 was signed to PWL but did not have chart success. She had also been on tour and sung backing vocals with Sonia who was signed to PWL at the time. Evans was eliminated in the semi-final on December 8. In September 2008 she released a single called "Love Me No More".

Beverley Trotman

Beverley Trotman (born 22 August 1969, aged 38 at the time of the show) was a primary school teacher who in her spare time sang in choirs, which she had done since the age of four. She auditioned in Birmingham and is a member of the award-winning Kingdom Choir who have performed as backing vocalists on both The X Factor and Grease Is the Word. Trotman currently lives in Luton with her husband and two children. She was in the bottom two on 10 November but was saved by the judges. She was again in the bottom two on 24 November, being eliminated by public vote as the judges' votes were tied, creating the only deadlock of the series. It was stated on Xtra Factor: One Year On that Trotman had signed a record contract, and that her debut album would be released in 2009. She will play Ms Sherman in the UK tour of the musical Fame in 2009.

Groups

Futureproof

Futureproof are a male vocal group consisting of Aaron Delahunty (aged 19 at the time of the show), Adam Chandler (21), Matthew Protheroe (17), Richard Wilkinson (23) and Sean Rumsey (20). They were formed from male singers who initially auditioned as soloists but did not make it past the bootcamp stage. However, believing that talent was lost, judge Louis Walsh decided to give them a lifeline and invited them to form a group. The group made it past bootcamp to the judges' homes round where they were told by mentor, Simon Cowell, that they were in the final twelve. Futureproof were voted off on the third live show on 3 November.

Hope

Hope are a five-piece (originally six) girl group consisting of Charlie Mole (aged 23 at the time of the show), Emily Biggs (17), Raquelle Gracie (20), Leah Lauder (20) and Phoebe Brown (16), who, like Futureproof, auditioned originally as soloists but did not make it past bootcamp. However, judge Louis Walsh suggested that they re-audition as a six-piece, with the group originally containing a sixth member, Sisi Jghalef. After reaching the judges' homes stage and being told that they had made it through to the final twelve, it emerged that Jghalef had an outstanding criminal conviction. This went against the rules of the competition and the show's producers asked her to leave the group. On 3 November, 17 November and 24 November they were in the bottom two but were saved by the judges on the first two occasions, and by the public vote on the other (due to the judges' votes reaching deadlock). Hope were eliminated on 1 December by public vote.

Since leaving the show Hope have performed at various events around the UK including The Birmingham Clothes Show and have booked their first international date in Dubai. They have announced three tracks from their forthcoming debut album: "Hot", "This Is It" and "I Apologize", which features Pharrell Williams.

At some point between October and November 2008, Leah Lauder was removed from the Hope website and all traces of her existence in the band were deleted. There was no official announcement from the group about her disappearance; however, it has been rumoured that she left to become a solo artist, and she wished the band luck and is still in contact with some of them.

It was revealed on MTV UK Television's The Celebrity Agency that Hope went through a temporary split. This suggests that the band probably reformed without Leah Lauder, explaining her sudden disappearance from their website.

As of 28 April 2009 the band's official website was taken down and it is presumed that Hope have now disbanded. Phoebe is now part of a new girl threesome named Girls Can't Catch who are signed to Fascination Records, the same label as Girls Aloud and The Saturdays. They have just finished a tour with Girls Aloud and Girls Can't Catch are busy promoting their debut single "Keep Your Head Up".

Raquelle now hosts the news/gossip web-series, Daily Dips on Dipdive.

Same Difference

Same Difference are made up of siblings Sean and Sarah Smith. At the time of the show, Sean (born September 24, 1985) was an entertainer in his home town of Portsmouth while Sarah (born November 4, 1988) was a student. Sean left home at the age of 17 to perform on cruise ships and has appeared in a number of pantomimes. Together, they performed at a local retirement home.Sarah left home at 16 to attend the Italia Conti Academy and has recently finished her diploma. Sarah has also worked as a model and acted in the show Genie in the House but claims that singing has always been her big passion. In her VT during the third live show she revealed that she was bullied at school for being overly interested in singing, and that in her head she pictured her tormentors telling her she wasn't good enough. A friend, Harriet Templer, said that she had been witness to the bullying and that these girls were yelling abuse and even attacked her. Same Difference were the series' most successful act in the group category, placing third in the final.

Live shows

The live shows commenced on 20 October, 2007, a week later than in previous series. This was because of ITV's coverage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Series 4 saw the continuation of the themed live show format, in which the acts sing songs according to a different musical theme or genre each week. This format was introduced in series 3. Each week a celebrity guest connected to the theme performed in the results show, and some of the guests – Céline Dion, Boyz II Men, Girls Aloud and Michael Bublé – also coached the acts in rehearsal. Series 3 winner, Leona Lewis, appeared as a guest on the first live show on 20 October. During the results show she performed a premiere of her new single, "Bleeding Love", from her debut album, Spirit. Series 2 winner, Shayne Ward, also appeared as a guest on the fourth live show. He performed his latest single, "Breathless", from his second album of the same name during the results show on 10 November. Westlife appeared on the sixth live show on 24 November singing "I'm Already There" from their 2007 album Back Home. Duran Duran sang "Notorious" and "Nite Runner" during the seventh live show results on 1 December.

The rules relating to judges' votes in the results show changed from previous series. In the past, the decision as to which act was sent home each week was made by the three judges (from which there would always be a majority). Now, with four judges, if there was a two-way tie (billed on the show as "deadlock") the act with the fewest votes from the public would be eliminated, otherwise the judges' decision would stand.

With the appointment of Brian Friedman as choreographer, finalists used dance routines more frequently during their live performances in comparison to previous series.

Three acts (previously two for series 1 and 3) competed in the grand finale for the £1 million recording contract.

Contrary to reports about a change of venue, the live shows for this series continued to be broadcast from The Fountain Studios. Unlike past series there was no dramatic change in the set, only minor alterations and space created for a larger audience.

It was reported that the producers of the show hired a counsellor to help the contestants deal with the pressure of appearing in the live shows each week.

Results summary

Contestants' colour key:

{|

^Osbourne refused to vote as two of her acts were in the bottom two.

Live show details

20 October 2007

• Theme: Number-one hits
• Celebrity guest: Leona Lewis
• Song performed by celebrity guest: "Bleeding Love"

Judges' votes to eliminate:

• Sharon Osbourne: Refused to vote due to two of her acts being in the bottom two.
• Simon Cowell: Kimberley Southwick – Stated that "it's a singing competition".
• Dannii Minogue: Alisha Bennett – Made no comment on either act.
• Louis Walsh: Kimberley Southwick – Stated that Alisha had the "talent factor" and had much more to give to the competition.

Kimberley Southwick was duly eliminated by a 2-1 majority.

27 October 2007

• Theme: Songs from the movies
• Celebrity guest: Céline Dion
• Song performed by celebrity guest: "Taking Chances"

Judges' votes to eliminate:

• Louis Walsh: Alisha Bennett – Backing his own act, Daniel DeBourg.
• Sharon Osbourne: Daniel DeBourg – Backing her own act, Alisha Bennett.
• Dannii Minogue: Daniel DeBourg – Made no comment on either act.
• Simon Cowell: Daniel DeBourg – Stated that Alisha had more potential to improve than Daniel.

Daniel DeBourg was duly eliminated by a 3-1 majority.

* On 2 November 2007, ITV announced that Nakanda had withdrawn from The X Factordue to the media attention videos of her had brought.

3 November 2007

• Theme: Big band
• Celebrity guest: Boyz II Men
• Song performed by celebrity guest: Medley of songs "It's The Same Old Song," "Reach Out " and "End of the Road"

Emily Nakanda withdrew from the competition during the preceding week and did not appear. Her mentor Sharon Osbournedid not get another act to replace her.

Judges' votes to eliminate:

• Louis Walsh: Futureproof – Stated that Hope's performance on the night was "slick and energetic" and Futureproof's was "sloppy".
• Sharon Osbourne: Futureproof – Stated that she loved girl band Hope.
• Dannii Minogue: Hope – Stated that neither act had performed well this week, but that Futureproof had delivered better performances in the previous two weeks.
• Simon Cowell: Futureproof – Stated that Hope had greater long-term potential.

Futureproof were duly eliminated by a 3-1 majority.

10 November 2007

• Theme: 21st century hits
• Celebrity guest: Shayne Ward
• Song performed by celebrity guest: "Breathless"

Judges' votes to eliminate:

• Louis Walsh: Andy Williams – Backing his own act, Beverley Trotman.
• Sharon Osbourne: Andy Williams – Made no comment on either act.
• Dannii Minogue: Beverley Trotman – Backing her own act, Andy Williams.
• Simon Cowell: Andy Williams – Stated that he believed the public would prefer to see Beverley saved.

Andy Williams was duly eliminated by a 3-1 majority.

17 November 2007

• Theme: Disco
• Celebrity guest: Girls Aloud
• Song performed by celebrity guest: "Call the Shots"

Judges' votes to eliminate:

• Simon Cowell: Alisha Bennett – Backing his own act, Hope.
• Dannii Minogue: Alisha Bennett – Made no comment on either act.
• Sharon Osbourne: Hope – Backing her own act, Alisha Bennett.
• Louis Walsh: Alisha Bennett - Stated that neither act deserved to be in the final showdown.

Alisha Bennett was duly eliminated by a 3-1 majority.

24 November 2007

• Theme: Love songs
• Celebrity guest: Westlife
• Song performed by celebrity guest: "I'm Already There"

Judges' votes to eliminate:

• Louis Walsh: Hope – Backing his own act, Beverley Trotman.
• Simon Cowell: Beverley Trotman – Backing his own act, Hope.
• Dannii Minogue: Hope – Stated that Beverley was more consistent than Hope.
• Sharon Osbourne: Beverley Trotman – Stated "I'm doing this for a reason, and you'll realise the reason when I say it. I'm sending home Beverley", implying that she wanted to cause a deadlock.

The judges reached a 2-2 split (deadlock). Presenter Dermot O'Leary referred to the earlier public vote and announced that Beverley Trotman had received the lowest number of votes from the public. She was duly eliminated.

1 December 2007

• Theme: Best of British
• Celebrity guest: Duran Duran
• Song performed by celebrity guest: "Notorious/Nite Runner"

Each act performed two songs. For the first time this series there was no final showdown and the judges did not vote; the act with the fewest votes from the public was eliminated.

8 December 2007 (Semi-final)

• Theme: One song chosen by mentor, one song chosen by contestant.
• Celebrity guest: Michael Bublé
• Song performed by celebrity guest: "Lost"

15 December 2007 (Final)

• Theme: Christmas classics, duet with guest and each contestant's favourite song from the series
• Celebrity guests: Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Katherine Jenkins
• Songs performed by celebrity guests: "Wow" performed by Kylie Minogue

After the finalists sang their first songs, highlights from the series were shown. After their second songs, some of the more memorable auditions were shown, followed by a performance of "One Moment in Time" by some of the auditionees.

Alleged voting irregularities
It was reported that Ofcom received at least 1,100 complaints from would-be voters for Rhydian Roberts, the runner-up of the series, saying that despite calling numerous times they were unable to get through to vote for Roberts.The programme said the high number of calls meant some people were greeted by engaged tones.

ITVdenied the allegations, commenting that "As all numbers go through to the same lines and vote platform it is impossible for there to be any bias in favour or against a particular contestant." ITV confirmed that Leon performed strongly throughout the series and won on the night of the final by around 10% of the popular vote. A subsequent Ofcom investigation found that Roberts had not been unfairly disadvantaged.

Viewership

The fourth series proved yet again to be a ratings winner. The first episode peaked at 10.7 million viewers, with an average of 9.5 million viewers (45% share), according to unofficial overnight ratings. This was 2.5 million viewers higher than last year's launch, and higher than the series finale of both series 1 and series 2. Moreover, 60% of 16- to 34-year-olds tuned in that night. The Xtra Factoron ITV2 also performed well on its launch night, with an overnight figure of 1.2 million viewers watching the episode — 500,000 more than for the 2006 launch.

The second episode was another ratings success and attracted more viewers than all of the other terrestrial channels combined. The show peaked at 10 million viewers with an average of 8.5 million, beating its rival DanceX(the finale) on BBC Onewhich attracted 3.6 million.

The third episode attracted 8.7 million viewers, which was considerably more than BBC One's Eurovision Dance Contestwhich achieved an audience of 3.8 million viewers. Viewing figures remained strong in the fourth episode, averaging 8.2 million viewers. The fifth episode featuring auditions generated 7 million viewers and a 43% share of audience. The sixth and final episode featuring auditions attracted another strong audience which peaked at 9.2 million and averaged with 8 million and an audience share of 45%.

The seventh and eighth episodes in the series featured the successful candidates auditioning at boot-camp. Despite competition from BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, The X Factorreceived the highest viewing figures, beating Strictly Come Dancingby 2.1 million viewers and receiving 6.8 million in total. The second part of the show attracted 7.2 million viewers. The ninth instalment won 7.5 million viewers, narrowly beating the live launch of Strictly Come Dancing, which had 7.2 million.

The final of The X Factoron December 15scored highly in the ratings with a peak audience of 12.1 million. The first part of the show attracted an average of 11.4 million viewers, whilst the second half averaged with 11.7 million viewers. This was the highest rating, in terms of total viewership, for all four series of the show.

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16. " X Factor beats out all the other TV channels - combined", Daily Mail, 28 August, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-28.
17. " Euro dancers trounced by X Factor", The Guardian, 3 September, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
18. " Takeaway curries viewers' favour", The Guardian, 10 September, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
19. " Slow start for Parky's final run", The Guardian, 17 September, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
20. " Elvis contest fails to serenade viewers", Broadcast Now, 24 September, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
21. " The X Factor outperforms BBC1 rival", The Guardian, 1 October, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
22. " The X Factor beats Dancing debut, BBC News, 7 October, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
23. " The X Factor goes out on a high note", The Guardian, 17 December 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.

External links

– Cowell's contestants (Groups)
– Minogue's contestants (Boys – 14 to 24)
– Osbourne's contestants (Girls – 14 to 24)
– Walsh's contestants (Over 25s)
		Week 1
Week 2
	Week 3
Week 4
	Week 5
Week 6
	Week 7
Week 8
	Final Week 9
Round 1	Round 2
	Leon Jackson
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
Safe	Winner (Week 9)
	Rhydian Roberts
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
Safe	Runner-up (Week 9)
	Same Difference
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
3rd	Eliminated (Week 9)
	Niki Evans
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
Safe	Safe
Safe	4th
Eliminated (Week 8)
	Hope
Safe	Safe
Bottom two	Safe
Bottom two	5th
5th	Eliminated (Week 7)
	Beverley Trotman
Safe	Safe
Safe	Bottom two
Safe	6th
Eliminated (Week 6)
	Alisha Bennett
Bottom two	Bottom two
Safe	Safe
Bottom two	Eliminated (Week 5)
	Andy Williams
Safe	Safe
Safe	Bottom two
Eliminated (Week 4)
	Futureproof
Safe	Safe
Bottom two	Eliminated (Week 3)
	Emily Nakanda
Safe	Safe
Withdrew (Week 2)
	Daniel DeBourg
Safe	Bottom two
Eliminated (Week 2)
	Kimberley Southwick
Bottom two	Eliminated (Week 1)
Withdrew
None
Emily Nakanda
None
Bottom two
Alisha Bennett, Kimberley Southwick
Alisha Bennett, Daniel DeBourg
Futureproof, Hope
Andy Williams, Beverley Trotman
Alisha Bennett, Hope
Beverley Trotman, Hope
No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who is eliminated.
					Cowell's vote to eliminate
				Kimberley Southwick	Daniel DeBourg	Futureproof	Andy Williams	Alisha Bennett	Beverley Trotman
	Minogue's vote to eliminate
Alisha Bennett	Daniel DeBourg	Hope	Beverley Trotman	Alisha Bennett	Hope
	Osbourne's vote to eliminate
N/A^	Daniel DeBourg	Futureproof	Andy Williams	Hope	Beverley Trotman
	Walsh's vote to eliminate
Kimberley Southwick	Alisha Bennett	Futureproof	Andy Williams	Alisha Bennett	Hope
Eliminated
		Kimberley Southwick 2 of 3 Votes
Daniel DeBourg 3 of 4 Votes
	Futureproof 3 of 4 Votes
Andy Williams 3 of 4 Votes
	Alisha Bennett 3 of 4 Votes
Beverley Trotman 7% Deadlock
	Hope 8% to save
Niki Evans 19% to save
	Same Difference 22% to win
Rhydian Roberts 46.4% to win
Leon Jackson 53.6% to win
Order	Artist	Song (original artists)	Results
1
Kimberley Southwick
"It's Raining Men" (The Weather Girls)
Eliminated
2
Andy Williams
"I Don't Want to Talk About It" (Crazy Horse)
Safe
3
Futureproof
"She's the One" (World Party)
Safe
4
Beverley Trotman
"I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor)
Safe
5
Emily Nakanda
"I Knew You Were Waiting " (Aretha Franklin and George Michael)
Safe
6
Leon Jackson
"Can't Buy Me Love" (The Beatles)
Safe
7
Same Difference
"Tragedy" (Bee Gees)
Safe
8
Niki Evans
"Nothing Compares 2 U" (Sinéad O'Connor)
Safe
9
Alisha Bennett
"Dreams" (Gabrielle)
Bottom two
10
Rhydian Roberts
"I'd Do Anything for Love " (Meat Loaf)
Safe
11
Daniel DeBourg
"Heaven" (Bryan Adams)
Safe
12
Hope
"Umbrella" (Rihanna)
Safe
Order	Artist	Song (original artists)	Results
1
Hope
"Lady Marmalade" (Labelle)
Safe
2
Leon Jackson
"Home" (Michael Bublé)
Safe
3
Beverley Trotman
"I Have Nothing" (Whitney Houston)
Safe
4
Alisha Bennett
"I Say a Little Prayer" (Dionne Warwick)
Bottom two
5
Same Difference
"Breaking Free" (Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Drew Seeley)
Safe
6
Daniel DeBourg
"Build Me Up Buttercup" (The Foundations)
Eliminated
7
Rhydian Roberts
"The Phantom of the Opera" (Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford)
Safe
8
Emily Nakanda
"I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Britney Spears)
Safe (withdrew)*
9
Futureproof
"If You Don't Know Me by Now" (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes)
Safe
10
Andy Williams
"Stayin' Alive" (Bee Gees)
Safe
11
Niki Evans
"My Heart Will Go On" (Céline Dion)
Safe
Order	Artist	Song (original artists)	Results
1
Leon Jackson
"Fly Me to the Moon" (Kaye Ballard)
Safe
2
Futureproof
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (Frankie Valli)
Eliminated
3
Niki Evans
"All That Jazz" (from the musical Chicago)
Safe
4
Rhydian Roberts
"Get the Party Started" (Pink)
Safe
5
Same Difference
"Reach" (S Club 7)
Safe
6
Alisha Bennett
"Valerie" (The Zutons)
Safe
7
Hope
"Hanky Panky" (Madonna)
Bottom two
8
Andy Williams
"This Guy's in Love with You" (Herb Alpert)
Safe
9
Beverley Trotman
"Feeling Good" (Gilbert Price)
Safe
Order	Artist	Song (original artists)	Results
1
Niki Evans
"Because of You" (Kelly Clarkson)
Safe
2
Same Difference
"I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" (Scissor Sisters)
Safe
3
Andy Williams
"Chasing Cars" (Snow Patrol)
Eliminated
4
Beverley Trotman
"You're Beautiful" (James Blunt)
Bottom two
5
Hope
"Back to Black" (Amy Winehouse)
Safe
6
Leon Jackson
"Dancing in the Moonlight" (King Harvest)
Safe
7
Alisha Bennett
"Put Your Records On" (Corinne Bailey Rae)
Safe
8
Rhydian Roberts
"You Raise Me Up" (Secret Garden)
Safe
Order	Artist	Song (original artists)	Results
1
Leon Jackson
"Relight My Fire" (Dan Hartman)
Safe
2
Niki Evans
"Hot Stuff" (Donna Summer)
Safe
3
Rhydian Roberts
"Go West" (Village People)
Safe
4
Hope
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! " (ABBA), incorporating parts of "Hung Up" (Madonna)
Bottom two
5
Beverley Trotman
"I'm Every Woman" (Chaka Khan)
Safe
6
Alisha Bennett
"Young Hearts Run Free" (Candi Staton)
Eliminated
7
Same Difference
"Blame It on the Boogie" (Mick Jackson)
Safe
Order	Artist	Song (original artists)	Results
1
Beverley Trotman
"Without You" (Badfinger)
Eliminated
2
Same Difference
"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (Starship)
Safe
3
Niki Evans
"The Power of Love" (Jennifer Rush)
Safe
4
Rhydian Roberts
"Somewhere" (from the musical West Side Story)
Safe
5
Hope
"Hurt" (Christina Aguilera)
Bottom two
6
Leon Jackson
"You Don't Know Me" (Eddy Arnold)
Safe
Order	Artist	First song (original artists)	Order	Second song (original artists)	Results
1
Rhydian Roberts
"Somebody to Love" (Queen)
10
"I Vow to Thee, My Country/World In Union" (Cecil Spring-Rice/Gustav Holst/Charlie Skarbek)
Safe
2
Hope
"2 Become 1" (Spice Girls)
6
"We Will Rock You" (Queen)
Eliminated
3
Niki Evans
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler)
9
"Fields of Gold" (Sting)
Safe
4
Leon Jackson
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (Queen)
7
"The Long and Winding Road" (The Beatles)
Safe
5
Same Difference
"Any Dream Will Do" (from the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)
8
"Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" (Wham!)
Safe
Order	Artist	First song (original artists)	Order	Second song (original artists)	Results
1
Niki Evans
"Songbird" (Fleetwood Mac)
5
"One Moment in Time" (Whitney Houston)
Eliminated
2
Leon Jackson
"The Very Thought of You" (Ray Noble)
6
"How Sweet It Is " (Marvin Gaye)
Safe
3
Rhydian Roberts
"Bridge over Troubled Water" (Simon and Garfunkel)
7
"You'll Never Walk Alone" (from the musical Carousel)
Safe
4
Same Difference
"Chain Reaction" (Diana Ross)
8
"Never Had a Dream Come True" (S Club 7)
Safe
Order	Artist	First song (original artists)	Second song (original artists)	Third song (original artists)	Fourth song (winner's single)	Results
1
Same Difference
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Mariah Carey)
"Any Dream Will Do" sung with Jason Donovan (from the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)
"Breaking Free" (Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Drew Seeley)
N/A (Eliminated after third performance)
Third place
2
Leon Jackson
"White Christmas" (Bing Crosby)
"Better the Devil You Know" duet with Kylie Minogue (Kylie Minogue)
"You Don't Know Me" (Eddy Arnold)
"When You Believe" (Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston)
Winner
3
Rhydian Roberts
"O Holy Night"
"You Raise Me Up" duet with Katherine Jenkins (Secret Garden)
"Somewhere" (from the musical West Side Story)
"When You Believe" (Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston)
Runner-up