Bad news for X Factor haters that want to show the end, as Simon Cowell is pretty confident it’ll make its 20th anniversary.
The talent contest returns for its fourteenth run this weekend, having burst on to our screens way back in 2004.
And it seems more and more people are now calling for ITV to swing the axe, especially as ratings have dwindled over recent years.
However, Simon doesn’t see an end in sight – believing the ‘kids’ that watch the show will keep it going.
When asked if The X Factor can last 20 series, he said: “Years ago, I would have said if we can get to five more years then we’ve done well. Then you get to five years and it becomes ten.
“What I have noticed over the last two years, which is a good sign, is that I’m seeing younger and younger kids turn up to the show.
“That’s always the fear, that, like a lot of music shows, you don’t stay relevant. As long as you’re having hits, and in the label we’re finding artists, there’s no feeling like it.
“So, that’s a long-winded way of saying yes, I do think it’ll last a little bit longer than I thought.”
The media magnate’s right-hand man Louis Walsh also reckons The X Factor can hit 20.
He said: “If it’s good enough and people want it, yes. It’s up to us to make the show great.
“The pressure is on us to find good acts. I think it’s the best talent show on TV anywhere.”
Their fellow judge Sharon Osbourne added: “Come on, X Factor has to get to 20!”
Last year, ITV confirmed it had signed a new three-year contract for The X Factor. The deal guarantees it will remain on air until its sixteenth series in 2019.
Therefore, the broadcaster will have to agree to another four years for it to reach the two-decade mark.
The X Factor 2017 begins this Saturday and Sunday at 8.00pm on ITV.