In a first look at the opening credits of this year’s brand new Xtra Factor Live, our new presenters, Radio 1 DJ Matt Edmondson and TV host and X Factor alumni Rylan Clark-Neal, have donned their best wigs and outfits to kick off the new series with a trip down memory lane and an X Factor mega mix…
Taking us back to the classic Judges’ Houses moment of 2012 when Rylan got through to the live shows, X Factor judge and pop sensation Nicole Scherzinger welcomes an emotional Rylan back to the show, this time as an Xtra Factor host. Their moment gets cut short as Matt jumps in to steal Rylan away so they can get to work on their mega mix.
Watch as Matt and Rylan do spoof versions of music videos by former X Factor contestants. They step into the Broken Heels of Alexandra Burke, don matching suits and quiffs for Jedward’s infamous cover of Ice Ice Baby, sing their hearts out to the JLS hit-single Everybody In Love and enjoy a girly night in dancing around the house to Little Mix’s Hair.
This year The Xtra Factor Live will be going live from the very first audition show, giving fans the chance to react to each night’s episode from the very start of the series.
Matt: We are over the moon. We both love the show, obviously Rylan was brought to us through the medium of X Factor, I loved his series and watching him on the show. I’ve been a huge fan of the show for years, to the point where I used to make my own little X Factor videos which I would stick on Youtube. So we are both coming at it with huge enthusiasm for the show, Rylan’s got the inside knowledge, I’ve got the fan perspective and because the format’s different, in that we’re going live from the beginning, it’s going to be such a laugh. The Xtra Factor has always been a great show but this year, because it’s live, we can actually react to the main show immediately after it has been on.
Rylan: It’s not just me who’s been a part of the show, Matt’s been a big part of it in the past, so we’re bringing a lot of that to the show. As Matt said, because we’re going live from day one it’s a brand new show. Forget everything you know about The Xtra Factor, it’s all new. I’ve loved The Xtra Factor since day one, back to when Ben Shephard and Holly Willoughby presented it, and you know I love a spin off show, it pretty much pays my mortgage!
Rylan and Matt as Edward
How have you been getting on with Simon?
Rylan: He wasn’t on the show my year, it was Gary Barlow. Simon is the big boss, he calls all the shots and makes all the decisions but Simon’s the one person I have never worked with. But, I interviewed him and the previous judges for the last series, before we did the interview he asked me how I had found the first episode. I asked if he wanted me to be honest, which he did, so I said, ‘I’m jealous, I wanted to be doing it myself’. He said, ‘I’ve got respect for you saying that because at least I know you’re honest’, so we’ve got on from then. He shook my hand at the six chair challenge just as he was going on stage and said, ‘Welcome home.’ My knees went funny!
Rylan and Matt as Little Mix
Matt: I don’t find him scary at all, he’s like the most weirdly magnetic person I have ever met. He kind of sits in almost like a zen like state in the judges’ room. He’s doing the telly stuff but at the same time juggling a million other businesses and projects, but he stays so calm. I’m fascinated by him. I feel like I’m David Attenborough and I’ve been given access to a very rare creature in the world. He’s an extraordinary character. When he talks to you it does feel like you are his world, you know it’s a Jedi mind trick but you don’t know how he does it. I don’t know what the secret is but you can’t stop the feeling, it’s like a sun beam that comes over you
The Xtra Factor Live returns to ITV2 at the end of August.
