From Nicki Minaj to Craig Revel Horwood: 10 of the best TV talent show judges
The harshest, funniest and downright weirdest talent show authorities, judging everything from singing to pottery to makeup
October 2018
Camila Cabello: 'I got to create myself again. I didn’t have to be this shy girl'
She became famous with the girl group Fifth Harmony and now she’s won four American Music Awards as a solo performer. Meet the star behind the addictive, inescapable single Havana
November 2017
Lost in showbiz
Can Simon Cowell redeem himself with a new show for the Brexit era?
With X Factor ratings their worst ever, the man who once ruled reality TV needs a new big idea. Frighteningly, he says he has one
February 2014
Lost in showbiz
Let's hope baby Eric doesn't turn Simon Cowell into a softie
Stuart Heritage: If his barbed putdowns lose their bite, there will be no point in his existence
November 2013
Lost in showbiz
Simon Cowell's X Factor USA: how long before it's axed?
Last week's episode pulled in only 3.6 million viewers, a figure that could provoke the ultimate humiliation for the Karaoke Sauron: a mid-run cancellation
September 2013
MediaGuardian 100 2013 1-100
14. Simon Cowell
Job: TV producer, presenter Age: 53 Industry: broadcasting, music 2012 ranking: 9
October 2012
X Factor USA: Simon Cowell hires former Daily Mirror editor
Richard Wallace to join Fox talent show as a consultant until Christmas. By Mark Sweney and Tara Collan
May 2012
Lost in showbiz
And Simon said unto Britney: touch me, so that ye may be healed
Britney Spears is back, appearing as a judge on the US X Factor – and it's all thanks to Simon Cowell's unconventional therapeutic care
March 2012
The conversation
Have TV talent shows had it?
Interview by Susanna Rustin
As the BBC launches The Voice, host Reggie Yates insists it's different from other TV singing contests, while veteran DJ Paul Gambaccini argues that the format is dead
September 2011
What The X Factor USA and the Republican party debate have in common
Hadley Freeman
Hadley Freeman: In the eyes of Simon Cowell and the GOP, the public is easy roadkill on the path to power
TV and radio blog
The X Factor USA – live blog
It's day two of The X Factor USA's double-length debut. Can it get any better? Relive the second show
Lost in showbiz
Has Simon Cowell's X Factor proved too much for America?
