Despite being good friends with Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne, and the contestants often singing his songs, mentioning Britain’s biggest music show is a sure way to make the pop legend fume.

“I read somewhere I was supposed to be taking part in that… rubbish!” he says. “The X Factor is a cruise ship show. I’ve got nothing against the people who go on – good luck to them. But I hate how they’re treated.

“They’re given an awful sense of stardom and pressure straight away but they’re only successful until the next series. The record companies sell a lot of records and those people are gone. It’s f***ing cruel.”

Shaking his head, Elton adds: “Look at Michelle McManus. My heart bleeds for her. She won Pop Idol, she’s a really good singer and now she’s forgotten.

“Will Young is the best thing that’s ever come out of those shows. He has proved himself. But it’s no way to find talent. I want to hear new songwriters, people who are creating their own stuff, not just singing my songs every week.”