Special feature:
Show still has the X Factor 10 years on

X FACTOR has become the cornerstone of TV entertainment on Saturday night, and in recent years Sunday too.

Such is its power and popularity, over the past 10 years the ITV talent show has propelled complete unknowns to the top of the charts, even earning five of the previous nine winners the prestigious Christmas number one spot. This year's winner Sam Bailey was odds on to become the 6th.

But it is a competition you don't even need to win to earn success with among its biggest stars being 2008 runners up JLS, Olly Murs, who came second in 2009, and the juggernaut that is One Direction who only managed third place back in 2010.

It has made household names of the previously relatively unknown creator and self-styled Mr Evil Simon Cowell, and judges Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh while for a time it even revived the career of Dannii Minogue.

The Midlands has a good pedigree as far as the show is concerned too with Malvern's Cher Lloyd, Harry Styles from One Direction who was born in Evesham, Niki Evans from Tamworth and Cov kid Charlie Healey who was one quarter of The Risk all going on to forge careers in the music business.

And this year it has set Kingsland Road, featuring Rugby's Connor Conaboy and Coventry's JJ Thompson, on the road to possible fame and fortune.

But what is life like on the current biggest show on television?

The Observer's Chris Smith has spoken in length to former contestant Sean Rumsey who has lifted the lid on what really goes on behind the scenes.

Cut throat - those are words now 27-year-old Sean used regularly as he looked back on his time on the fourth series of the ITV show back in 2007.

The former Warwickshire College student was initially rejected at Boot Camp stage, but at the suggestion of Louis Walsh joined together with four other singers to form boy band Futureproof.

However, three weeks after earning a sought-after spot in the final 12 on the live show their dream all but came to an end.

They were booted out of the contestants house, given a couple of gigs and a promise of a place on the following year's X Factor tour - but other than that they were on their own.

"There's lots of ways to make it in the music industry; I tried other competitions before so going for X Factor was a natural progression. I'd done Teen Idol Warwickshire, a talent show in Rugby and UK Unsigned which is pretty big now and something Luke Friend (who came third this year) and (last year's runner up) Jahmene Douglas, have done too," he told us.

"As a kid it's hard going to make a career because the internet is swamped with people trying to get noticed so X Factor is a quick route.

"There are pros and cons, but getting on the live shows and going on the tour was an incredible experience. I played at Wembley, the NEC, the O2 - all massive arenas, but after that it was straight back down to earth.

"There are massive highs but then not being told what's going to happen next is hard. You're not prepared for that, but that's the nature of the industry, it's cut throat.

"When we got voted off we were up at 6am on the Monday morning to go and do an interview on GMTV then it was back to the house to pack up.

"The people at X Factor arranged a couple of gigs for us and the following year we did the tour but after it was over that was completely it. Nothing can prepare you for that.

"We had a meeting with the management company to see what they could do to help us because you need their help to give it a push, but they didn't offer much, they were pretty cut throat."

It all started promisingly for Sean who admitted he would have happily signed his life away to the producers in return for success.

Infact he confessed to me to falling asleep in a meeting with show bosses and the other 12 acts on the live shows that year. It was only after that he realised he had signed a 90-page legal document giving X Factor the rights to anything he did - until they did not want him anymore.

Sean, who lived with his family in Stockton prior to the show, said: "I'll be honest I fell asleep in that meeting, I was 20 and too young to really realise what it was all about.

"But I knew I needed to do whatever they said to get into the industry so I would have gone along with whatever they had asked me to sign or do. I'd have signed that document regardless anyway so it almost didn't matter to me the consequences.

"It was then that I realised what a machine the show was."

The show has struggled at times against suggestions of manipulating acts and possibly even voting to ensure the right people do well. And it's not always the winners who get the biggest leg up in what Sean describes as a volatile industry.

In 2007 it came as somewhat of a surprise when 18-year-old Scot Leon Jackson won. But he was quickly dropped despite having a number one single and album.

The same fate befell early winners Steve Brookstein and Shayne Ward as well as recent victors Joe McElderry and Matt Cardle, none of whom had any chart success other than with their winner's single.

In fact history suggests it is better not to win.

"Stuff behind the scenes will happen, and yes you definitely got the feeling some things were fabricated although I wasn't aware of anything specific in my year," added Sean.

"But I wouldn't vote as a viewer because some outcomes are very much prepped and not always as they seem, but I understand the industry now and that's what it is.

"And based on my year, I'd agree winning is not always the best thing.

"Rhydian (who came second) did better than Leon in terms of what the management company gave him. Niki (Evans, a semi finalist from series four) also got a lot of help that year, I don't know why really.

"Leon struggled to be honest; his album was at number one then fell to 77 the next week and that seemed to be it, it was weird. There was a lot of expectation, he was younger than me.

"Leon and Same Difference were the quickest to be dropped from that year. I think Rydian is still on their books. I don't know why, I suppose they want a mixture of acts, but it shows how cut throat it is.

"I know Leon quite well and he's a great person so I was a bit disappointed for him, they didn't give him what he deserved."

Sean's time with Futureproof came to a fairly swift end after they went on the X Factor tour in the summer of 2008 although he expressed some regret they did not stick it out for longer, but said there was a feeling "we were put together on the show and that we needed the show to keep us together".

But rather than return home to Warwickshire he decided to stay in London and go it alone, and last year got his second big chance on BBC's equivalent, The Voice, making it onto Team Danny before getting eliminated in the second knock out round.

And while The Voice has struggled for ratings in its two series and seen the winners Leanne Mitchell and Andrea Begley limp into the charts at 45 and 98 respectively. This year's runner up Leah McFall is the best performer of the 10 contestants who have so far released material.

Although Sean said he considered it is a better show in terms of talent.

"The Voice was extremely competitive and the standard was ridiculously high. When we got to the last 24 everyone was an incredible singer, very different to X Factor," he said.

"X Factor is more entertainment, more of a brand, they've got it spot on really, something The Voice has struggled with really. People who have gone on that haven't really done much which maybe is because the show isn't the machine X Factor is although I think Leah will do well."

In the six years since his rise to relative fame, Sean has gone on to play gigs all over the country even returning to his near native Rugby on more than one occasion as part of the town's Christmas lights switch on entertainment line-up.

And he said 2014 could be a good year for him with an EP planned for release. But would he go on X Factor again given the chance?

"As a singer-songwriter I'd like to say X Factor isn't the strongest and most powerful way of breaking into the business but it is. It has the pulling power. X Factor is almost ongoing for me and it was six years ago since I was on, but The Voice for me has gone. That speaks volumes."

Buy photos» X Factor band Kingsland Road - featuring Coventry’s JJ Thompson. Picture by Jon Mullis 47.013.001.rug.jm1

Sean Rumsey with Wil.i.am during his time on The Voice earlier this year.

2013 X Factor winner Sam Bailey. (s)

Coventry's Charlie Healy was in The Risk.

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