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X Factor ‘replaced’ by new celebrity Great British Bake Off rival food show on ITV

Television Programme: The X Factor with Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole. A Thames / Syco co-Production THIS IMAGE IS UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 00.01 ON FRIDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2014 X FACTOR on Friday 26th September 2014 Picture Shows: CHERYL DURING THE SIX CHAIR CHALLENGE The route to the live shows draws tantalisingly closer for the remaining 24 X Factor contestants as they jet off to Judges Houses in a bid to land a coveted place in the live shows. Offering a glimpse into the jet set lifestyle that The X Factor winner could have, the four categories travel to glamorous destinations across the world. With just one more chance to impress their mentor, each act will be hoping to convince them that they have the star quality required to reach the finals. This year the Groups category will jet off to Bermuda to sing for Louis Walsh, Simon Cowell invites the Over 25s category to his home in Los Angeles, the Girls category are hosted by Cheryl Fernandez-Versini in Nice, and the Boys category fly out to Mexico to perform for Mel B. With crucial decisions to be made, each judge has help at hand from industry figures who know all about what it takes to have a hit record Louis is joined by former X Factor judge Tulisa, Cheryl enlists renowned rapper and Brit award winner Tinie Tempah. Mel B recruits fellow former Spice Girl, Emma Bunton and Simon reunites with X Factor stalwart Sinitta As ever, X Factor host Dermot O Leary will be on hand to congratulate the lucky three, and console those that fall at the final hurdle. SYCO /THAMES TV/ITV
A new cooking show on ITV could fill X Factor’s gap in the schedule (Picture: Rex)

ITV is said to be gearing up for its own version of Great British Bake Off to rival its Channel 4 competitor – and it could fill the gap left by X Factor.

Bosses have commissioned a new star-studded series called Cooking With The Stars, which is being described as the ‘Strictly Come Dancing of food shows’, according to reports.

The upcoming show is being slated for either the end of summer or early autumn and would see celebrities paired up with a professional chef and put through their paces in the kitchen.

Should the competition programme kick off in the autumn, it could be directly up against Bake Off, which launches at the end of August.

‘ITV has left alone cookery programmes in primetime until this point,’ an insider said.

‘But they’ve seen the success Bake Off has had on Channel 4 and the BBC before that, and also of Mary Berry’s Best Home Cook on the Beeb and think there’s something they can put together.’

Bake Off's Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith
The cooking show will go up against Bake Off (Picture: Channel 4)

The source continued to The Sun: ‘Cookery programmes are a staple of television planning but ITV want to give it a glitzy, shiny floor twist.

‘Celebrity participants will be paired up with the best of the culinary world in pairs, like Strictly, and they will fight it out for the crown.’

The new programme will also take the pressure off ITV’s scheduling too, as X Factor is not returning this year and there’s no sign when Britain’s Got Talent will broadcast.

‘They are always looking for new formats at ITV and they think this will help ease the burden that no XF or BGT has had on the channel,’ the insider added.

X Factor’s future was previously put in doubt after Simon Cowell confirmed plans to ‘rest the series’ for 2021.

In 2019, two different versions of the show aired, with X Factor: Celebrity and X Factor: The Band, however neither achieved ratings that the series used to.

Metro.co.uk has contacted ITV for comment.

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