Dermot O’Leary insists ‘X Factor’ bosses aren’t worried about ratings.
The talent contest may have seen viewing figures fall over the years, but the 44-year-old presenter claims there is no "pressure" on them to do better as everyone involved with the programme understands that viewing on demand services have changed the way people watch TV so ratings figures aren’t necessarily a reliable indicator of performance and popularity.
He said: "Do you know what we are? We’re very comfortable in our own skin now.
"We’ve been doing it for so long, we all love doing it and we’re not under any pressure from the channel.
"We’re still rating well, it’s just not where it was.
"We all know the world we started making that show in – people watch telly in a completely different way now.
"So you take solace in the fact that Grace Davies has had that many hits, or Rak-Su have had three out of the top five singles on iTunes."
Though Dermot hopes the judges from last year, Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger, are still around for the 2018 contest, he’d also be happy if Cheryl Tweedy makes her rumoured return to the panel.
Asked if he can see any of the judges leaving, he told OK! magazine: "Oh I hope not. I look at different judging years like wines – like, oh I like my 2012s.
"I think you develop relationships with people and miss them when they’re not around, but then you haven’t seen someone for a couple of years and they come back into your life and it’s really nice.
"Cheryl’s a lovely person so I’d be lying if I said it’s not nice to work with her as it’s really lovely to work with her. And she pulled a blinder at Judges’ Houses – she was like, ‘I don’t think they’re up to it.’ "
X Factor bosses aren’t worried about ratings
