Strictly host's brutal swipe at rival show with claims it had 'scripted rows'

The late Sir Bruce Forsyth, who fronted Strictly Come Dancing, appeared to make a swipe at the X Factor during an unearthed interview where he claimed the show had 'scripted rows'

The late Sir Bruce Forsyth, former host of Strictly Come Dancing, once seemed to take a swipe at TV rival the X Factor, suggesting the singing competition had "scripted rows". In a 2011 interview with BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, when asked if The X Factor was 'struggling', he responded: "Well, I think it is struggling more in the press, than I think in anything else. There is a length of time that sort of show ]can last]."

While promoting an album of his favourite songs, Bruce added: "Although ours is a reality show, we do have people getting up and doing something, we have got beautiful music going on, great singers, we have comedy from the judges, there is (also) comedy from me. So it has other things to offer, not just singer after singer after singer and judges making up rows between themselves... scripted, I think. I wouldn’t like to say it is on its last legs as I think they will do another couple of series of it." However, as reported by OK!, he later scolded the interviewer for trying to coax him into saying "something really bad" about his competitor, "which I didn't".

The X Factor was axed in July 2021 with ITV confirming no plans for a new series, however, Strictly Come Dancing - now fronted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman - continues to dominate Saturday night viewing. But just earlier this year, Simon Cowell, the mastermind behind The X Factor, spilled the beans on his hopes to revive the iconic talent show. He admitted that a comeback would mean shaking things up a bit.

The show was once a titan of telly, pulling in a whopping 14 million viewers at its height. However, as the years rolled by, the numbers started to drop off. But Simon's got his sights set on bringing the ITV hit back to its heyday. Stars like Leona Lewis, Leon Jackson, and James Arthur became big names thanks to The X Factor.

It all kicked off with judges Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne, and Simon Cowell giving their verdicts in a cosy room, which eventually escalated to massive arena auditions and a rotating roster of guest judges. Simon believes the show lost its way by straying from its roots. He previously told OK! : "I'm not sure when but it be great to have it back. I think it would be taken back to basics. When we first started, it was pretty uncomplicated, but over the years, too many elements were added; it lost its identity somewhere."

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