'The X Factor' auditions will be held at Thorpe Park this year as part of a "drastic revamp."

Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell

The singing show's boss Simon Cowell is on a desperate mission to save the programme from getting the chop after last year's viewing figures were a flop, so has decided to change the location of the auditions, reduce the amount of novelty acts and slash the running plan.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Ratings plummeted and Simon knew a drastic revamp was needed. The Saturday night show became so tedious as there was rarely any drama which an eviction would bring. ITV believes transforming it is the right decision.

"It means all singers will perform on both Saturday and Sunday evenings, with acts being eliminated both nights. They are doing the Thorpe Park auditions early on, too, because producers think the unconventional location will create some funny footage. They want to get shots of the judges on white-knuckle rides.

"Ultimately, show bosses are determined to make another star. They don't want the show to be a laughing stock again like it was with Honey G."

However, one aspect of the show that won't be changing is the judging panel - comprised of Simon, Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger - because the 57-year-old music mogul loved how "perfect" the chemistry was between them on the show in 2016.

A source said recently: "The ­chemistry was perfect last year, so it's only natural to want to bring the same line-up together again.

"It's usually hard to get people's schedules to align but for the first year it has worked out. The judges can't wait to get started and have already been gossiping behind the scenes."

The news will be well received by fans as speculation was rife that Sharon might step away from the show after she suffered a back injury, while Nicole, who replaced Rita Ora last year and saw her act Matt Terry be crowned the 2016 'X Factor' winner, is planning a return to music which could have meant she was not free to sit on the panel.

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