X Factor’s Dermot O’Leary lets loose about the most talked-about series ever
Host hits backs at 'fix' claims and he's pleased Honey G brought so much fun to the show
DERMOT O’Leary is back where he belongs this weekend: hosting the grand final of The X Factor.
With his nifty dancing, bespoke suits and easy joshing with the judges, he’s earned a place in the nation’s hearts – so much so, it’s easy to forget that he wasn’t even part of the series in 2015.
“I didn’t need a year out, but it’s definitely had the desired effect,” reflects Dermot, who returned as host this series after Olly Murs and Caroline Flack’s brief stint at the helm.
“I’m enjoying it more than I ever have done. I feel more valued and more listened to – more respected. Those things do make a difference.
“I’ve felt more energised, that’s probably the key. I have really, really enjoyed this year.”
Dermot’s wasn’t the only big return this series.
With Simon Cowell reuniting the old gang of Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger to replace Nick Grimshaw, Rita Ora and Cheryl, it’s been a refreshing blast from the past – for viewers and Dermot alike.
“I think the judges have had a really good year,” says the 43-year-old presenter.
“I don’t always agree with their choices – sometimes at Judges’ Houses I thought they put the wrong people through. And I told them. I’m very vocal about it. I thought Four of Diamonds [who later replaced Brooks Way] should have made the live shows then, and I think they’d have lasted longer if they’d made it through earlier.
“But this year we have really concentrated on making it a fun show, and getting that sense of entertainment back. If we’re having a good time, then people at home are having a good time.
"You can’t force that. You can’t pretend you’re having a good time when no one is getting on behind the scenes. The public aren’t stupid.
“Simon has been on great form and, of course, he is the boss, so the mood does filter down from him. I think he’s looking around at that panel thinking he’s got people he really likes with him.
"Louis has had the best year for me. As a host there is nothing worse than when you know what people are going to say. After the performance, I stand to one side so I’m not in shot, but I can hear everything and can get in quick.
"I’m almost like a viewer. I just p**s myself at what the judges are saying. I think over the years Simon has realised that you’ve got to have independent voices around you.”
Simon may be the boss, but when it comes to driving the show it’s Dermot who does the job with consummate ease – and without a drop of alcohol. However, there have been claims on Twitter, disputed by the show, that not all of the judges are quite so restrained…
“I never drink before the show,” Dermot says. “Some of them do, but I just can’t. The thing is, I eat at lunchtime but then don’t really eat again until afterwards, so if I had a tipple before I went on air, I’d be all over the shop.
“It’s fine for the judges – but I’ve got a show to run. All they’ve got to do is just sit there and comment on stuff.”
With two blockbuster live shows resting on his shoulders this weekend, Dermot admits to having a few nerves, especially as he has so little time to prepare.
“No rehearsal whatsoever,” he laughs. “Honestly. I hate it. I want some rehearsal! It’s an absolute nightmare. Final weekend is nuts. You trust yourself that you’ve done it before, and you pray, and you just get on with it.”
Dermot confessed to tuning in to rival show Strictly Come Dancing during his year off, and noted what a warm show it was. With its money- making agenda to find a commercial pop act, is that something The X Factor can ever be?
“The two shows are different but I think there’s a bit of a misconception about X Factor,” he says.
“It is a really warm experience for pretty much everyone who auditions for it. Most people who come here have a good time.
“It’s a huge pyramid which starts with tens of thousands of people auditioning and ends with one person winning. If you look at it like that, everyone else loses and one person wins.
"But as programme makers, you want to make that experience the most enjoyable it can possibly be for anyone auditioning. No one wants to make a nasty show. We want to make a warm series that people who have worked hard all week can enjoy on a Saturday and Sunday.”
But that’s not to say the show isn’t without its controversies – this year more than ever.
Fans cried “Fix!” when the newly introduced jukebox that picks next week’s theme fell conveniently on Fright Night for Halloween, and again when contestant Honey G let slip that she’d already chosen her song seconds after it landed on Movie Week. But Dermot insists it’s not rigged.
“I tell you, on my mother’s life, it’s just a rudimentary hamster wheel,” he promises.
“We said to Simon beforehand: ‘Are you sure you want Fright Night on there? Because if it lands before Halloween it’s going to look weird, and if it lands after Halloween it’s going to look even weirder. And if it falls on Halloween, we’re going to get murdered!’ And it landed on Halloween. People were saying ‘fix’ like it was some 200-1 nag that came in – but there was a one-in-five chance it was going to land on Fright Night.
So you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
“As for Honey G, of course she’d thought about what song she’d be doing – there were only about four categories left on the wheel. It’s not like they’re only going to start thinking about it when the wheel actually lands on it.
“It’s funny – people are so cynical about television these days. When we were revealing our Honey G doppelgangers, we did my favourite one, Granny G, and then we went: ‘Next week we’d like pictures of dogs.’ And people on Twitter go: ‘Well, Honey G might not be here next week, so that means the show’s a fix.’ I don’t care whether she’s here or not next week – we’re doing dogs!”
Of course, it was inevitable that Honey G would come up during our exclusive chat.
When 35-year-old IT recruitment officer Anna Georgette Gilford first strolled into the London auditions and had the judges in fits of laughter, her becoming the biggest contestant on this year’s X Factor seemed as improbable as a reality-TV star being elected the President of the United States of America.
And yet, even though the judges sent her home last month, Honey G is the undoubted star of the series. Rappers 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg have declared themselves fans, while Piers Morgan has said she makes him vomit. So what does Dermot think of the performer who has become the very definition of pop Marmite?
“I like the fact that some people go nuts because they don’t think she should be there, while others really engage with her,” he explains.
“Listen, I think she’s harmless. She’s brought a real sense of fun to the show, and is very serious about what she does – the music team have said she’s worked as hard as any of the other acts.
"As far as she’s concerned, she’s not joking around. So you have to treat her with the respect that you treat any other contestant. That’s really important to the show because what she does, she does really well.
“We do a thing at X Factor called the Matinee Performance. For our dress rehearsal on Saturday afternoons, a lot of people bring down their kids who can’t come to the actual show because they’re too young. I’ve never seen anything like it this year – kids absolutely adore Honey G. She is adorable.”
And yet, despite the rapper’s commitment to her music, Dermot points out that there’s little chance of her becoming a pop star prima donna – and reckons that the fact she does approach things with a knowing sense of humour shouldn’t stop her winning the contest.
“The other weekend it was my mate’s 40th and his girlfriend’s name is Honey,” he reveals, “so I asked Honey G to do a video message going: ‘Hey, there’s an imposter in town! Get with the real Honey! I’m the real deal!’
“She doesn’t take herself too seriously, and yet she takes what she does very seriously. That’s what you want out of a contestant. There always has to be a sense of fun – otherwise we’re just another singing show.
"It’s not called Who’s Got The Best Voice?, it’s called The X Factor – and Honey G’s got the X Factor.”
LIVE! The X Factor Saturday & Sunday 8pm ITV; The Xtra Factor Live Saturday & Sunday 10.05pm ITV2
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