X marks the spot

You can be sure that the opinionated judges will be stealing the limelight from contestants when talent show The X Factor returns for a longer, 21-week run tonight. But spare a thought for Kate Thornton and Ben Shephard, who'll be on duty to separate the judges when the bitching and arguing goes too far and to offer a shoulder to cry on for failed contestants and their families.

Thornton, who began her career as a journalist and became the youngest ever editor of Smash Hits magazine in 1996 at the age of 21, admits becoming emotionally involved during The X Factor auditions. "I have cried, sometimes you can't help it," she says.

"The judges are judging something and that's as much as they know. I'm on the outside talking to people and getting to know their families. Because of the sheer volume of people we see, there's quite a lot of hanging around involved so I'm there with their wives, husbands, mums, dads, aunties and uncles.

"By the time they get into the audition room, I'm emotionally involved. I defy anyone not to shed a tear. And even when they do well, there are happy tears which are infectious and contagious."

Judges Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh will be searching the country for the next singing sensation in the UK's biggest talent search. The X Factor is open to any performer 16 and over, including groups, families and soloists.

This year nearly 75,000 acts entered the competition, the highest ever for a TV talent show. The judges will be reducing the entrants to just 12 for the live studio finals. Each judge will take charge of one group, either the 16-24 solos, the 25 and over solos, and the groups.

The Saturday night show on ITV1 is presented by Thornton, with GMTV presenter Shephard hosting The Xtra Factor on ITV2.

Thornton reckons the talent has been "absolutely phenomenal" this year. "Within the first three or four days of auditions we realised how high the standard was," she says. "Things have changed from last year. Some of last year's studio acts would have struggled this year."

Shephard agrees. "As a result of the last series people who came to this year's auditions already knew what to expect, the bar really has been raised immeasurably," he says.

More than 11,000 people turned up for the open audition in London. "To see a whole side of the Stamford Bridge ground packed with nearly 10,000 people made you realise the scale of the competition, to see the amount of people who actually want to be part of it all," he says.

Thornton says that auditions threw up lots of great talent. "We put out appeals and had very little expectation as to how many people would turn up. We were hoping for 2,000," she says.

"Contestants were camping in the street to make sure they were seen. It was like the first day of the sales. It was the same situation across the country. In both Birmingham and Manchester, we had people sleeping at the venue to make sure that they were seen early and saw the judges when they were fresh."

She had to act as referee when the three judges were at loggerheads during the latter stages of the previous series. The backbiting ended up with Osbourne ranting against the eventual winner, Steve Brookstein, who was being groomed by Cowell. Walsh and Cowell had also had disagreements during the series.

Thornton believes the audition room is the correct place for them to air those opinions. "They just have to try not to let it spill over and become personal," she says. "They've been getting on really well so far but let's see how that goes when we get to the live shows. The jury's out for me."

Thornton couldn't help but get involved at auditions. "I loved the people who really, really want it. There was one man who rescheduled his mother's funeral so he could come to an audition, which really is above and beyond," she says.

"The level of begging has been unbelievable this year. I think people think Sharon is a soft touch. I'm as much to blame. I'd see them outside and tell them to get back in and plead. And sometimes it worked.

"There's one person in particular whose ambition knew no bounds. He didn't just want a hit, he wanted international chart domination and then to tackle world peace. He was very serious about it.

"For me, the people who stood out were those that really wanted it. They're the ones you always remember - the ones that had us all talking through our lunch hour about them."

Shephard became involved with contestants too, although sometimes found that their family and friends were more convinced they'd go all the way to the top than the contestants themselves.

"Sometimes it gets very testy as the supporters tend not to take rejection lightly and certainly seem to take it more personally. There have been some vehement defenders out there so it's a fine line between trying to talk to them afterwards and keeping well clear. Even getting in the way of a celebration can be equally dangerous - very similar to a rugby scrum."

* The X Factor is on ITV1 tonight at 6.50pm, and The Xtra Factor on ITV2 at 7.55pm.