The X Factor

Despite an obviously very sore throat and croaky voice, 19 year-old Laura White from Bolton, Lancs won the approval of all four judges tonight singing a very challenging Jocelyn Brown number.

The girls seemed to outshine the boys in the auditions in tonight's show (30th August) One who really stood out was 16 year-old Diana Vickers who was described as a little doll and a little hippie by the judges.

The X Factor auditionees know they need a good sob story to get the attention of the producers.

The special guests and themes for some of the live X Factor shows have been revealed.

This X Factor audition show was screened less than 24 hours before Leona Lewis was scheduled to sing at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

X Factor winner, Leona Lewis, and Jimmy Page will sing Whole Lotta Love at the Olympics closing ceremony according to today's Sun newspaper.

The first audition show of the new series of The X Factor attracted an average of 10.2 million last night.

Holly Willoughby made a good start in her first Xtra Factor, replacing the self-obsessed Fearne Cotton.

Rachel Hylton has the sob story to end all X Factor sob stories but she has a voice as well that could take her to the final four or five acts in the series this year.

X Factor 2008 launched on ITV this evening with the first of eight weeks of auditions – and naturally we were treated to the usual assortment of good singers, terrible singers, those who tried to ar